HispanicBusiness

A major development came in 2007, when Duncan Enterprises, a leading manufacturer of arts and crafts products that include Aleen's Original Tacky Glue, hired her as a full-time product developer to work specifically on the Crafty Chica brand and products.

"This was a dream come true," said Cano-Murillo, who was now able to quit her full-time job at the newspaper (she still writes her column). Before joining Duncan, "I worked on Crafty Chica projects late at night when everyone was asleep. Now I get paid a salary to do it during the day." Rather than her and her husband handling every aspect of the business themselves, she now has a staff at Duncan to help. "From research, design, marketing, public relations, product development -- they have taught us so much!" she said.

The alliance with Duncan also made it possible for her to get her products -- which include glitter, appliques and workshops-in-a-box -- into mainstream venues, such as Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts.

Cano-Murillo, who is as liberal with her exclamations as she is with her glitter, describes her entrepreneurial style as "enthusiastic desperation."

"The desperation," she said, "translates into having that 'hunger' to succeed -- to work every angle, go after every opportunity to make something happen, hoping for that one break."

There were stumbles along the way. She said her biggest business mistakes were in underpricing her products and in taking orders larger than she and her husband could fulfill. "I once took an order for 10,000 hand-painted flower pots for a large perfume company and my husband refused to paint them," she said.

Then there were those in the industry who thought her products were "only for the Hispanic market" or should only be sold in Latino-heavy areas of the nation. "That makes me laugh," said Cano-Murillo. She said Duncan Enterprises studied her Web site statistics and discovered that more than half of the visitors come from non-Hispanic areas.

Despite the bad economy, Cano-Murillo says people are crafting more. Her Web statistics have gone up and people want ideas for things to make for family activities, for their home or as gifts. She said she makes a point of posting a new project every day.

"It makes me happy that people are turning to crafting to help get through these tough times," she said. "I try to come up with ideas that are easy to make, and don't cost a lot of money. I want to make it easier for people to enjoy being creative -- and if my crafts can ease some stress, even better!"

Those crafts pop with bold colors ("pastels make me gag," she said) and glitter ("I am truly addicted to glitter").

Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to "come up with a business from a topic that you love and believe in."

"If you try to copy or be 'the next so-and-so,' it won't work," she said. "You have to really find your signature style and go with it. Embrace online marketing, but not in a cheesy way. Be sincere. Be ready to give up sleep. It will pay off." She also suggests using free outlets such as Flickr, Facebook, MySpace and blogs to build your brand.

What are the next glittery goals for the Crafty Chica?

Her first novel comes out next year and she plans to write more, with the hopes that they'll be turned into TV series or movies. She plans to launch Crafty Chica Charities to "make a difference all across the globe." She wants to continue to grow her brand, "inspiring people to flex their creative muscles."

And, most important, she'll "keep spreading the gospel of glitter."