'It's her lifelong dream': Cape Breton woman is 'princess for hire' in Halifax
It looks less like work and more like play, but being a real-life princess is Miranda Pike's job.
"(We are) a company that wants to bring fairy tale magic to life," Miranda told CTV Atlantic.
At 23 years old, Miranda is the owner of Little Princess Parties Halifax.
Her company has roughly 60 costumed characters, covering all Disney princesses, along with superheroes and other crowd-pleasers.
Originally from Whitney Pier, N.S., Miranda says it all started when she made her very first princess dress eight years ago, using bed-sheets found at a thrift shop.
"I went to show my grandmother at the hospital. She was in hospice, at the (Cape Breton) Regional there (in Sydney)," Miranda said. "After I was done visiting her, I went to see the kids on the kids unit. I read them stories. Sang little songs and just brightened their day."
Miranda's mother, Michelle Pike, says it wasn't long ago Miranda was a little girl herself. She says it makes her proud to see her daughter making a living by bringing a sense of wonder to others.
"She is quite the entrepreneur. I'm so, so, so proud of her," Michelle said. "Every time that I see her in action at a party, or even sewing in her sewing room, she just makes me so happy, because it's her lifelong dream to do this."
Miranda not only makes the costumes herself, she also plans the whole princess experience.
"I sew all the dresses. I style all the hair. I write my own music for our songs," she said.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Miranda says they were booked for in-person parties every weekend. They've since had to get creative, with things like doorstep visits and Zoom parties.
Through her unique career path, Miranda says she has discovered some of her own princess powers.
"I've always been a little on the shy side, I guess. A little introverted. But this job kind of pushed me to literally perform," Miranda said.
Miranda says her plans post-pandemic are to resume the regular party routine and grow her business further.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.