Meet Sharon Kimbrel of Face Painting and Balloons

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon Kimbrel.

Sharon, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My husband, John started twisting balloons in the early 90’s and I helped him book business. About that time, I was interviewing for an office job that I had no interest in at all. What happened next eventually changed my life and led me to make a living doing something that I truly enjoy! The interviewer stopped and asked, “If you could do anything, what would you want to do?” Without hesitation, I blurted out “Paint!” At this point, face painting wasn’t even on my radar. But the seed was planted.

After several years, John asked me if I’d be interested in face painting and working with him since I had always loved to paint and draw. I was quite intrigued. I read books, went online and attended a few workshops. I picked up a paint brush and tried a few simple cheek designs and then got braver a practiced full faces on my twin nieces and friend’s children.

My first paid job was on July 4th in 2000, at a neighborhood party alongside John making balloons. Even though I was nervous, the kids were happy and liked my designs. I was hooked! Our business is all about putting smiles on children’s faces and families having fun! We get to meet so many wonderful people at happy occasions like holiday celebrations, block parties, school and church carnivals, birthday parties and company picnics.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In the first few years, the hardest part for me was not getting overwhelmed in the excitement of the event or my adrenaline would kick in and make it difficult to paint with a shaky hand. I’ve learned to be calm among all the chaos and now painting is the easy part of my job. It’s everything else that can be challenging! One of our biggest challenges is marketing. I have worked hard to develop relationships with our clients and that is really one of my favorite parts of my job. Especially during the slower months – January & February, I contact our clients from the previous year.

Much of our business is through referrals and repeat business. It’s exciting to work with new people but I really appreciate all of our loyal clients – many for 10 years or more! John designs and manages our website which is definitely more in his skill set and I handle phone inquiries. I like to challenge myself to improve in whatever area I can whether it’s asking a prospective client a different question or updating our costumes and set-up. I always try to look for ways to keep things fresh and fun!

Please tell us about Face Painting and Balloons.
We are a husband and wife team known as Miss Sharon and Mr. John and we’ve painted faces and twisted balloons at parties and special events in the Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas area since 2000. We excel in working patiently and kindly with younger children and have learned to keep the line moving briskly for them. Since we only book ourselves, clients know that someone with many years of experience will be doing their event.

When painting faces and making balloons, we have kids share in the creative process to make a fun memory! Whether we are working at a grand opening, an open house, a fundraiser or birthday party, we want every child to feel important so we give them choices, listen to them and do our best to give everyone a personal experience.

Never wanting to disappoint, John adjusts his work according to the event and won’t make anything for one person that he doesn’t have time to make for everyone since they frequently want what their friends have. My favorite moment when painting a child’s face is holding up the mirror to reveal their fantasy character or animal. People are amazed at how quickly I can paint and still impress.

Over the years, we’ve noticed how many parents use our interaction with their children to remind them to say please and thank you. So we encourage the use of good manners while we are face painting and making balloons for kids. We are most proud of how much of our business is from referrals and repeat business.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have so many wonderful childhood memories but one that stands out is how I felt the moment I realized that I could ride a two-wheel bike. In my first attempt, I fell. But then I got up and tried again and I had it! I rode my bike everywhere and I loved the freedom.

Contact Info:

• Website: FacePaintingAndBalloons.com
• Phone: 817.329.1659
• Email: info@FacePaintingAndBalloons.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/BalloonsAndFacePainting

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