Monday, November 17, 2014

Moms on Mondays - Kristy from Babies in the Hood

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This week I have the pleasure of featuring Kristy from Babies in the Hood.  She makes the cutest, softest, hooded bath towels and Lemon immediately had to put hers on and prance around the house.  You must get one for your babe, they are GREAT for toddlers because they are full size towels, check out her shop and go buy something!  Kristy has also set up a coupon code for all of you, it will expire two weeks from today so use LEMON15 for 15% off your order - but hurry!


You can find me at my Etsy shop, on Facebook or on Instagram.
I make awesome hooded baby and toddler towels. (One size fits all!)  Babies in the Hood's 100% luxury cotton hooded towels are the perfect fit for your child! My unique design makes the towel fall snugly around your child’s shoulders keeping them warm and cozy. You can use it for the pool, beach, or just at home. I have pre made towels and a "customize your towel" section with 11 towel colors and an awesome selection of ribbons to choose from.




My mom taught me how to make the hooded towels when my friends started having babies over 12 years ago! I loved making my friends something that was really useful and unique. They always would tell me that they loved the towel and still use it. I have some friends who are using it on their 2nd and 3rd kid! (Obviously you are going to want one for each of your kids! ;) ) Over the years I've adapted my mom's design a little to make it my own. I checked out lots of other hooded towels and none of them had the same design as mine, and almost all of them had a name embroidered on them. (But, I'm the kind of mom who doesn't want my little girl's name embroidered on things she's wearing in public places.) I decided to open up my Etsy shop just this year, July 2014, because I knew that these towels were different from the other ones already out there. I always try to find really fun and unique ribbon to go with the towels. And, I'm sure there are other moms out there who don't want names embroidered on them ,like me, but still want a customized and cute baby item.

I have a bachelor of Music Education and I taught junior high choir for 4 years. The pubescent voice and I are the best of friends. ;) I absolutely loved teaching choir, and junior high kids are some of the most fun and entertaining people on this Earth! I loved being able to connect with my students on a creative level, and give them the tools to learn some really tough music! Sadly, my job got cut to part time and I lost my benefits. Realizing it would cost more for me to work than stay home, I made the best, yet hardest decision to quit teaching and be a stay at home mom. It has been an awesome year being home with my little one, but I sure do miss those kids!

My husband, Dan, and I went to the same junior high, high school, had a class together in college but never talked until we meet at a church activity several years after we had both finished our Bachelor degrees! We knew of each other . . . or at least he claims to know who I was, although I am still a little doubtful.  We've been married for 2 years and have a sassy and fun little girl, Nora, who is 1. (We move pretty quick!) We both love to travel and can't wait until he takes the Bar and *hopefully* passes so we can start saving up to go somewhere fun! We are a part-time "crunchy" family - I was able to have an amazing natural birth with my daughter and we have been cloth diapering 95% of the time for about 6 months now. Surprisingly, my husband was the one who wanted to CD, but I am totally on board now and will talk to anyone who wants to know more about it. But . . . we also love our SUVs and several of our non "green" life conveniences! :) We like mixing the two worlds to find the best lifestyle for us!


I NEVER thought I'd be trying to sell something I sewed! My mom is an amazing quilter, and seamstress, and tried to teach me when I was younger, but it never took! She even bought be a sewing machine when I graduated from college, in hopes that I would get the creative itch (I think). (I asked for an electric piano, ya know, because I'm a choir teacher, but that was not an acceptable request!) I am so glad I have it now and I use my machine 95% of the time to make hooded towels. The other 5% is for a random project for my baby! 

The most challenging part of running my shop is actually getting the word out about my product. I've only been open for a little while so I'm not sure what the best avenue is as far as promoting. I don't want to be that annoying friend who posts all her shop info on her personal accounts, but I do have to start somewhere.  I just started out, so here's hoping that the shop can grow and I can process several orders a week! I only can work on my towels during nap time or after Nora goes to bed for the night, but I am figuring out how to streamline the process so I can cut down my production time a little! 

My favorite item in my shop is the "customize your towel" section. I have 13 different towel colors and 31 ribbon options, so I love seeing what combinations people like to put together. Often they choose something I never would have thought of and it looks SOOO cute! I like seeing other people's creativity come out in my product. 

My advice for other mom-entrepreneurs would be to - take that leap! I never thought I would have an Etsy shop, but I finally decided to just try it out. I have had so much support from my husband, friends and family, you'll need that too.  Just keep putting the info out there and you'll succeed! 

One of my absolute favorite shops is Quail Lane Company.  They make the cutest moccs! They are perfect for my baby's tiny feet.

Thanks Kristy, wishing you TONS of success!  :)


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