How a Solo Mom Designer Built a Six-Figure Printables Blog

Introduction to Pjs and Paint

In the crowded world of online entrepreneurship, Pjs and Paint stands out as a simple yet powerful story. Graphic designer Kelly Crean leveraged her fine art background and self-taught design skills to launch a printables blog that now brings in over $100,000 per year. This case study walks through her path from freelancing to full-time blogging, detailing the shifts, strategies, and trade-offs she made along the way.

From Fine Art Graduate to Freelance Designer

After earning a degree in Fine Art, Kelly realized that gallery or teaching jobs didn’t match her personal goals. She quickly learned graphic design on her own and launched a freelance career in 2013. By focusing on growing her skills and taking on high-profile clients, she moved her freelance earnings into six figures in just a few years.

The Juggle: Motherhood Meets Freelance Deadlines

In 2018, Kelly became a mother for the first time. Overnight, deadlines and client calls collided with feeding schedules and nap times. The need to balance these demands forced her to rethink her career and explore other income streams that could flex around her new responsibilities.

Discovering the Printables Niche

Kelly experimented with blogs, Etsy shops, and multiple side projects. She spotted a gap in the market for high-quality educational printables tailored to parents and teachers. That led to the birth of Pjs and Paint, a WordPress blog dedicated to free and premium downloadable worksheets.

Rapid Growth and the Power of Ads

Within a year of launching, Pjs and Paint was accepted into the Mediavine ad network. That partnership validated her work and unlocked substantial ad revenue. Coupled with her existing freelance design, Kelly now had two income streams to support her growing family.

Building an Email List of 106,000 Subscribers

Email became the engine that drove traffic and sales. A free printable offered at the end of every blog post hooked new readers, swelling her list to 106,000 active subscribers. Every newsletter send tripled her baseline pageviews, creating consistent spikes in both audience and income.

Diversifying Revenue for Stability

Advertising is her primary revenue, but Kelly didn’t stop there. She added:

• Digital product sales through her own shop
• Affiliate partnerships on classroom supplies
• Sponsorship deals with education brands
• A growing YouTube channel featuring her printables in action

This mix protects her business from shifts in any single channel.

Key Lessons and Next Steps

Kelly’s story highlights a few practical lessons. First, pivot your existing skills to fill a niche. Second, focus on building an email asset you own. Third, never rely on a single revenue source. Today, she continues to add new printables, experiments with video content, and explores further growth opportunities.