Mom Friend Monday

I know that we are supposed to HATE Monday’s – it’s part of being human isn’t it? I mean, who really wants the weekend to end…? Not this girl! Daddy goes back to work and I go back into survival mode for 5 straight days.

BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES BOYS!!

But, for the first time I am excited it’s Monday! Why? Because as Ryan Gosling already said, it’s Mom Friend Monday!

Mom Friend Monday is a weekly post where, you guessed it, we meet a new mom and make a new friend.

Being a mom is hard. Making friends as a mom, is well, harder than dating. Because it all feels like a game! And I don’t know about you but I don’t have time for that.
That’s why I got married. *ok not really*
But we give so much of ourselves to our husbands, to our kids, to our homes, our jobs, our careers, whatever we do, and at the end of the day, finding time to make a mom friend and having to impress a new mom – is hard work. I don’t personally like hard work. Not when it comes to friendships. They should be organic and just flourish!
My hopes for Shell and Olive, is that it not only be a place where I can share my thoughts, BUT also a place where we can truly grow to be a community.  A community of moms that support each other and understand that our lives are crazy. That understand that what you see is what you get – because aint NOBODY got time for foolishness!

So – today I am beyond excited to introduce you all to Marie Heimann, wife, mama, and creative genius behind Fawnly Prints! Amazing watercolors, mugs and totes! All incorporating beautiful florals and greenery!

MB: Hey Marie, so happy to have you at Shell and Olive for our first ever Mom Friend Monday! Part of my starting MFM was to help build a community of moms – to get to know each other and support each other in this journey we call momming, because lets face it, making mom friends is hard! I was just telling everyone about Fawnly and how amazing your artwork is! I’d love for you to tell us a bit more about yourself! You have three of the most adorable little boys! What’s it like to balance a business and being a mom?

Marie: I’m not sure I have it balanced quite yet but I’m learning a lot! From the beginning I’ve said I don’t want it to take away from my time with my kids and so far I have held to that with the exception of Saturday mornings, but that ends up being a nice break away and quality time for kids and dad! I only work during naptimes and after they are in bed. My workspace is right in our main living space which has its pros and cons. It’s convenient if a child wakes up or I need to work on something real quick while kids are playing happily together. I will say having an app for managing my shop, my finances, my social media outlets, etc makes running a small business more feasible with a young family.

MB: How did you decide to go into watercolors? Was art always your passion?

Marie: I’ve always been intrigued by watercolors. I’m very close to my grandma and lived with her for a short bit when I was in middle school. She had an artist friend who gave her a bunch of her watercolors and I would just stand in front of them studying them mesmerized by the strokes of color and the serene colors. When I was pregnant with my third in 2015 I developed a condition where I itched my palms and feet incessantly. It created a lot of anxiety in me. I decided to take up watercolor, so I bought a book and my supplies and after reading the book I began painting. I found painting with watercolors to be therapeutic because of the way the water swirls with the paint to create different shades of the same color. Amazingly, when I would paint, I no longer itched. I have never considered myself an artist, but always creative. However, since I’ve found this passion, I feel I have a whole new lens to view the world from.

MB: Who is your creative inspiration?

Marie: Well, it sounds super cliché but honestly the original Creator and His own creation is my biggest inspiration because most of what I paint is flowers and greenery and I’m constantly finding myself in awe of different plants or flowers I find in nature. As far as a more tangible inspiration, my husband is also an artist and he inspires me daily. He is a video producer and did graphic design for a while and he has an eye for beautiful things. He is constantly pushing me to think outside the box and challenge myself.

MB: If you could plan your ultimate mom friend getaway where would you go and what would you do?

Marie: Oh man, I have thought a lot about this, as I think having three kids back to back makes you long for a dream getaway from time to time. I’m not much of a beach girl although I am in awe of the beauty of the sand and the ocean but I feel most alive in the woods, on a mountain or staying in a cabin with a gorgeous view of the Smokies or something! I probably would want to just drink wine, eat great cheese and bread and just talk all night though! Give me a long deep girlfriend convo any day.

MB: Lastly, if you could impart some mom wisdom to our readers, what would it be?

Marie: You are enough. I feel like a lot of times (maybe most of the time) we moms are constantly questioning if what we’re doing is enough. Am I home enough? Do I take enough breaks? Do I socialize enough? Do I clean enough? Cook enough? And I don’t know about you, but for me this constant self evaluating only ever leads me to exhaustion and feeling as though I’m never going to be enough. I’m learning that we are enough simply by being and God loves and desires us just as we are. Almost every mom I know is doing her very best and sacrifices immensely for her family, it’s when we see someone excel in one area we may be lacking in when we start to doubt ourselves. To me this is why I can not go long without a consistent prayer life. I need to hear God tell me I am enough so I can breathe, relax my shoulders, drink a cup of coffee and just be.

If only we could all remember that! You are enough! Maybe we should all get matching tattoos!

This piece was custom-made by Marie for EM – it was a quote of his from when he was a little boy. It now sits on his night stand and holds a special place in our hearts.

Marie has a so many beautiful pieces! Not only is her artwork amazing, but the messages she chooses to incorporate always speak right to the soul!

Recently, she came out with COFFEE MUGS! What mom doesn’t love collecting those?! I might be obsessed with this one!

As I mentioned above Marie does custom work and she is a joy to work with! I’m sure you all have noticed my incredible new logo up above! That was all thanks to Marie! She never fails to capture exactly what is in my head, in better ways than I think I originally imagined!

I’m pretty sure that if I could, I’d buy ALL THE THINGS from her shop! Make my own Fawnly collection! Marie has been generous enough to share a special promo code for 10% off anything in her shop for Shell and Olive readers! Just use code: OLIVE10 at checkout!! The code is good until the 15th – so get yee booties over there and snatch those pieces up!

Then, if you just need more, which, we all do, she is having an Easter promo of 20% off – using promo code RISEN. From the 16th to the 23rd!

I’m so thankful to Marie for allowing us to share this Monday with her, her Mom Friend Monday Mom Wisdom was exactly what I needed to hear. We ARE enough mamas! Let’s make that our mantra today. When things get tough. When the toddler loses their toddler shit, just remind yourself that you are enough! When the house doesn’t get as clean as you hoped, when your boss makes you feel less than valued – remember, you are enough!

*follow Marie and Fawnly on INSTA!! @fawnlyprints! As always don’t forget to FOLLOW Shell and Olive!

– MB