Who am I?

Okay – so I’ll be honest, there are other people who can write much more succinctly about me than me, and so I’ll let those people do their jobs and sum everything up in a nice neat paragraph (see below). As for me… I’m sort of this goofball who’s always had a knack for working with kids.

I must preface everything by saying I have the most incredible family of artists surrounding me. My mom and dad are both trained artists,, my sister is a painter (and indispensable to me and my business) and my grandmother, a teacher, was one of the most inspirational influences of my life; she taught me about creativity, imagination, and thinking outside the box. I had an awesome childhood, really.

I started working with children when I was 6 in my family’s puppet theater. It was a family project that included everyone’s talents – my grandparents, my aunt’s family, and my family. That was my first taste of making kids laugh, and I loved it! I was hooked. Later, I started working with kids through my local church, where we had a clown ministry. I learned how to face paint, make costumes, play the guitar, sing, tell a really good story, and put on funny little skits.

In high school I dove into theatre, and learned how to hang lights, paint a backdrop, and dress a set with props. I learned how to turn one thing into another, and took away a really important lesson – distance makes an impact – something small will not read, something oversized will make a statement, and nobody sees tiny little mistakes.

I pursued my acting career through college and on to New York, where I worked Off Broadway and even did a little television and film. But it really wasn’t until my husband was offered a job in San Francisco that my true calling became evident.

I was working as a nanny (since acting jobs were pretty scarce) and helping to plan my little charge’s birthdays. Of course I had no idea what I was doing, so I gleaned what I could from books (thank you Penny Whistle Party Planner!) and created the party with the help of my little buddies. The kids told me what they wanted, and together we made it come true. I turned garages into castles, back yards into train stations, and living rooms into ocean beds… it was a blast.

Before I knew it, my business was born – and I realized how being a “jack of all trades, master of none” could serve me well. Throughout the years the business has grown and changed, but the core has always remained the same – bring kids and parents together and let them have fun.

My goal in life is really pretty simple: help adults and kids connect through creative art and play. I have a strong belief that the answers to all our problems as a country, nation and world, start with our children, and the relationships we form with them. I believe that it all begins with the family, whether that family be conventional or not. For me it’s pretty basic – build a strong family, and from there you get a strong neighborhood, from there a strong community, from there a strong town, from there a strong state, from there a strong country, from there a strong world.

I believe we need to start small, but effect large. I believe in hugs, laughter, and working together… and I believe that it all starts with our children.