Hi! I’m Amanda!

Thank you for stopping by my family-owned business, Buhbay! When you shop here, you are supporting a small, locally owned business. I'm a homeschooling mama of three precious kiddos and this shop is my fourth baby. Our family's mission at Buhbay is to spread the Word and love of God in beautiful, encouraging ways.

Please take a minute to get to know me, my family, and what Buhbay is all about…

 

How did it all begin?

Back in the early 2000’s, I was working part-time in marketing at one of the largest Christian non-profit organizations in the world. However, I felt constantly pulled in opposite directions; outwards towards my career, and inwards with a desire to stay home and be a full-time mom to my growing family. A struggle many working mothers feel keenly.

Even though I loved my job and was passionate about bringing God’s love to people living in impoverished communities,I knew with two babies under 2 years old, my family needed me most at this point in our lives and I was determined to find a way to work from home and be more fully present with my little ones. After many years working on massive marketing projects at the non-profit, I had gained valuable experience in print production, marketing, and design. I had also spent my free time learning all I could about graphic design and typography (which I am obsessed with), as well as how to run a small business.

My desire to spread the love of Christ in the world coupled with my print and graphic design skills created a unique opportunity to build a business that brings the Word of God into people’s lives and homes in beautiful, meaningful ways. I have since spent hundreds of hours designing Scripture verse art and bringing it to you through this small, family-owned business.

Why the name, Buhbay?

The first art print I (Amanda) designed was for my son, Nolan’s, nursery.  It had a dinosaur theme, and I wanted a framed Bible verse to hang on the wall with the verse my husband, Jon, and I had chosen for him, Joshua 1:9. After searching high and low for something with the dino theme and that verse, and not finding one, I decided to make my own. (This was back in 2010 when not many personalized, nursery-themed Bible verse art prints existed! They have since exploded in popularity!) I put my graphic design skills to work and came up with an art print for his room.

Seeing it hanging in his nursery, several family and friends asked for personalized prints as well. The birth of a business! But what to name it? Jon and I had a random nickname for baby Nolan: “buhbay” (pronounced buh-bay). It’s a term of endearment simply meaning “baby.” What better name for a small shop that made personalized art prints for babies than Buhbay!? Even though the business has evolved into so much more than nursery art, the name has stuck!

What was the inspiration behind the Weekly Bible Verse sets?

I (Amanda) had heard a missionary (Nik Ripkin) speak at my church about Christians being persecuted and imprisoned in other countries. Many of them had phenomenal stories about how they had been sustained by the Word of God during that time. After he spoke, I picked up his book, The Insanity of God, and was struck by one story in particular. To summarize…

Two recent converts were taken to jail. Although they had accepted Jesus as their Savior, they were still new in their faith and didn’t have many Scriptures or hymns memorized. When they were released, their faith had dwindled instead of grown. Why did they not have the transformative experience into a deeper knowledge and relationship with God that some of their fellow Christians had while in prison? The other Christians told them that they repeated, sang, and shared Bible verses and hymns over and over while in jail, and that was what had helped their faith grow during that time of extreme persecution. However, the two new converts did not have those seeds of Scripture planted in their hearts at the time they were taken away, and so had very little to pull them through.

How convicting, I thought! If you don’t have God’s Word hidden in your heart, how can it be there for you during trials (John 14:26)? After this, I searched for ways to quickly memorize as much Scripture as possible. I wanted it to be there when I needed it.

Unfortunately, the Bible memory programs I found were all a bit complicated and took more time and effort than I realistically had while working part time and homeschooling three kids. How could I simplify this?

One night while tucking my youngest daughter into bed and drowsily reading Goodnight Moon, I was able to repeat the story word-for-word without even looking at the pages. Bingo! I knew I had the answer. I had read Goodnight Moon every night for a week and now knew it by heart. It was so easy! I hadn’t even tried to memorize it. I knew I could do the same with Bible verses, even the long ones. Just put the verse somewhere I’ll see it every day. No gimmicks, no tricks, no complicated formula. See it and read it until I know it. And believe me, it works!

After this, I worked on creating an easy, beautiful way for people to memorize the most powerful Words we have access to. One verse a week for every week of the year, I decided, was a perfect way to start bringing more of God’s Word into as many lives as possible.

I quickly did some research and found that this was not a novel idea; there are many other wonderful companies out there who offer beautiful Scripture cards similar to the ones here at Buhbay. But what makes ours different? I wanted more than a collection of popular verses that many of us already know. I scoured the Bible for verses I had never read before; I wanted to include the hidden gems of the Bible and bring them to fresh light and fresh eyes who desperately need to see them! (Yes, well known favorite verses are of course, included, but also many you may not have come across before that are just as powerful!)

I also decided to group the verses by topic. The first two sets were entitled Joy & Worship, for people who want to start a new year rejoicing in the Lord, and Peace & Comfort for those grieving or going through hardship.

After these two were created, I selfishly wanted to find verses that would be encouraging to mothers, so Bible Verses for Mothers was born. Also, as a homeschooling mom, I searched the Bible for verses that would be inspiring to those who are shaping young minds, and so I designed Bible Verses for Teachers. My husband asked for a set of non-floral cards that he could put on his desk at work, and I created A Year of God’s Majestic Creation specifically for him (I think your husband will love it, too!). I also designed several sets of ABC Scripture cards for my children to learn as they did their letter-of-the-week preschool programs.

And so they keep coming! With each new set, I spend countless hours pouring through my Bible, reading verse after verse, praying over them and asking for God’s guidance as I humbly bring them to you to hide in your heart. I hope and pray they draw you closer to the One who loves you, so, so much!

Do you have an idea for a set of cards you’d like to see? Please email us your thoughts! We’d love to hear from you: support@buhbay.com