Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Kellogg.

Hi Kristen, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

In 2020, I had been an elementary and special education teacher for 6 years and had my first baby. After returning to school post-maternity leave, I quickly realized that I wanted to stay home with my son, so I resigned from my teaching position in June 2021. I also realized I wanted to begin an Etsy shop to have as a piece of “me” while I was staying home with my son and I began Blip Baby Company in April 2021, a few months prior to ending my position. It was something I had always talked about doing, but it never seemed like it was doable while I was working. We began with digital nursery art and simple yarn products, and have grown into mainly hand-sewn felt decor for nurseries, kids room and playrooms, as well as seasonal products and gifts for babies and kids.
Currently we have grown to both myself and my mom working the business together. I head the business, customer service, and social media side of the company, as well as create products and make orders. My mom works the finances of the business, creates products, and makes orders as well. Being a full time stay-at-home-mom now to 2 little boys, I am extremely grateful for her input and help, as well as truly enjoy working with her! At this point she has made it possible for me to still be fully present for my boys while also growing the business and I am so grateful for those opportunities.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

It has not been an entirely smooth road and there have definitely been growing pains along the way, as there are with any business! As someone who has no prior business experience, I have had to do a great deal of on-the-job learning and navigating while growing the business. Early on I attended a costly event that was a big failure, costing me money I didn’t have. I also struggled to grow on Etsy in the first few years while I found my niche. Two years ago I did a complete overhaul of the business, working to create a cohesive brand and voice in the Etsy world. It took months of learning, new photography, reassessing inventory and products and deciding the direction the company was going to go. From there we began creating more of the hand-sewn felt products and the business has really taken off over the last year. We have found our voice and our niche and I’m excited for where we are headed!
Currently, the greatest struggle is time and capacity. We are only 2 people and our time to work is limited, so it’s been a balance to find a manageable workload, especially during the holiday season. We are continuing to learn and adapt as the business grows to find our footing.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?

At Blip Baby Company, we are a handmade Etsy shop specializing in nursery and kids decor and gifts. All of our products are handmade by mamas, for mamas! We are known most for our felt garlands, which are hand-sewn and made to order. Often we will receive custom orders for garlands with varying colors and additions, and our most popular garlands are our woodland animals and ocean animals. In addition to the felt garlands, we have a variety of other sewn felt and textile products and garlands. We love to create colorful and playful felt and textile decor to add a unique, child-like touch to your space! During the holidays, our garlands and personalized Christmas ornaments are by far our most popular products. Handmade felt garlands like our ghost garland, snowman garland, and gingerbread garland are products we are known for as well as our uniquely personalized felt and textile ornaments.
What sets us apart from others is the colorful, playful quality of our products and the fact that they are all handmade and hand-sewn. When you order something from our shop, you’ll receive something that I sat on my couch and sewed by hand while my boys played, or after they are asleep at night. As moms ourselves, we are creating with kids in mind and we know how special those personal touches to a room or gift can be.
As a brand, I am most proud of the fact that we have stayed true to creating pieces with our hands, even when the demands have increased, and continued to put quality above all else. It is important that our customers know that the quality of the materials we use and the products we create are extremely important to us, as is communicating and working with our customers. I love when custom order requests come through and we can work with a customer to bring their personalized image to life to fit their own needs or their own decor. It’s so special and inspiring!

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?

Just a little advice! If you are wanting to create a small business, don’t be intimidated and don’t think you have to have it all figured out from the start! No matter how prepared you are, you will tweak things and make changes, both big and small, as the business grows and evolves. It’s just the nature of the beast. Put your stuff out there, learn as much as you can, find a community, and be open to new ideas. The rest will fall into place.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/blipbabycompany
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blipbabycompany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070439406833
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/blipbabycompany/

Image Credits

All images were photographed by me with my own equipment.