Busy Busy Bee Designs was born from love, loss, and the quiet whispers of inspiration that have followed me through life.

 

My mother always dreamed of writing a book and asked me to be the illustrator. We never got to finish that dream together, but the seed was planted. Years later, when my first grandson, TJ, was born in 2016, my heart opened in a completely new way. One night, I had a dream where I heard my mother’s voice gently whispering in my ear: “Busy Busy Bee, buzzing in my ear…” When I woke up, I still felt her presence — and I began to write. That dream became the beginning of The Busy Busy Bee book, which I eventually dedicated to TJ and released as an early e-book.

 

Life moved forward. I loved my family deeply. And then everything changed.

 

When my son Elijah died in 2023, my world shattered. Grief cracked me open in ways I never could have imagined. I found myself searching for meaning, for comfort, for a way to carry my love and my pain. I began painting again, including a large mural, and through art therapy I slowly started breathing life back into the parts of me that were too broken to speak. The bees returned. The sweetness returned. Not because the pain was gone — but because I refused to let love disappear with it.

 

That’s when Busy Busy Bee Designs became more than a children’s book. It became a way to honor love, to offer comfort, to spark joy, and to remind others (and myself) that there is still light, warmth, and kindness in this world — even in the middle of sorrow. Everything I create now — from the book to the patterns to the cards and stories — is woven with the threads of motherhood, grandmotherhood, healing, creativity, and the deep belief that even small moments of sweetness can soften heavy days.

 

This hive is built on heart.It is for dreamers, for feelers, for those who have walked through hard things and are still willing to look for gentle magic.It is for my mother, whose dream grew into mine.It is for TJ, who inspired the very first bee.It is for Elijah, whose love is forever stitched into everything I create.And it is for anyone who needs a little beauty, a little meaning, and a reminder that even the smallest bee still carries sweetness from flower to flower.

 

Welcome to the hive. I’m so glad you’re here.

 

— Marcia 🐝​