Today we have Brittany Howell of Colorama LA on The Mag. I first discovered Brittany and her amazing sensory bins on Instagram and now I’m thrilled to be working with her at our next Market Market event. Make sure to stop by The Row this Saturday to check out her products in person!

Tell us your story! We’d love to hear a little bit about yourself and your business.

I’m a kindergarten teacher turned, special needs nanny turned stay at home mama sensory play and craft freak. My favorite job I’ve ever had is staying at home with my boys. I love planning activities to keep the long days rolling on. When my oldest was 6 months my mom friends wanted in on the developmental play stations I was setting up in my backyard my little COLORAMALA was born! Some people think it’s THECOLOREDLLAMA. And I’m not gonna lie. I kinda love that as well! If I ever had a mascot that’s what it would be! Fall 2019. COLORAMA PLAYDOUGH CREATE KITS were born. I had just had my second baby and was struggling to have independent play ideas that my 3yo could do without me. I love watching kids learn through hands on open ended play. I longed for something I could leave him in a room with and know that he could use his imagination and play with again and again. I started gifting them to friends and they took off during the holiday season. People have used them as party favors, birthday gifts, airplane toys, busy boxes, etc etc. I make all the playdough myself in my playdough factory (aka my kitchen). My 9 month old ate a lot of playdough one day when I wasn’t watching and it was so nice to not worry about how many yucky ingredients he had just swallowed like the store bought kind. It’s made with clean ingredients and plant based food coloring. We’re so passionate about opening up the world of open ended play to every single child. Toys with no specific way to play with them, no directions and 100% brain building while having fun. That’s what childhood is supposed to be about! Let’s let them get messy, get creative, get lost in their play and be so proud of their creations.

How many kids do you have, what ages?

I have two little boys 3.5yo Ryker and 1yo Levi. They love to get messy with me. There’s never a dull moment in our house. They are my inspiration for everything I do.

What are your top three recommendations for things to do with kids in LA?

Ohh I love this question! We are the explorer type parents. Not having family local our kids are with us when we go out 98% of the time. Our favorite places to go are kitchen mouse in highland park (kids play area while you sip coffee and eat the best breakfast tacos around). Our favorite park is what we call the pirate park in Pasadena. We love parks with water features. We used to have a love affair with cold water canyon park for the same reason but sadly don’t make it over as much anymore! Our favorite family date is to get ice cream. We’re currently on an Afters and Jeni's kick but we have pretty much tried them all!

How do you network as a parent and a business person?

Instagram and Facebook have opened up An amazing platform for moms to support each other. Especially in small businesses. I’m really passionate about trying to buy second hand and honestly seem to Accidentally make local connections with other parents in that way as well. Having like minded parent friends can be hard especially in LA. But when you find it it just feels right. I’m a part of MOPS (mothers of preschools) which is cool because like minded mamas come together, learn about how to train up our kiddos the right way, draw inspo from others and get childcare included for 2 hours. That’s a win! I really try to be other moms in my areas bigger cheerleaders. If I see another toddler art playgroup on IG doing an amazing project I hadn’t thought of. I make it a priority to cheer on that teacher that is likely an exhausted mom like me but living her dream one messy play class at a time!

What's one tip or piece of advice you have for your fellow entrepreneurs?

Just go for it! Don’t be afraid of failure. My first 3 playdough kits I made I did fully prepared to just give them to my little boy in case no one bought them. I had nothing to lose and I realized I came alive creatively when I was making them! It was about 2 months in of making them for people all over the country that he said “mama can I have my own playdough kit?” Omg oops yes! I recently saw an “influencer mom” put in large text on her IG. I AM NOT A STAY AT HOME MOM. THIS IS MY JOB. That was so gratifying for me. Sometimes IG can make us feel less than especially as mamas. Most of these moms with 50k IG followers are getting paid to create the content. Not sitting around playing a brand spanking new perfectly showcased art project with so much intentionality everyday! NO WAY! I really appreciated this mom putting this out there. I AM a stay at home mom who loves to share my ideas when we do something fun. I’m not a machine and I also do a lot of fun things with my kids that they don’t like. Oh ya and they have to run errands with me. It’s not all fancy and IG WORTHY! Honestly mamas- don’t believe that voice in your head. None of those moms have it anymore together than you do today. They may just pay someone to help them look like it and that’s ok!

Where do you go for inspiration on the web and in real life?

Pinterest and Dollar Tree are my love languages. I’m always thinking of how I can use an item that cost $1 to make something really cool. I think it’s just the thrifty teacher in me! I love to use things in different way than they are intended. I have 3 plungers in my garage right now waiting for a painting project with a group of little ones. That’s weird but who cares. They are obviously new.

What is the first website you visit every morning? Instagram.

I’m a sucker for photos. I’m from the east coast so I love waking up in the morning and already being able to see the first few hours of the day from the east coast perspective.

What are you three favorite Instagram accounts to follow?

@busytoddler @mericherry @simplyonpurpose

And finally, where can we find you?
o Website: www.coloramala.com
o Instagram: @coloramala