Sonya Nimri

Neon is everywhere this Spring, and it turns out some of it looks better than others.  I've seen people wearing it against lots of stark black and white outfits, and while the color does pop, watch out! Pull it off and you might look like a little ray of sunshine. But overdo it, and you're a walking Caution Cone. Yikes. As a general rule, little pops of neon in accessories always beat giant bending swaths around ones derriere (though if I saw the right skirt combo, I might just be persuaded...).  With that in mind, and because I'm in a bracelet re-doing mode these days, I decided to reinvent these salvaged plain silver bangles that I've had forever and would most likely never wear again.  Until now, anyway.  Check 'em out. I wanted the silver to peek through here so I chipped the paint off while it was not entirely dry. 1.  Take a stack of silver bangles and mask the inside so they are easier to handle/paint. 2.  Spray paint with Krylon neon...

Spring bangles are one of those things that I make at the beginning of the season and love throughout the summer.  They're an easy way add to a fun pop of color to any outfit, and can just as easily be coordinated with a wide variety of outfits with nothing more than some bangles you have already, embroidery floss, and a few dabs of hot glue. Nothing says summer like color, and with these vivid bangles the sun is always shining (of course, it is  California)... The original from Madewell.com 1.  Take a bangle that you already have.  I know I found 4 wooden and plastic ones that I would never wear again just sitting in my jewelry.  I'm sure everyone has a few. 2.  Cut a 4-5 foot piece of embroidery thread.  The longer the thread, the Find the middle and make a loop with embroidery floss around the bangle. 3.  Wrap the floss so it doesn't overlap itself in the front. 4.  Add a tiny dab of hot glue ...

Mother's day is almost here and a quick and easy project that mom will cherish forever is this kid-friendly (besides the spray painting), bric-a-brac frame that Mom will love hanging by her bedside or place in a prominent place in the house. Choosing a photo first and if the frame will be hanging or propped up on it's own will help you figure out a flat side that will require fewer adornments. The final frame of my adorable son Agrippa when he was 2.  Even though it's so textured, notice how the picture stands out against the white of the frame. 1.  This might take your kids a while to do but it's a fun process!  We glued all sorts of things to the frame including beads, foam stickers, silk flowers, sea glass, and even buttons.  Remember it needs a night to dry so if you need it done by Sunday, get crackin'. 2.  Spray at least 5 coats white glossy paint.  I used Krylon White Semi-Gloss The fiberous pom-poms weren't painting so well (see to...

In case you were wondering why I've been so quiet lately, it's because I'm utterly exhausted from this pilot I just worked on over the last week.  It was a massive balancing act with lots of babysitters, coordinating with Grippy's preschool for late pick-ups and driving like a mad-woman down the 405 to get to shoots way the heck off my radar in "the Valley".  Let's just say, I'm relieved it's over.  The good thing is that my studio is done too.  This has been a work in progress over the past year and finally I had the perfect excuse for my contractor to be absolutely done- I gave him a few pretend shoot dates just to get it finished sooner but not being a very good liar this didn't work... finally, and thankfully, he finished right in time the night before for the real shoot.  Here are photos of my lovely studio!! This was a drab, exposed wood frame uninsulated garage before.  Tom added white walls, a glass door, two skylights and an awes...

I recently fell in love with this dainty little patchwork scarf at Anthropologie with hand crocheted edges.  Handmade in Morrocco, it cost a pretty penny-$248.00 for something I thought would easily made in a couple of hours.  I cheated the edges a little, just using a yellow blanket stitch around the edge instead of a complicated crochet stitch.  I also made it an infinity scarf because I love the way infinity scarves drapes without the end of the scarf to deal with. My inspiration with a steep $248.00 price-tag. Lovely vintage fabric samples from my dear friends at Zinnia Crafts in Pasadena. Straight stitched together, then folded and stitched on the reverse side 1/4 inch in from the first stitch to seal the edge. James trying to get in on the scarf making action. The full length of the scarf.  It's final size is 48" long x 13" wide Blanket-stitch around the edge.  At first I thought it wasn't going to be noticeable b...

Like every other mom with an eye for the environmental future, I seem to have unwittingly built up an armory of recyclable shopping bags well beyond my actual needs.  I have large ones, small ones, some made of recycled plastic bottles, some of vinyl, some of canvas.  While I do use one or two every day for everything from toys to groceries to diapers to a last-chance change of clothes and a few wipes while out on the road(essential, btw...), the fact is that if I was to fill up every one of my bags on a single trip I'd need a military convoy to carry everything home. No one needs that much stuff. But every mom needs a tote. So I'm looking to downsize my own collection and hand off some convenient carrying-capacity to a new mom in need.  This particular re-constituted tote I made for a friend of mine who just had her first baby boy 3 months ago (okay, okay, I run late...).  His name is Niko so I thought a big "N" would get him on the letter train early.  I ...

It's not like every every artistic challenge I take on isn't an adventure in and of itself BUT...my friend Dany's wedding crown was a project that I was so totally excited to work on. Even more so than usual. See, this was payback time. Not only because Dany is such an amazing artist, and did an awesome job illustrating my two books- Beadalicious, and Just for the Frill of It , but on top of that she helped me make a beautiful handmade photo album for my wedding and, well, she's just an awesome girl who I love hanging out with. And I'm so supremely happy for her to finally have found a deserving match.  So for her wedding crown, I wanted to make something not only beautiful, but comfortable.  Dany is having a salsa-dancing wedding (how she and her hubby met) and I want her to be able to dance her little heart out without her head hurting from a harsh wire headband putting pounding pressure behind her ears (certainly not the good kind of accupressure). You can dance ...