Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Langford.
Caroline, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My journey as a maker began when I was ten years old and my mom bought me a “learn-to-knit kit” from the school book fair. She said that I was often finishing up my homework quickly and wanting to watch TV, so she felt it was time for a new hobby. I instantly loved it! I learned to crochet soon after that, and from then on my room was filled with yarn and I was constantly making scarves, hats and headbands for gifts and for sale. I sold my first scarf in middle school (actually as a barter for one of those Italian charm bracelet links) and continued to sell my creations into my young 20’s. My first business was named “The Chronicles of Yarnia”, which I thought was hilarious in high school. I would often knit under my desk during class, and most of my teachers were fine with it since they knew I could still pay attention at the same time.
After I had my second child in 2017, I promised myself that I would continue to learn and grow as a woman and maker, despite all of the demands of motherhood. I wanted my children to see me pursuing hobbies and my dreams, and to know that we can fit the things that we love into the small pockets of time that we have if we make it a priority. I try to cut the word “busy” out of my vocabulary, and I want to model that for my kids. I made some goals for myself to grow my skills as a knitter and learn new art forms as well. I learned macrame in the summer of 2018, mostly because I wanted to make a few decor items for our home, but it quickly grew into a passion. I had been thinking and planning for a while about what kind of handmade business I wanted to start, and in the end of 2018 decided to just get started! I opened my Etsy shop with plant hangers, vase hangers, and keychains, and then a month later made my first floral wall hanging, which has become my signature item today.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One thing I think is important to remember is that every person’s journey is different and will look differently. In a lot of ways, my road has been “smooth” so far, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had my share of lessons to learn. This isn’t my first handmade business – I’ve had years and years of lessons and projects and customers and markets that have led me to this point – so there were choices I made this time around that I think significantly added to a smoother start.
Rewind to 2015 – I was pregnant with my first child and attempted to start my first Etsy shop, selling knitted scarves and headbands. I did basically no research on Etsy, how to optimize my shop, how to market on social media, etc. It was a total flop! I didn’t make a single sale and let my listings expire (I later realized that my listings were never even viewed by anyone on Etsy!). I believe that this shop failed for a few reasons: I didn’t take “doing things well” very seriously, I wasn’t super passionate about what I was creating, I didn’t do any market research, and I gave up!
This time around, I wanted to do things differently. I spent about a year just “watching” what was going on in the handmade world. I followed a lot of different artists and took note of how they marketed themselves, how they took their pictures, how they engaged with their audience, what kind of items were popular, etc. and what from all of those things would be a good fit for me. Then I considered all of the things I COULD make and what I actually WANTED to make – what inspires me, what I could be passionate about sharing with others, and what items I could be proud to stand behind.
I also invested in quality training – firstly, an Etsy Master Class from “The Merriweather Council” and an Etsy Seller Spreadsheet from “Paper & Spark”. These were two things I knew I wanted to do well (setting up my Etsy shop and bookkeeping) but didn’t want to spend a lot of time researching and figuring out myself. These women have put in the time and work to create these amazing resources, and it was worth every penny of the investment.
It’s still taken time to find my voice and “my lane” in an ever-growing and ever-changing handmade market. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve taken is to BE MYSELF. That may seem basic, but it can be harder than it seems when surrounded by talented and successful artists and businesses and comparison starts to take hold. I’ve thought a lot about who I am, what I’m passionate about as a person/wife/mom/homemaker, and also what I’m not. Being anyone but myself isn’t sustainable, so I’m always trying to stay true to myself in what I create, what I offer in my shop, and how I engage with my audience on social media. I’ve found that there isn’t “one right way” to do anything – being myself and authentic is what sets me apart!
What should we know about The Happy Home Collective? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’ve always loved all things color, fiber and florals. I love to create fun color palettes and be bold with color and pattern combinations. Bold colors don’t scare me! Back in December 2018, I discovered artists that were incorporating florals into their fiber art, and I immediately knew that was what I wanted to do. I had been crocheting flowers for years, mostly to incorporate in headbands. I loved the idea of floral wall hangings in traditional and non-traditional palettes. This has been my most popular item in my shop so far, and what has set me apart in a huge community of fiber artists. My crocheted flowers that I use in my pieces, which is my own original design, is what has become my signature element. This past year I have been doing a lot of experimenting with floral wall hangings – sizes, colors, designs – and narrowing in on my style and what I want to create. Going into 2020, I feel like I have clear vision for the kind of pieces I want to make more of and offer in my shop – I’m just getting started!
When I opened my shop, I wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to offer, but I knew that whatever it was, it would be HAPPY. I believe in the power of filling (mainly speaking to decor) your home with things that you love and make you happy, especially handmade art. A home should be a place to rest, find comfort, and be inspired. My family and I moved four times in four years, so I had a lot of practice in decorating and re-decorating our home. I knew that after that fourth move, I was going to only fill our home with things we loved, so that was a big inspiration to me in opening my shop. For now, I’m offering mainly wall hangings and plant hangers, and I have many ideas for future items that don’t fall into those categories but will remain true to the “happy home” theme.
My Instagram bio says “I like big yarn and real conversation”. Real conversation – deep, authentic, inspiring, vulnerable conversation is one of my FAVORITE things! I love listening to podcasts with people just talking and sharing about their lives and the lessons they’ve learned. I’ve tried to approach my social media space with this in mind, often sharing in my captions about topics I’ve been thinking and learning about recently, whether it’s art, homemaking, motherhood, marriage, etc. I’ve had some great and meaningful conversations with my audience and other makers through social media. I hope to do more of this in the future, and maybe even start a podcast someday!
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
Women are incredible. I believe that our ability to endure, overcome, dream big, support each other, and bust excuses can overcome just about any barrier. I can’t speak for every woman in every situation, but as a young, college drop-out, stay-at-home-mom, I find it completely amazing that I can have a successful handmade business conducted almost entirely from my home. I’ve started with what I know, using what I have, and learning as I go. I think that’s a great place to start for anyone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheHappyHomeCollect
- Email: thehappyhomecollective@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehappyhomecollective/
Image Credit:
Caroline & Brent Langford
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