Today’s Meet a Mom is Laura Alexander ~ local boy mama behind Stick’ em Up Baby! Stick’ em Up Baby was part of NHM’s Holiday Gift Guide last year spotlighting her adorable customizable holiday mugs. And, since then I have been admiring her gift shop and loving everything she creates! Laura is an ex-RN who decided to stay home after becoming a mom. She has always been creative, so when she was pregnant with her 2nd son 6 years ago, she decided to make her own stickers for monthly baby photos and that was the beginning of Stick’ em Up Baby! She has now had several of her designs go viral, has a super succesful Etsy shop with thousands of 5-star reviews, and is continuing to add more items to become a more complete boutique/gift shop experience. Laura believes her customer service is what sets her business apart – she makes every order herself so she rememebers each and every one!
You’ve got to check out her shop on her website or Etsy where she has the best personalized items from baby milestone products, to baby blankets, to teacher gifts, to her popular personalized mugs, to kids clothing, and so much more! Laura’s #meetamom interview is below where you can learn more about her local #momlife, her inspiration behind her business, how she balances her business with being Mama, and more!
Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in the North Houston area?
I was born and raised in Michigan. My family has lived in the North Houston Area for 9 years after getting relocated here for my husband’s job. I definitely do not miss the snow!
How many kiddos do you have and how old are they?
I have two boys; William is 8 and Grayson is 6.
What are your favorite local things to do? (with kiddos or just for mom!)
One of my favorite things to do is to go out to dinner with our family. We love going to anywhere with a patio! Fielding’s Local, Crust Pizza, and Baja Sur are some of our close favorites.
As hard as it is to find the time, what’s something you do just for yourself?
If I ever have some spare time, I enjoy doing woodworking and home renovation projects. As a little girl I was always watching my dad fix things around the house and it taught me how to DIY a lot of projects. I also starting taking tennis lessons once a week and surprisingly really enjoy those!
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I was a surgical intensive care unit RN before I had kids. After kids, I decided to stay home.
\What’s the best mom advice you have ever been given (or your own advice to mamas out there)?
The best advice I have been given is to really slow down and embrace all that is happening during childhood. I know it is very cliché to say “cherish them while they are little” but childhood really does go by so quickly. I can’t believe that my oldest is 8 already! I do wish that there were more times that I left the house dirty and just spent some more time playing.
Tell us about Stick’em Up Baby! When did you begin your business and what do you offer?
My business began 6 years ago when I was pregnant with my 2nd. I was looking for cute stickers for the monthly baby photos and everything I found was rather boring. I have always had a creative side and thought that I could design ones that were more fun! I loved the idea of matching nursery themes with the stickers. So, I designed my first set and then decided I should open a shop doing this sort of thing. They were a hit and I decided to start offering milestone blocks which ended up going viral on Pinterest! After this I decided to expand into more of a gift shop.
What was the inspiration behind starting your own business and specifically starting a personalized gift shop?
I loved the idea of being able to have a creative outlet and work from home with my kids. As my shop grew it became clear that my customers were loving the personalized items so I wanted to create more things like that. I designed some adorable personalized hot chocolate mugs which also ended up going viral! This led my shop to expand more into a boutique offering seasonal items, baby gifts, personalized gifts, apparel, and more!
What sets your business apart from others out there like it?
This is an easy one: hands down, the customer service! My Etsy shop has over 1,300 Five-Star reviews! So many of them speak about the excellent customer service they received. I want my brand to be considered a high-end brand. I was always impressed with the customer service I received at Nordstrom, so when I started this business, I was sure to focus on that on a much-smaller personable level. I love that I have customers message me saying they are pregnant with their 3rd baby and they want me to design a special milestone set or blanket for them because they cherish the ones they purchased from me for their first two kids.
What did you do before starting your own business (or do you still work outside of Stick’em Up Baby)? Have you always been entrepreneurial?
I was a Registered Nurse. Starting a business was very new for me! I have always considered myself creative so I had that part down but learning how to run a business took a lot of research! I knew from the beginning I wanted to run Stick’em Up Baby as a real business not just a hobby.
What has been the most rewarding thing about owning your own business?
I have two things that I find rewarding. First, being able to set my own hours and spend time with my kids. I love that I don’t have to miss out on any of their activities. Second, seeing my customers love what they purchased. I really do remember every order as they are all made by me! When a customer adds a photo in their review or tags us on Instagram it really does warm my heart. I love seeing our personalized hot chocolate mugs help create fun winter memories for families, our milestone blankets documenting babies growing for their first year, our milestone blocks capturing memories from pregnancy to graduation, and many more creative ways our customers use our items!
How do you balance owning your business and being a mama?
It is hard at times! The holiday season is my busiest and it is also the time I want to enjoy with my kids, so this is a difficult time to balance it all for me. Last year I realized that I needed to get help around the house so that I can have more of a balance. It was hard for me as I enjoy doing everything myself! But it allowed me to spend more time with the kids and still get the business stuff done.
What are your future plans and dreams for Stick’em Up Baby? Any deals, sales, or events North Houston Mom can be on the lookout for?
As our shop has evolved much over the last 6 years we are planning to rebrand in the next few months. We have expanded from offering just baby items to offering personalized gifts and apparel for all so we want our name to reflect our new direction. I look forward to offering our customers a more complete boutique/gift shop experience. Keep a lookout for some Mother’s Day sales coming up at the end of the month!
To learn more about Stick’em Up Baby and to shop:
Website: https://www.stickemupbaby.com/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/stickemupbaby/
Instagram: @stickemupbaby
Personalized Hot Chocolate Mug
Love More Worry Less Shirt – Women’s Valentine’s Shirt
Teaching Beautiful Strong Powerful Humans – Teacher Shirt
Personalized Class of Shirt – First Day of School Kindergarten Shirt
