divine directionAs part of our mission we (the CRM team) are always looking for testimonies of how God is at work in our daily lives. Last month we shared Jodie’s story, who was a secular psychologist but through reading the Bible she came to a saving knowledge of Jesus and her life was forever changed.

This month I had the opportunity to interview Stephanie Tramelli, owner of KiDoodles Face and Body Art.

Homeschool mom to face painter

For years Stephanie had been a stay-at-home, homeschool mom, but her husband who is 16 years older than her was beginning to talk about retirement. Stephanie knew that she would need to earn an income once he retired, but her previous profession no longer existed. One day she was doodling on her pants, which is something she has always done, and praying about what she should do to bring in an income. As she sat there, she heard the Holy Spirit say, “Do that.”
“Do what?” she questioned.
It was then that she realized she was doodling on her pants as she was praying. With disbelief she said, “God nobody wants you to draw on them.” After that she didn’t hear another word from God. But that weekend she went into Michael‘s craft store and found a small face paint pallet. At the time she didn’t know that there was such a thing as water based face paint because she was accustomed to grease paint, which would be too messy and labor intensive to use for painting on people.
It was the same day as the children’s parade in her town, so she decided to buy the face paint kit, go down to the parade and offer face paints. Within two hours she made $80.
This was in 2012. Through this, KiDooodles Face and Body Art was born.
At that first parade Stephanie handed out her name and number. Through that she booked two parties. From those two parties she booked 4 parties. Her business just kept growing from there. Every time she made money she would invest half in the business to add to her kit and improve her skills. Each year she adds something new. Several years ago, she added henna to her inventory. Henna is a temporary tattoo, which is a plant that stains the skin. It stays on from 3 days to 3 weeks, depending on your skin type.
henna body art
An example of henna – a temporary tatoo

God is growing Stephanie’s business and giving her new goals.

Learning Spanish is Stephanie’s goal for this year. She has many Spanish clients and would like to be able to converse with them in their own language. In the future Stephanie hopes to be able to have multiple painters working for her, but for now she hires assistants on a contractual basis when she needs an extra hand.
Five years ago, Stephanie started with a little face paint kit from Michael‘s. Now, she has a fully professional kit with many colors and stencils, and a full menu of pictures to choose from. Each year Stephanie attends the annual East Coast Face Paint Convention in Connecticut to learn more skills and meet professionals like herself.
One of my questions as I interviewed her was how she approached business as a Christian. Her philosophy is to speak positive energy into every piece of art. Every client receives lavish praise on every level from the choice of their picture, to the beauty of their skin to the shape of their eyes. As she works she silently prays over every individual, believing there is power in her prayers for them.

Don’t despise the day of small beginnings.

When God spoke to her that day in the silence of her home, while she was drawing on her pants, Stephanie had no idea that there was such a thing as a professional face painter. She never dreamed that she would be able to earn a living at something she loves doing. But God answered her in her time of need. He gave her direction that she never would have known apart from Him!
I stand amazed at how God directed her steps! What do you need direction for? Pray! And believe that God will answer.
Check out our printable Christmas cards to bless your family and friend with.

This post is linking up with #chasingcommunity #HeartEncouragement and #FreshMarketFriday

Naomi
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Divine Direction for a career change
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One thought on “Divine Direction for a career change”

  • Brenda
    November 30, 2017 at 5:07 pm
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    Naomi, I love Stephanie’s story. And, I love how she prays for each person while she’s doing her artwork. Such a sweet testimony, thank you for sharing. 🙂 xoxo

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