Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Cisneros.
Veronica, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been an artist/creative type. I became interested in succulents in 2011 when I saw some pretty pictures of them on Pinterest. I decided to get one, and after about a week I went back to get a few more; they’re so pretty and so easy to maintain. My succulent garden grew immensely in such a short time after that.
Not only did I continue purchasing succulents, but I also learned how to propagate them. Propagating is basically making more plants from cuttings or leaves, and most succulents are pretty easy to propagate. Propagating succulents (and gardening in general) is so rewarding. I created Dreaming Daisy to share my creativity and my love for plants and gardening. I love being in my garden, and I love taking pictures of all my plants and my succulent collection. I always learn something about my self or about life while I’m in my garden, and I some times like to share my discoveries with others. Because my garden is such an inspiring, magical place for me, and I had tons of succulents from propagating, I began making succulent arrangements with basically anything that caught my eye; driftwood, seashells, coffee mugs, picture frames, and vintage pieces or even plain terra cotta pots. Both of my children and I collect rocks, shells and other items found in nature to embellish each arrangement. I started by making succulent arrangements as gifts for family and friends and grew from there.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I could probably write a book about this. I’ve faced an array of challenges in my lifetime. I think my biggest struggles lately have been fear, feeling unworthy of success, self-doubt, being afraid of making mistakes, and being too hard on myself. I’ve learned so much through facing these and many other challenges, though. In the struggle, there’s so much to uncover about ourselves and about the human experience. The wisdom and knowledge one gains from struggling and overcoming obstacles is treasure more precious than silver or gold. It might not be easy to traverse the rocky terrain, but it’s always worth it. I’ve been so lost. I’ve been told no a million times. I’ve held my own self back. I’ve been straight up told that I will never amount to anything and that I’m incapable of succeeding. I used to believe these lies, but I’ve reclaimed my power. I’m determined to continue creating and living the life of my dreams, and no one else has a say in what I become.
Please tell us about Dreaming Daisy.
Dreaming Daisy is known mostly for creative gardening and succulent arrangements. I have my own unique style that is a delightful combination of light and dreamy and dark and weird. I grow and maintain a huge majority of the succulents in my arrangements myself. I’m in the process of growing more plants, and Dreaming Daisy as a whole. As I mentioned earlier, I created Dreaming Daisy to share my creativity, and currently I’m dreaming up more ways to do that. Dreaming Daisy is growing as I grow and learn new skills. I’m an artist; I was born to create. I love drawing, painting, hand-lettering, and recently started making my own T-shirts with vinyl. I’m wearing one of my T-shirts in one of the photos. This year I’m learning how to screenprint.
I’m also educating myself on ways to use plants for pretty much everything. Using plants as natural remedies is so cool and an ancient practice, and I love it. I’m definitely doing my share to keep plant magic alive. I love growing herbs, and will hopefully be adding fruits and veggies to my garden in the future. Aside from growing through Dreaming Daisy, I am also pursuing another one of my lifelong creative passions, which is music. I’ve always loved to sing; I can play guitar and ukulele a little, and I started taking piano lessons in March of 2019. I’m pretty excited about all that is to come.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is being at my grandma and grandpa’s house. Nothing in particular, I guess, more of a collection of moments: playing in their backyard and exploring the garden, picking moras from the mora tree in their backyard and eating them; sitting in the tire swing that hung from the mora tree and winding it up so I could spin as fast as possible until I felt like puking; walking to the park almost every day; making peanut butter cookies in the kitchen with my grandma (I can remember her showing me how to press the fork on top); staying home from school and watching The Price is Right; mornings before school watching Gilligan’s Island or Bewitched in the kitchen while my grandparents cooked breakfast and had coffee; my grandpa’s many fruit trees that he grew from seed, and all of his seed germinating experiments all over the kitchen; walking through the garden and picking limes or pulling weeds with my grandma; making Easter eggs with her in the dining room, filling empty eggshells with confetti and gluing tissue paper on top; walking to the bakery down the street with my grandpa to get pán dulce; sitting in their room on the floor with a needle and thread stitching together anything and everything I could find in my grandma’s sewing table; hanging out with my cousins all summer, every summer; the “clubhouse” my brother crafted for us to hang out in. He left nails poking up on the roof.
One time, I climbed on to the roof so I could swing from the rope swing, and I ended up stepping on one of those nails. I walked inside to tell my grandma, and she doctored me up. I still have the scar, and it reminds me of my grandma’s tender love. She always took such good care of me and all of us. I’m so thankful for all the time I got to spend with my grandparents at their house as a child; there are so many more wonderful memories I have of being there with them. It was such a magical place and time in my life I’ll cherish forever.
Contact Info:
- Email: dreamingdaisyhouston@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_dreaming_daisy/
Image Credit:
Veronica Cisneros
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Sponsor Shoutout:
Total Home Services can help you lower your home-related services bills.
They can help you negotiate and lower your cable or satellite service, internet, cell phone, security bills. They can even help lower the cost of your electricity or solar panels. Check them out at: http://getmeservices.com/
