I'm spunky

I like my beats funky. I'm spunky. I like my oatmeal lumpy. Where are my Digital Underground fans? This raglan from Lookie Loo Loo is for you and so rad.

 

Erica is a mama to two little boys (Lennon, 2, and Theo, 1) and the driving force behind Lookie Loo Loo. She offers everything from hand screen printed shirts to leggings and skirts. Her designs are also fun and unisex, which I appreciate since my kiddos share so many clothes :)

 

In addition to the clothing, Erica also sent these fab shades. So genius! Both kids have had so much fun playing with these shades from Lookie Loo Loo and I have equally enjoyed these awesome tees.

Erica has also mastered the art of sewing (something on my bucket list) and makes organic leggings and skirts in the best prints. These stars were a huge hit with pumpkin and she was happily singing while she wore her twinkle twinkle pants.

 

Erica was so kind to answer a few questions about the in and outs of Lookie Loo Loo, and make sure you read to the end because there is a discount as well.

Why did you decide to start your business?

Prior to Lookie Loo Loo, I worked as a marketing director for 10 plus years. My experiences have run the gamut from promotions in the number one radio station in Chicago, to a family recruiter for a foster care agency in Arizona and the first Community Manager for Memphis Yelp. After baby #2, I left the work place because there just wasn't enough time in the day! I fell in love with Etsy as a single female but once I had kids, Etsy became this brand new outlet for me. I spent hours on the site finding items to decorate both boys' nurseries. My husband kept pushing me to open my own shop, and when I opened in February, I was doing cardstock banners. I then took one sewing class and used Youtube to learn the rest. As a mama to two boys, I can never find anything stylish and fabulous for them to wear. I was so tired of cars, boats and sports themes. Once I got my sewing down with leggings and skirts, I jumped on the screen printing train, thanks to some pushing and help from a wonderful friend who also owns a shop. I hand screen print everything you see in the shop right in my kitchen. It's mass chaos, and always a fight for organization, but it works!

How did you come up with your brand name?

When I discovered Etsy, I spent hours favoriting pages upon pages of purses, jewelry, hats, shoes. I've never liked having what everyone else does, so Etsy was like heaven for me. When it came time to come up with a name, I was taken back to when I first discovered this gem. The term “looky-loo” came to mind, as I was constantly drooling over items I couldn't purchase because I wasn't a millionaire. I changed up the spelling and added a ‘loo’ and Lookie Loo Loo was born.

Any advice or lessoned learned from your experience so far?

The best advice I can give is quit comparing yourself to everyone else! I was recently given the advice from a bigger shop, "don't hate your beginning." It rang so true for me. I feel like I am constantly pushing myself to be better and bigger, when in reality, I'm not stopping myself to enjoy it all and take it in. Lookie Loo Loo has only been open for 7 months and is already exceeding my wildest expectations. As a parent, you always hear that you should enjoy every moment because it goes by so fast. These small businesses are in a way, our babies. One day in the not so distant future, you're going to look back on this beginning stage and laugh. You're also going to wonder why you took yourself so seriously. I'm currently struggling with all of that.

What are some of your goals for the year?

...hmmm....to come out alive? HA! I kid. I have a very rough business plan laid out for myself that I made when I first started. I've already exceeded most of the goals I had planned for my first year, and some that weren't even on the radar. Ultimately, I want to be able to carry myself on my own .com. I purchased my domain name in the beginning of all of this, and I'm waiting for when I feel I can drive enough of my own traffic to my site and not need to depend on Etsy for extra traffic. And, as always, an ongoing goal would be to learn a work/life balance. When you own your own business, the lines get blurred way too easily. I could, and have, spend all day marketing and utilizing social media outlets to push LLL.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I don't know if you'd call it a superpower, but I would love a remote control for life. You know, so I could hit pause and catch up!

What’s something about you most people don’t know?

I have a rather large collection of vintage tin lunchboxes and toys that reside in our sunroom. Maybe it’s the kid in me, but I cannot bare to part with them.

Make sure you check out Lookie Loo Loo and as an added bonus, use the code FREESHIPLLL5 for free shipping!

Haha, most of the time she's happy, but when I can catch this glare. I mean really. It kills me every time.

Oh and if you're looking for that perfect holiday shirt, she's got it. Seriously, I am dying.

Never Grow Up

Never Grow Up ... Never Surrender! How amazing is this tee from Huckleberry Threads? Such graphic bold styling making it perfect for little gals and dudes! From their website, Huckleberry Threads™ was founded in 2013 by Molly Moore with a focus on bringing stylish, quality clothing and accessories to the market at affordable prices. Huckleberry Threads captures the youthful essence of your little ones without breaking the bank.

Stylish and affordable clothes are exactly what you can expect from this Idaho based company. I also love their Sleep is For the Weak design, and they are currently running a black and gold combo with a portion of proceeds going towards pediatric cancer research, definitely a win win.   

Molly answered a few questions for me about her business and self, so here is a look inside:

Why did you decide to start your business?
Our biggest goal from the onset was to put out stylish tees at an affordable price point. The under-$15 crowd is stuck with Transformers and clipart animals and "Mommy's princess" or "Daddy's MVP".  We had to do something about that.



Where did you draw inspiration for your brand name?
We had a huge list of potential shop names and kept coming back to Huckleberry Threads. Our son's name is Finley, so naturally Finley > Finn > Huckleberry Finn. Plus we're based in Boise and Idaho's state fruit is the huckleberry, so it was a natural fit!

Any advice or lessoned learned from your experience so far?
GROW SLOW! We started HT on $90 and have been able to expand our line in time to a pretty satisfying place 10 months in. It's very tempting to go all out to satisfy demand, but the challenge of keeping things liquid has been fun. It's also allowed us to maintain a personal connection with out customers--something that we'll always value. Through Instagram, we have a direct point of contact with all of our customers. Everyone should take advantage of that.



What are some of your goals for the year?
We're working hard on launching new designs as well as restocking existing stuff. Also, don't tell anyone, but... outerwear!

What is your favorite vacation spot (dream or real)?
Dream: Iceland // Real: Hood River, OR

Make sure you're following Huckleberry Threads on instagram (@huckleberrythreads) for all their latest designs and deals!

A day at the Fair

We had such a great time at the Latah County Fair last week. I have such great memories as a kid going to the fair every year and it was so fun to finally take my kiddos as well! You really can't beat a small town fair. Because we went on the first night, it was not crowded at all and we got to ride all the little rides (there were only 4 or so anyway so it didn't take us long) and see the animals. Of course no fair trip is complete without greasy double fried corn dogs, so we made sure to tick that box as well. Add the fact that my kids (Bub especially) are obsessed with farm animals, and we have a winner. Oh Moscow how I love you, we will be back for the fair again!

She loved this one for exactly one rotation, and then was terrified haha.

He made so many friends dancing to the band. Love my little man cub.

She wouldn't get down and dance, because she is a total grandma's girl. Smart girl.

She loved the pigs the most and kept petting them.

Mock (YEAH) Ing (YEAH)

I am a child of the 80s and 90s. I grew up with the Saturday Night Live staples of Chris Farley, Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell. Seriously, I still watch reruns they were so good. I love to push my sense of humor onto my kids (especially while they don't fight back on what they wear yet) so enter Detention Tees.

If peeing your pants is cool :)

Jamie, the hilarious driving force behind the brand, and I had to have grown up around the same time and have very similar sense of humor (so she is obviously awesome). She has a fantastic (and hilarious) line of printed tees for your littles. I love the references to the classics (like these Billy Madison and Dumb and Dumber among others). And all of the designs are printed on super soft American Apparel tees.

I asked Jamie a few questions about Detention tees, hope you enjoy reading as much as I did:

Such a cheese one minute and then the duh face.

Why did you decide to start your business? 

It was accidental! I was ironing on letters to shirts for my son, Noah, and enough people asked about them and persuaded me to take them to market - that I did.

How did you come up with your brand name?  

I wanted something fun, but edgy.  I started with the logo, the paper airplane, and eventually just came to "detention tees"!

Any advice or lessoned learned from your experience so far?  

I work full-time in addition to being a mom and owning this Company. I think it's essential to be truly passionate and excited about starting a business. It's not always easy to find the time or resources to continue, but if it's something that you truly love, you'll make the time. Sleep is overrated anyway.  I also think it's imperative to stick to your word. When I first started getting followers, I was asked about printing some special one-off shirts, and said yes before knowing what it would entail. I lost money on some of the prints, but I hopefully gained a few fans for life.

 

One of my favorite scenes in all of Dumb and Dumber.

What are some of your goals for the year?  

I'd love to "break even" for the year, but I think that garnering a solid following and fan base would be awesome.  It's hard not to focus on monetary goals, but I'm confident that that part of "success" will come in due time.

What is your favorite thing to do: for yourself?  

I LOVE the treat of a manicure - and it's JUST for me. I also love taking Bar Method classes - I get an hour to solely focus on me!

This boy is obsessed with cows. Once he found this cow, all games were over and he refused to do anything but Moo.

What's something about you that most people don’t know?  

I'm an open-book to most people around me, and terrible at keeping secrets (and quiet - hence "Detention").  I don't know that there's anything that people wouldn't know - I just had a health scare and got some positive news recently, and am excited to think about having a #2!

I want to sit here and play with these rocks. Like RIGHT MEOW.

Seriously, love this brand, Make sure you go check Detention Tees out and pick up a few awesome tees for your littles . Fair warning though, you will be jealous of your kid, seriously. And to sweeten the deal, right now (no pun intended....) use the code rightmeow for free shipping!

Small towns are my favorite

There is something a little bit magic about small towns. I love all the old sleepy buildings and how everyone smiles and says hello. Being up in Idaho visiting family for the past two weeks we had ample opportunities to enjoy the best of small towns. Antique stores, old barns, and little super markets were a few of the places we got to explore.

Old brick walls are my favorite. (Mock Tee: Detention tees)

His smirks kill me. And the dry air, I was terrified I'd lost his curls!! (Tee: Kate&James)

This is his laughing face... it makes me so happy.

Nothing makes these kids happier than throwing rocks. They would have stayed for hours.

My little bug. Tee: VDGN KD

I loved the doors in front of this old grocery. And the grocer was SO friendly. Small towns rock.

Eat Fruit tee: Hi Star Clothing

Outside the cutest cafe. Best Day Ever Raglan: Ryder & Rhenn