Motherhood Monday: Blake Designs

Happy Monday! I'm so excited daylight savings was yesterday and the days are now getting longer! The excitement of spring is in the air and the girls and I can play outside everyday after school until Matthew gets home (when they don't have activities) :))! Everyone generally seems happier and friendlier everywhere we go and I just love it!

On a different note, each Monday I'm spotlighting a different mom or moms who run a small business, be it creating, designing, or blogging. I love reading about everyone's story, and thought you might too! This week, I interviewed the cutest duo from Nashville, who just launched their statement earring line last Wednesday, Hunter ~ Blake Designs. I've been following these girls on Instagram from the start and ordered earrings last Wednesday on their launch day. Their friendship comes first, but they are having a blast designing statement earrings while going through motherhood together too! They definitely seem like the kind of girls you want to go out and have a glass of wine with or power walk the morning away. Check out what they have to say....

Me: When did you decide you would start this new business adventure together? How did you decide on earrings?

S&J: "We started dreaming up the idea of Hunter Blake Designs over a mimosa brunch this fall. We had both been searching for a creative outlet that was different from our backgrounds in the corporate world (Stefanie is a lawyer and Jacklene worked in advertising). Statement earrings were a pretty easy decision for us because we were already incorporating them into our personal styles. We knew with earrings we could relate to the consumer and we were both pretty particular on what we wanted to see in our first collection. Once we put pen to paper, the designs started flowing!"

Me: How long have the two of you known each other?

S&J: "We met in 2016 while both pregnant (Jacklene with her first child and Stefanie with her second child). There is something about being pregnant at the same time that really creates a strong friendship. We became fast friends with our shared love for travel, entertaining, fashion, green juice, interior design, bagels, and of course, statement earrings. We are on the same page about the fact we are friends first and business partners second. We've watched our kids grow up 6 days a part, taken fun trips together, shared many bottles of wine, laughed, cried, but Hunter Blake is up there as one of our most exciting ventures yet."

Me: What are the ages of your kids? How and when do you fit in work?

S&J: "Jacklene's son, Field, just turned two and she has another baby boy on the way this summer. Stefanie has two girls, Eleanor (3.5) and Sutton (2). It is a constant juggling act for both of us with the kids, husbands, laundry, school pickups, exercise, etc. and sometime balls get dropped. Luckily, we tag team pretty well and if one of us is having a stressful week, the other will pick up a majority of the workload. We try to be present and off our phones while with the kids, so a lot of our work is done during nap time, after bedtime, or on the weekends."

Me: What are your favorite things to do, outside of being with family and designing statement earrings?

S&J: "We both love traveling. There is something about getting out of your comfort zone that is truly inspiring and we have gotten a lot of ur design inspiration from the places we have visited. We both absolutely love South Africa and Italy. We also have a common interest in maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. We play tennis together once a week and you can often find us at various work out classes around town."

Me: Do you two have a personal motto or favorite saying?

S&J: "Our motto throughout this process has been: If at first you don't succeed, fix your ponytail and try again. There have been so many firsts for us in getting this little business up and running. It certainly has not been easy, but we are so proud of what we have accomplished thus far and we are still learning everyday. We just launched our company last week, and seeing people excited about ordering our earrings has been the best reward!"

Me: Lastly, Favorite designer? Favorite place to shop? Favorite travel destination? Favorite restaurant?

S&J:
Favorite Designer ~ "Zimmerman and Ulla Johnson"
Favorite Shop ~ "Definitely Shopbop!"
Favorite Travel Destinations ~ "While we both love traveling internationally, we love taking the kids to the 30A area of Florida. We took a trip last summer together and we are hoping to go back again this year! We made such fun memories of all staying in a house together. Jacklene's family enjoys spending time in the mountains of North Carolina and the enjoy Charleston together. Stefanie and her family love to ski out west in Colorado as well as visit friends and family in New York."
Favorite Restaurant ~ "We are always up for a double date at a new place! We just tried a new restaurant in downtown Nashville, Liberty Common. If you are coming to town, we highly recommend it! The food was delicious and it is the cutest place with blue banquettes and fun tile."

Tracy's Favorites of the Hunter Blake Collection: