sunsets and short shorts

I've had bottles and boxes of fabric dye and old pairs of thrifted project jeans sitting in my closet for ages waiting to be used. Though I procrastinated my way through this project I finally finished (I think) a few pairs of upcycled shorts. I love the way the dip-dyed shorts came out and I have another pair that I plan on sewing some lace onto. Though I consider the dyed shorts to be done I might still add onto them just for fun, maybe embroider or paint a sun onto a back pocket? Once I decide whether or not I'm finished I'll most likely put these shorts up in my shop, but for now I'll post some pictures of the creating process for those of you who are interested:

Cut off the Mom Jeans into some high-waisted and low rise shorties

Let 'em soak in a tub of bleach and water

Took this pair out early just to make them look a little washed out and faded

Done bleaching

Time for dye

Dyed both bleached pairs with the lightest color first, lemon yellow

Lastly, dip-dyed the rest with scarlet, both for different lengths of time

with love,

neena noel

summer daze

I have been in a total summer daze. Not getting dressed, skipping showers and eating junk food. I blame it on the heat! Thankfully I live less than eleven miles away from the beach, which is always up to twenty degrees cooler than it is here. I could never get tired of life at the beach, my puppers loves it too. Despite my recent laziness I am still working on accomplishing some personal goals, a little more slowly than I would have liked to. But I am definitely enjoying my summer, and hopefully I'll have some new stuff up in my shop soon! As for now, I'm offering free shipping on all international & national orders with the >>--> Coupon Code, SUMMERDAZE - type that in during your purchase from my shop on any day until July 26th, 2012. Follow me on Instagram for more discounts & coupons @neenabananaa

with love, 

neena noel

back to work

Been slacking off these past few days with some of the goals that I'm trying to accomplish, but definitely not slacking off with my orders! At least I can be responsible in some aspects. For one, I've been using my phone to document instead of my camera, (sorry baby canon!). So, no new photos, except for those I've dragged over from Instagram. And also, I haven't gotten around to making any jewelry though ideas are rushing through my head like crazy! So, to combat my procrastination I'm taking some steps to get organized and stop being lazy, starting with cleaning my room. I've written out a schedule for the week focusing on cleaning one part of my room at a time, (it's bad..not like smelly, moldy, rotten bad, just clothes shoved and thrown everywhere bad). I've gotten so many clothes from the Goodwill it's about time I take some back and clear out some space in my closet. I'm only donating, I will not buy anymore Goodwill clothes, I will not buy anymore Goodwill clothes, I will not buy anymore Goodwill clothes. (For now at least :p)

Once my room is clean I'll be able to put some of my new stuff in there. I received some goodies from Etsy in the mail this weekend including a gorgeous pair of earrings from AtelierYumi. And while shopping around with my boyfriend I picked up an awesome new incense burner and some delicious Coconut & Amber scented incense from Salzers, a record store in Ventura.

I may be lazy but at least I still dress myself!

follow me on instagram @neenabananaa

with love, 

neena noel

saturday already

So, I haven't had access to a computer for the past couple days. I've been hanging with friends and family, taking a little vacation from home, but still working. I've started on some new projects that I hope to put up in my shop soon, some crocheted clothing (vests, shirts, ponchos) for the fall season coming up. I also, want to start making some more jewelry and actually putting it up for sale, so we'll see how that goes. And lastly I want to create a section of my shop dedicated to upcycled clothing and jewelry. I've started on that by dyeing some old jeans which are now shorts, and picking out pieces of old jewelry to made into something new and beautiful. As for now, this will all be postponed until I finish all of the orders that I got this week. Thank you everyone for buying handmade and taking the time to check out my blog.

follow me on instagram @neenabananaa

with love,

neena noel

chantico

@ Chantico Inn & Suites, Ojai, Ca

Sunglasses - Forever21, Top & Dress - Crossroads Trading Company

lookbook

with love,

neena noel

summer sale

The Coupon Code "EnjoySummer" (without the quotes) will give you 10% off of any purchase from www.motavationsnn.etsy.com. Just type in the code during checkout and you're good to go! Available internationally until July 5th 2012.

with love,

neena noel

sushi

Mom took my brother and I out for dinner, which was delicious! During dinner I also found out that one of my listings made it to the front page of Etsy for a short time, which made it even better!

with love, 

neena noel

from the seeds planted

My mother has been slaving over this beautiful garden for weeks. Though she's had gopher problems, she has been persistent and it's beginning to show its fruitfulness. It's tough being completely organic sometimes, but I feel like it will pay off. (Though I should probably be helping with the garden if I'm going to claim that it will pay off, haha.) This is the second year in row of my mothers summer gardens, though there were plenty of fruit trees already blooming when we moved into our home - oranges (valencia and naval), grapefruits, lemons, apricots, pomegranates, apples, plums pineapple-guavas and blackberries. I can't express how grateful I am for our bounty of fruit and vegetables, and let me tell you, non-genetically modified foods do taste so much better. Here's just a small sample of what's blooming in our backyard right now.

Mama even made some homemade apricot jam

Tomatoes

Baby Pumpkin

Rows of Sunflowers

Mint Field

Baby Blackberries

Oranges are not quite in season

with love,

neena noel

summer colors

A much needed post - We all like to wear our favorite colors and the colors that compliment ourselves. Customers are always asking me for a list of colors that I have available to make my products in. My color supply is constantly changing, but my suppliers generally always have the same colors. I've photographed some of my favorite colors for the season from browns to blues. I currently have all of the choices photographed in stock as well as some others, and most of my colors are available for me to get quickly and make into a finished product. My choices are definitely not limited to the colors that I have posted! I can make made to order tops in almost any shade, however, some colors may have to be ordered online which can add a few extra days onto the creation of my finished products. If you'd like to request a specific color or a color that you don't see in my shop, please contact me first considering I may have to special order my supplies online.

From top to bottom - Pale Turquoise, Taupe, Coral

Naturals - Brown and Taupe

Front - Sonoma Print, Back - Tea Rose

Top - Pale Turquoise, Bottom Left - Light Blue, Bottom Right - Bright Blue

Sunshine colors from left to right - Deep Red, Coral, Pale Yellow

with love,

neena noel

wednesdays in l.a.

So, my mother and I planned a trip to downtown LA's fashion district in search of some wholesale yarn stores, or any yarn store. What did we find? A crap-load of fabric, shop after shop full of all types of fabric, but no yarn. I'm still trying to find a good place to purchase bulk quantities of yarn, but as of now I'll continue to buy from my current supplier, (though they refuse to return my calls and e-mails when I have a problem with my orders from them). As for today, we decided to go out for lunch in LA and then head over to Santa Monica for some shopping and a walk on the pier.

Veggie Pesto Panini at the LA Cafe - it was delicious 

Bought a few balls of yarn in Santa Monica - Coral is one of my favorite colors!

Throwback - Taken at Santa Monica Pier in May 2010

with love,

neena noel