Moms on Mondays - Caroline from Itsy Gypsy

Today on Moms on Mondays I am happy to feature Caroline from Itsy Gypsy!  This mama has the cutest shop full of fancy dresses, at affordable prices, for your little girl.  I love all of the stuff she carries and totally need to purchase something for Lemon, although I would buy and then when it came I wouldn't be able to ever get it off of her!  (Totally a princess for life around our house!)  Check out Caroline's post and then buy a dress in her shop, you will totally love them all!  And, she's making it even easier for you to shop today with 20% off your order using code MONDAY today only!!  :)

My website is Itsy Gypsy and I'm also on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

We sell children’s clothing (girls only for now), which are Vintage and Bohemian inspired. Our sizes average mostly between 2-8yrs. We love to mix vintage and modern and find the cutest and most hip items with lots of lace, crochet and other details that create a free-spirit look. We have everything you need to make your girls look as the cutest princesses, or coolest little chicks on the block!

My full-time job is and will always be to be a mother. However, as I watch my little one get older, I’ve started to feel the need to do more in other areas of my life as well. It was easy for me to figure out what I dreamed of doing because I knew I’d want to do it from home, and I also knew it had to be something I’m passionate about! That’s what ItsyGypsy is to me - I LOVE my little company, through good and bad times.

I’ve worked on the idea for a long time, but our shop is fairly new. We just launched our website in June 2014! We’re enjoying seeing it grow everyday.

I’m a certified Makeup Artist and have freelanced in that field for the past 7 years. I will ALWAYS love makeup, and will still work with it when the opportunity pops up, but my true love is ItsyGypsy! Aside from that, I’m honestly just happy to call motherhood my career.

I was born and raised in Brazil. I finished high school in Salt Lake City, Utah and eventually met my husband, who happened to be going to College in Utah as well. We had a pretty crazy story and met online (which was not popular back in 2003!) and distance dated for 2 years. We got married in 2005 and lived in Utah for a while. My husband is originally from Los Angeles, CA and so ended up moving back to sunny So-Cal : ) We have one little girl, our little princess Dara Vienne, who is 5, and my inspiration behind ItsyGypsy. We say we are a family of everything “online" . . . My husband owns an online business as well, so both of us are able to work from home and enjoy each other everyday. We love the beach and our life here in California!

This company first of all, helps me to be happy and feel more accomplished! I enjoy what I do, and anytime I see a child in one of our items that puts a smile on my face. That keeps me going. Having an extra income in the home is a great help too, but I consider this company to be my daughter’s “baby” just as much as it is mine. The money we make with this store can be a great help with our savings, and our extra expenses right now.

I’ve always had a dream to be doing something like this. My husband and I talked about my ideas many times, but I’ve always had a lot of fears and reservations. Once my husband took his online company from a “side job” to a real business, I realized I could pursue something I loved while working from home as well. I then found the courage to chase it!

My husband is my biggest supporter, and although he is very busy with his own business, he’s helped my a lot through the process of learning about my new online venture. I can’t forget my Dara, who is my happy little model whenever I need her, helps me pick and name new products and jumps with excitement when a new shipment arrives! She’s definitely my favorite little helper, but aside from my family, I do all the work myself.

It has been crazy and I’m still learning how to deal with everything that needs to be done at home and at work. I find that whenever I prioritize things and do what’s most important first, the day goes a lot better. Maintaining a strong Spirit is very important to me. I like to start and end my day with a prayer and read a little bit of my scriptures in the morning. It gets me ready for the day. My daughter is in Kindergarten now, so I use the mornings to get a lot of my work done, and then I make sure to spend some time with her when she’s home with me. I love to have my house perfectly clean and neat, but I’m learning to relax and just let it go when needed.

I love that it makes me learn everyday and gives me a sense of responsibility aside from my wife/mother responsibilities, but what I love the most – ARE THE CLOTHES! It’s such a joy sourcing the styles that fit our shop. Another favorite is getting new shipment from our manufacturers…I kind of “squeal” along with my daughter every time we get one! I LOVE working on my own designs as well, and my dream right now is to get that off the ground and launched as soon as possible.

Definitely the behind the scenes of keeping up with the website and its occasional issues. Doing everything yourself is really tough, so maintaining the quality control of every product and inventory levels can be really tricky and time consuming as well.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds, but all I hope for is to keep making our company grow. I want to let my creativity go free and always have fun in this business, no matter how hard the work may get. My goal is to keep it where it’s making me happy. I don’t ever want Itsy Gypsy to turn into a chore that takes me completely away from the regular joys of life, especially my family.

It will be harder than you think, and it will take patience and time, but as long as it’s something you LOVE, it will definitely be worth it! Never give up, be brave and push forward!

I’m definitely inspired by stores like Free People and Anthropologie! Some of the other online children’s shops that I follow and love, make “handmade” products like shoes by K & Elphy, accessories by Hip Chixie, flower crowns by Kenzie Jaws, booties by Threads and Arrows, clothing by Lunaflect Co. and Sly Fox Threads . . . too many to name! I love unique items!

Thanks Caroline!