Designs By Nana

Vintage toys collection

2008-02-21T08:18:00.003-05:00

Finally done!!!! I love it !!! It just takes me back to The childhood toys that my brother and I played with. Those metal winding toys...that where like gold in a little blue box. We would wind them and then just let go and be mesmerized by what they did. I also love the colors used by this artist. Enjoy!
Please remember they may be purchased in my shop, and I can customize the collection to your needs just contact me.

Priceless Garlands

2008-01-28T20:22:00.000-05:00

Spring is in the air and I had a request from Spain "One of repeat customers" for me to create a Valentine's and Spring. My creative juices started water falling. When I finished my creations, I said to myself...mission accomplished as I ran thru the rooms of my house...giving myself a "High Five." A little time consuming...to put it mildly, but worth every penny. You can purchase these @ Designs by Nana Homehttp://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5308910

Spring ?????

2008-01-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!!! Has Spring fever hit yall yet???? Well it is hard to believe that Spring is just around the corner until you visit the retail world, and...Spring has Sprung! with that been said I was inspired to start my spring collections Here are the first two hatchlings. There will be more to come, I just need more time(24hrs are Just not enough!). You can purchase these collections @Designs by Nanahttp://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5115902

Enjoy!

Toxic shock

2008-01-12T18:01:00.001-05:00

What in the world is happening today. Every thing that we give our baby and kids is in a toxic state. The words "lead tainted" is turning up every where. Our economy is slowing due to China having lead in almost every thing that we import. I have heard enough and I am disgusted by it. One of my favorite magazines named "Cookie" . I opened the page to 132 and the title is "Toxic Shock." The article states that many items that we use are tainted with lead. Call me that dorky mom, but when my children were babies. A.) I believed in breast feeding as long as you can. B.) I went to milling my own organic fruits and vegetables meals. C.) I would not dare put a preservative infested meal in to either of my babies mouths. As a concerned mom, I felt the need to mill fresh fruits and vegetables, which took a total of 20 minutes per week to ensure the healthiest for my children...not to mention the freshest. I am not going to take up much of your time on this issue, but the article in Cookie has given us all of the facts and our options as concerned mothers.

Plastics 101 is addressed by Cookie and it states "Family's should try to limit plastic in their homes. The safest long lasting plastics are #2, #4, and #5 says Landrigan of Mount Sinai, you can look at the bottom of the plastic jars to locate the numbers. The ones to avoid are #3, #6, and #7." I always believe that wooden toys or natural fabrics are the best toys for our babies. Our safest alternatives are non varnished, hard wood toys, cloth toys, stuffed animals, and hand made items from small manufacturers, with that being said...here are some of my favorites.

Some of my favorite Etsy collegues that are addressing such issues are:

Wood Toys:

Stumppondtoy by Wyit Wright http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=102218Who stated "I use no varnish of any kind. The only finish I use is drugstore mineral oil. The same oil I would reccomend for wooden food bowls, cutting boards, or wooden utensils. It is completely non-toxic."

Woodmouse , by Amber Woodmouse http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5342617

states that "None of my toys are made with varnish. Varnish is nasty stuff. I do use beeswax and organic jojoba oil to finish them but my toys can also be purchased without this and without paint as well! (I've had some vegan customers who didn't want me to use beeswax for example.)

Natural Soft toys:

Tiddlywinks, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5069917 by Scottie states that "All dolls are inspired by the drawings my children make. You'll see it in their faces. Every one is one of a kind, I make no two the same. Everyone is made with new material by hand. Custom orders are happily accepted here!!"

Michele, of Posieandme http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5221398 states that "All of my play food collectibles are made of wool felt and are handstitched."

The photo above is Mr. or Mrs. Jack Rabbit, it will be available in my shop starting tomorrow. He or she is made of chenille and 100% cotton filling. They stand 12 inches and are 1 inch thick so a baby can grasp it. I made sure there is no buttons for a baby to choke on. They are oh so very simple, scooshi and soft!

Lets keep our children safe, for they are our future.

Must have versatile bag

2008-01-06T10:41:00.000-05:00

Over the Holidays in the mountains, after a couple of days of destressing, my mind was being bombarded by new ideas. One of these wonderful ideas was the most versatile bags you have ever seen. These are a definate must have, besides being unique, have multiple uses, and they are custom made. These bags are large enough to be a weekender bag, diaper bag, gym-yoga bag, book bag, or just an every day bag. There are plenty of pockets for your Blackberry, sunglasses, a change of clothing, laptops, and other items, and they are now avaible through my ETSY shop. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8694252

Best of all, you can contact me, give me your favorite color, and I will send you fabric swatches to choose from, and produce the custom hand bag for you.

Back to Blogging

2008-01-06T10:06:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year every one! I hope that you all had a great Holiday Season with your family and friends. I surely did. This December was extremely busy for my business, thank goodness. It really started two weeks before Thanksgiving and it did not let up. I made myself stop the madness after December 15. Afterall, me and my family needed a break and this is the reason that I have not blogged for the month of December. Now, I am back...the kids have gone back to their routines. Hubby is out of my hair (even though I enjoyed having him assist me.) I am now getting my bearings back to work. While away, I found a few new designers and I am very excited in purchasing fabrics to start new collections. Happy New Year to all of you and thank you to all of you for a wonderful year.

Thank you Very Much!!

2007-11-01T18:46:00.000-04:00

This is a super exciting week for me. I was approached by two different but wonderful people , about being featured in their blogs " what a honor!" :). To be quite honest, I think that is a great idea . I have been inspired and once a month I will pick an artist,website, or a product to rate (I think it will be fun, and educational. ) Anyway, thank you to Crystal and cuteindiefinds http://www.cuteindiefinds.com/ and Corris with newsday.com http://weblogs.newsday.com/features/home/cheap_thrills_blog/2007/11/not_ready_handmade_shopping_gu.html

For featuring me in your blogs and for saying wonderful things about my shop as well as my items. Thank you to the both of you and for your kindness and for the others that share their truth and honesty.

Our Feathered Friends

2007-10-13T15:38:00.000-04:00

This morning I was sitting in front of my laptop surfing the web approximately six in the morning sipping on my coffee, when the sun started to pick through the trees in the horizon , and I started to hear all the different birds just welcoming the day("Good Morning blue bird"..."Good Morning Cardinal"...). It was as if I had my own symphony Number 5 sung by birds (Mozart would be proud). They where singing their little hearts out!!! Then it hit me ...Like an avalanche coming down the mountain!!! Winter is around the corner and soon food will be scarce I needed to come up with a buffet of sorts Throughout the winter on the weekend(The weekend is a special time for us, it should also be for our feathered friends ). So every weekend as a fun family project we will replenish the buffet . I remembered that Mary Engelbreit's HOME companion mag. www.homecompanionmag.com/ (LOVE THIS SITE!!)Had how to make our feathered friends some treats...so I am going threw all my past Fall/Winter issues and ...voila, I found it !!!(Back in 1997 Oct/Nov issue )

Rice cakes Medallions:

Start by slathering peanut butter on to rice cakes and then dip it into a bowl of millet-birds need the fats in the foods like peanut butter and coconut to keep their engines revved up on cold days. Next, pressed and dried papaya or pineapple, coconut, berries and more fruit. For a non-tropical treat, apples and grapes are popular. Children can arrange fruit in to funny faces. Cardinals might not care, but you will chalk up a chuckle when a flying fellow makes off with a raspberry nose. Here are some other ideas of what to put on the rice cake medallions. Peanut butter, millet, popcorn, green grapes, raspberries, dried papaya, apple, apricot, coconut, banana chips, blueberries, and peanuts.

Fruity garlands:

String your snackables with a blunt tapestry needle on to bird friendly raffia. Although, bananas sport their own natural holes, but most fruits will have to be stuck with a tooth pick. Mocking birds and Thrushes will be unable to resist this artful garland of banana chips and cranberries. Woodpeckers will go straight for a nuttier number with hole unsalted peanuts and multi grain cereals. A strand of popcorn and grapes may be added here too.

Seedy Motels and Pretzel Palaces:

Slap a fresh coat of peanut butter "Paint" (One cup peanut butter mixed with 10 oz. of suet) On a school/lunch carton, roll the walls in cracked-corn stucco, and stick some sunflower seed shingles on the roof. Punch a hole in the very top and string some raffia through it to hold it on a branch. For the highfalutin set, like the haughty Bobwhite, open a pretzel palace. Glue together two half gallon juice cartons, and cover them with peanut butter mortar and pretzel stick siding (preferably salt free), with Chex cereal as the roof. Add a raisin box chimney if you like.

That should do it!!! This should keep your feather friends very satisfied and coming day after day for the wonderful buffet you have provided and as a "Thank You!" they will give you front row seat to the most wonderful concert ever.

Autumn is here!! can you believe it?

2007-10-06T16:50:00.000-04:00

Whether you are ready or not Autumn is here! This is the kick off of my favorite time of the year. I shoot into home maker/decorator mode.

It all begins with my husband and I going to the attic and looking for the orange and black bins (since, all Orange is Thanksgiving, and Green, is Christmas ). On the bottom of the stairs I have my boys waiting (as if it was Christmas morning and they are waitting to see what Santa has Brought them). Once the bins start to surface they go nuts (WWWWEEEEEEYYYYYY)! Then the bins open and It is lots of fun...We see things that we remember...We see things that I purchased on clearance (after Halloween) that I tottally forgot about it ...Boy this is so much fun!!! This marks the kick off of the decorating/cooking time of the year.

We begin with the outside, then we move to the inside, then the final touches...We use all of our senses...visually the house is totally orange , with Some black (lots of pumpkins I was even able to find some White ones (they will look great in my chocolate dinning room.). We have some Cd's with scary sounds and a Dracula soundtrack (This is classical music that was played in the movie Bram stokers "Dracula" ) . Finally I take off all my Bath and Body Works Wallflowers and change them from the Spring/Summer fragrance(tropical passion fruit) to my Autumn/Winter fragrance (the perfect autumn "Apple") . Cook some chocolate chip cookies with pecans from scratch ...Vavoom!!!! done the house has gone a full transformation from the light and airy Spring/Summer look to the cozy, warm, and lovely Autumn/Winter look.

Throughout my favorite months of the year (Oct, Nov, Dec) I will be sharing some of my home recipes, tips, and decorations , which I have picked up here and there throughout my years in the states(who knows I may even share some of the Greek recipes, and traditions). Join me in this seasonal journey.

Designs by Nana Home

2007-09-21T15:44:00.001-04:00

Here it is !!!! Finally, I launched my sister store "Designs by Nana Home" on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5308910 . This store will feature whimsical accessories for the home, and the holidays. I am so excited ; especially since I feel this will open new doors for Designs by Nana. I have been working hard in the production aspect especially since all designs are done by me without any patterns, and I truly enjoy that freedom . As of today I only have a couple of items listed ...keep checking back , for there is much more to come; I will try to add a little bit daily and thanks for looking.
Nana

Another Boutique order

2007-09-05T07:58:00.000-04:00

Here's our second boutique order, all ready for delivery. This one is done primarily in pastels and chenilles. They are going to be monogrammed, which I think will be precious.

Bibs, and Burps, and Blankies, Oh My!

2007-09-04T08:21:00.000-04:00

Below is a pic of My latest burps . They have soft minky and can be monogrammed. I just love the look and feel of these! These were ordered by a boutique here in town. The color combinations are lovely and I think using minky is a stroke of genius. These are available in our Etsy shop as well, and soon will be part of a pastel collection.

Finished Boutique Order

2007-08-15T12:42:00.001-04:00

Here it is - My first large boutique order, all done and ready for delivery. It's immensely rewarding to see tangible evidence of our hard work. One big order down, three more to go...

What a week!

2007-07-27T14:11:00.000-04:00

I can scarcely contain myself, friends...DBN has had an amazing few days. To start, I was featured in my first treasury, courtesy of the lovely calicoglass.

Another fellow etsian has featured DBN on her blog , appropriately named Precious Quilts. I had a lot of fun formulating the answers to her questions.

Finally, today, a local boutique placed a HUGE order.

I am amazed, humbled, and most of all grateful for my success so far.

While all this was going on, I finished up My latest project, the Cowboy Collection...

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

DBN is featured in our first treasury...

2007-07-27T13:59:00.000-04:00

Well that sure was quick! I never expected to be part of a treasury so soon. Thanks, calicoglass, for including us! We're so excited about what we're doing here at DBN. When I go to buy fabric, I am kind of like a child in a candy store.

Here's my latest...my Cowboy Collection...hope ya'll enjoy!