Welcome to the 15th Portraits of Home Made feature - Thank you for following along each month to meet and celebrate creative, entrepreneurial Canadian Moms!
This month I am happy to share with you another social media-inspired Portraits of Home Made feature. I came across this creative Mom's modern take on memory keeping that is as stylish as any newborns wardrobe through Instagram and knew that she would be a perfect feature.
So Stop the spread of ugly baby books! & meet Lesley and her creative business, Mushybooks. Oh and if you are currently expecting a little one of your own, I'm certain you will want to add a Mushybook to your Things For Baby Mom shopping list! Enjoy!
Lesley Hobbs is the owner of Mushybooks, a collection of modern baby books. Mushybooks designs modern baby books with today's parents in mind. A perfect mix of style and cuteness, Mushybooks are the perfect way to record your awesome baby's first year. Lesley is Mom to 6 year old Georgia, 4 year old Walker and 3 year old Mack and she lives in Maple Ridge, British Columbia.
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Hi Lesley!
Q: In 3 words, describe your business.
A: Simple, modern, cute.
Q:Did you start your business before or after becoming a Mom? If after, did having children inspire the birth of your business?
A:After and Absolutely! I had 3 kids in 3 years and had 3 ugly baby books. I couldn't believe how cheesy and (dare I say) tacky they were. One day it hit me, that there weren't many options out there and that I could fill a need in the market.
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Lesley & her family
Q: Mixing business & motherhood can be a balancing act! What is your approach to making it through the day accomplishing growth in your business alongside nurturing your little ones?
A: Wow - this is a constant struggle. I'm learning to take advantage of quiet moments during the day or leave work until bedtime. There are days where I get lots done and days when I get nothing done. My kids dictate how much time I can spend on Mushybooks. I think it's a constant juggle that can sometimes be challenging but when I get flustered, I try to remind myself that the kids needs come first.
Q:What do you consider to be the biggest perk to having your business at home? What is the biggest challenge?
A:The biggest perk is having the privilege to stay home with my kids. I never imagined that I would be a stay-at-home Mom but now that I'm doing it, I wouldn't want it any other way. The biggest challenge is managing my time online. I'm drawn to social media and LOVE the connection it gives me to adults but it can be addicting. I'll be the first one to admit that I should put my phone away more.
Lesley's personalized home office
Q:What is your favourite social media platform to share and connect with your customers and why?
A: Instagram is my favourite because I'm very visual and I love photography. I am constantly inspired by other businesses and Moms who share their lives with the world. From a business perspective, I think that my target audience uses Instagram and when Moms find a product they love, its easy to share.
The Dreamcatcher baby book features hand drawn feather, arrows, and geometric goodness
in a palette of black + white illustrated by Toronto artist Brenny Giovis of Paperfelt.
Q: If you were able to add another element/extension to your business, what would it be?
A:I'm fairly new (launched January 2014) but I can see pregnancy journals, school years books, toddler pages etc. all being in my shop. I'd also like to design free printables for baby showers and nurseries that people can download from my website.
Simple and beautiful baby book cover
A peek at a 3-6 months page inside
Q: Please name an inspirational artisan you would like to collaborate with on a product/project if anything was possible!
A:Hmm, there are so many! I'd love to connect with newborn photographers to create album/baby books that are custom for their business and customers. They would include prints from their photo shoot and baby book pages.
An easy chart to fill in as baby grows
A page from the Cosmic Love baby book
Q: If you had an unexpected afternoon of free time, how would you spend it?
A:This NEVER happens and I'm not sure I'd be able to relax but I'd love to go out for lunch and go get a massage.
Cover of the Wild Child baby book
Natural colour scheme and cute characters are perfectly gender neutral
Q: Is there a creative skill you wish you had?
A: I'm obsessed with photography and would love to improve this skill.
Cover of the cute Little Miss baby book
Quick 3:
1. Coffee or tea?
Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.
2. Music, Movies or Podcasts while you work?
Silence.
3. Name a book that has inspired/informed your business?
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. This was a game changer for me and helped me push through the nerves and uncomfortable feelings of being vulnerable.
Cover of the Cosmic Love baby book
What's new for Mushybooks?
My new baby book themes are: A Star is Born & Wish on a Star which is an Adoption Book. Wish on a Star is the perfect place to document your unique adoption experience, whether it be domestic or international adoption.
Cover of A Star is Born baby book
Both A Star is Born and Wish on a Star baby books feature beautifully hand drawn stars and script by the talented Brenny Giovis of Paperfelt, a small paper goods company in Toronto specializing in illustrated designs and hand lettering.
Expressive hand lettering by Paperfelt
Thank you Lesley for creating a Canadian made, modern baby book option and for sharing a little behind the scenes peek at Mushybooks! I love the crisp and clean layout, stylish colours and cute character designs of these gender neutral baby books and only wished they were around 3.5 years ago ;)
Keep in touch with Lesley and Mushybooks online:
See you again in September for the next Portrait of Home Made!
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Are you or someone you know a work from home Mom creating an amazing product or offering an awesome service? I want to meet you - contact me and you just might be featured! wendy [at] tinybrushstrokes [dot] ca
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