Let me introduce myself, in case we don't know each other. I'm Raquel , the person behind Cocoloko .

I could tell you that I created the brand out of an urgent need to bring you products in your language, but I would be really hurting. The harsh reality is that I wanted to pay for a trip to Japan . And that's it. Chimpum. Without further ado.

I had been making money for a few years by giving Scrapbooking workshops and selling handmade postcards but, girl, that was enough for pizzas in my town but not for makis in Tokyo.

A friend encouraged me to design my own scrapbooking stamps since there was very little offer in Spanish and Catalan and I had a magical combination: notions of graphic design, some spark and I loved scrapping . My middle name is motivated so you can imagine how long it took me to visualize myself traveling to Kyoto in Business Class.

And the million dollar question, have I already traveled to Japan? Well the truth is NO. My initial idea was to continue with the project until I managed to raise the money for the trip and then close the beach bar. But after just over 7 years I'm still here .

Has it gone wrong for me?

Absolutely! But the fact is that I have fallen in love with scrap from within. I have seen how important it is that you can have quality products within your reach, that they are in your language and that you have content that contributes and inspires you. So here I am, working every day on new collections and products with which you want to spend some time of creative de-stress.

The money that I would have allocated to the trip now takes the form of papers, stamps, washi tapes, die cuts, sequins and a long list of products that you can find on our website.

And, for now, Japan can wait. Yes, deep down, I'm more of a tortilla...