Queen Bee Face Painting: Fun Creations for Any Event

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Queen Bee Logo sealToday’s Local Business Feature is Queen Bee Face Painting, owned by local mom Erika Hotchkin. Erika offers creative, temporary creations for any event!

Many of you got to meet her at our Heritage Carousel event in June, and we are looking forward to having her next month at our Frozen event (details coming this Friday!).

We have been so impressed with Erika’s creativity. Her sweet spirit is refreshing! Our kids adore her, and we consider her a close friend here at DMMB. We invite you to get to know her story, too, and learn how she can turn your next event into a spectacular one.

About Erika

I never thought I would be a small business owner, but here I am! I was a corporate career girl on the rise when a life changing event happened to me: I became a mom. As much as I enjoyed my career (and the money), I didn’t have the heart to put my son in daycare. Something told me that I needed to be with him, every minute of every day. With my husband’s support, I became a stay-at-home mom. It was a very difficult decision, but was the right one for us – especially for my son, whom we began to identify as having developmental delays.

At two years old, we were convinced that something was different about his behavior and his growth. We had to wait until he was three to officially diagnose him with PDD-NOS, otherwise known as Autism. Fortunately for us, we were in a place that had great early childhood intervention therapies in place, and with all of us working and learning alongside my son, he progressed and exceeded expectations. We were also blessed with an amazing little girl who came into our lives. She is my son’s greatest fan and supporter, and is a force to be reckoned with! The world needs more strong girl leaders, and I am so proud to be raising one of them.

queen bee fam picAfter seven years of being the Queen Bee of the home, getting kids ready for school, doctor appointments, parties, play dates, tantrums, potty training, therapies, cleaning, cooking, laughing, crying, and basically not sleeping for more than five hours ever, I am proud to see my two little birds both leaving the nest at the same time to go to school all day. Proud for them, but completely frustrated for myself. I no longer had a career; all my skills I had developed years ago in the corporate world were outdated and atrophied. What could I possibly do? How could I finally contribute to my family’s income now that I had a little bit of time to devote to work? Who would hire me for only a few hours here and there?

Two years ago, a best friend’s daughter was graduating from high school. She had requested a face painter at her open house. Since I’m an artistic person, I was asked to try my hand at it at her event. I had never painted faces before, but wasn’t terribly intimidated by the prospect, so I said, Why not? I bought a small snazaroo kit, borrowed a folding table, and had a fantastic time! Everyone loved the designs, but mostly, they loved the experience! Someone taking a few minutes to ask them about their day, their interests, someone to listen to their stories while cool paint stroked on their cheek on a hot summer day. When they looked at their reflection in the mirror, it wasn’t to notice all the tiny flaws we all focus on, but to see their own shining eyes and fun design – a change of perspective. Those teens suddenly didn’t feel insecure and pimply, they felt empowered and beautiful. The younger kiddos were jumping right into pretend play as soon as they saw their reflection. The adults stopped for a few minutes during their busy day and remembered what it felt like to be a kid themselves. It was a small thing that created a big transformation, more on the inside than the out. I was hooked.

The next opportunity I had to paint was at a local Harley Davidson dealership. I had a friend who worked there and was polling her mommy friends to see if they knew a face painter. I agonized for three days before replying to her that I was an amateur painter. I was hired for the job immediately. Suddenly, I was flung into a frenzy of trying to be more of a professional than an amateur. I began researching paints, techniques, designs, networking options, and started painting anyone who would sit still for five minutes. I am still on this journey, but one year later from my first professional gig, I have noticed a huge improvement. It was time to take this show on the road!

May of 2014, I decided that I should start a business. I was making significant investments in materials, getting more interest, and taking over corners of the house with my projects. This was getting serious. A good friend of mine had started a business two years previously and became my main inspiration and touchstone for ideas. She not only created her own brand of delicious handmade organic jams and jellies, but also conquered breast cancer and took excellent care of her twin teen girls born with cerebral palsy. If she could do such amazing things with such huge obstacles, than surely I could, too! If you are going to have a role model, why not a Viking of amazing inner strength, vision, and skill? I took the leap, created a brand, registered it, and found I now had a new identity – Queen Bee.

While there is so much ahead on this journey, I have learned so much. Some lessons have been painful, some exhilarating, but they have all been great lessons! Something has been happening to me, too, something that is hard to see, but makes all the difference. With every smile, each good experience, each compliment, I feel a little more confident. I feel like I actually have a marketable skill. I feel a little less invisible. I feel like I’m making a difference for others and for my family. It’s an incredible feeling, and I almost feel guilty for taking others’ money for my services because of the great experience I get from painting and making friends.

About Queen Bee

Erika’s mission is, “To create a fun, unique, and positive experience through the joy of painting and pretend play. To make a design that will ignite their creative engine, enjoy their image, and build positive self esteem. Queen Bee Face Painting is all about having a great, positive experience, as well as an enjoyable and creative design.”

Events, Events, Events!!!

Check out the public events listed on Queen Bee Face Painting on Facebook! Some of these events are FREE, a chance to come get painted, meet and greet, and give those little ones a positive experience. I participate every other week at the Beaverdale Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays (come see me tonight, August 19, 2014), where I offer all designs affordably, $3-5!

Having a birthday party? My rates are affordable! Fifty dollars for one hour of painting for parties of 10 or less. Instead of buying gift bags of easily breakable toys, give the kids a transformation experience and have uique memorable pictures of their special day.

Halloween is coming up! Book me for your neighborhood event, holiday party, birthday, or make your costume the best it has ever been with a total transformation! My calendar has several openings, but will fill quickly, so contact me today!

Connect with Queen Bee

Check out Queen Bee Face Painting on Facebook and see all her latest designs and events. Email her at [email protected] or contact her via phone at 651-398-3562.

queen bee collage

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