HOME DECOR TIPS

Interior Designer and Home Decorator, Ani Brioso, from Twyne Designs shows us how to transform a vintage sink into a household decorative item.

Straight from beautiful Roswell, Georgia, Ani shows us how easily one can transform an old piece of junk, into a vintage piece that can be used as home decor, whether for the interior of your home or outdoor.

Check it out.

NOTE:  Twyne Tips are weekly and can be viewed at Twyne Designs FB page

FEATURED ARTIST - ANI BRIOSO

My 1st featured artist on the Mommy Warrior blog, is my dear friend, and guest blogger, Ani Brioso, of Twyne Designs.  Ani is a single mother of two beautiful young girls and an interior decorator/set designer.

She has struggled enormously to give her daughters the best, especially after her divorce.  She and the girls moved almost 6 times in the last nine years. She works from her home in order to be there for her girls.  "Raising two teenage girls alone is not easy at all, so I want to be there for them as much as I can be," says Brioso.

She is not only a hard-working mom but she is an amazingly talented artist.  Her unique personality and creative nature are what make her one of South Florida's up & coming artists.

She previously worked for one of the largest Hispanic networks in the U.S. as a set designer and is currently the owner and head designer at Twyne Designs.

Here are some of her custom-made designs and paintings:

If you are interested in obtaining a custom-made piece for your business or home, you can reach her via her Facebook page on Twyne Designs.

You can also find Ani on Instagram :

and on Twitter:

or on her YouTube Channel:

DAY 2 - TEEN WITH NO CELL

 I woke up today being grateful for the 2 little girls that God has given me.  My life with them after my divorce has been difficult. At time, I even wonder if it has been a punishment for my divorce.  But I know deep in my heart and soul that getting a divorce was the best thing for my girls. Why? Because they got the REAL ME AS A MOM.  A mom that no matter what I have been thru is a happy mom when she is with them. They might drive me nuts at times, where I would want some peace, but I would not trade it for anything in the world. My girls are my world. And I always knew that I had to be happy within myself to be the mom that I knew that I could be.  I knew that I had married a good and hard working man but I was not happy after several years.  I also knew that I loved him but not the way a wife should be "in Love" with a husband.  I preferred to see him happy with someone who really is in love with him instead of someone who is with him because "she is the mother to his children."  Sometimes, we feel that the best thing is to stay together for the kids, when in reality, some situations make it worse for the kids. What is truly important, is that the parents get along, work as a team & show their children how much they are loved, valued and teach them all that you can. The worse for kids is having a mom & dad constantly fighting, yelling, cursing, seeing no love between a man & woman, no team either as a married couple or a divorced couple.  But that is a whole different story to talk about....

It is funny because this past weekend I decided to take  away my oldest daughter's cell phone.  Yes! She felt her life was over and "wanted to die" but she has not even realized it herself yet, how she has already begun to change in a good way.  We as humans have become so wrapped up in having our cell phones become part of our wardrobe or part of our body that we do not even realize it.  Many of us go insane if something happens to our phone.  I know I have.  I have my pictures stored in it of my kids, I have all my contacts from friends to clients, I use it as my calculator, to check social media, to hear music, to read about the weather & what is happening in the world..... BUT I have and am trying to not have it as part of my hip.  I have it when I am working or during working hours and at times I leave it behind & even forget where I left it to the point that I need my "other half" to call me so I can find it....LOL!   I do not miss it at times, yet I do not rely on it quite as much. There was even a time when we sat down at the dinner table and each of us had our phones. Now, we sit at the table and just talk, leaving our phones elsewhere.  

And now it has even become easier since my teenagers do not have their phones - LOL!  I know they do not find it funny.

I am thankful on a daily basis for having a home, food, clothing, my kids, my other half, my family & friends.  I thank God daily for making me as strong as he has, enabling me to overcome so much.  This morning I held my daughter's hand as I drove her to school.  Before she got down I reminded her that I adore her & that I am here for her to talk.  She said I know & smiled.   I watched her walk away once more without her phone & her head was held up high looking at her surroundings & most probably just thinking, finding her thoughts & herself.   When I arrived at home, I sat by the lake, closed my eyes and thanked God.   I took in the beauty of mother nature as I closed my eyes, breathing in the air, feeling the sun & listening to the birds, as I visualized only the good that will be coming my way.

A weird thing I also thought about today, was that last night, my youngest daughter's cell phone "died!" Kaput! It no longer works! And boy,  oh boy, did she too think her life was over!  Funny thing was, I overheard her older sister tell her that she needed to make the best of it, that "it's not the end of the world" but she did know how she felt. 

Made me think...... My "little" one who is my character, my "mini-me," even told me that now without her cell phone, she would fall asleep in school. Can you imagine?  I told her that she should not even have it out in school, but she explained how she listens to her music when the teachers allow the students to have some "down time."  Another "hhhmmmm?" for me.

We shall see how this goes, but I will say, that I am starting to like these teenagers with no cell phones."  We have plans of watching a movie at home tonight after homework.  Last night, we watched TV ("The Voice") as a family.  

My goal is to try to get my girls to enjoy life better, with not so much technology - to enjoy their moments, their family, to laugh more, to go outside and feel the sun on their faces, etc....

We have another change coming soon and in that next phase, I would love to even get them to love the outdoors and learn to grow their own vegetables or garden. I have a goal and it is to teach my girls to enjoy more of their surroundings and life instead of being hooked on wireless!  And my other goal is for making this public, in the hopes that other parents will do the same and start dedicating more quality & smart time together because, believe me, we never know. We trust our children, we believe they will never do anything or get in any trouble, until one day either it happens to us, it happens to our best friend or we hear it elsewhere.  I just have seen too many kids where the parents do not want to be bothered with their kids & that is not how it should be.  Kids are not asked to be brought into this world!!!  We brought them!

Hope everyone has an Awesome Day!!! ~Ani

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TEENS WITHOUT CELLPHONES

 by Ani Brioso/Guest Blogger 

Something ALL PARENTS SHOULD THINK ABOUT & TEENS WILL HATE ME!  Just over the weekend I took away my 14-year old's cell phone away.  I never wanted my girls to have cell phones at such a young age but their aunt & grandmother love to spoil my girls & bought them one for Christmas about 2 years ago.  Never did I think that an iPhone could be such a problem for my teenager.  Ever since I allowed these gadgets, they listen to their music blasting, they text, they get on the internet & ZONE OUT from the world. When they get upset because you do not let them go somewhere or they feel they have no life, they zone into their phone & ZONE OUT of life! I am not saying that they have completely been a nightmare.

I have been a single mom for 9 years. My daughters have been and are my world.  I have not been the type of mom that leaves her children at someone else's house, nor the type of mom that leaves her kids alone at the house to go to a bar, nor the type of mom who even goes out for some drinks with the girlfriend's "to get a break" & drop them off at someone's house so I can go have fun. 

Now, for those who know me well, you know I am far from a hypocrite.  This does not mean that I have not wanted to have a break or go out.  I just have chosen to not do such things.  Their dad is not the type of dad who sees them much (I am not going into that conversation, right now).... I have been and am the type of mom who has tried to talk to my daughters so much about the realities of life.  Maybe at times I have spoken too much, as some may say.   I have been criticized yet I do not care because those are words of others that are not the ones who are battling through life with my girls.

I have made mistakes as we all do & tell my girls that parenting does not come with a Guide book when they are born.  I laugh with my girls and act like a complete fool, which is just ME & they love it.  I remind them daily how much I adore them & how proud I am of them.   I try to explain how there father does love them even though he is not around. I explain how everyone loves differently, how boys will try to cop a feel, how boys will lie to get what they want & how friends come & go. I explain how having faith, being who YOU are is what matters & how having an education is the one thing that no one can take from you.   I support them in doing what they love, having a passion for something & trying to teach them to give it there all in life & NEVER QUIT. They have seen me not sleep to make deadlines, they have seen me not eat so they eat.  I will not hide what we have been through.  At times our power has been disconnected because I could not pay it on time & we had a slumber party in the back of my Durango (car) and it was our "little secret."  We have ducked tape my mattress, yet been grateful for having a mattress and bought that  "foamy thing" so mom forgets that she sleeps on a mattress with duck tape. I have moved several times trying to find the one city mom can do well in and that is a nice environment for them to be raised.  I have moved into a city where the wealthy live all for the sake of sending them to a good school yet in one location we found out the neighbor was a drug dealer.   This is just some of my story.

Needless to say, I have tried and will die trying to be a good mom showing my girls what I think is the best for them. But with technology, which I understand is a great thing, it can also be the devil for kids at such a young age.

I hate to hear how teenagers are having sex, doing drugs, dressing like sluts & guys dressing like fools.  I am far from old-fashioned -  I love fashion. The only problem I have had now, is that from so much stress, I have gone through, I let myself go and have not taken care of myself and am at my heaviest, so I do not feel very pretty being fashionable - LOL!

I see girls with these shorts where their butt cheeks come out, parents giving their daughter's implants at 16, 17 & 18 only teaching them what counts is how you look on the outside.  Kids are on their cell phones so much that "real" conversations do not exist.  They arrive from school and go to their rooms to do homework with the cells & yes, mine have done that too at times and so much more that I can say.

BUT WE AS PARENTS DO NOT REALIZE THE HARM.  Since my daughter's phone was taken away, we spend more time talking. Yesterday, she did her homework next to her younger sister & asked for advice. She watched cartoons with her sister & myself. We laughed more (and we laugh lots in my house with my craziness - LOL!)

Just this morning, as I dropped her off in school, as I saw her walking, crossing the street, SHE HAD NO OTHER CHOICE TO LOOK UP & AROUND AT HER SURROUNDINGS.   She had to look at the trees, birds, other people, swinging her arms with her head held up. Such a brief moment made such an impact on me.  I enjoyed seeing it & I cried because all I want her to know & understand, is how much I love her, I adore her, how proud I am of her, how I will support her and how I want to give her so much more in life.

We have just started another chapter in our lives and this one I know will be a bumpy ride.   I just might need a few glasses of wine - LOL! But I have made a decision and my teen might hate me, but she will not be seeing a cell phone for quite some time and will learn to enjoy life without it.

We soon will be making another change, only God knowing where we will be, but I am determined to make the next chapter in our lives a better one, enjoying family, quality time much more and  enjoying mother nature's beauty.

Let's stop caring about what gadgets to give our kids to make them happy, to shut them up so they can keep up with the others and let's start trying to make a difference into raising our daughters to be great, descent, caring girls and raise boys to be gentlemen, both striving to be better individuals who have goals, who will be fighters, who will work hard.

I have a feeling you will hear from me again, as this is just the beginning of how I feel.....  

Love & Be True!!!  ~Ani

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