I love seeing the passage of time, and what effects it has on our lives. Flashback to 2007. At the time I lived in Miami and needed a logo for my relatively-new-but-gaining-popularity blog. And Shari Neal was an up and coming graphic designer in Chicago. Shari submitted the winning entry to the Afrobella logo contest, and is the designer of the amazing – dare I say, iconic logo you see right here on this blog today. And now I live in the same city as the winner of my Afrobella logo contest so many years ago!

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Shari and finding out what she’s been up to lately – she is SO amazing! Click here to check out her portfolio – she has worked on some amazing sites and done some truly inspiring work!

Now in addition to being a stellar designer of blogs and websites, Shari is adding teeshirt designer to her resume. Behold, Bon Bon Vie, her line of inspiring and bold tees for the fearless, fly and fashionable.

I touched base with Shari recently, and she explained the inspiration behind her latest designs!

“I always wanted to design tee shirts, but I just never sat down to do it until fairly recently. In the past I had done tee shirt designs for other people and I finally decided to do something for myself.

The name of the company comes from the T.S. Monk song Bon Bon Vie (Gimme The Good Life).”

” A friend of mine put me on to that song a few years ago and I’ve loved it ever since…and the lyrics of the song really spoke to me. Especially this part:

“The man promised me a raise (I said who?)
Who’s gonna raise me when I’m dead?

Oh, I’m so tired of putting that clock every day (Working every day)
All day skatin’ on thin ice
Lord knows we could use a holiday, baby
Just the two of us would be so nice…”

I feel like those lyrics sometimes, as I’m sure a lot of people do. I like my job, but at the same time, I really want to truly be self-sufficient one day. It’s a really amazing feeling to have something you created (whether it be a blog, t-shirt business, whatever) do well and be able to sustain you financially.”

Yes INDEED. Bon Bon Vie is a beautiful new beginning for an immensely talented person, and I can’t wait to see this line grow and grow and GROW!

To celebrate the birth of Bon Bon Vie, Shari is offering an awesome giveaway for Afrobella readers – just in time for my bloggaversary week! YAY!!!

I’ve got THREE tees to give away. You can choose between the Reverse Brown Skin Lady tee, or the white Rep Chi tee. All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me which tee you want, and why!!

Comments will stay open until Friday, and then Shari and I will choose winners over the weekend. Good luck! And if you can’t wait another minute (or want another tee that I haven’t offered in this giveaway) check out Bon Bon Vie to get yourself a piece!