SHINElife

Hi, I’m Hilary. Mama Shine to four blonde-headed, blue-eyed crazies. Wife. Sister. Daughter. Friend. I am passionate about big coffees, chunky babies, organized spaces, good deals and OBSCENE amounts of glitter. I snort when I laugh, my teeth don’t meet, I struggle with self esteem, love cake too much and running not enough. I make goofs on the daily, yet I serve a God who loves me still.

SHINElife is my happy place. My purpose. What began as an after-work / kids-in-bed hobby fueled by chocolate and prayers from our playroom floor, quickly escalated into so much more.

At first, my little hobby was an outlet - a very private and personal one. We had recently endured the sudden loss of our son to Trisomy 13 at 20 weeks pregnant. And, two weeks later, a medical diagnosis that I was unable to have children that would survive pregnancy. The rollercoaster of grief and growing of faith that follows a loss and news like that was overwhelming and transforming all at the same time. At one point, I felt that a piece of jewelry to hold on to would help me stay focused on God's promises, and also allow me to remember and celebrate our son. I had a special angel wing design in mind - something discreet to the world but powerful for me. I didn't want some charm necklace off a rack at a store. I wanted to make it - pray and process over it.

That little wing necklace was instrumental in my healing ... and it was noticed by friends. And friends of friends. And friends of friends of friends. I quickly realized that there were so many mamas that understood my loss, and also craved a piece of jewelry to hold and to help them through that same journey of miscarriage and hope for the future. For them, it was powerful and special knowing that the mama making their piece truly understands what they are going through, and is passionate about pouring prayers into their memorial necklace.

In the years following the loss of our sweet son, we endured multiple, multiple miscarriages. Finally, we were pregnant past 20 weeks and the high risk doctor said everything looked optimistic! And then during what I thought was a regular, boring trip to the grocery store at 26-weeks pregnant, I went into labor. We rushed to the hospital where the L&D nurses were able to slow the labor momentarily, then grabbed the NICU doctor to speak with us. He said, At this point, your baby has less than a 20% chance of survival. My heart broke all over again in anticipation of another loss.

BUT GOD ...

Fast forward six years, and that little miracle baby is now a petite and FIERCE first grader. We nearly lost that little preemie on multiple occasions, BUT GOD had something in store for her. He not only blessed us with this blondie, but in the years that followed, He sent us sisters for her too. We now have FOUR girls y'all.

When our baby girl was in the NICU, my best friend - my mama - started showing signs of early onset dementia. At just 60-years young; the healthiest, kindest, funniest soul that shined joy on everyone she met began a 5-year battle with the disease. My sweet mom gained her angel wings in February 2015. It's been another journey through grief and growth in my faith, coping with the loss of my very best friend. Through it all, though, I know that we are blessed. We have FOUR beautiful miracle girls here on earth, and an army of angels above - with a Nana cuddling and loving on them until my day comes to join them in heaven.

This is what SHINE is about. Through our crazy journey of love and loss and diagnoses and hope, my husband and I have found healing in creating pieces for others that are in the midst of their own struggles. Designing pieces to inspire hope and encourage hearts of others was the perfect way to process our own life – the good, the bad, the funny and the ugly. And so we created SHINE. To bring goodness out of all. of. this. To show that there is beauty in every story.

It's not about what we've been through, it' about what He's done with it.

After a few months of watching what God was doing through SHINE, my husband {now affectionately known as DaddyShine} and I decided to take a huge leap of faith to continue following the path that was unfolding before our eyes – we left our comfortable careers as a marketing manager and a mortgage broker and – Jesus, take the wheel! – jumped in as full time jewelry designers. I know, we thought we were crazy too. It was a very scary step from comfort to the unknown but it’s clear that God was leading us to this place.

Our pieces are designed by my husband and I in our studio in North Carolina, with the occasional help of a babySHINE or two, which you will sometimes notice in the slightly crooked placement of your shipping label or a little extra sparkle stuffing in your jewelry box. Our family has been so blessed to work side-by-side, learning how to function as a family and a business, growing in our faith and finding our purpose - six different silly but passionate personalities driven by one desire: to be the light - or find the light - in the darkness.

With every design in our SHINE collection, you’ll find a combination of lighthearted personality and emotionally heavy experiences. Many tears have been shed and many prayers been whispered over the pieces that come from the SHINE studio. When designing our collection, we create designs that will encourage, inspire, commemorate and celebrate. This is why we’re different than mass manufacturers and even other similar small businesses — it’s all about the heart behind the designs.

SHINE isn’t just a store loaded with sweetness and sparkles, surrounded by chunky babies, cake and chocolate… and the occasional butt naked baby streaking by in nothing but their rain boots and a superwoman cape. It’s a community where life is lived, tears are shared, and hearts can heal. Where I give – but more often get – laughs, love and inspiration. SHINE allows us to live our faith out loud. To find joy in all things and glorify God in everything we do – through the struggles and tragedy and love and grace. We don’t just love what we do, we love WHO we do it for. We can only hope that this is clear in our daily lives, and in our jewelry designs. Every time we are offered the opportunity to help one person smile in a storm, dance in the rain, or simply feel beautiful and loved, the trials we’ve faced that inspired those pieces prove worthwhile – those pieces become the very pieces that encourage YOU, to shine on.