A 98% finished UNO Bag

I am not sure of this one's name, but it will come.

This is a LARGE tote styled bag it just ended up creating itself that large. A vintage pink Christian Dior tie as the strap backed with Sunbrella, buttons, the "face" is from my friend Ken Anderson's HUMAN design (if I have that correctly), with roses & leopard leaves/feathers, and some friendly rain (cause rememeber when it rains it release negative ions in the air, and that is why it is such a lovely feeling right after it rains)

This bag has a liner, with a double pocket on the inside. With a large pocket with leopard layered heart with puffy green fern wings. I really like all the colors on this bag.

A start of a new UNO Bag

Who could this be for? hmmmmmm......

New Movement

My husband Denton has been brewing with change, and he has created some new movement! He had an idea that struck him and he put it into action, as well as get as a great foundation website built and up! I am so excited for him!!!

His computer company is Daventech.net ~~~~ website www.daventech.net

Check it out!

U.N.O. Bags Part 6

This is a smaller size bag, with some fun pockets, and buttons!

U.N.O. Bags Part 5

So far this is one of my favorite bags I have done so far. I really don't want to part with it. I might not. muahhahah that is my evil laugh...hehe. This is the Pirate Booty Bag, that wasn't quite done from before. It is now finished, it may be sold already, but it is not for sure yet. So it may have a chance to get up on etsy for sale, but then again I might just keep it too. Time will tell. But for now here are the pictures of PIRATE BOOTY! ARgggg matey.

All made from re-loved materials, the handle is a vintage tie, it has 2 pockets on the backside one with lace, and a narrow one with a button closure. The inside pocket has a nice touch too. The top of the bag also has a button closure. I added a pretty cool button on the skulls eye on the front of the bag. Yeah the more I talk about this bag the more I want to keep it. hahaha I am so bad like that! Well I am off to go design another bag that I will probably want to keep too! Have a fabulous day, it is beautiful!!!

U.N.O. Bags Part 4

This is another bag I finished. Made from all re-loved materials, it is a bright green orchid with leopard print accessorized with brown and black, and with some cute buttons for accents. Has two pockets on the inside, one may be specifically used for a cell phone. It also has a large pocket on back, and a place to hook your keys or whatever you wish on the side tail with the knots.

My little girl, Syra

Manifestation Jars

These are some of the new manifestation jars I have finished! Here is a little blurb that comes with them. They are customizable with the outside paper that covers the canister, I have lots of options for that.
------------------------------
This is a manifestation jar. This is a sacred place to write down your most desired wishes, thoughts, and wants into this jar to help manifest them into the physical realm.

Since all thoughts are energy, why not apply the law of attraction to them?

Each jar comes with:
- a variety of tumbled stones
- a quartz point
- herbs
- a cotton ball with essential oils
- strips of paper to write on

Enjoy and let your mind be free,

Syran Dreams

U.N.O. Bags Part 3

This is another bag I finished! Has a liner inside, and a large pocket on back with button closures.

Dan and Melissa Gibbs

I did this mixed media piece for Dan and Melissa as a wedding present. They got married on 8-8-08 on the beach.

I wanted to give them something special, a treasure if you will. They are special to Denton and I. I am happy to say they flipped and were over the moon with this piece when I gave it to them. In the background, which is now hidden from all the paint is their wedding ceremony and vows.

I love you guys!

U.N.O. Bags Part 2

This one was a gift for my mom with a picture of Syra on it. This one is quite large, but I know she will put it to good use. I still have to finish putting some velcro on it to close the top and the back pocket.

U.N.O. Bags Part 1

I have finished some of my Un-like No Other Bags. They are going to be all sizes, but these few first ones are large! They are great cause they are multi-purpose, for example you could use them at the farmers market, and as a over night bag, etc....

The hard part is coming up with names for them. Well, going to keep moving I have so much I am trying to squeeze in and get done before Christmas

VNA website

Well one of my many projects is done. My first website I built is up!!! I did a new website for the family business Van Nuys Awning Company. That company is my dad's whole life, he has given up his dreams to work the business.

I built the foundation, and Denton did all the finishing work.

Anywho check out the website www.vannuysawning.com

Thanksgiving

I hope Thanksgiving was a great one for everyone this year. I cooked again this year, last year dinner was ordered from Whole Foods (which honestly was really disappointing), I was in no shape to cook it had only been 1 week since I had Syra. This year was great. The turkey came out amazing in the convection oven. I made a new stuffing, which I believe is here to stay, Artichoke Parmesan Sourdough Dressing. It was delicious I don't think I have ever loved stuffing so much. The mashed potatoes were very good too. I sauteed brussels sprouts (I love them). I made my great great grandmother's yam recipe straight from the heart of Kentucky, I think they were my husbands favorites this year. And my gravy came out pretty darn good this year. We bought a pumpkin pie, but I did make fresh whipped cream to top it off.

As for my art and stuff, I am happy to say that I am finally starting to sell! Not on etsy, but at least it is selling. I am very happy to have some kind of movement. I knew when I finally committed to truly following my heart's desire to do what I am doing, that it would take time. I am building from the ground up. Sure it is scary not knowing how I will make my bills, but somehow I get through each month. I keep focusing on my thoughts today, create my tomorrow.

I feel like I am repeating myself, but I am excited to say I have some new things in the works. I cannot wait to share.

I hope at the end of this holiday weekend, you have peace in your heart and a smile on your face. I am contemplating on sharing something here on my blog, but right now at this moment I do not have clarity, so I will end my post here for tonight.

Journals

I finally got my handmade journals done! Hooray...I have a couple stores that are interested after that I will get the rest of them posted. I have one up for sale right now in my etsy shop. www.syrandreams.etsy.com

The possibilities are endless with these handmade journals, with your creative mind, and a variety of papers. In here you can enjoy envelope pockets, ready made to do lists, vellum paper (which you may also use for tracing), lined paper, graph paper, watercolor paper, blank white paper, and confetti paper. In addition they are re-fillable. These make great gifts for a special someone or to treat your inner artist.

Enjoy, and let your mind be free.

Syran Dreams

New stuff

I am working on some new stuff right now, and I am very excited about it. I will take some pictures soon to share. Been feeling a bit under the weather, but starting to feel a tiny bit better. New stuff coming soon.....

The tasks that were completed

I had a busy weekend!
I washed laundry
Washed the sheets on our bed and Syra's crib
Put up some more stuff on Ebay
Knitted 2 new scarfs
Learned 4 new stitches in knitting
Went for bike rides
Bought some toilet paper - that is important stuff ;)
Cooked yummy meals
Vacuumed the room
Cleaned the bathroom
Straightened my hair
Swept the floors, and swifered, and put the finishing spray on the hardwood floors
I didn't get to clean the stove top, yet
I took more pictures of items that will go up for auction on Ebay
Went grocery shopping - just for the staples
I know there is more but at the moment I cannot think of anything else

Airstream

My very good friend is on a path that is winding her way to her very own airstream. So I made this mixed media painting for her as a gift!

For the love of food

My favorite food is mexican food!

I love cold Chinese food

I love cold pizza for breakfast

I love to buy fruits and veggies at the farmers market

I LOVE to cook

I love to try new things

I hate the microwave and fast food, but I do love McDonald's ice coffee!

I love apples and raspberries

Trader Joes Dark Sumatra coffee is really good!

A deeper layer of ants

After thinking about all the ants that I have encountered in my room, I started thinking about what they represent to me personally. They are amazing little creatures, with all the features they are capable of. I hate to kill them, but they are not welcome in my room, and at that point they were staging a take over!

So getting back to my original reason for this post, I looked up - ant - in Animal Speaks, by Ted Andrews. This was so interesting that I felt the need to share it with you. There was quite a bit of explanation but I will share the part that struck me the most.

Ant
Keynote: Industriousness, Order, and Discipline

"If the ant has shown up as a totem, examine your own industriousness. Are you disciplining yourself enough to accomplish the tasks at hand? Are you or those around you looking for the quick and easy way? Are you neglecting important activities? Are you laying a good foundation? Are you adding new structures to your life with each passing year in some fashion - education, jobs, hobbies, etc? Are you being patient with your efforts? Are you being patient with yourself? With others? Are you making things greater and more difficult than they need be? Are you missing an opportunity to initiate new creations and endeavors? Ant can teach you how to harness your own power to design and recreate your life and its circumstances from the ground up. Ant can show you how best to work with others for the good of everyone. Ant teaches us the regardless of circumstances, if the effort is true, the reward will follow - in the most beneficial time and manner. Ant is the promise of success through effort." - Ted Andrews

This struck me with such great force, because the ants that "suddenly appeared out of nowhere in my room" I felt appeared with a message. And it wasn't a message for me to get mad that they were there, but rather for me to look deeper in the meaning of their apperance. These are all the types of questions that pertain to my life, and the direction I am going in. When I read this is made all the sense in the world of why the ants were suddenly all over the place.

It is now at the end of the day, and after looking at the full puzzle finally pieced together with all the componets I now can see the complete picture. I got it, thank you. I am now thinking about how many ants sacrificed their lives in order for me to "get the picture". Thank you each and every tiny ant that came into my room, to show me a greater and deeper layer of my life. Some how I am thinking that I won't be forgetting these ants....again thank you.

Ants

I have just spent over an hour fighting ants. They were trying to move in. Between a vacuum and a squirt bottle with vinegar, cinnamon, and crushed red pepper all that is left now is stragglers. I feel gross and need to go take a shower.

I realized something

I will be making some prints of my original paintings/mixed media to sell. That way my art is more affordable at this time, seeing how the economy is "doing so well" right now. So Denton and I will be working on taking photos of my stuff that we will have prints made. In the mean in time I am working on another item to sell. While I am working on that I will be posting my scarfs on etsy. So bear with me as I try to reconfigure my store, and what items I am offering at this time.

new stuff

I posted some new stuff for sale on my etsy shop! I had to let Syra play in the Tupperware cupboard so she was distracted, and I could get some work done! Whew, now I have a big Tupperware mess to clean up. Oh well, I guess it was time to reorganize it is anyways. haha Check out my new stuff. - www.syrandreams.etsy.com

aaahhhhhhhhhhgggggggg

Don't you just feel like screaming out loud sometimes? I wish that there was a place I could go on the edge of a cliff with no one around, and just scream as loud, and long as I can. There are some things that I have stopped trying to figure out and for everything else there's VISA. (that would work if I even had a VISA!!!) hahaha that commercial fit perfectly couldn't resist myself. Anywho, it is hard to understand why things get so weird!?! Oh well the weirdness I have just stopped looking at under microscope, it is was it is. Actually now that I am thinking about, I think these awkward moments stem from the person's uncomfortablilty of not being able to say what they really feel like saying, which in turn gives off the "weird vibe". I am learning to enjoy and be a FULL expression of myself in these weird/awkward moments.

Isn't it interesting when you get to a certain point what you are willing to deal with/put up with and what you aren't? It seems to change as you get older, and you just cannot go back to dealing with what you would have a year, two or 6 years ago? I am there my friends, there are somethings I am not willing to deal with any longer, and so it has begun.
Now that I have that out of my system, I cannot wait to post my new stuff that I have been painting. But first I need to get some pictures of them, so I shall be back.

A scarf for Syra

I knitted this scarf for Syra, I like it! It turned out super cute. And cause I like it so much I am think about knitting more to sell, any thoughts?