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Cathylee Morales

nce upon a time there was a mother of two, who lost her job and didn’t know what to do. Bills were piling up and the future looked bleak, until she stepped out in faith, and followed her dreams. In 2017, Cathylee Morales had just given birth to her second child when she lost her job as a marketing consultant. Her husband, Jesus Morales, told her to focus on being a mom and hold down the fort at home for a while, but his job’s slow summer months took extra time to get back to normal after Hurricane Irma. This took a nancial toll on their family. “We were hurting and I knew I needed to do something,” Cathylee says. “My whole life I have loved crafts and that year, my parents bought me a Cameo silhouette vinyl cutter. I started with that in a small room under our stairs, making things like T-shirts, tumblers, and other craft items.”

Cathylee o ered her creations on social media and soon she outgrew her little room under the stairs and took over the garage. Once Upon A Creation was born.

“I was becoming the entrepreneur I’d always wanted to be,” Cathylee says.

As a huge Disney fan, Cathylee wanted her products to be magical, whimsical, and a special experience for all involved. She began o ering mobile do-it-yourself projects at events, churches, and home parties to bring mobile do-it-yourself projects at events, churches, and home parties to bring her creations to life.

“Crafting is like making magic happen,” Cathylee says. “Business continued to grow and orders kept coming in, but when COVID hit in 2020, continued to grow and orders kept coming in, but when COVID hit in 2020, all the events got wiped out.”

Cathylee then had to make another leap of faith if she wanted to succeed. Cathylee then had to make another leap of faith if she wanted to succeed. An opportunity to own her own studio arose and she decided to take it. An opportunity to own her own studio arose and she decided to take it. Although it was a small 300-foot warehouse space, this gave her the boost Although it was a small 300-foot warehouse space, this gave her the boost she needed to make more products and bring in enough funds for the studio she needed to make more products and bring in enough funds for the studio she is in today.

Cathylee saw how other local crafters and artists were struggling to make a dollar, especially during the pandemic, so she came up with the make a dollar, especially during the pandemic, so she came up with the collaborative idea to o er classes at her studio led by local artisans to help collaborative idea to o er classes at her studio led by local artisans to help grow their businesses too.

Local chef Jessica Gagliano was working at Disney World when the pandemic hit, and she made the switch to full-time mom. She met Cathylee pandemic hit, and she made the switch to full-time mom. She met Cathylee and their ideas meshed so they decided to team up by o ering cooking and and their ideas meshed so they decided to team up by o ering cooking and decorating classes at the studio.