Mercado Spotlight

MERCADO SPOTLIGHT Make n’ Craft

Hello everyone! My name is Sonia Bernaquez; I’m the Founder and Owner of Make n’ Craft. The primary purpose of Make n’ Craft is to create an intimate environment where a community of DIY enthusiasts of any level can unleash their creativity while having a blast! We mainly offer custom experiences for private parties like, Team Building, Birthday Parties, Bridal & Baby Showers, Girl’s Night out, etc. Our Mission is to support and promote local artists and artisans in our workshops and special events in addition to providing our guests the best DIY experience in the Valley! Being curious, I’m always on the watch for new crafting techniques and mediums to improve and vary the Make n’ Craft’ guests’ experience.

Professional background:

I have always been very passionate about home decor and DIY projects. That’s what led me to get a degree in interior design. I later worked for a local newspaper where I was in charge of their special home decor edition magazine. I enjoyed working with graphic designers, so I started learning visual design techniques. I’m still, to this day, very passionate about any visual art. I’m a Canva Pro enthusiast!

Fun Facts about me:

At 40, I had a baby boy and returned to school! What a mid-life crisis! I completed a bachelor’s degree in business management, a certification in personal and professional coaching (I’m an accredited coach, ACC), and also an MBTI practitioner certification. I specialize in management leadership and personality traits. My background gives me precious knowledge when it’s time to understand and customize companies’ team-building events or any other events.

In my personal and professional life, putting others first and helping them reach their objective is second nature. Since I moved to Arizona from Montreal (I’m French Canadian) 7 years ago, I have successfully co-founded a nonprofit school for children with autism in Scottsdale, where I took the role of Director of Operation and Development. That project was significant, and I’m incredibly proud to have helped many families access a customized educational program for their children with special needs.

In my free time, I like to: Travel the world, do Pilates, ride ATV, fish, cook & bake, watch movies with my family, play with my dogs, and, of course, make paper flower wall art, window décor, painted mural and learn new crafting techniques!

I hope to see you soon at my studio!

-Sonia