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Home / Uncategorized / Monday Introductions // Bee Mine Sunshine + Giveaway!

Monday Introductions // Bee Mine Sunshine + Giveaway!

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If you can believe it, this collaboration between Bee Mine Sunshine and myself has actually been in the works for about three years now! She and I “met” while we were both pregnant with my H and her O, but didn’t get to officially hug (yeah, that happened) until March of this year. Marissa, the wonderful mama behind Bee Mine Sunshine, has been a HUGE support to me during my motherhood journey. At some of my weakest and darkest moments, she was a part of my tribe who helped bring me back up. Andplusalso, she’s never once made me feel bad about feeding H french fries, so she’s basically the coolest.

Bee Mine Sunshine is run by one of my favorite creative mamas on this planet. Marissa is a mom, wife, and maker of pretty things, who was previously an injured RN working at a desk job and felt like she was going nowhere in her career. Her dreams of advancing from an OR nurse were over, and she was in mourning. With the support of her amazing husband, in August of 2014, Marissa took the plunge and started Bee Mine Sunshine. Well, she was onto something, because what started out as a part time job for Marissa has now grown into a full time business! Bee Mine Sunshine now offers head wraps and top knot headbands, bibs and scarves, teething necklaces, as well as both mama and mini apparel! 
The name Bee Mine Sunshine comes from the person who inspired Marissa to start her “little business” – her daughter Olivia. They call her “Livi Bee” and ever since she was a newborn she loved to be sung to. The song that could calm her down no matter what was going on was always “You Are My Sunshine”, and Marissa’s dad always called her “Sunshine” growing up, so she knew that had to be incorporated into her business name, and Bee Mine Sunshine was the perfect fit!

Bee Mine Sunshine is all about making things that moms and their kids can really use, and as often as she can, she tries to make things that can be used long-term. Marissa says that “when my customers buy handmade from me, they make an investment just like I did when I made it. I want that investment to be worth every penny.”

While Marissa admits that she hasn’t always been interested in fashion, she has had way too much fun dressing her daughter. She defines herself as always having been a jeans and tee shirt kind of girl, but since getting involved in the handmade community, her interest in accessorizing has grown because she has found so many awesome handmade jewelry shops, and she in fact started screen printing her own tees so she could make something for herself to wear too!

When she’s not working on Bee Mine Sunshine things, you can find Marissa refurbishing furniture. She loves getting her hands dirty staining, painting, and sanding old furniture. So far she has done an entire bedroom set for her and her husband, turned an old entertainment center into a play kitchen for her daughter, and she is currently working on a dining room table and chairs. Her end goal is “for my house to look like Joanna Gaines’s 😉 I look up to her in more ways than one!” That’s right folks, not only is she a talented seamstress and screen printer, but she is also an amazing carpenter (carpentress?) as well – it’s ok to be insanely jealous of her skills, I definitely am! 

Balance is something we all strive for. Marissa says that while she doesn’t always do a great job, she is “lucky to have a husband who works an odd schedule and gets days off throughout the week so I can have “catch-up” days. Other than that, most of my work gets done while the little one sleeps. I try to get the majority of my “making” done during nap time and the first two hours after bedtime. Then I spend 2 more hours replying to emails, planning social media marketing, and working on new designs and ideas. The hardest thing is to just put technology away while I am actively making. I get so much more done when I’m not checking my phone or computer. But… I DO watch The Office on Netflix while I work! I don’t think I can ever get enough of that show!” Another show that both Marissa and myself are obsessed with? Gilmore Girls! She’s a Jess girl all the way – I mean, even though he got between Rory and her mother, he wrote a book, so that should forgive all, right 😉 I kid.

When Marissa started her shop, I indulged in a few multi-way head wraps, and begged her to start making things for my son so I could keep shopping from a fellow J14 mom. So, when she started making leggings and tees I was over the moon excited! H currently has the Wildin’ graphic tee (that is so apropos) and thinks it’s just the greatest thing in the entire world because there’s a giant lion on his chest and that means he’s a lion, so he roars super loud and runs around like crazy, and I have a floral and burgundy multi-way, as well as charcoal and a navy top knot headbands, and one of her new The “Mother Hood” tees, all of which I wear like crazy! 

I can’t choose a Bee Mine Sunshine favorite! Marissa was SO proud when she released her Ohio line that she created using her own fabric designs, and it’s definitely her best selling line. However, her current favorite has to be the new “Mother Hood” and “Toddler Hood” tees that she screen prints herself. She recently did a photoshoot for her new items, and it was so much fun for her to watch. “The moms and kids had so much fun doing silly poses and the best part was seeing many of the women in my “mother hood” wearing them with the kids I’ve watched grow up since they were born. Being a mom is so hard without a community of support and that tee just speaks to that fact in a fun way.” 
If you follow Bee Mine Sunshine on Instagram, you’ve seen her latest “Bee Adventurous” tee, and you’ve seen that she’s hinted at the fact that she has plans for a whole line of “Bee” tees. Marissa is sharing a very special sneak peek at her next “bee” release with us, and hopes to have it in production in early 2016 as soon as she’s back on her feet after surgery:

Its funny how you can ‘know’ someone so well, but still learn so much about them! When I asked Marissa if there was a song she had in mind to sing for her auditions on The Voice, she was totally prepared: “Believe it or not, I thought about what song I would sing for a singing show audition A LOT in college. I always come back to “Sittin on the Dock of the Bay.” I’ve always loved oldies radio, but after I heard Sara Bareilles’ version I fell in love with that song and feel it would totes showcase my awesome range. Wink wink. But seriously, I’m way too shy to sing in front of people alone. I about choked trying to do a quartet of “I Will Survive” where I had a 2 line solo in high school. I much prefer belting it out in my basement while I sew :)”
So make sure you follow along with Marissa and Bee Mine Sunshine to keep up with sales and new releases on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and bookmark her beautiful new website. In fact,  she’ll be having Black Friday sales all week long starting now! Almost every single item in the shop is on sale or has been marked down – no codes needed! And the first 4 orders over $75 will receive a free tote with our “in the Mother Hood” quote! Bee Mine Sunshine has never put on such a big sale so you won’t want to miss it!

AND, because Marissa is amazing, she is giving one of you the chance to win a Bee Adventurous tee, for your little one. Entering is super easy, and the design is so sweet and appropriate for any curious little tot!
a Rafflecopter giveawayGiveaway is open to US Residents, 18 years of age and up. If winner is not in US, they agree to pay shipping costs. This giveaway is in no way sponsored by Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest. 

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Comments

    • Shannon says

      <3 Thank YOU, pretty mama! It's been really really fun to watch you brainstorm the idea of the business, then start it, then make it full time, and I'm so excited to see where it takes you!

      Reply

  2. Marissa says

    I should ALSO add that ALL of Rory's boyfriends have been on Loralai's bad side at some point! Don't act like you won't secretly hate all of H's future girlfriends too 😉

    Reply