Meet Caroline the talented Mama and Maker behind @lemondcloudboutique. Caroline makes scarves with cool zipper details and mittens with recycled leather palms & faux fur lining. Caroline sells her products at various retail locations and markets across southwestern Ontario.
Do you have kids? If so how many & age?
I have 2 kids, my son Lochlan is 2 and a half and my daughter Reese just turned 1.
What’s one thing people probably don’t know about you? A lot of people assume I sew professionally, but I taught myself how to sew. I’ve never had lessons or anything. I’ve watch a few YouTube videos to learn about specific hems, but other than that I completely make it up as I go. I make my own patterns for scarves, mittens, slippers... just by trial and error. I’ve never actually used a real pattern lol for some reason I find it a lot more fulfilling to create things from scratch and know how they work and are put together. I mean, how cool is it to just make something from nothing and be able to completely customize it to the look and fit that you want!
Are you a stay at home mom?
I am not a stay at home mom, although I love the option to stay home with my kids a couple days a week. I work as a landscape designer in Chatham ON in the spring, summer and fall. I work a lot of odd hours to get designs done and meet with people in their off hours. There is a lot of flexibility because I basically make my own schedule. I am also working on starting up a business growing my own cut flowers and I run my Lemon Cloud Shop in the off season, in the fall and winter. Guess I’m just not a 9-5 kind of person!
What is your favourite thing to do for yourself?
I really enjoy renovating/decorating my house. I moved to my current house 2 years ago and haven’t had a lot of time to do what I want to it, but this January-March that is my mission!
What’s one thing you couldn’t live without?
My bed. I love my bed. Every night I crawl into bed and just have to smile because it is so comfy and probably my favourite place to be. Even with all of the energy in the world; 2 kids, 2 businesses, and a job keep me away from my bed too often!
What’s your favourite date night activity?
I love getting dressed up to go out for dinner and drinks! And sometime in the next year or 2 I’m going to go dancing. It’s been a while! I only dance when I’m drinking and I’ve been to a lot of weddings in the last few years, but I’ve always been pregnant or breast feeding... so there’s a lot of dancing bottled up in here and it wants to be set free lol
Where is your business located out of?
All products are made in my basement near Bothwell, ON.
What’s your favourite thing to do in your hometown?
There’s a music festival held in a field near bothwell, called Boot-hill Jambouree. That’s definitely the most exciting thing that goes on around here!
What has been the most successful way for you to promote your business?
I get a lot of business through Instagram & word of mouth. Instagram is a great way to show off your products, while markets are a great way for people to see them in person and to meet people who might not have come across your stuff otherwise.
How do you balance having kids & running a business
It’s a really hard thing to do and probably actually impossible, but to manage my time I sew early in the morning and late at night while the kids are sleeping. I send them to daycare 2 or 3 days a week to give everyone a break. They love playing with the other kids there and I get a million more things done. I can’t separate business and family time because they are both a part of my life that are always ongoing and need tending to, but everyday from 5-8 is strictly family time. That is my time to make and eat supper, give the kids a bath and get them settled into bed. No time for business in there!
What has been most challenging about starting your own business?
Sourcing materials has been tough for me because I don’t always use the same fabrics for my scarves. I use several different types of fabrics to offer different weights of scarves and I haven’t been able to find a single company that I can source all of them from. I’m hoping that by next year I’ll have a few main go to sources for fabric. That would save a lot of time for me!
What have you found most supportive when starting your business?
My family had been very supportive. But just connecting with customers through Instagram and at markets really give me that boost to keep going. Just seeing how interested they are in my products helps drive me to design new styles and products!
Coffee or tea? Coffee
Neutral or colourful? Neutral
Morning or night? Morning
Wine or beer? Beer
Starbucks or Tim Hortons? Tim’s
Online shopping or in store? In store
Instagram or Facebook? Instagram
Text or Phone call? Phone call
@Camara.Crew Stamp of Approval:
I absolutely love my @lemondcloudboutique scarf! I have never seen a scarf design like this before it truly is unique! It is stylish, affordable & comfortable. The fabric is super soft and the colour choices are amazing! I also love the weight of the scarf. It is heavy enough to keep you warm and cozy without overheating! It also fits really well! I wore it to the pumpkin patch with my family and it looked adorable with my outfit. But it was also practical. Lily had me flying down the slides and running around the whole pumpkin patch. I didn't find the scarf got in my way or I needed to readjust it at all. I highly recommend picking up one of these scarfs! You'll be one of the most stylish mama's in town :)
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