Motherhood

Some Exciting News…

Monday, August 31st, 2015

Posted By Esther

 

Cute pregnancy announcement from cuteheads, wearing Loved by Hannah and Eli tees7' Loved by Hannah and Eli shop small photoshoot cuteheads1 Loved by Hannah and Eli shoot cuteheads Cute pregnancy announcement from cuteheads, wearing Loved by Hannah and Eli tees 3 Loved by Hannah and Eli shop small photoshoot cuteheads 4 Loved by Hannah and Eli shop small photoshoot cuteheads
8 Loved by Hannah and Eli shop small photoshoot cuteheads 5 Loved by Hannah and Eli shop small photoshoot cuteheads 6 Loved by Hannah and Eli shop small photoshoot cuteheads 9 Loved by Hannah and Eli shop small photoshoot cuteheads

Photos by the amazing and talented Ailee Petrovic of Snapshots & My Thoughts. View her photography here. 

So, we have some pretty exciting news to share…

Guess who’s going to be the cutest big sis to a LITTLE SISTER ever?

We’re excited to let you know that Tiny #2 is on her way February 2016!

That’s both a relief and a scary thing to say. I’m almost 17 weeks already, and it’s been a long road. 3+ months of extreme sickness, followed by several more weeks of medium sickness, on top of taking care of a toddler, running a business and just straight up trying to survive… I think we’re finally coming out the other side. I haven’t not been talking about it, I just haven’t made a big deal about it (even though it is a big deal, of course!). I may share info rarely, but for a lot of reasons, don’t expect daily bump pics, regular craving posts, or lots of updates on the progress (you’re welcome!). This will probably be the first & last time I mention it for awhile.

When one of my favorite brands, Loved by Hannah and Eli, asked to team up, I started browsing their site and immediately was drawn to the adorable Mama Bear/Sister a Bear tees, knowing they’d be perfect for the current stage of life were in. The message is so good too; “bear” implies “protector,” and I’m honored to be the protector of this little soul with another on the way. I know Naomi’s going to be proud to be her little sister’s protector too.

The tees are so soft and cozy, and if you’ve looked at some of the current cuteheads line, you’ll know I love mint & pink. They also have the cutest off-the-shoulder sweater that I absolutely MUST HAVE for Fall.

I was also thrilled to tag in Poppy Lane & Co, the maker of those gorgeous & bright bracelets Naomi and I are both wearing. She makes them in sizes all the way from teeny, tiny wrist to grown up, and in the most stunning bead & leather colors. Her talent knows no bounds. And although there are literally thousands of bows to choose from in the world, we teamed up with RYAN & WREN, the makers of the precious hot pink clip Naomi’s rocking, because her clips were perfect for this shoot. Her sweet & modern collection is ideal for my daughters curls, and we wear her bows often. We have this clip in hot pink, silver, black glitter and powder pink glitter, and I suspect they’ll be in heavy rotation this Fall & Winter. Fat Cat Creamery is a pregnant person’s dream photoshoot location. And one of the best parts of this day was getting to hand with photographer Ailee of Snapshots & My Thoughts, who has become a good friend and incredible collaborator. We’ve got another fun project in the works for next month, can’t wait for you to see it!.

If you know me, or you’ve gotten to know me through Instagram and/or this blog, you know I feel strongly about shopping & supporting small business. It’s become something of a passion project to help other small businesses grow, and to support women small business owners especially. So it seemed only natural to have a chat with Loved by Hannah and Eli founder & designer Sarah about her unique designs and what drives her business.

EF: Tell me a little about yourself and how Loved by Hannah and Eli started. 
Sarah: The progression of the shop was definitely organic. From the beginning it was a hobby where I would embellish items like onesies as leggings – as well as re-sell my kids “loved” (used) clothes. It was a great outlet to express my creativity and interact with other moms. 
EF: What’s your inspiration behind the brand? 
S: My inspiration has always been my kids and our adventures together. My first designs were more art work and always represented something important to my family, like adventure or music. The inspiration for “Bear”, actually came from a nick name my husband had as a child, “Jer Bear”. When we had our son Elijah I jokingly referred to him as my husbands “Man Cub”. It hit me as a cute concept, we joked around about it for a week before I sketched it 50 different ways and played around in some I-pad apps and then had the EUREKA moment, just keep it simple. Took the gamble and placed an order with the printer….and thank the Lord it worked:)
EF: What inspired you to create your signature Mama Bear style? 
S: After the huge success with the “Man Cub” design, I began to get a lot of feedback and requests asking me to create more options, and something for moms to coordinate with their little ones. I always wanted to carry shirts for adults, but was so nervous of the big jump in cost. So I started small and had another shop (@LittleBigFabric on Instagram) make me some “Mama Bear” fabric earrings, that was going to be my “item for adults”. The earrings did amazingly well and the requests for shirts and sweatshirts poured in! So again, I took a risk, made a mock up of a few options, and set up a pre-order. I had over 300 pre-orders come in, and was in total shock. Now “Mama Bear” tees, sweatshirts, hoodies and even necklaces are a staple in my shop and I think what I am mostly known for. 
EF: What is a typical work day like for you? 
S: Right now its Summer, and the kids are out of school, so this has been a challenge. I do admit, I signed them up for multiple VBS’s and Day Camps so that I can still work a little distraction free. I have 2 assistants that come everyday at 9:30am to begin packaging /shipping orders new orders, re-counting inventory, processing returns and help me keep all my merch organized (remember, this is all ran out of my home). I typically spend the morning on emails and texting my east coast assistant, Kate, about what issues we need to take care of or what our upcoming week looks like. She also assists me on all my social media outlets, so we plan giveaways and create new flat lays to post. Around 2:30, the girls here and I, we load up all the orders and drop them off at the post office. By 9:30 the next morning, the girls are back and we have a whole new round of orders to get out! 
EF: What has been your favorite part to date about running this business? 
S: Gosh, so may FAVORITES. I love interacting with other moms, businesses, bloggers, and the whole “community feel” you get thru social media. Of course I love seeing my items pop up on different celebrity feeds such as Tori Spelling and Kourtny Kardshian. The thought that they have endless designer possibilities to choose from, but they chose to wear or put their kids in my items, is a reassuring feeling that I am doing something right and that appeals to everyone. However, I guess I would say my most favorite is giving back! There is a tab on my site called “Clothes For Cause” where I work with, feature, and donate funds to various charities. This varies from specific families who need funds to pay for doctor bills to raising awareness for topics that need to be highlighted, like mental health. 
EF: What are some of the challenges you face? 
S: One major challenge I face, is that I must rely on the manufactures of the “blanks” I use. Often times, they cannot keep up or they discontinue a favorite style. 
EF: How do you balance motherhood with running a business? 
S: Well you have to embrace chaos a little. You also have to have a very supportive and understanding husband. I am trying hard to “turn off work mode” around 3pm and focus on chores, dinner, errands, taking the kids to church group and football practices the rest of the day. It seems to be working out well too. It helps that i can text my assistant and have her do things for me as they come up or pop into my head. 
EF: Looking ahead, what’s in the future for Loved by Hannah and Eli?
S: Right now I am just enjoying the ride. We recently moved to a bigger house where I can store more mech, and have my own office space. So speaking “near future” wise, we will be set up to carry and offer more this holiday season, which I am really excited about! Every mama needs a Mama Bear tee for Christmas! As far as the “future future” My most ambitious plans are to take control over the supply and development of garments. As I mentioned before, I currently am at the mercy of suppliers to continue to produce the “blanks” I purchase and print on. I very much want to work directly with a manufacturer to produce the garments in the color, cut, quantity and patterns I want. So I have something truly unique to me and can control more closely the supply I need and it not be subject to discontinuances and shortages. My ultimate dream would be to have my items carried in a major retailer like a Nordstrom’s. Just putting it out there…nothing in the works yet but that is definitely a goal of mine.

 

17 thoughts on “Some Exciting News…”

  3. Congrats!!! Having 2 kids is fabulous! Mine are 21 months apart and are now 9 and 11. They are super close and I hope they stay like that!

  5. What wonderful news. I was so excited to see the announcement this morning!! Wow, 17 weeks already?! You barely look pregnant!!! You are a beautiful mama with one beautiful family. I am glad that you are feeling better and so sorry it was a rough couple of months there!

    1. Ha that’s what happens when you throw up every day for 3+ months 🙈 Don’t worry I’m making up for it now! And you make me so excited for 2 girls!

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About Esther

The Cuteness: sharing daily inspiration, kids fashion, work/life balance + small business how to's from mom & business owner Esther Freedman