Sprout my Party was dreamed up around 2am as I walked our hallway with a screaming infant. I had a toddler and this new, wonderful, precious, yet very, very cranky baby. He screamed all day long and all night long. Severe reflux and and a generally unhappy disposition combined for the perfect storm. I loved being a stay at home Mama, but I longed for something more. Something that resembled my former life as a 1st grade teacher. I was losing myself amongst the crying, the runny noses and the constant monotony of every day life with very young kids.

At first I thought maybe I could make handmade cards and gift tags. The initial prototypes were well, less than stellar. In fact, so bad that I closed down my first shop to make sure those listings could never be unearthed from the depths of Google.

Deflated but not defeated, I was given Photoshop elements as a gift one Christmas. I started teaching myself the basics of Photoshop and soon began creating digital cards and baby announcements for myself and friends. I created a few designs and listed them on Etsy. Soon, I began to get some orders. I upgraded to Photoshop and my skills grew with my customers' requests. Eventually I had two more kids and started my Valentine Card line which was a quick success (Valentines are still my most popular items to this day).

Over 14,000 sales later and I still get SO excited for each and every order. It is always my goal to make someone's day with my products. Each order is an opportunity to connect, which I soon discovered was the REAL reason I needed something more in those early days of motherhood. It wasn't the paycheck or the out of the house work that I craved; it was the personal connections I was able to make with my students, their parents and my colleagues. Sprout My Party has allowed me to make those connections with my customers and for that I am so incredibly grateful.