Get ready for a cuteness overload as we visit with one of the creators of Barks & Babbles LLC Etsy shop. Barks & Babbles creates dog bandanas, baby bibs and is co-owned by a fellow book lover, Wendy, and her best friend, Hannah!

Tell me a little about the people behind Barks and Babbles.

Wendy: Hey there! I have a love for new experiences and traveling! My favorite place that I’ve been is New Zealand with my husband, Isaac. Isaac and I have been married for 3 years and currently reside in Oklahoma. I was a second grade teacher for 7 years but have transitioned to being a stay-at-home mom with my 1 year old, Caroline, and my Labrador mix, Daisy. I am an extrovert and love interacting with people!

Hannah: I was born and raised in Iowa, where most of my family continues to reside. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education, I married my middle school sweetheart, Brandon. Together, we moved to Tulsa along with our Italian Greyhound, Henry, to start our life together as husband and wife. Along the way, we have rescued our sweet girl, Stormi (Great Pyrenees/Labrador Retriever mix), and adopted our gentle giant, Sampson (Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd mix).

What inspired you to get started?

Hannah

Hannah: A few of my family members taught me everything I know about sewing, which sparked a love for creating inside of me. My late grandma, Sheila, taught me from a young age how to sew and make many things. My Aunt Linda poured her time into me to teach me how to make many of my dorm room accessories in college (pillow covers, curtains, etc.). Every now and then my Aunt Susie and I share our sewing projects with each other. I know I can always reach out to her with any questions I may have. Thus, my inspiration has evolved over time and with many helpers along the way. Barks and Babbles, LLC started out as a hopeful inclination to utilize my sewing skills to create handmade products for my pups, whom I adore with all my heart. Now it has transformed into a desire to design and produce high quality products for a wider audience and combine my sewing knowledge with Wendy’s shared love for the creative process.

Wendy: I loved using my creativity in the elementary classroom. Now that I’m a mom, I have been looking for an outlet to utilize my creativity again. Hannah and I share a love for pets and babies.  We decided to start a business that focuses on those two things.

How would you describe the partnership?

Hannah and I are co-owners of Barks and Babbles, LLC. Hannah comes up with the design of the products, photographs the products, and edits the pictures for our social media accounts. Both of us are a part of the creating process. Wendy is over our social media accounts, customer service, and packaging/shipping the orders.

What inspires you when you are creating?

Hannah: It brings me great joy to see pictures of our handmade products in use and to hear back from our customers. One instance that stands out in particular is the first tie back bandana that we ever made. We made it for a service dog named Bella, who goes into Iowa hospitals and nursing homes to cheer up residents, patients, and staff. We received feedback that she wears her personalized bandana everywhere she goes, which helps Residents and patients to remember her name

Wendy: My inspiration while creating is my family (Isaac, Caroline, and Daisy). I have always been a family-oriented person.  My immediate family was very close growing up, so it is important to continue that tradition with my own family.

What’s your fave Barks & Babbles LLC product?

Wendy: My favorite product is the Lavender Mist tie-dye bibs.

Hannah: It is hard for me to pick! However, our Personalized Tie Back Dog Bandanas would definitely be at the top of my list.

It’s a book blog, so I have to ask: What’s your favorite book?

Hannah: My favorite book is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. It captures the essence of suffering and perseverance in juxtaposition to love, loyalty, and belonging. The lessons of resilience and social change in the midst of oppression is thought provoking and deeply inspiring.

Wendy: My all-time favorite book is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This was one of the first books I read that I didn’t want to put down until I was finished.  The story is humbling to me and parallels with the Bible.  My faith is very important to me, so I enjoyed a fiction version of one of the stories in the Bible.