BESTeam Feature :: You Are My Sunshine

My first thought when looking at the front page of You Are My Sunshine's Etsy shop was, "holy cow, these items are beautiful!". You Are My Sunshine is operated by Nina who resides in Florida (hence her blog being "Nina In Florida") and offers handmade fabric flower brooches, fabric flower hair pins, rings, earrings, bracelets and statement necklaces. The shop name was derived from a truly touching origin:

"When my sons were little, I would sing them to sleep with the nursery rhyme "You Are My Sunshine." Now that they are older, cuddles consist of discussions about anything and everything important to an eight and eleven year old.Yet, as sleep overcomes them and their eyelashes finally fall onto their soft, smooth cheeks, their lips relax into innocent worry-less smiles and their ninja warrior/transformer gyrations settle into peaceful, lyrical sighs, I look at each one and still think, “yes, my love, you are my sunshine.”

That is so sweet I had to include the direct quote from her Etsy shop! Nina's "about me" on her blog also has a wonderful and interesting look into her life growing up to now that is definately worth reading!


The items available in You Are My Sunshine's shop are all from the imagination and passion of Nina with loving care and attention. Recycled and reclaimed fabrics as well as vintage and new components are used to make the beautiful items.

These are three of my favorite items from her store. {pictured above}

{1} Fabric Flower Rose Flower Brooch in Watermelon

Made of repurposed, handstitched fabric this brooch is would be a great shabby chic compliment to your favorite cardigan or top!

{2} Lavender Sachets Mint Green In The Garden No. 1

Simply adorable. You get two lavender sachets containing sweet smelling

lavender buds from France. Perfect to liven up any drawer or closet!

{3} Necklace, Like A Monet Painting in Blue and Yellow

I've always loved the combination of blue and yellow together. If you saw my parent's house there would be no doubt this is true (almost every room is either blue, yellow or a combination of the two!). The yellow flowers are so cheery they will be sure to bring sun to any day.

Please be sure to head over to Etsy and check out these and many other great items from You Are My Sunshine {click here} You can also find Nina in the following locations:

For vintage goodies:mysunshinevintage.etsy.com

Blog : http://www.ninainflorida.com

Flickr: http://youaremysunshine-etsy.flickr.com

Facebook: http://youaremysunshine.facebook.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/mysunshine4etsy

BESTeam Feature :: SwingStationStudio

I am so very excited to introduce you to SwingStationStudio this week! Heather from Fort Collins, CO creates purses, clutches and housewares in fun fabrics and original designs. Aside from crafting she enjoys cooking, painting, reading and sleeping which I am personally a fan of all of these things :) If you happen to be in the Fort Collins area you can view SwingStationStudio pieces in person at Mama Said Sew. On November 13 in Broomfield, CO she will be in a show called Santa Cellar which is a holiday themed show. I wish I was closer to Colorado because that sounds like it has potential to be a great holiday shop spot!

As described in her Etsy listings, all of SwingStationStudio's items are created in a smoke-free, pet-friendly home. Designer fabrics with professional machine-sewing thread and attention to durability are used in all items.

This Dinosaur Pocketed Large Zipppered Pouch makes me wish I was a kid again because I would LOVE to have this adorable item to take to school with me! The colors are so bright and fun I think this would be the envy of all the class if this was pulled out of a desk with pencils or other essential items in it. Or why not just make yourself feel like a kid again and use this for your keys, jewelry, cosmetics or any other items you can think of :)

This beautiful made to order Weekender Travel Duffel Bag would make traveling so stylish. You get to choose the colors and fabrics so the bag will be sure to reflect your personal style. The bag features a two-pull zipper on the main compartment, as well as another two-pull zipper on the pleated end pocket as well as an open-top side pocket.

If you are like me and love fun fabrics and prints, be sure to stop by SwingStationStudio's Etsy Shop {click here}. Also become a Facebook fan www.facebook.com/SwingStationStudio. Follow Heather's blog at www.SwingStationStudio.blogspot.com and find her on Twitter http://twitter.com/SwingStation*Feel. You can also contact Heather via email: SwingStationStudio [!at] gmail.com and last, but not least join SwingStationStudio's mailing list http://tiny.cc/i0hqr