Established in 2008, we are a family business in Indio, California. ¡Ay Mujer! is myself, Yreina, and my brother, Esteban. Together, we specialize in making original papel picado, (Mexican papercut flags and decor).

I grew up appearing in local parades alongside my grandfather, Dave Hernandez, the founder of the City of Indio's International Tamale Festival. My early memories are filled with the excitement of festivals, fairs and looking up to my community-organizer grandparents, parents and family friends. My hometown's motto is "The City of Festivals"! I hope my happiness, pride and love for my community is reflected in our papel picado.

Our work has been featured in many print and online publications, including Brides, Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides UK, Destination Weddings, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Eco-Beautiful Weddings, etc. Recently, our banners were on TV's Food Network in Giada at Home.

[Yreina Flores Ortiz's fine art papel picado pieces have exhibited in the National Museum of Mexican Art, the Palm Springs Art Museum, and the PS Art Museum of Palm Desert.]

Process

Whether by commission or inspiration, I start off by drawing my designs and lettering with a pencil on good ol'fashioned graph paper. Next, I'll cut a test banner. I look for areas in the flag that may be too delicate or 'busy'. When I'm satisfied with the design, we go ahead & handcraft the final banners. We use only 100% recycled tissue paper.

Sometimes, we will hear from a bride who framed a flag of our papel picado that hung in her wedding. She associates it with her happiness: remembering the time, the place, and the people that shared in it. It is an honor to create this connection!

What is papel picado?

In the U.S., commercially available papel picado is mostly mass-produced, decorative-cut, paper and plastic flags. Many don't know that papel picado has roots that can be traced back to Mexico's ancient indigenous peoples, who would cut ceremonial offerings out of bark paper, (amatl). Today, papel picado’s connection to life's ceremonies endures. It's used in many celebrations such as: Day of the Dead, Christmas, weddings, baptisms, etc...

En mi familia, Friday nights are part of our living ceremony. We gather around the kitchen table-- eating, laughing, catching up on the latest & greatest, and teasing each other. Oh, the stories we tell! ¡Ay Mujer! was born on one of these nights. Because, why not? Why not make a living doing what we love? Why not fulfill a romantic yearning for quality and substance in our craft? Why not reclaim what has become 'disposable art’ and elevate it back to where it started... as a sacred offering… a prayer?