I am so excited to share more about my new favorite sweatshirt and most importantly the meaning behind the sweatshirt. The good news is the message about “LOVE” and “GIVING BACK” is spreading far and wide because of my friend, Shannon Buth‘s, passion for helping others. Here in her own words is the back story—the story behind the imperfect heart on the cutest and coziest sweatshirt that you will be proudly wearing on repeat in 2020. While you’re at it, grab one for your bestie.  

Giving back and shopping with a purpose has never felt so good. Here’s to you, @houseofshan. This is good news approved!

xoxo NBC

P.S. Use my exclusive discount code, Ninabclarkegive, at checkout for $5 off (+ $5 goes to charity).

Read on for our Q + A with Shannon!

Q: Tell us about yourself, Shannon.

A: First and foremost, I’m a mom to four amazing, spirited (and very loud) boys. I grew up in Edina, Minnesota and married my high school sweetheart when I was 29. I’ve lived in Chicago since I graduated from college in 2001, and now Chicago feels like home for my husband and me. We live in the heart of the city in a neighborhood called Roscoe Village. Pre-kids I worked in the world of fashion. I was on the wholesale side of the business for a California-based company, Three Dots, for most of my 20’s. After that, I was the first stylist at Trunk Club. When I had three boys in 19 months, I decided to stop working and stay home for my sanity.  Then, we got the surprise of our lives almost five years later when we found out I was pregnant with a fourth boy. Most of my time is now spent in my minivan driving to sports, activities, and practices, but we love every minute of our crazy life.

Q: What’s the story behind the “LWYL” collection of sweatshirts/ t-shirts?

A: My mom was dying of cancer in March of 2015. She came to Chicago for one final trip. She was very sick but also determined to come and see her grandbabies one last time. When she was visiting, a friend of mine came over and gifted my mom and me matching bracelets that had “live what you love” engraved on them. I can’t explain it, but those four words resonated with me on an extremely deep level. My mom died a month later at 67 years old, and it changed my entire outlook on life. I truly felt that from that day on, I was going to live each day with a purpose and always LIVE WHAT I LOVE.

Life is entirely too short—we need to live with passion, laughter, and positivity every single day. I started my blog/website as a way to connect with women. Women thrive when we come together, support one another, and lift each other up. I felt drawn to start my blog at the beginning of 2019. The logo is ‘an imperfect heart’ because none of us are perfect, and we’re all just doing the best we can!

Q: How did this idea come about? 

A: (Here’s the long version, HA!) When my twin boys were babies 8 years ago, I reignited a Chicago Mom’s group called Twentyfoursevenmom. Its purpose is to connect women and have a support system through all the craziness of motherhood. It’s grown over the years to around 200 members.  I host evenings for women and we have speakers come in and talk about relevant mom topics. At the end of each year over the holiday season, I host a ‘Mistletoe Market.’ It’s a fun gathering and we support the women in our group that sell/make items—handmade ornaments, CBD, skincare, you name it. Ha! This year I decided to have it on a bigger scale and hosted it at a Chicago event space, and opened it up to the public.

A few weeks before the event I was talking to my brother-in-law, who helped me design my website and the ‘imperfect heart’ logo.  We were in my kitchen and I said, ‘What if I created a sweatshirt called the LWYL sweatshirt with my imperfect heart on it?” It would symbolize living life with passion. He said, “Why not? Go for it!” That was just the push I needed. I ordered 20 sweatshirts and had them embroidered. I laid them in a corner of the Mistletoe Market and didn’t give it much mention, but they ALL sold that evening. I ordered 30 more, and those sold, and then 50 more, and those sold. And, then I decided to put them on my website. I’ve sold almost 600 sweatshirts since I launched at the beginning of December.

Q: How did you choose the charity to collaborate with for the give-back component?

A: At Mistletoe Market this year, I had a raffle where each vendor and many local businesses raffled off items. 100% of the proceeds benefited a local women and children’s shelter, House of Good Shepherd. I had heard of this shelter through a friend but had never been there. We raised almost $1,000 that evening, and I was SO excited to bring them the donation we raised.  When I went to the shelter to drop off, the women running it were so grateful. They asked if they could take me on a tour. Half-way through the tour, I had tears in my eyes. Most of the women and children arrive here with just the clothes on their backs. This shelter provides a safe haven for the families, and a program to begin the healing process. Plus, it’s in my back yard! Literally a mile from my house. I wanted to do more, so that’s where the idea of the $5 from every sweatshirt came to be.

Q: Why are you so passionate about using your platform and your influence to help others?

A: Because it feels so good to help others and give back.

Q: What’s next for you and for this campaign in 2020?

A: I truly hope the message just keeps spreading, and we can continue to raise money for House of Good Shepherd and other charities that need our help. I have some cool jewelry and other fun things in the works to add to the collection. I also just launched kids’ sweatshirts. It is also a great message for our kids, and for them to share in the movement is another thing that I am very proud of! I will begin selling T-shirts on the website soon, and, like the sweatshirts, I will donate $5 to charity from every purchase. Thank you for your support!

Xx, Shan