winter welcomes

It's the rainy days like these that remind me to breathe in and enjoy life. Though I may mostly stay indoors there's nothing stopping me from changing my state completely and going out to run in the rain. Whenever I go outside I always find myself looking up the sky to see how it's changed since I last saw it. When you look straight up in the rain it's as if you're looking up into the infinite. Raindrops fall from a vortex above you and the sky, grey, glows beautifully as if there is no sun but instead some sort of mystical place beyond your daily imaginations. The cloud cover is a dreamland, reminding us to step back and relax for just a moment.

Maybe it's the clean air or the calming winter chill, I don't know, but seasons greetings always seem to ease my mind. That is until the holidays get closer. I look forward to the busy-ness though, especially since most of it will be creating gifts for people. One thing that I desperately need to do is get my sleep schedule back to normal and start waking up earlier! It doesn't help that I always stay up til 2 in the morning but getting out of bed at noon is starting to become a real drag. 

 xo neena noel

by the light of the moon

Put up a couple of new necklaces in my shop,

light of the moon &

trifecta

And right now you have a chance to win the necklace pictured above for free!

I'm holding a giveaway through Instagram so if you'd like to enter go find me 

@neenabananaa http://instagram.com/neenabananaa 

and click on the picture of the necklace for instructions and information. 
If you don't have an Instagram I'm terribly sorry
but I promise I'll hold another giveaway through my blog soon so stick around. :)

 xo neena noel

santa baby

There are a couple of new, festive items in my shop as of this evening. I spent most of my day just trying to prepare the items to sell and I must say, sometimes the photography is harder than any other aspect of creating these listings. Most of the shots I took today went straight to the trash folder but I was able to pick out enough good ones for these hats. I try to keep it simple in order to come out with better results, and was the Freddy Krueger sweater too much? I think not ;) Here's a little blogworthy note: I found that sweater at the Goodwill for something like $3.00, 'tis the season so don't forget to check the men's sweater section on your next thrift store outing!

Santa Hats available in:

Classic Red and White &

Snowflake

Well, I'm off for the night. As much as I'd like to sit down and continue creating new designs, I think it's time to finish some long overdue projects. And, as much as I'd like to hibernate in my home for the next couple of months I must get some work done so I can get out and enjoy the holidays too. Until next time, xo neena noel

november

I'm just now getting a chance to say, happy November! This is going to be a busy month for me as I'm sure it will for all of you with the holidays so close by. I've slowly been receiving all of the goodies that I ordered for my shop including this giant box of yarn! My intentions for it was to make a whole bunch of different types of scarves, but just yesterday I came up with a very chirstmas-y idea while playing around with some red wool. I looked through tons of Santa hats on Etsy and wanted to make something just a little bit different. So I came up with a pattern and worked with it until it matched my vision and looked just right. It's not in my shop yet but I should have it up tomorrow. I'm pretty happy with my design so, steal my idea and I will hunt you down! >:]

Every day may seem like just another struggle, but I know now that life is what you make it.  I realize now that I can find the solutions to my struggles instead of letting them carry me down further. I've always been a human of impulse, relying on habitual behavior I would have rather chosen to give in to my addictions than to wait out a feeling of uneasiness. 

I know now that positive actions will lead to a more positive life but if you had told me that a year ago I would not have cared either way. I can look back on my personal problems and see growth and improvement instead of filling myself with regret. I no longer let my choices today affect my well being tomorrow. I no longer let a temporary downfall bring me down into a deeper depression. 

This is only the beginning but I feel like this time I am truly free from the chains I've kept myself locked in. Once the scars have faded it will be like nothing ever happened. We take each day one step at a time and even then it still feels like we're moving way too fast. Sometimes I just have to slow it down and put everything into perspective. Sometimes I just need a minute to think before acting to realize that I can come out stronger as long as I stay strong through the battle.

I've found my solace through keeping myself busy. Learning and finding new interests, keeping my brain and hands occupied, setting goals for myself and starting new projects. Breaking addictions and creating healthy habits. I'm moving further away from the things that keep me unhappy and I find myself moving closer to a peace of mind every day. Moving further away from the complications of society I find the natural simplicity of the Earth will guide me through. I question and I find the answers. I keep moving forward until I find my way to enlightenment.

two months<3
xo neena noel

unfinished scarves

crochet troubles: feeling the need to make every combination of scarves possible

and every version of every scarf in every color that you have.

the hardest button to button

I could sit in the garden for hours and watch the leaves change colors as the sun moves down the sky. Life has a meaning and it's purpose is to grow and blossom, to withstand and to give life to that which gives you life. Nature is so complex and beautiful and seems to give off an overall feeling of calmness and happiness. I think the further we part from nature, the easier it is to forget ourselves; who we are and our purpose for living. The more we disconnect with nature, the easier it is to get lost in a world of comfort and false priorities. 

a little update on my life as of Friday, November 2 at 1:06 AM,

I am once again phoneless. Yes, I dropped my phone in the toilet AGAIN after dropping it in a different toilet only one month ago. Got it replaced and then there goes replacement phone #1, plop, right into the shitter. At this point I don't even know if I want to bother replacing it yet again, but hopefully this was just a fluke and the end of my bad luck streak.

On a brighter note, I just ordered about eight pounds worth of yarn that will soon be going to good use, as well as some other necessary shipping supplies and such. I am ready for the holiday season and ready to make some sales. So, no more stress about not having enough materials or supplies to run a steady business.

I've been doing a lot of research on various subjects and how-tos. I've been finding more and more natural, homemade dyes for yarn and clothing and also some recipes for making my own lotions and instructions on hand-rolling incense. I'm filling up my notebook so hopefully it can pay off with some new, fun projects.

Right now nothing makes sense to me other than yarn, crocheting, food, sleep and zombies. Watching the Walking Dead inside and out and crocheting my fingers off is all I want to do apparently. I've somewhat put my life on hold to improve my shop all around which will hopefully get me back on track and help me achieve a higher status. 

I am contently confused about my life as a whole.

scarf lovin

Put up some new items in my shop, mostly scarves. I can't stop making cowls and infinity scarves so hopefully others love them as much as I do. I plan to make autumn and winter cozy and warm with soft wools and comfy hats. In the next few weeks I will be expanding my inventory, bettering my shipping methods and seeking good, quality materials. I have some yarns on my list to buy but I always have trouble finding trustworthy suppliers with good prices and good yarn so if any of you crafters have some suggestions please let me know. :) I'd be happy to share my knowledge of yarns, shipping supplies and Etsy shops with you too, my mailbox is always open. neenanoelart@gmail.com

ten days later

There are only actions and reactions.

Life goes on, the Earth continues to spin.

I finally got a replacement computer charger. I have power! Re-taught myself how to knit a few days ago. I love yarn, I love wool, I want to just curl up with a basket of yarn and ease all of my stress. Opening my shop back up tonight or tomorrow.

It will work out, everything will fall into place.

sunday funday

Happy Sunday. 🐱 I had a weekend full of camping, music and art with my bestest friends and my painterly mother. Now I'm ready to just relax and maybe make myself a cup of tea. 😙🍵 🌙
I desperately got my phone replaced this weekend after discovering that my computer charger had broken, so I'll just be using this for now which means I'll unfortunately have to keep my shop closed a little bit longer than planned. And I also won't be able to upload any pictures from my camera for a while either! The plus side is that I'll have some extra time to crochet some new pieces and work on some of my other projects. No computer, no problem!



Annnnnnnd I got a henna tattoo, this new outfit, shirt, shorts and all and a bunch of other new clothes from a clothing exchange tent at the LA Decompression Party. Yay for free clothes! I thought a little bit about starting my own clothing exchange online. Like maybe gather a group of bloggers who all send each other one item and then continue to pass it on to other bloggers? Sound like fun?


anonymous journal entries
october 2012

I'll get down on myself about the stupid things I've done or the embarrassing situations that I've gotten myself into. I feel like people immediately judge me for some reason or think less of me because of the problems that I cause in my own life.
I wonder what people truly think of me or what they would say about me, but then I realize that though some people are seemingly normal and seem to keep themselves out of trouble, every body has their stories, their memories, their mistakes and their mishaps. Every body hits a rough patch and every body has done something they're not proud of.
Everybody has had different experiences but really we're not all that different from each other.

look who's back

and comin' back

with a vengeance.. >.<

First of all, here's a little update on my shop: Motavations is currently on vay-cay until I can fill her up with a bunch of new goodies. I'll be throwing product previews at you like this extra-long, chunky, winter hat that I designed almost a year ago.
I'm currently in a state of confusion, trying to decide whether to make lots of custom order pieces or more one of a kind, ready to ship items. I'm sure custom orders will sell better, but I think there's something really special about making one unique item with no duplicates so people have an opportunity to own something that's truly one of a kind. I hope to get some feedback on my previews to help me decide whether to sell singles or customs of items.

Now most importantly! My bff, Charisma, is probably coming to room with me soon and she just so happens to be a very talented, crafty girl. I already have some dream catcher earrings of hers in my room which I'll be putting up in my shop when I open it back up. She will be the first new member of my shop, so coming soon is the new and improved Motavations! I have lots of talented friends and lots of collab ideas in mind so hopefully we can work together on some projects without goofing off too much, haha. Here's to more good times.!

I came back from a trip to Long Beach to the chilly autumn weather that I've been waiting for. I hope it stays this way so I can keep my sweater on and crank out some scarves.

In other news: 

New blog favorites: sennaloves.blogspot, I love your blog and your knits are great. And thanks to her I also found woolandthegang.tumblr which is also full of yarn lover inspiration. 

I'm going to go do a rain dance right now and try to re-teach myself to knit today.

Last winter I took some pictures of the snow:

with love, neena noel