Year: 2015

Paintertainment has had an amazing year in 2015!!

Paintertainment 2015…a busy year!

In February I released my 5th book, “Realism for Face & Body Artists!” It was a full year in the making, and has been very popular worldwide.  This year I am working on new options to make it more available in Europe, as everyone is selling out, so stay tuned!

In March our local newspaper, the Laker, did a wonderful story on my business and the release of my new book.

In April I was quoted in Woman’s World magazine, though didn’t fully agree with how the article was handled!

May brought the release of my 6th book, “Painting Boys,” a book that focus on a subject that I thought the current market was really lacking.

The end of May and beginning of June brought my first season doing henna at several senior overnight lock-in parties!  Thanks to A Touch of Magic for giving me those opportunities this year to really get more henna experience under my belt…I had SO much fun!

In June I also released my new photo prop boards which have been really popular!

Fun with friends & colleagues in 2015!

August is always a busy month, and this year was no exception as I enjoyed my 3rd year at the Carver County Fair, which turned out to be the best year in my 17 years of county fairs! 

My role as an agent also grew a lot in August as I had my first really large event that I was not able to attend myself due to the fair.  Thanks to my reliable and talented artists, and my wonderful husband who was willing to stand in for me and connect with my client, it turned out great!  I sent out more of my artist friends to events in 2015 than I ever have before, most of them being events I was not personally at, which is a big step for me into the world of acting as an agent.

In September I was invited to speak to my local Rotary Club, topping off my presentation with a balloon dog 101 class!

Just a couple weeks later, I had the opportunity to give two presentations at the first ever Minnesota Professional Family Artists and Entertainer’s Business Conference in St. Paul. The experience I had speaking, and the information & inspiration I took away from other presenters were invaluable!

2015 Balloon Art!

In October we released another new Paintertainment exclusive product: PainterTemplates! Finally, some wipe-off face templates that don’t look like creepy, stoic mannequin faces!

I also had the fun assignment to paint an entire family for Halloween, which was great! I don’t typically take many Halloween sessions as I’d like to spend it with my boys while they’re still young, but this year it worked out great on a weekend during nap time!

In November I had the opportunity to work with Charlie & Violet Photography to help launch their new prenatal henna photo packages, and see some of my work photographed beautifully by a professional

I also created a new assortment of new Christmas word menu designs for our custom word menu design service, just in time for everyone’s Christmas gigs!

November also brought a new transformation of my company, from a sole proprietorship to an LLC. 

My December was full as always, and usually ranks right up there with August among my busiest months.  I had an array of events, including public and private parties, malls and corporate events. I also had more opportunities to do Christmas balloons this year, not just face painting!

2015 contest entries, paintings, and henna!

In 2015 I also published many new and useful blog articles, which can also be found amongst my ever growing “learn” page:

• “Do This, Not That: How to Achieve Speed & Detail in Cheek Art Designs”
• “Henna is Never Black!“
• “Face Painting & Hygiene: The Nitty Gritty of Keeping it Clean!” 
• “Face Painting Contracts: What do I Write?“
• “My Gutted Guitar Case“
• “White Paint Comparison“
• “Tip Jar Security“
• “Never Settle for Being the Best: My Journey from Cheek Art to Full Faces“
• “Crowd Control Tips“
• “When Can I Call Myself A Professional Face Painter?“
• “Face Painters’ Glossary of Terms“
• “I’m an Introvert: What’s Your Superpower?“

In addition to blogging, this year I’ve published 11 free e-newsletters! Yes, I know, there are 12 months, but August gets SO busy, it often gets left out! 😉

I’ve also hosted countless paint and balloon jams, and hope to continue doing this regularly in 2016. 

I refreshed my branding, which of course meant refreshing all of my other collateral!

Every year I invest as much back into my business as possible.  A few of the new things I invested in this year included my first full year’s subscription to FABATV.  I’ve also invested in an amazing assortment of crowd control gear which came in very handy almost immediately.  I’ve invested in software, hardware, and tools to increase my product quality and efficiency. I’ve also invested in new equipment to streamline my work process at events.

My store continues to grow every year, in customers and product assortments! 2015 brought with it a big increase in henna products, paint brands and colors, gemstones, glitters, balloons, stencils, custom kit tools, and Paintertainment exclusive package deals.  We’ve shipped products, inspiration and 1 on 1 advice all over the globe!

So what’s left to come in the new year?  A LOT! I have many new things coming up in 2016…in May I will be flying to New York, to speak to the New Jersey Face And Body Art Guild, and will be holding an all day workshop the next day!  I am also already working on my 7th book, and those who attend my workshop will be getting a sneak peek at the content.  I have a few other big things in the works for the new year, and am excited to see the early stages of everything already coming into place!

THANK YOU so much to all of my loyal customers, all of my Facebook, blog, Instagram and Pinterest followers, my talented team of face painters, balloon twisters and caricature artists, and my supportive family and friends.  Without you this wouldn’t have been such an awesome year. I can’t wait to see what 2016 brings, and what more I can bring to help better YOUR business in the new year! 

Happy new year!!!

Christmas gigs are my favorite!!  I love having a time of year when I can remove ALL of my regular designs from my board and do nothing but Christmas…something I don’t get to do for the other 11 months of the year!  Not that I don’t love painting a good Spidey or butterfly, but it’s always nice to get a break from the “usual” stuff.

Here are a few photos from my Christmas events this year!

I brought along my Christmas photo prop boards to the tree lighting event we do each year, and they were a hit! It was really fun watching even the dads pick them up and pretend to be an elf for a photo!

I especially love using my star rhinestones at Christmas time, to top the Christmas trees! (below, center of the top row).  Liquid Bling makes really amazing and quick ornaments, too.

One stroke cakes really helped us create some amazing yet super fast poinsettia and holly designs. 

I wasn’t able to get any photos of the balloons I did at one of the events I had with Santa, being that I was SO busy! But, I did manage to get a photo of myself with Santa Carlucci and Cheryl Claus at the end of the evening…

One of my favorite events of the year is one that I do at no charge…twisting balloons for my Grandpa’s memory care home at their Christmas party! Whenever I have a volunteer event, I bring along my little man Sam who is learning to twist! It’s a great opportunity for him to learn at actual events, without the pressure of being hired.  This one in particular is fun though because we get to see a bunch of family as well!  I always get plenty of photos at this event because my Mom is GREAT at that! 😉

This year I also had the honor of painting some of the little actors and dancers in our church‘s Christmas program!  I arrived early this morning and painted Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Linus, who were all really simple faces.  But, they still read pretty well from back in the audience!

 There wasn’t a ton of time and I was asked to “give the dancers a little sparkle,” so I went with a base of pearl white, swirls of paint and liquid bling, and stars with a TAP star stencil. This worked out pretty well I think…they were all quick and cohesive, yet they each got their own color combinations to match their outfits!

All in all it was really an amazing December for Paintertainment! Somehow I managed to squeak in a couple last minute bookings, which is rarely possible on this busy month.  I got to paint with several of my very talented artist friends, I had opportunities to do both balloons and face painting, and try out some new products and techniques, and I already have clients wanting to book dates for next December.  We got a great paint jam on the calendar which was a lot of fun, too!  In the midst of a busy month, I was able to spend plenty of time with my family as well…painting with my mom, twisting with my boys at my Grandpa’s party, and seeing my own boys shine their lights in the Christmas program at church.  Who could ask for anything more?!  Well, okay, I might be tempted to ask for snow for Christmas…this is REALLY weird having open water and green grass in Minnesota this close to Christmas…but I’m not going to push it!!

I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and blessed new year!

We had a great time at this month’s Face Paint Jam!!  Almost every time I host a jam (I try to do them about once a month or so), we have one or two people who come for the first time.  I LOVE having these regular opportunities to bring new painters into the fold, and introduce long time painters to our close community who didn’t realize we had such a great, supportive group right in our area.  I say it every time we get together…every time we do this, I learn some new, great tidbits of information from someone!  I do NOT know everything there is to know about face and body painting, and nobody does.  But most of us have little things we’ve picked up here and there that we don’t realize most other people don’t know, and when we combine all of that knowledge and experience, we ALL grow in our art!

We don’t have any tight structure to our jams…we bring food, paint, and let it go from there.  Sometimes we all work on a particular theme, sometimes we just pull up our inspiration boards and paint what we’ve been wanting to try.  Sometimes we have kids to paint, sometimes we paint each other.  This month we had another great used/new paint and supply swap/sale…big thanks especially to Tina Carroll and her awesome stash of goodies!

The used/new paint and supply sale/swap was FULL this month!

We had moms painting babies, kids painting each other, practice templates and plastic heads adorned with some great stuff!

 We practiced Pinterest inspired designs, made up stuff on the fly, and put together new paint kits.

 And don’t forget the good food!!  There is never a shortage of sugar in my house around Christmas time. We even got to see my Christmas tree fall over for the second time…ha ha!! Thanks much to Anita Beal for holding it up while I figured out where to start with the mess! (It’s really nice and stable now, by the way! Knock on wood!)

Big thanks to everyone who came out to “play” this month…looking forward to brightening up our upcoming cold, gray, MN winter months with some more colorful jams!!  To keep up to date on our jams, be sure to follow Paintertainment on Facebook, as that is where I post events!

Happy painting!

It’s time for another installment of “Do This, Not That!”

Here are a few small things you can do to give your candycanes and ornaments a real clean, crisp look this season, without compromising your speed!!

Our December e-newsletter will be going out soon, and in this month’s issue I’ll go a little more in depth into Candycanes….how you can do them fast, detailed, and really make them pop!

Click here to download past e-newsletter issues, or to subscribe! Thanks for stopping by, and happy painting!

Happy Cyber Monday everyone!

I don’t know about you, but I much prefer to shop at home in my pj’s!! In honor of Cyber Monday this year, we are offering 15% off your entire order, site-wide! There are NO minimum order requirements to take advantage of this deal!  Simply enter coupon code CYBER2015 at checkout.

However, if you spend $75 or more, you can also take advantage of our special FREE Priority Mail shipping deal as well! Just enter coupon code SHIP75 at checkout.  And yes, you WILL be able to use both coupon codes on the same order!

Wondering what to buy to reach $75? Have you already taken advantage of other retailers’ face paint deals?  No problem! We have MANY things that are not available at any other retailer in the world, including but not limited to:

Design Sheets:
– Heavily laminated Cheek Art Design sheets
– Laminated pocket-sized Balloon menu cards

PainterTemplates:
– Boy, Girl, and Woman faces you can practice on, over & over!

Photo Prop Boards:
– Christmas
– Spring/Easter
– Super Heroes
– Princesses

Custom Design Menu Service:
– Balloon Menu Design
– Face Painting Word Menu Design

Books:
“Painting Boys”
“Realism for Face & Body Artists”
“Funny Fingers Hand Art“
“Face Painting: A Step By Step Guide“
“32 Classic Carnival Designs“
“One Stroke Face Painting“

Misc Tools that no other face painting retailers carry:
– “Fantasy Flower” Tools and supplies
–  Magnetic tape, duct tape, steel sheets, Gorilla glue, unbreakable mirrors, Velcro, and other kit design supplies
– Temporary tattoos to help end the line
– Poker chips to use as “tickets”
– “Invisible Glove” barrier to keep your hands clean
– Chapstick tubes for “Chapstick Sushi,” and double-dip pot containers!

…and don’t forget our HUGE selection of already reduced package deals that you can ONLY find at Paintertainment!

What are you waiting for?! Now put on those fuzzy slippers and start crossing some shopping off your list! 🙂

Paintertainment’s Small Business Saturday Deal 2015!

This Thanksgiving, among so many other things, I am SO very thankful for YOU, my faithful and loyal customers!  My business really, honestly wouldn’t exist without you.  I am literally a one-woman company, running my entire business, store and all, from my home studio in my basement!  I love being able to work from home, be with my boys, and still be able to help provide for them financially.  I figured that since you can’t get much more “small business” than that, I should extend my unbeatable black Friday sale into Small business Saturday!

I am GIVING AWAY my new book, “Realism for Face and Body Artists”  to the first TEN customers who place an order of $75 or more through Small Business Saturday this year! That’s a $29.99 value for FREE!! And to top that off, you also get FREE Priority Mail shipping within the US on your order of $75 or more!

HERE’S HOW (it’s easy!):

Use coupon code SHIP75 to get your free Priority Mail shipping.  There is no coupon code needed for the free book…as long as you are among the first 10 orders on Saturday, you will automatically receive the book for FREE!

I am GIVING AWAY my new book, “Realism for Face and Body Artists”  to the first TWENTY customers who place an order of $75 or more through Black Friday this year! That’s a $29.99 value!! And to top that off, you also get FREE Priority Mail shipping on your order of $75 or more!

HERE’S HOW (it’s easy!):

Use coupon code SHIP75 to get your free Priority Mail shipping.  There is no coupon code needed for the free book…as long as you are among the first 20 orders, you will automatically receive the book for FREE!

This deal can’t be matched by any other retailer, as we are currently the only one who has this book in stock, so snatch it up while you still can! Already have this book?  Why not gift it to your favorite painty friend this Christmas?  It’s a win-win!

Got questions about this deal?  About what products are best for your particular gig? About anything and everything face painting related?  Feel free to contact me any time!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy painting!!

This past fall I had the opportunity to work with the amazing professional photographer Nicole Klein of Charlie and Violet Photography, at her studio in Mendota Heights, MN.  Nicole was described by her makeup artist as “the baby whisperer,” and just a quick look at her portfolio will show you why! The snuggly positions and happy, peaceful expressions she is able to capture would make anyone want to have another baby…or three! The teeny, tiny outfits and accessories in her studio were the most adorable little things I’ve ever seen!!

When I arrived, the beautiful expectant Mommy Tiffany was already comfortable in her chair, getting her makeup professionally done.  While I unpacked my supplies, she finished up her makeup and transitioned to hair, just in time for me to start adorning her belly with a beautiful mandala!

The studio was cozy and intimate, and so much fun to work in.  Tiffany was comfortable in her chair and was able to get her hair done while I applied her henna. Talk about a relaxing royal treatment!!  I can’t imagine how relaxing it must be having your hair done (it always makes me sleepy when someone else is doing my hair!), while also smelling the aroma of lavender essential oils in the home made henna paste!

Tiffany’s henna in progress!

Typically when I do belly henna, I exchange emails and sketches with the mom-to-be, until we’ve landed on a design she likes.  For this particular session, I did a mandala design that was found online.

All in all it took about an hour to apply the henna, and as it dried I dabbed it lightly with a cotton ball soaked in vanilla-sugar sealant to help it stay put throughout the photo shoot.

The final photos were just incredible.  What an awesome keepsake!!  A professional photo shoot is by far the best way to get the most out of your belly henna or belly painting, giving you gorgeous photos for baby’s book that will be treasured for generations to come.

I left the beautiful mommy Tiffany with a little gift that I like to give my belly henna mommas: a little henna hand charm and a stick of henna balm, wrapped in a little organza bag, along with a sheet of henna after care instructions!

Interested in booking your own belly henna and photo shoot package? Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the expectant mom in your life? Check out Charlie and Violet Photography’s page for information on their Henna Maternity Package, here! For more information on belly painting, click here.  You can also view more samples of my henna body art by clicking here.  Got any questions for me about the belly henna process? Please feel free to contact me any time.

Huge thanks go out to Nicole for inviting me to be a part of this photo shoot, and Tiffany for allowing me to adorn her beautiful baby bump! 

Our store may be closed this week, but that hasn’t stopped me from adding a few new items to the shop via my “mobile office!”

We have a variety of new self-adhesive bling available.  Click on the photo captions for a link directly to each item. These have the tiny foam tape circles on the back…

27 round assorted pink & purple gems, just $1.99

Assorted colors and sizes of stars and dots, just $1.99

Pink & purple butterflies, flowers and dots, just $1.99

Assorted sized black & silver squares, just $1.99!

Assorted bright colored round gems, just $1.99

78 piece, 5mm round gems in pastel purples/pinks, just $2.99

17 piece assorted tiaras and stars, just $1.99!

Looking for an economical way to help ease those end-of-the-gig, line-cutting-off blues?  Try temporary tattoos!  For just $5.00 we are now selling packages of 50 smiley face tattoos.  These are great to give to those last couple kids who come running up just after you’ve packed up your paints, and the designs are gender neutral, so you don’t have to go digging for certain designs or colors. Try stapling them to your business card and suggest they invite you to their next party, where they can be first in line!

50 temporary tattoos, just $5.00!

Make sure to follow our Facebook page and keep an eye out on Thanksgiving day, as we will be announcing a Black Friday deal that no other store across the globe will be able to match!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy painting!!  🙂

I am pleased to announce the latest additions to our word menu design options, just in time for your Christmas events!! 

Not familiar with word menus?  Word menus are meant to display your design options without literal photos or drawings, yet with enough illustration that even kids who can’t read will be able to pick a design.

They are especially great for events that have multiple artists, because it gives them the painters freedom to paint with their own style. They also work great for events where you aren’t sure what kind of turnout to expect, because they enable you to do simple, quick versions or more elaborate versions as time allows.  Our November e-newsletter just went out recently, and the topic this month is word menus vs picture menus…when to use each one.

We have 26 new Christmas designs so far…if you have more ideas, please feel free to email them to me and I will add more as I’m able to! In the meantime, if you’d like to order your own custom Christmas design menu, click here to start building your own menu! Don’t forget to scroll through our everyday designs, as many of those can also be painted with a Christmas theme!

Our office will be closed for Thanksgiving this year, from November 21st through the 27th.  However, I will still be able to generate word menus on a limited basis during this time and email to you, so feel free to still place word menu orders! Otherwise, any other normal product orders placed during this time will begin processing and shipping on the 28th.

Thanks for stopping by, happy Thanksgiving, and happy Painting!!  🙂