Stella Daniel Makes ‘Dreams’ Come True

Stella Ferly Daniel is the owner of ‘Dreams Personalized Gifts’ a small local business which is an absolute Godsend. If you’re looking for the perfect gift for someone extra special, then ‘Dreams’ is certainly the place for you.

Her products are made with love and are one-of-a-kind.

“I started crafting at an early age. I come from a creative family; my grandmother, aunt and cousins all sew and my grandfather made straw baskets. Mostly everybody in the family is creative so it just came to me naturally,” she told The VOICE.

“I do many things but right now I’m focusing on paper art. I write poems and print them out on beautiful art backgrounds, frame them and sell them. I also make boxes, cards and more,” she said.

It’s easy to fall in love with “Dreams” and if you’re like me, you’ll probably want to walk away with everything. It’s going to be hard to pick a favourite, but I’m sure you will be able to.

“When I make a card for instance, I always ask myself whether I would like it if someone gave it to me so that’s how I go about it. If I don’t feel it, I don’t make it. At times, it would sit there for years and then I’d go back and start over again. I have lots of small gifts like small envelopes, so when persons get the card they could keep it in their pocket or purse so that it would always be with them,” she said.

Although she loves art, she’s a “farm girl” at heart. She believes life led her to her true calling.

“I wanted to go into farming. My dad has a farm and it’s all I wanted to do but I never got the chance to do it.  I think sometimes life just takes you in a certain direction; I find joy in what I do. Sometimes I turn my music on when I’m at home and craft away. When I get tired I put a cloth on the floor, lie down, sleep and when I wake up I go back to crafting. I find I craft better when everybody’s sleeping, so when it’s around 12:00 a.m. or later, everything starts coming,” she said excitedly.

She loves to make others happy and for Stella, I’d imagine that’s easy. Her personality is magnetic and I must say, I loved interviewing the entrepreneur.

The mother of two is also a beauty therapist and she loves this job just as much as she loves the other.

“I’ve been doing this for about 35 years and I enjoy every second of it. I work from home now. I still wake up every day wanting to do it. I love everything that I do. If I don’t love it, I’m not going to do it. At ‘Stella’s Spa’ we do massages, body scrubs, body rubs, waxing, facials— basically everything,” she explained.

And of course, the loving mom and wife is a giver.

“I also have a non-profit organization called Blue Butterflies Sanctuary which is not registered as yet—I’m trying to do that. I help girls and women. I just feel like there’s a need for them to have a place where they could just talk. I look for clothes, groceries, etc. for them. Persons also call and let me know what they need. My sister and I went down to Vieux Fort recently to deliver clothes, shoes and groceries to persons,” she said.

“I always tell persons that caterpillars burst into beautiful butterflies. Sometimes we go through things and we have to take certain steps in order to see the end results so I just try to help them through their situations,” Stella added.

Being an entrepreneur is not always easy and a number of entrepreneurs will tell you this. Stella knows this all too well.

“You have to work hard. It can be frustrating but you have to be persistent.  Getting business loans for small businesses is a discouragement. I got help from people. They saw what I could do and decided to help. I know a lot of people have given up, but I borrowed, begged and I saved. I think people who are trying to start their own business or those who have just started should get a mentor; somebody that’s been there and who’s willing to help,” she said.

Follow Stella on Facebook and Instagram: @dreamspersonalizedgifts, stellaspa, @bluebutterflysanctuary