Inclusive Party Supplies Celebrating Children of Color

by Craft My Occasion

Looking for more inclusive party supplies? I'm super excited to introduce you to a friend and party stylist Lynnette Abbott of Craft My Occasion. She is our first interview for our brand new Parties With A Cause series: “Small Business Doing Good”. Our goal is to introduce you to new small businesses each month that produce or promote events that make a difference in the world.

Craft My Occasion Party Planning

This is Lynnette Abbott, mother, baker, party blogger and DIY-er, who is best known as the founder and designer of Craft My Occasion, a party planning company that specializes in children's parties. After 4 years in the party space she discovered the huge disparity in the availability of party supplies featuring characters of color. As a creative, Lynnette dove in to close this gap herself by creating products with diversity in the party industry.

I am a woman of color and I create party products for children of color.”

Life Changing Diagnosis

But that wasn't all that influenced her decision. Lynnette is a breast cancer survivor. Diagnosed in 2010, as a new mom at the age of 30, the news was devastating. After winning her first battle with cancer, Lynnette was determined to create joy and live a life of purpose. Harnessing her creative energy, Craft My Occasion was born. After a few years of growing a successful party-planning business and leaning into her purpose, she was diagnosed with breast cancer again in 2015 and 2017.

Inclusive Party Supplies Celebrating Children of Color

After a brief shut-down to heal and be with family, she took her business to the next level and merges her love of parties and love for her people. In 2017, Party Supplies Celebrating Children of Color was born! Although breast cancer has resulted in multiple obstacles over the past 10 years, it has also given Lynnette the opportunity to live an intentional life of purpose, which fuels her to make a global impact on the world.

Lynnette identifies as a creative and takes pride in her ability to craft pretty things. She loves bright colors and good music. But she lives for crafting. She appreciates a good laugh and sees the potential in every project. Her specialty is not accepting the status quo and having the creative juice, business acumen and boss mom wherewithal to create solutions. Crafting soothes her soul and spending time with her two children is her absolute favorite thing in the world.

Inclusive Party Supplies

In her quest to challenge status quo, Craft My Occasion introduced a line of inclusive party supplies celebrating children of color to the world.

Our party products feature characters that have brown skin and curly hair. Representation matters and children of color deserve to constantly see positive reflections of themselves. We help our children develop a loving self-image in a world that tells them that they do not belong. We are deeply passionate about empowering children of color and showing them that they deserve space on the store shelf too.”

Mermaid Party Products

Lynnette introduced her mermaid collection in 2017 after raising more than $21,000 and named a “Project We Love” by Kickstarter. You can see all the details of her big launch at this Mermaid Party for Little Brown Girls.

This collection includes plates, cups, napkins, invitations, straws, t-shirts, balloons, thank you cards, backdrops, and beautiful mermaid dolls! It's so special for little girls who may not look like Ariel to see themselves as a mermaid.

Super Boy Party Supplies

2018 brought us her Super Kids collections for both boys and girls! Superhero Boys is featured here, styled by Twinkle Twinkle Little Party. Check it out to see all her great superhero styling ideas. We love the bold primary colors, mask and cape. This theme is sure to make any child feel SUPER!

These super invitations give you ultimate flexibility to write your own information in fun primary colors.

Matching plates, cups, and napkins complete the collection. Do you know a SUPER kid who would love these? There are thank you cards and backdrops available as well.

Super Girl Party Supplies

I am absolutely in love with the afro-puffs on this Super Girl! The pink and purple color palette makes this a fun theme to work with too. This collection features the same available pieces as the others and gives you nearly everything you need to host a fabulous party!

You even have the option of thank you cards to tell your friends and family how SUPER you think they are for coming!

And this Super Girl collection isn't just for birthdays. Check out this awesome Girl Power Galentine's celebration from Craft my Occasion too!

Building a Strong Sense of Self

I am most proud of the impact that our party supplies have on children and families of color. The most common answer I get when I ask a child why they love our mermaid is “she looks like me.”

It is so much more than just a party plate. Having positive images that they can relate to, gives them permission to dream big, and inspires them to be whomever they choose.

Long after the party is over, and all the decor has gone away, your child will still feel loved and acknowledged.

Her Secret to Success?

Her secret to success? “The characteristic that I feel is the most important to my success is consistency. It is so important to show up and be consistent. On the good days, and the bad days, just keep going.”

The party supplies have also been featured in The Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Parents, Black Enterprise, POPSUGAR, Blavity, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Party, to name a few.

Party Supplies Celebrating Children of Color Can be Found:

• On the Website: www.shopcraftmyoccasion.com
• Party packages are currently available and start at $16.99 for a party of 8. Ultimate party collections shown in images above with everything you need to host a fabulous party! Just add cake.

Contact Lynnette

If you're interested in more information or to request a new party theme Lynnette can be reached at:

• Email: hello@craftmyoccasion.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/craftmyoccasion
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/craftmyoccasion
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/craftmyoccasion

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Lynnette, her mission, and all about her inclusive party supplies celebrating children of color! I'm super inspired by her passion and continued drive even in the face of major challenges. This woman is one to watch. Give her a follow and see what's coming next!

Then join us again for another installment of Small Business Doing Good! So we can support the companies making a positive difference.

Pin it for Later

Other Small Businesses Doing Good:

• Pixels and Pop Party Supplies {coming soon}
• Say BOO to Bullying with Cultivate Kindness Box

Until next time my friend!