Hi!  My name is Christina Destrampe and I'm the artist behind Milwaukee Mandalas!  



I began dabbling in paper crafts when I was preparing for my son's second birthday.  My mom is an artist and had a Silhouette Cameo machine used to cut out cardstock.  I spent a lot of time at her house creating decorations.  This continued on, year after year.  When my youngest was born, my mom gifted me her machine, as she upgraded to the next model. 

 

From there, I learned adhesive and iron on vinyl and joined a group of friends in a small crafting business.  After the craziness of making Christmas ornaments, I looked into other crafts to explore.  I found my first paper layered mandala design and gave it a shot.  The rest is history....

 

I have since made about 3,000 mandalas - selling on Facebook marketplace, my Facebook business page, and my four retail locations  - The DEN Emporium in Elm Grove, Serendipity Boutique Marketplace in Greendale, and The She Shed in Hartford as well as limited quantity at Frankie's - A Gift Shop in Thiensville.  

 

On a personal note, I was born and raised in Milwaukee.  I live on the southside with my husband and two boys.  I'm also a sign language interpreter and teach in the interpreter training program at UW-Milwaukee.