The kitchen by daylight!

ok, I admit it....I LOVE it!

The Front Bathroom

Originally I had intended to paint the front bathroom a soft jade, creamy orange and grey. But as I painted my living room wall the navy blue, I liked it so much that I wondered if I could pull it off in the bathroom. After painting one wall I started to get excited. It was beautiful. I loved it. Then came the new vanity, the cool mini glass tile for the backsplash, new lighting, and the finishing touch of the new base trim and crown molding in bright white. As with the rest of the house, I wasn’t really sure which direction I would go with the art for the bathroom. I figured I would know when I saw it.

I am blessed to have two amazing nieces, Jade who is 16 (very soon to be 17) and Jayla who is 4, and an amazing nephew, Jerhan who is 11. I love it when they come over to spend time with Auntie. Miss Jayla has a little trouble reaching the sink to wash her hands and usually needs help so during a shopping trip to Home Goods (aka Mecca) I saw this adorable little puppy dog step stool and bought it for Jayla. Soon afterwards I found some cool dog centered artwork and there we have it. (on a side note: Jayla loves her step stool but prefers my bathroom and told me I could bring her stool into my bathroom if I wanted to…love her to pieces!)

The Kitchen

I’ve heard it said that what doesn’t cost you something, you don’t appreciate. Since I wasn’t going to spend the thousands $$$ it costs to get new cabinets, I decided to sand and scrape off all the old layers of paint and repaint them myself. Easy, squeezy! Ummmm….nope, not even close. I sanded and scraped for about two weeks, then decided I was ready to paint. I bought the paint-and-primer-in-one and started covering the cabinets with my color of choice, “Catwalk”. (aka, the teal you see in the photos) I was only slightly worried it might be a bit bright, but my theory with paint is, eh…don’t like it, repaint it. Over the next 2 weeks I completed the painting. I didn’t hang the cabinet doors right away as I wanted to make sure the paint was fully cured so I wouldn’t scar it while it was dry but still soft. But after two weeks I couldn’t understand how the paint could be still tacky to touch. Turns out because the cabinets were originally (we are talking ages ago) painted with an oil base paint, I needed to prime the surfaces with an oil base primer first then I could have easily used a latex based paint. Um….ok. Did that mean I now needed to strip the cabinets again and start over? Thankfully the contractor I was working with to insert the glass into the cabinets found an alternative. I just needed to apply a clear glaze and it would take care of the problem. Easy, squeezy. Done. Yay! …… Nope. Note to self: never apply a clear glaze to cabinets late at night in bad lighting and when you are tired. Lo and behold when I saw my work in the daylight I discovered I had beautiful brown streaked teal cabinets. Yeah, so NOT the look I was going for. I had to repaint the cabinets with the teal, let it dry and repaint the glaze once again. So if the saying is true, then I appreciate these cabinets very much.

Photos for free!

Photography is another love of mine. Although I'll be the first to admit I am not a professional. But I enjoy it. So I do it for free. Yep, free. I'm not giving away my talents, I'm simply sharing them with those willing to receive.

Recently I took some photos for two of my friends and I wanted to share them with you. First is my friend Sara and her handsome son Isaiah. You've seen him posted on this site before. His smile lights up my day. He is such a happy baby.

Next is my friend Malia and her family. I thought these photos turned out lovely.

What's on the Wall?

Some of you have asked what it is I have written on the wall of my living room. Here is what it says:

"and passing by on this journey of my soul, I was beckoned into the field. Embraced by its safety, tucked into its love and drawn in by a vision seen through blue sky eyes."

The Living Room...Before n' After!

The Makeover!

I've been noticiably blog absent for the past few months and I have to confess I really haven't sat down at my sewing machine very much at all. I moved into a new place in August and what began as a few changes turned out to be a complete remodel. Put it this way...the only thing that didn't get changed was the tile floor my Daddy installed a few years ago. But everything else....pfffftt! Gone. My new pad is a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment. I happen to have a really close relationship with the owners (aka, my parents) and so I pretty much had the liberty to do what I wanted. (although not necessarily my mom's blessing with my color choices! she loves it now...)

Daddy's Girl

The project has been theraputic. Most of you know my handsome Daddy passed away last December 17th at the very young age of 64. This first year has been extremely difficult for me to say the least. I am a Daddy's girl in every sense of the word. My Dad and I were co-owners of Fant & Fant Construction and worked together for about 5 years before the ecomony took a nose dive and I went back to office work and he decided to retire. Working with my Dad was the best job I ever had. Together we planned, designed and completed a variety of really great projects and worked for some truly wonderful people. We loved working together. He and I would be working in a room discussing everything from the economy to politics to religion to the crazy family we both loved. Whenever there would be a question about the direction we should take a project he would say to me, "Well you are the boss". To which I would reply, "No, you are the boss kemosabe". And it always ended in him quoting an old cartoon, "I'll do the thinnin' around here bobalouie". (Quick Draw McGraw) So as I worked on the remodel of my new place I celebrated my Dad's life and legacy and all the wonderful things he taught me in life and about construction. And much the same as when he and I worked together before, I snagged a pair of his work shorts and a work t-shirt. My Daddy is everywhere in my new place.



My Rexy boy who would much rather
I spend time with him than with a paintbrush



I owe a big huge thanks and debt of gratitude to my mom and my Uncle Tony, my boss, my amazing co-workers, my friend Lisa, my sister Deb and her kids; the loves of my life, Jade, Jehran and Jayla, and to my therapist, Kathy, who's picture I'm convinced can be found in the dictionary next to the words "consistent" and "patient". I heart her. The support of these people has been priceless.

Now that the remodel is basically done, I'll be back to sewing bags soon. For now, here are photos of what I have been working on.

Peace,

Amber

Living Room Before

This a partial of the "after" of my living room wall. I painted birch trees on the wall
and added a phrase to frame out the chair. (My sweet niece Jayla knocked out in her favorite chair.)

JaziFae - My American Honey

Tovah

Tovah meaning "God is good". Accented with the faux dove-grey ostrich leather, this bag has such soft colors. Perfect to wear "messenger-style", the strap is adjustable to fit your desired length. It is fully-lined in white and brown giraffe print. $50.95 plus S&H.

Paisley

 Adorable! This bag is slightly flared at the bottom with and has a bow that wraps to the front. It has a double silver chain on one side, which really makes the design complete. It is fully-lined in a white and brown giraffe print. $54.95 plus S&H. (Update...this bag is now sold. If you are interested in the fabric or style, let me know.)

Thank you to my two beautiful nieces, Jade & Jasimine.

Meela

I love the Meela. The soft blue and striking coral are complimented by the dove-grey, faux ostrich leather. The inside lining is the icing on the cake! Fully lined in a navy with light teal polka-dots. This bag is made to wear on the shoulder and has a double-strap just to be unique. $60.95 plus S&H. (Update...this bag is now sold. If you are interested in the fabric or style, let me know.)

Stella!

Stella because this bag is such an attention-getter. This is a larger bag, fully-lined, dual interior pocket (one just for your cell phone) with a gold magnetic snap closure. I love the gold accented chain on the strap! $65.95 plus S&H. (Update...this bag is now sold. If you are interested in the fabric or style, let me know.)

Fabulous Makeover!

I am absolutely thrilled with my new blog design. All thanks to Brooke Foreman of RightLeft Studio! She's amazing.

I hope you like it as well. Take a moment to click on the links at the top of the site. And over to your right you can click on the link to send me an email or connect directly to my Facebook page. Too cool!

Thank you Brooke!

Ready to Win?

Today only, the first person to refer 10 of your friends to my Facebook - Daylin Skye Designs page gets a free surprise design from me! Your friends must "Like" the Daylin Skye Designs page AND post a comment today on the page saying who referred them. Any questions, please email me at daylinskye@yahoo.com. I am excited to see who wins!

Baby Love Wednesday!

Don't look into his eyes....you'll lose your heart! Uh-Oh....too late!

Coming July 10th!

I am super excited about the new bags I'll be introducing on Monday July 10th! I've given a few of my peeps a preview and so far the feedback is 100% positive. Can't wait!

Be on the lookout for a few surprises and give-aways in the next few days....

peace...

Baby Love Wednesday

Have you ever seen a baby so cute you wanted to share their photo with the world? I have! His name is Isaiah Lui, or as his mommy calls him, "Papi". He is the cutest little man!

50% off Winner - Audrey Hudson Sullivan

So using the "True Random Number Generator", the winner of the 50% off coupon is my sweet friend, Audrey Hudson Sullivan. (Sunshine!)

Congrats Audrey!

The "Rosabella"

The Rosabella. Meaning "beautiful rose" in Italian, because the leatherette rose I attached on the front is one I bought while I was in Italy.

Stylish and bright on the outside and fully lined in a giraffe print with a magnetic snap closure. The bag is designed to wear messenger style (accross your body), however the length of the strap is adjustable if you prefer to wear the bag on your shoulder. The bag is 10 1/2 wide x 8 1/2 tall.
$55.00 plus S&H

Gigi's Gals

 

This is the Gigi's Gals Bag. 50% of the proceeds from this bag will go to the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk for the Cure - Team Gigi's Gals. This bag is available in two sizes. Medium for $40 and Large for $50. This bag is fully lined with a pearl snap for closure.

I am SO happy to support Team "Gigi's Gals". Please read the following note from team leader, Shari Laughlin.

My daughter Sara and I will be walking 60 miles for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day. This will be our second walk together and my third walk. It is one of the most rewarding things we have done. This year our team is called:

“GIGI’s GALS”

Gigi, is my mother in law and was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago. We are thankful, that it was caught early and that treatment has been successful. This is the third diagnosis of breast cancer in our family, please help us to help them, find a cure before anyone else in your or our families is affected.

The first walk I did, I thought I was doing something tremendous to find a cure for a devastating disease, which is true. But it is so much more…

It gives a resource to raise needed monies to the research groups to continue their fight and find a cure.  It gives the survivors continued hope and a way to communicate their hope to those still fighting, it gives those grieving a way to share their loss but also gain tools to heal, it gives people like you a me a way to give back, to hear incredible stories of survival, loss and continued hope for our friends, families, daughters and granddaughters. No one comes out the same!

Sara and I are writing you to ask you to join us on this journey. Either by walking with our team or helping us reach our goals of $2300 each so we can participate in the 2011 Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. 

If you are interested in joining our team or donating you can log onto http://www.the3day.org/ then just follow the steps for registration or donations. Our team name is “GIGI’s GALS” and we are walking in San Diego the weekend prior to Thanksgiving starting on November 18th.  We are registered under Shari Laughlin and Sara McDermott.

http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2011/SanDiegoEvent2011?px=1024549&pg=personal&fr_id=1627 

The Nancy

The Nancy

The Nancy

The Emmy

The Nancy

The Sh'mame MacSac

A Whole New Sh'mame
Pronounced, Sha-may-m,

this fabric combo is
classy, adorable

and very eye catching.

$49.90 + S&H 

You've really got a hold on me!

The sturdy and durable silver clasp is easy

to remove for different carrying options.

An inside view - The Sh'mame MacSac

Lined in a soft aqua satin to keep your

iPad from getting scratched.

An inside view - The Nancy MacSac

Lined in a beautiful eggplant satin with magnetic snaps

for closure. Your iPad will fit comfortably in here! (or

whatever you chose to put inside...)

 

Up close and personal - The Nancy MacSac

The Nancy MacSac

This version of the Nancy Mac Sac has a teal embossed leather look with the original leather sewn on top.

$49.90 + S&H

Aly-Bug II

I've added a few pleats and ruffles for a little extra girly-girl look. This is truly adorable!

The Sh'mame Sac! I'm in love!

I'm head-over-heels for this adorable MacSac! From the linen-look and feel (without the wrinkles!) fabric combination to the sweet pleats, to the soft aqua satin lining. I simply love it. So much so that I was seriously tempted to keep it for myself. This MacSac is a limited edition fabric combo and once the fabric is gone, it's gone. It lists for $65 plus $6 shipping and handling. Remember, no two MacSacs are exactly alike.
(this item is sold)

Win the Nancy Sac!

If you follow Daylin Skye Designs on Facebook, you know that I am having my first give away! To enter your name in the drawing all you need to do is share my latest post about the give away on your own Facebook page, and then come back to the original post and in the comments section let me know that you "Shared" and you are in!

All those who follow my page on Facebook get notified of freebies, discounts and new Mac-Sacs. What is it American Express says...it pays to be a member? It does!

To receive the updates and notifications simply search, "Daylin Skye Designs" on Facebook and then "Like" the page. You are set! In like Flynn!

You can enter once a day, I will announce the winner on Tuesday!

Tell your friends!

Grazie!~

The Lanie Beach Sac

New in the shop! This 15 x 15 tote is a bit roomier for those extra items you want to take to the beach or park. The wide straps are super comfy for wearing messenger style.

"T" Sac - New Fabric

New in the shop! This slightly smaller version of the Mac-Sac, is for those "other" tablet users...smile. It is fully lined and has eye-catching gold clasps. This is a no flap version of the first Mac-Sac I made and the one I carry. I love this new fabric! Let me know what you think.

Such a beautiful model!

Awww.... Love that smile! I'm so glad she likes her sac!

Aly-bug Sac

A lady bug sac for a cute little someone special. So fun!

The Kay Sac

As promised, here is the photo of the of the sac I made for the little sister. This was fun although not so much fun when I sewed the wrong pieces together three times... Smile!

The Rae Sac

This little sac is perfect for the girly-girl! Custom made for a special little Rae of sunshine just in time for Easter. I love these fabrics. I'm also whipping up one for her little sister of course it won't be the same! Coming soon...The Kay Sac...

The Savi Sac

My cousin and her family are stateside, visiting from England. So I threw together a sac for her beautiful daughter. I was so happy that she liked it! When I gave it to her she promptly put it on and didn't take it off for quite a while. That was a huge compliment! She makes the Savi Sac look good.