A timeless gift that keeps giving

Carla Keith (photo courtesy Oodles of Doodles Painting Parties Facebook Page)

by Marsha Chartrand

“A gift of time” given to Carla Keith by her daughter several years ago ended up turning into an exciting business for Carla that she’s now trying to expand in her new hometown of Manchester.

“I’m from St. Joseph, Missouri,” Carla explains. “When my daughter got married, she moved to Kansas City, and we were talking about it around my birthday one year and she told me she didn’t really remember specific presents she had gotten over the years, but her best memories were of times we had spent together, doing fun things together.

“That’s what she wanted to give me for my birthday — a gift of time together.”

So that year Carla and her daughter went on a getaway weekend that included a painting party.

“I’d always thought of myself as someone who could only do stick figures,” Carla says with a chuckle. “But it went better than I expected, and it was so nice to get out with other women. I had such a wonderful experience that I actually took lessons for about a year. And then I started my own business of doing paint parties and eventually had my own studio where I could accommodate from 10 to 100 people.”

She expanded her business, “Oodles of Doodles Painting Parties,” in St. Joseph from simply painting to also include craft and home décor classes in her studio and had a good business going for about seven years, averaging 60–65 people per class. And then she moved to Manchester.

“Since coming here, I have been pretty busy renovating my house,” she says, “but now that I have floors and bathrooms again I can start thinking about starting up my business more seriously.”

She has done a couple of smaller, private parties at the Manchester Diner and also went to Ladies Day at last year’s Manchester Community Fair. She has a year-long contract with Chateau Aeronautique/Blue Skies Brewery in Onsted to do private and public parties as well as team-building events. She’d like to reach out to find a permanent spot in Manchester where she can set up a studio again, but she’s also happy to do mobile parties at smaller locations around town. She is also happy to do fundraisers, where she gives 50% of the proceeds back to the sponsoring organization.

“I’d just like to make people aware of what I’m doing, that I’m out here, and how much fun this can be,” she says. “I say it’s fun art, not fine art!”

So give yourself or a loved one a timeless gift that’s more than just an event. Contact Carla via her Facebook page to set up your next private or public painting party.

Large groups or small, Carla can accommodate them all! Photo courtesy Oodles of Doodles Painting Party Facebook Page.

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.