LOCAL Houston | The City Guide August 2017 | Page 64
STYLE + LEISURE
“POP” CULTURE
“POP” CULTURE
PATRICIA CARRILLO BREAKS INTO THE PIÑATA BUSINESS
“CAN YOU MAKE A PIÑATA OF OUR OFFICE CAT ‘ROCCO’?,” I challenged PATRICIA CARRILLO when she emailed me
about her burgeoning piñata business. “Of course,” she said, and a few days later it was in our office, a two-foot tall
rendering of Rocco’s head, hand-made by the self-taught Houston artist, who is also a pre-K aide in HISD. (You can see
it on this month's cover!)
And she brought more of them along, too, for the visit – a giant dog bone, birthday cakes, ears of corn and traditional Day
of the Dead skulls – all made with recycled cardboard, paper that she hand-shreds herself, tissue and felt. For someone who
claims she can’t even draw, each piece is a true work of art.
“I always made stuff growing up, like pillows or flower crowns; I was always a crafty person. One day my best friend
asked me if I could make her a unicorn piñata, and I said, ‘Ok, why not? I’ll give it a try!’ It turned out to be almost
four feet tall, almost as big as I am, but she loved it. And then more and more people started asking for them.” A business –
Piñatas by Chi – was born.
“Something like a cake or an ear of corn – I can turn that around in an hour,” she says. For a custom job like Rocco or the
dog bone, the process can take a full day. The business keeps her busy during the two months she’s off from her school job in
the summer, taking orders and working pop-up shops in and around the Houston area.
“Houston is changing,” she says, “and I’m seeing more and more people wanting to support local businesses rather than chains
and the ‘same old thing.’ And who doesn’t love a piñata? It makes every party more fun.”
Want to add a little bang to your next bash? Email Patricia at [email protected] or check out her Instagram: Pinatasbychi.
By Tim Moloney
Photography by Harry Dearing
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