Dreams Do Come True!

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. " -Walt Disney It has been just over one month since our last blog, and we apologize for the wait. We have been super busy in the Sunshine workshop and Lollipop kitchen preparing for farmers’ market season! In addition, we have been cooking up lollipops for birthday parties, graduation parties, and other school events. So it’s been a busy and exciting time for us.

We are so thankful for the support we have had in the first few months of our business! From family members helping to make displays and SL&R official market attire, to all of you that have passed our website/Facebook page/contact info along. It is our dream to bring every day magic to everyone’s life, but in turn you all have helped to make our dream come true. And we are so grateful!

It is amusing, but not surprising, that a series of seemingly ordinary events that lead to the lightning bolt moment when we decided to become “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows”.

For me it began last summer while we (Maura, my kids, and over 200 of our closest friends) performed in Mary Poppins with the Warren Civic Theatre. I really wanted my son to have a bow tie, but I couldn’t find anything that matched the rest of his costume. So I decided to make one. It was so fun and looked so cute I decided to make him another. And then I decided to make matching hair bows for my daughter. And just like that, I was addicted!

My younger son was watched me make them. I mentioned how I could now make bows to match any outfit. He has walked the fabric aisles at our local craft stores with me many times and asked “They have Doctor Who material. Can you make me a tie with it?”

And of course I did. And he was addicted. He now has one for every holiday and passion (Star Wars, Pokemon, turtles). He is known by many as “That little kid that always has on a bow tie”.

At first I kept buying too much material so I would make extra bows as gifts. People were amazed that I had made them and they kept encouraging me to sell them at craft sales. The more I would make, the more I would want to make!

But you know there is more to Rainbows, Lollipops and Rainbows than just bows! Our custom lollipops came about separately.

Maura has always liked to experiment in the kitchen. From stuffing her own sausages to elaborate baked goods, she sees new delicacies as a challenge so tackling candy was a no-brainer for her. Lollipops became a holiday staple. My kids looked forward to trying whatever new flavors she would whip up.

Like the bows, anyone that would enjoy one of her handmade lollipops would marvel that she made them in her own kitchen.

But it wasn’t until March 2016 that we put these two together. And it came out of frustration. I had just quit my job as a medical biller. It was a bit of a rash decision and I was looking for ways to make some extra income. I was brainstorming with Maura and mentioned, “People keep saying I should sell my bows, maybe I should give it a try this summer.” Maura replied that she had been hearing the same about her lollipops, so if I rented a booth somewhere, maybe she would come with me and see what happened.

Then that night I had a dream that we called ourselves Sunshine & Rainbows. When I mentioned it to Maura she started singing, “Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows”. That was the lightening bolt moment. As soon as we landed on the name, we knew that this was it! Was it crazy? Well, sure. But we knew from our past adventures that the crazy ideas always seemed to be our best adventures.

So from the bottom of our hearts we thank you for supporting us. The support we have received has been magical. We hope, in return, that our products add a little more sunshine to your day!