By Honey and the Hive

Summer is finally, finally starting to grace us here in Michigan and I am beyond excited to announce the release of my summer collection!  I've been working behind the scenes on these pieces for the last few months and I feel like they're a perfect reflection of where I, and my business are, at this exact moment.  It's so cool to finally see how everything has come together and to get to put it all out there to share with you all.  Here's a little peek at everything from this collection and some of the inspiration behind it!  I hope that you love these pieces as much as I do.

This collection has a little bit of everything - there are three brand new pins, an adorable new print, and an item that I've never designed until now - water bottles!  It was really fun to dabble into a completely new product venture while also creating some of the things that I'm really known for.  My goals for this collection were to bring in some sweet encouraging pieces alongside a little of that good ol' sass that Honey and the Hive regularly brings to the table. 

The new "Beelieve In Yourself" pin is quite possibly my favorite pin that I've ever created.  I don't know why or how it has taken me so long to create a bee pin, but whatever it was, this design was totally worth the wait.  We all get down on ourselves sometimes and I know personally finding my own self-confidence can be a regular struggle, so I wanted to create a piece that was sort of like wearable encouragement.  I wanted this pin to be something you could look down at your jacket or backpack and see this adorable little pin and be reminded of what an awesome, badass person you are no matter what you were facing in that moment.  This is such a sweet and special design, and I feel like anyone, from any walk of life, in any circumstance can relate to and love this piece.

Finally, rounding out the new pin designs is the "Succ It Up" pin.  Sometimes the best kind of love is tough love, and this pin is serving it up nice and sassy, just like we like it around here.  This design is also based off a current print in the shop by the same name, the "Succ It Up" print.  I absolutely love this design in pin form, there are so many adorable little details that just shine in enamel.  This is the perfect pin for plant lovers who aren't afraid to serve up a little snarkiness.

Likely my personal favorite piece in the collection is the new "Take It Slow" print - it's usually always the prints for me.  Maybe it's because of the amount of time spent on painting the new designs, or because I seem to pour a little deeper feeling into my paintings, or just because I love the process so much, but I always seem to gravitate toward the prints.  This design in particular really hits the nail on the head for where I'm at in life right now.  I've been really trying to focus on slowing down and enjoying the moment that I'm in.  And I know that sounds so easy, but it's somehow such a hard thing for me to do.  I think for the longest time (especially in the world of small business owners) "busy" was so over-glorified that I felt like I had to go a million miles a minute or I wasn't worthy, or successful, or cool.  It truly felt like if you didn't have 59 open orders at all times or a to-do list that looked like a CVS receipt your business and your work didn't matter.  As much as I hate to admit it, I got really wrapped up in that for a long time and I developed a lot of really bad habits because of it (hello cellphone addiction, I'm looking at you).  I often times would be in the middle of a conversation with someone I loved, or doing something I really wanted to be doing, and find my mind wandering to my to-do list, or what I should be working on instead of being there, or literally just anything other than what was happening in the current moment and I missed out on a lot because of that.  Over the course of the last year, and most specifically in the past few months I have been trying to unlearn some of those toxic thought patterns and break some of those really bad habits and it's been one of the most freeing and healthy experiences of my life.

I don't think that you have to be a small business owner to relate to this message, the push to be better, do better, be more, is all around us in every facet of life.  We're programmed to constantly be thinking of the next bigger better thing that we seldom take the time to celebrate and live in the moment.  My hope is that this print serves as a really special reminder to take it slow, to live in the moment - to experience every feeling, every emotion - to notice every smile and giggle, every flower and blade of grass.  It's okay to go at a snail's pace sometimes.  It's okay to take a break and go for a walk just because it sounds good right now.  When we are so focused on what's next, or what we should or could be doing instead, we miss out on what is going on all around us, and let me tell you - some of life's most special moments are tucked right in the middle of the every day stuff we are trying to rush through.

It's a beautiful thing to start glorifying being present, instead of being busy.  It's the most incredible feeling in the world to realize that your self-worth doesn't come from a mounting to-do list, but comes from being exactly who and what we are.

I really hope that you enjoyed hearing a little more about my inspirations and my "why" behind this collection, and that you find a piece in here that you absolutely love for yourself or to share with a friend.  The entire collection is available now on my website, www.byhoneyandthehive.com!

I'd LOVE to hear what your favorite pieces are, let me know in the comments below!