INDIANAPOLIS — Casey Russo likes things to be big and bold. That's why she started her business during a pandemic, of all times.
She made sure all her walls made a statement.
"I started getting nervous. I really went all in," Russo said. "I got a trailer, a storage facility. I was like, 'I'm just going to do it. I have faith it will be fine.'"
Russo feared she might fail, but she decided to let the dream bloom anyway.
"The walls are entirely made of paper. They are paper petals, so the Paper & Petals Collection was born."
At the height of the pandemic, she made a backdrop to make things pop at an outdoor baby shower for a relative. The shower was moved outdoors due to COVID-19 restrictions, but Russo refused to let the changes wither her ambition.
"I thought, 'Why am I not doing this?' I started renting one wall on Facebook Marketplace to see how it would go, and it blew up with attention," Russo said.
Creating the walls and the overall experience of bringing it all to life has brought Russo's family closer than ever. According to the Russos, the backdrops are a unique way to add some flair to events.
"Their vibe, their vision, their color scheme," Russo said.
WRTV caught up with Russo at White Willow Farms in Arcadia where she showed us only a few of her custom backdrops. She said she started with just one, but now she has more than a dozen in rotation.
Now that Hoosiers are getting rid of the mask and reaching for a party favor — or any reason to party — the backdrops are on standby ready for the next celebration.
