We love handmade and thoughtful gifts for new little babes. Handwritten By God (HBG) is the perfect place to find just that. Founded by Francesca Hendrieth a proud mama of four beautiful babies: Alana (5), Algie IV (3), Aria (2), and Ava (5 months). She counts HBG as her fifth baby.
Francesca is a busy mom that loves glamourous things that don’t break the bank. She’s a big fan of KISS nails and Rifle Paper Co. stationery. And is a self-proclaimed neat freak, finding the pandemic quite a challenge to that ideology. Her love of glamour and neat and tidiness can be found all throughout HBG.
Handwritten by God creates personalized gifts for mom and baby. Each one is handwritten, made to order, by Francesca. Currently, their focus is photo-ready custom baby blankets (muslin and cotton) exclusively handwritten for your child. They’re looking to add some more items for the new year.
What inspired Handwritten By God?
After giving birth to my third child (Aria), I was dealing with some serious postpartum depression. It was a difficult transition for me because I’m industrious by nature. I really love working. But, I realized that I wasn’t in a position to go back to corporate America and be the full-time mommy my children needed at that time. I felt lost. I remember praying and asking God what I could do to continue to support my family in a different way. The answer was literally right in front of me, “It’s in your hands.”
While growing up in Queens, I attended Catholic school and the nuns were sticklers about our cursive penmanship. I felt like it was always me that they picked on. Maybe it was for a good reason. As an adult almost anyone who saw my handwriting would say, “Wow! You need to use this to make money.” –even when I considered it chicken scratch. That’s just the perfectionist in me. I’ve been asked to write letters and thank you cards for most of my life because of my scripting. But, it wasn’t until God gave me the green light that I realized that my means to creating my business was my hands this whole time!
Excited about this discovery, I coupled my handwriting with another passion of mine–my growing family. I had been baking and breastfeeding babies for six years at that point. Each of my little ones has an uncommon name and it’s important for them to have something that supports their individuality and celebrates them. It only made sense that I would apply my handwriting to something that moms like me could use every day.
How can people purchase from your store?
If you’re looking for the perfect custom gift, you can find it at our Etsy shop. That’s the only place to buy right now. But our new site is in the works and will be ready to shop early 2021! Also you can see some samples (and adorable babies) on our IG @handwrittenbygod. I’m usually on when I’m not being tackled by a toddler. So feel free to reach out with any questions.
How have you pivoted during the pandemic?
Given that our products are personalized, we take our process very seriously. Even before the pandemic, our products are always inspected, steamed, and sterilized to protect the baby that will be using this keepsake.
Still, “work from home” means more babies on the way! So our biggest pivot has been improving our customer engagement, upgrading our site and packaging, and loving on my littles.
What’s next for HBG?
We are looking to launch our website for the new year in order to give our customers a more direct experience. Thank you cards are coming and we talked about adding some prints. But that one is still up in the air. I’d love to hear from the other moms about that.
Who should I buy the blankets for?
Our personalized blankets are certainly worth buying now. They’re beautiful, durable, and personal. They never go out of season! We even provide care instructions to make it easy. Expecting moms love them as the first gift for their newborn and those with slightly older kids love them as a functioning statement piece. It’s a swaddle, a cover-up, a burp cloth, and soft enough for snuggles. Whether you are an expecting mother or a friend of one, our blankets are always a hit!
Our products are not just for babies. One of our first customers was a lady who ordered a blanket for her moose shaped ottoman! And we take pride in every order. No matter who it’s for. Everything we do is made with love, just for you.
How does your family help with your shop?
My husband and I take pride in taking our kids to the post office with us when we are shipping off products and my mom is a huge help with sewing.
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