About Us & Our Mission
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Hi there! Welcome to our little corner of the internet. My name is Carrie & I am the owner & designer here Sweet As April. People oftentimes think my name is April (which always makes me giggle because then I would have named our business after how sweet I think I am!) but really our business was named for our son, Elliot. He was born in April & for me, nothing has been as sweet as meeting your first baby - nothing could be as Sweet As April. I named the business for Elliot because he is essentially why I started it. When he was 3 years old Elliot was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. We always knew that he was unique & deep down I knew there was some underlying mystery as to why we were struggling so much with him - the autism diagnosis came as bittersweet news - it gave me a direction to go in order to help him navigate this world but it also meant I needed to close my gift shop/art gallery & stay home with him.
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It was recommended that we start some therapies with him, enroll him in early preschool & get his autism diagnosis into the school system so we could take advantage of the programs that were offered to him. In our state they also "red flag" any child who is a sibling of a child on the spectrum. So Leia (our middle daughter) who was 6 months old at the time, was to start in-home therapy as well. With my world turned upside down we decided a little getaway camping trip was needed to escape for a weekend. Beach time, hiking & lots of sunshine meant Leia needed a sun hat but having closed my gallery there was very little extra money coming in - but I had a sewing machine & some old sheets. So I made my first bonnet - I traced a knit hat that fit her well, added a brim, I used an old burp cloth as interfacing & off camping we went. We got so many compliments on that little bonnet that the wheels started turning in my head. I had a closet full of clothing I could cut up into bonnets, I loved thrifting & the idea that her bonnet was upcycled from my childhood sheets excited people - they loved the repurposed aspect of it.
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Now, 7 years later, we have grown an Instagram following of over 120k, made & sold over 20k bonnets, & I have made some lifelong friends working full time at this business. What's even more incredible is after 5 years of struggling with secondary infertility we finally welcomed our third & last baby into this world. Lily Ellen was born on 12/28/22 & she is the missing piece to our little family. To have one more baby to put our bonnets on has been a dream come true for me & to witness our older children love on this baby we've waited so long for has been so healing for us.
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In 2023 we are expanding our business to use some new fabric mostly because I have to manage it all - I could list all of the things I do in a day but I think you all understand the ins & outs of running a small business, it's not easy as one person. I have my wonderful mother who trims our bonnets, Arleen is our full-time seamstress who sews every bonnet, Janelle work part time managing all of our custom bonnet order & Marc (my husband) helps with shipping & cutting bonnets - but I do all the rest while being a mother to 3 as well as have a baby with me during the day. So, with that being said, we're starting to use some new fabrics in our collections so that designing, marketing, selling & restocking bonnets can be easier for me. We will still be saving this world from textile waste #onebonnetatatime by lining a lot of them with upcycled linens (which are nicer than any new lining textile you could buy!) We always like to be transparent with our customers & as this business continues to grow (maybe with new products...) we will be sure to keep you updated with what our plans are but feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
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So, for now, you can find us daily on Instagram - here for our business, here for the girl's feed & here for our family. We're so glad that you've found us, I truly love what I do, Arleen loves making these bonnets for you all & getting to work so closely with my Mom is so fun for me. If you have any questions you can always email me at hello@sweetasapril.com or DM me on IG (email is more reliable though!)
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As always, love & bonnets, guys. Thanks for your continued support as this business & our family grow.
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