We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carrie Keefe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Carrie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I first started working for myself back in 2012 when I opened an art gallery and gift shop in a tourist location near my home. During this time, I was able to fully explore what it meant to organize a small business, maintain a flexible work schedule, and truly connect with the community that I was creating.

In 2015, my son Elliot, who was just 3 years old at the time, was diagnosed with autism. This prompted me to transition from a brick-and-mortar location to establishing an online presence so I could be home with both of my children and welcome therapies into my home that would help them navigate their neurodivergent worlds. What I currently do now—creating baby bonnets and designing surface patterns—was originally intended to be a blog where I could just share my creative ideas, all while being a SAHM. However, it quickly became a full-time career as I gained a following on Instagram and developed a loyal customer base.

As someone who has always been an artist in some capacity, it wasn’t until I built a supportive community that I seriously considered pursuing this path professionally—though I still feel I have much to learn in order to be considered professional! A more appropriate way to describe my journey would be to say that I am pursuing my passion full-time and authentically.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Carrie, and my main brand is Sweet As April. I also have another account where I share my watercolor paintings and crochet patterns but Sweet As April is my primary source of income, and it was named after my son’s birth month. He was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, which inspired me to start making baby bonnets to sell so I could stay home with my kids. Over the past eight years (and with the addition of one more baby!), we have been able to help all three of our children navigate their challenges related to autism and speech delays through in-home therapies, thanks to my flexible work schedule and the ability to create a highly sought-after product line.

When we started making baby bonnets back in 2015, my big goal was to combat textile waste “one bonnet at a time.” After sending out over 20,000 bonnets into the world, I believe we have made a significant impact. Many of our bonnets are made from vintage embroidered tablecloths, men’s shirts, beautiful linen skirts, curtains, cloth napkins—you name it, I have probably upcycled it!

In 2022, as we became a family of 5, I reevaluated the branding of our business due to the increasing time needed to source materials and challenges posed by the economy. I’ve always been interested in surface pattern design and dreamed of one day designing my own fabric, along with a product line featuring my artwork. In March 2024, that dream became a reality. I dedicated countless hours to researching and began not only selling my designs on my bonnets but also on shirts, phone cases, bags, fabric, and notebooks—the possibilities are endless.

While we will always upcycle beautiful textiles to create our heirloom-quality bonnets, I am excited to enter 2025 with this newfound passion for surface pattern design, which complements my existing products and opens many new doors for me as an artist.

I am truly in love with what I do and have worked hard to design bonnets that not only fit perfectly but also offer exclusive prints, one-of-a-kind designs, and heirloom quality that you won’t find anywhere else. I make every bonnet we sell, I am the arketing manager, social media director; I handle everything myself— website design, photography, logo design, email marketing, social media posts, and pattern design—all while homeschooling my nine-year-old, caring for my toddler, and helping my eleven-year-old son grow into a confident young man.

I always say, “Shop small and make a real person smile,” and I genuinely mean it. Every sale that comes through on my phone prompts me to do a little happy dance. Late at night, I stay up designing new patterns while keeping an eye on the baby monitor and catching up on orders from the day.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I often reflect on the struggle of running a creative business, especially when scrolling through websites like Pinterest. As a business owner in a creative field, there never seems to be a moment when my mind can truly rest. For instance, when I paint, it’s rarely just for fun; my work is usually focused on creating patterns, designing prints for sale, or fulfilling requests from brands for my exclusive designs.

Running a creative business can feel very different from having a typical 9-5 job. The fact that I can never really “punch out” from work can be incredibly exhausting, especially with the constant influx of inspiration everywhere I look—like every other pin on Pinterest.

In 2024, I wrote a blog series about overcoming my fear of failure and addressing the “imposter syndrome” that often creeps in for anyone who shares their life online. One significant step I took that really helped was setting aside time to engage with other creative works. Whether it was on YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, or Instagram, I decided to focus on taking online courses instead of just consuming content for inspiration. Of course, I still looked to some of my favorite artists for inspiration, but it became less about comparison and more about appreciating their growth alongside my own.

Furthermore, I realized that while browsing others’ content may seem like a way to fuel creativity, it often leads to feelings of self-doubt for me as a business owner. By turning my attention to improving my own craft and learning everything I could about pattern design, marketing, and e-commerce, I found inspiration in my own artwork and creative journey rather than through someone else’s work.

How did you build your audience on social media?

The primary way we connect with most of our customers is through our Instagram account @sweet_as_april. I started this account in 2015 to document my journey as a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) and to tie it to a blog where I would share more about our home life. When I began sharing the bonnets I was making for my daughter, who was just six months old at the time, I received a lot of interest in purchasing them—something I had never intended to do. Drawing from my experience with my recently closed gift shop/gallery, I realized I had the ability to create an online platform where I could make, sell, and profit from a product I already enjoyed crafting. At that point, I didn’t have much to lose.

As I started sending products to other bonnet-loving families for them to share with their followers, our account grew rapidly. In just four months, I gained over 10,000 followers. I also began styling outfits for my daughter and collaborating with many other handmade brands to photograph their products, always featuring a bonnet in the shots. My best advice to other small shops that reached out to me for tips on how I grew our following so quickly was simple: “Your followers know what you make—it’s the followers of others you need to reach!” Getting our products in front of different audiences played a significant role in our success. At the height of Instagram’s popularity in 2017/2018, we received between 50 and 100 tagged photos a day, most from customers excited to showcase their new bonnets.

Like everything else, Instagram has changed a lot over the past eight years. While we don’t have nearly the same presence on other platforms, we still have a dedicated following of 122,000 on Instagram. I continue to show up daily and do what I can to navigate the challenges of the ever-changing algorithm. With the magic of editing, platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels have given me new ways to showcase the transformations of my upcycled bonnets, as well as my designs that transition from a painting on my ipad, then to a pattern printed on fabric that’s made in to bonnet.

One unique approach I took when we first started, which many larger brands did not adopt, was to keep my family life intertwined with my business. I shared both aspects simultaneously, allowing people to get to know the family behind the brand they were supporting. I regularly post about our daily life in stories, craft personal captions when I have the time, and remain transparent about the ups and downs of motherhood. Because of this openness, I have built a community that is invested in more than just the “cute baby hats”; they care about our family as well. As we introduce new products to our brand, customers can also purchase gifts for their friends and family, even if their babies have outgrown bonnets. This has been a rewarding way to share our life, as the support we’ve received—especially during tough economic times—has motivated me to keep this business thriving, not just financially but emotionally as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sweetasapril.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweet_as_april/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetasapril
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sweet_as_april
  https://www.pinterest.com/sweet_as_april/

Image Credits

NA I took all of the photos