Visit to Byodo In and Waimea Valley

Today sure was long! We went to Byodo In Temple on the Windward side first, then had lunch, then headed up to the North Shore to visit Waimea Valley.

Byodo In is a Buddhist temple here in Hawaii that's located in the Valley of the Temples. It's a beautiful structure that's modeled after a temple in (I believe) Kyoto, Japan. I've read that there are no nails in the entire building.

It's really a peaceful, tranquil place. There's a koi pond with swans and some very unfriendly peacocks.

The drive up to the North Shore took a little bit, but we headed up past (Historic!) Haleiwa. We got stuck in traffic right next to Waimea Bay (yep, the one the Beach Boys sang about.) It was pretty amazing because as we looked over the bay, we could see a pod of dolphins. We weren't sure they were dolphins at first since they weren't spinning, but swimmers were trying to get close, so we were reasonably sure (hopeful) that they weren't sharks. They started jumping around and splashing and that's when we realized they were really dolphins.

I've lived here for almost three years and never seen a dolphin in the wild. It was a pretty neat thing to see. (Just in case any one was curious, the lifeguards made the people get away, thankfully. In Hawaii, it's a crime to approach wild dolphins or sea turtles.)

Since we were in a moving car, I didn't get any pictures of the dolphins, but I did get a fairly decent shot of the waterfall at the top of Waimea Valley.

People were swimming all over the pool and hanging out at the bottom of the waterfall, but I managed to snap that photo.

All in all, it was a tiring day, but lots of fun. It was awesome to hang out with Lyndsey, who is just learning how to photograph. I don't think I captured anything truly amazing, but it was still a great day.

Taking A Tour of the Island Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, Lyndsey and I are taking a tour of Hawaii via her minivan. I'm pretty excited about it because it'll be the first time I take my shiny new camera out. I'm also mildly paranoid about taking the camera out.

Hawaiian landmarks like Pali Lookout, Halona Blowhole and other sites that you drive straight up to are hot spots for thieves. Rental cars in particular are targeted. It's probably because few tourists are around long enough to prosecute.

The last time we drove out to Halona Blowhole, I took the path down to the cove, snapped some shots, then went back up. In that short amount of time, someone had walked up to a rental car, smashed the window, stolen the handbag in the passenger seat and split. I watched to see who walked back to that car, then went to see if I could help at all. The couple who had rented the car had recently arrived on holiday from German and were scared and horrified that their personal items were stolen. I helped them call 911 and talked to the operator for them. I was surprised that the rental agency hadn't warned them that rental cars are targeted by thieves. I really felt bad for them that  I guess it says a lot about Germany that the woman thought nothing of leaving her handbag in the front seat.

So, yeah, nervous about taking the shiny, new expensive camera out. I am excited to be out taking photos without any children to cater to. I'm hoping I might be so lucky as to take a few good length shots in front of beautiful scenery, but my hair might not cooperate. (My hair tangles terribly with the slightest breeze.)

I'm hoping to post some awesome shots here tomorrow. I hope you guys don't mind photos of island paradise. ;-)

On Shorter Hair

I've had a bit of feedback and I wanted to clarify my stand on hair a little bit.

So, I have long hair. This blog focuses more on long hair than anything else, I would say. I like long hair, if it's healthy.

Recently, I've had friends with longer hair apologize to me because they cut off their hair. I guess I come across a little too strongly in favor of long hair.

I don't want you guys to get the wrong impression about me. I'm not anti-short hair. I like short hair almost as much as I like long. I just like hair. If a person takes joy or pleasure from their hair, it makes me happy.

I know in my own life, I have cut off large amounts of hair on three separate occasions. It was the right time for me to lose that length and it felt wonderful. I felt like a new person. It was a liberating experience. 

So, please, don't apologize because you've cut your hair or enjoy having shorter hair. Enjoy your hair, no matter the length (or texture.)

Photos For Photography Contest

I'm considering entering a local photography exhibit. It's the judging kind, so I'm a little nervous about it. I hope to enter more contests in the future, but I figured this would be the perfect one to get my feet wet. I have no expectations of winning anything, but if I get feedback about my photos, I would be satisfied with that.

I can't decide what photos to enter (you can enter up to three.) I'd like to do three to have a better chance of placing.

What do you guys think of the following photos? They're just the first I'm considering submitting. I plan to go out and take photos before I submit my entry.

So, do you have a favorite among these? These were taken with my old FujiFilm S5200. I'd love to hear any feedback and input you guys might have.

Honestly, I don't care too much for the macro shots, but they've proven popular among the people I've asked.

I haven't mentioned that my new camera arrived. I absolutely love it. I'm still learning about the camera (the manual has at least 200 pages,) but I'm planning to go out on Monday and start taking photos.

Oh, and here, just for fun, a little Winnie:

Cool Find: Natural Cleaning Products (with Promotion)

I have a confession to make; I'm addicted to Clorox cleaning wipes. They're just so convenient, all pre-moistened and you just yank them right out of the canister. I also really like paper towels, although I'm really trying to quit those.

Anyway, I've recently found an Etsy shop that sells items that may make cleaning wipe and paper towel withdrawal a little easier.

Picnicbasketcrafts sells these neat plastic containers with lemony fresh goodness.  You place the cleaning solution (included) into the container with your washcloths or reusable cleaning towels. Voila! You have cleaning wipes easily at your disposal! The cleaning solution cleans really well, too. It easily tackled my post-dinner clean-up.

The solution consists of lemon juice, soap, alcohol, tea tree oil and lemon essential oil.

Two packs of cleaning solution for all-purpose cleaning (mopping, countertops, etc) and glass surface are sold for $6. They're meant to be diluted in water and put into a spray bottle (reuse!) or the wipe container. I've had success with putting a dab on a cloth, getting the cloth wet, then using it. That's when I'm being lazy, of course.

I also bought some luscious organic reusable "paper" towels. They're so soft and the texture easily takes on counter top crud. They come in packs of six for $9.50 for unbleached organic (shown below) and $7 for the "Fun Mix" (shown in the wipe container.)

I think the nicest thing about this Etsy shop is that a portion of every sale goes to Heart of the Mountains Hospice in Granby, CO. To find out more about Heart of the Mountain, check out their website here.

Anyway, Picnicbasketcrafts is offering a promotion to readers of this blog. If you place an order, you have your selection of free lip balm or a trial size of her new zinc oxide baby balm. Just specify in the "Notes to Seller" what your choice is and that I sent you.

**I wanted to clarify something here, as well. I'm not paid and I don't get a kickback from the stores I "pimp" out. These are items I personally purchase with my money. If they work well or happen to be something I really believe in as a product, I like to share them with you guys. I always ask permission to blog about them first, and they often offer specials for you guys. How cool is that?!**

As a side note, I went shopping today with my reusable produce bags and the baggers were really impressed with them. The checkout clerk and baggers kept asking me where I got the bags from and thought they were totally neat. So, they're grocery store approved!

Monistat...A Follow-up

My eldest child picked up a case of ringworm last week. Ringworm grosses me out to no end, so as soon as I discovered it, I began slathering it with the Monistat I had lying around the house. To those that are confused by this, ringworm is a fungus, similar to oral thrush or jock itch (really!) Monistat treats fungal infections of all kinds, not just those of the lady bits.

In treating my son, I ran out of the *good* Monistat and sent my husband out for more. (Interesting side note- the Monistat did nothing for the ringworm. I finally ended up trying Tea Tree Oil after finding the suggestion on the internet and within a few days, it was dried up and gone. So, if you get ringworm, try Tea Tree Oil.)

My husband, well intentioned as he may have been, picked up the *wrong* kind of Monistat.  He bought generic 2% miconazole nitrate. I figured it was a perfect time to give the other stuff a trial run. For those of you wondering if it makes a difference, let me tell you now, it does.

First off, the generic 2% made my hair greasy and piece-y looking, like I hadn't washed in a while. The brand name stuff just goes onto my scalp and my hair looks no different that it did before I applied. I washed, air dried, then applied and was horrified to see how terrible my hair looked. I had to wear it up until the next wash day. I like to wear it down the day I wash, so this upset me a bit.

Second, I saw absolutely no difference in growth. With the brand name 4%, I saw at least an inch of new growth within the same time period. I had new growth around my hairline and my hair was thicker. With the 2%, nothing, nada, nope, zilch.

Honestly, if it worked, I would suffer through the greasy hair. Since it did nothing, the generic stuff is going into the trash. I'll pay extra for the brand name next time.

Cool Find: Reusable Produce Bags

***WHOOPS! I am so sorry. AMKdesigns is **NOT**closed. I put the wrong link and have now corrected it. My apologies!**

I know, I know. TWO posts in one day? The first one was unplanned, so this is the *real* post.

I know this has nothing to do with hair or photography and it's not really a random musing, but I thought it was so cool, I had to share.

Most people I know are doing at least something green. And not everyone I know is "crunchy." Even my conservative, Republican father is eating only organic food.

We try to recycle as much as we can (my husband breaks down the boxes toys come in down to peeling the plastic off the cardboard.) We try to remember to bring our reusable grocery bags. It's not just to be green, those bags hold a lot more than the plastic ones and we get $.05 off. Yeah, I know, big whoop, $.05. It's the little things here, people! We also cloth diaper our youngest because we felt guilty throwing away diapers that just sit in the landfill for hundreds of years. My husband swears it's cheaper, too, but at $20 a diaper, I strongly doubt it.

Anyway, I'm not sanctimonious about it. I understand why people use disposable diapers. I'm not judging those who chose not to recycle or use reusable bags.

A friend of mine uses a phrase that I really like: "conveniently green". Basically, if you use just one cloth diaper once, that's one less diaper in the landfill. Doing little things that don't make life that much harder for you can make a difference. We try to live conveniently green.

Moving along...I loathe those flimsy plastic produce bags with a fiery passion. They're difficult to open and they don't hold large things like bunches of bananas. Try putting leeks in one- I'll bet you can't close that bad boy.

I found a seller on Etsy that makes these mesh reusable produce bags. They're awesome! They come with their own carrying bag. The carrying bag comes in a bunch of different patterns and the mesh bags close with a drawstring ribbon that matches the carrying bag. The bag also has a connector to attach it to your reusable grocery bags or the inside of your purse or your belt loop. Convenient!

 ***Just in!! If you make a purchase from AKMDesigns on Etsy between now and June 30th, mention "Jessica sent me" in the notes and Andrea will send some extra items in your order!!*** 

Open:

Closed:

They close tightly and you don't have to fumble with trying to tie that flimsy plastic. The package comes with six reusable bags and all of them, believe it or not, fold up very small to fit in the carrying bag.

I bought an extra three XL bags for larger items. Those things are so big, I could fit TWO bunches of bananas in them. If you're like me and buy a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, you'll find these things awesome!

If you want to buy your own awesome set, you can find them at http://www.etsy.com/shop/amkdesigns . Mine came super fast and are very well made.

 ***Just in!! If you make a purchase from AKMDesigns on Etsy between now and June 30th, mention "Jessica sent me" in the notes and Andrea will send some extra items in your order!!***

New Tutorial: How to S&D

Aamba, this one is for you!

The Truth About Trims

I've recently taken up a new hobby.

I know it sounds crazy, but from September 2007 until May 2010, nothing sharp touched my hair. No trims, nothing.

I started to doubt the health of my hair. How could one go two and a half years without a single haircut? People didn't believe me when I told them that.

It's true, though. I remember my last haircut because it was a doozy. After that, every time I thought about getting a trim, I remembered my last haircut.

I was told that I needed to trim in order for my hair to grow. That somehow, your hair grows faster if you trim. That doesn't even make any sense! Your hair follicles magically know that your ends have been trimmed and that stimulates growth? B.S., I say.

I do think that it may have the appearance of faster growth. If you're having breakage from the bottom, it's going to seem like you're not growing. You are growing, but your growth is breaking off. If you need to trim (and a lot of people honestly do,) you are having decreased breakage, causing gained length.

I guess I'm one of those super lucky people. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I wasn't always this gentle with my hair. I remember ripping a brush through my wet tangles, listening to the sound of my hair breaking and thinking nothing of it.

When I finally started to evaluate my hair, last November, I surveyed the damage, thinking I would have to cut a huge amount of my hair off due to self-inflicted damage. I was amazed to discover my length was in pretty good shape. I started pampering my hair, using moisturizing treatments, gentle combing through tangles with a yak's horn comb, and giving up the elastics for wooden hairsticks and forks and I think it's helped a lot.

So, new hobby. I've started to S&D. That's "Seek and Destroy" and it involves bright light and a sharp pair of scissors. I literally go through my hair, strand by strand, looking for split ends. Once found, I snip them off just above the break. It's time consuming, but it's fun to do while watching reruns of Buffy and it's just so damn satisfying. "SNIP!" Plus, I preserve the length.

I know that if I went into a salon and asked for a trim, they'd probably insist on cutting inches off (because that's what's happened every time I've been in a salon.) I know my hair isn't damaged. The longest split was under an inch and most are just at the tip of my hair. The vast majority of my hair is split-free. No need for a drastic cut.

So, if you're looking to grow and want to forsake the salon, S&D. I think you'll find it's immensely satisfying to cut the split ends out and watch them fall to the floor.

Finally...A New Camera!

I have exciting news (well, exciting for me, anyways.)

Anyone who knows anything about me knows I love to take photography. I'm not awesome, but I'm getting better all the time and I just really enjoy doing it. I've been wanting to upgrade from my Fujifilm Finepix S5200 camera for a while.

I tried upgrading the S5200 by buying some cheap aftermarket lenses. It was then that I really realized how limited I was by my camera. I'd learned all about how to work my camera and how to use it. I've been taking online photography courses to really help me understand ISO, aperture and shutter settings.

My puny little built in flash was really frustrating. Being able to zoom in and see things that I can't light up with my flash is so irritating.

I've been reading over reviews of entry level DSLR cameras. I wasn't sure which brand to go with. The two big ones are, of course, Canon and Nikon, but there are other good brands, such as Olympus, Sony and Panasonic.

I figured that my best bet would be to buy an affordable body and save my money to buy better lenses. I plan to keep the body for as long as I possibly can and just upgrade with the lenses and accessories.

After weighing all the options, I decided to go with either the Nikon D3000 or D5000. Since I do YouTube videos and the D5000 is video capable, that made the decision. D5000 it is!

                                                         Nikon D5000 Body


It may seem a little strange to buy a camera that doesn't come with a lens, but upper level camera have separate lenses. I was in luck, though, since good lenses typically start at $200. RitzCamera is having a Father's Day sale and I managed to snag two lenses, the 18-55 VR lens and the 55-200mm, a nice camera bag and DVD (I have no idea why they included a DVD,) along with the body for a reasonable price (about $850).

                                                    18-55 VR Lens

                                                               55-200mm Lens

Since I've been having such a difficult time with my flash, I decided to buy a flash gun. The Nikon SB-600 AF Speedlight Flash went into my cart, as well. It was on the pricey side at about $200, but I really think it's worth it since flash has been one of my main complaints.

I had to buy an 8GB SD card for storage, since my Fuji takes an XD card I can't reuse that with the Nikon. I looked for a lens hood for a while, but apparently the 18-55 VR lens comes with one. I bought a filter kit from Amazon.com for $25 and I'm in business.

Future purchases for my camera will be more storage (8GB just isn't enough, of course,) and an extra battery. I'll probably buy more lenses, starting with a nice wide angle lens, but that's a ways off. After shelling out such a huge amount of cash, I'm done with large purchases for a long time. Let's face it, blogging, fun as it may be, doesn't bring in much money.

RitzCamera is one of the better places to purchase camera.They offer free Ground UPS shipping, which is awesome, considering I'm in Hawaii. I'll be stalking my UPS man until my camera arrives, but I can't wait to post new pictures here with my brand spankin' new camera.

If you're considering a new camera, I recommend Cameralabs.com. They have excellent YouTube reviews and a chart to help you figure out what kind of camera is best for your needs.

To Snood, or Not To Snood?

Today I saw something that kind of made me sad. Not sad like cruelty to animals sad, but sad like My Name is Earl got canceled sad.

I took the kids to a local business that's basically a warehouse full of bounce houses. You pay $8 and get to bounce on 6 or 7 bounce houses and giant slides for as long as you want. There was a lady there, studying her "Introduction to Toxicology" text book (yes, I peeked.) She was beautiful, but her hair was this strange blonde that was almost pinkish and had the texture of cotton candy. It reminded me of Barbie's hair. I've never seen hair quite like that, but I think it comes from overprocessing (feel free to correct me.)

My sister is a hair stylist at a trendy Rockabilly themed salon and the minute I get a chance, I'm going to call her and ask her about pink-blond hair.  After all, what do I know? It may be completely intentional and healthy. It just made me wonder.

In my hair news, I'm currently pondering the use of snoods. I split an order of 12 snoods with a dear friend who covers her hair for religious and personal reasons. I showed my husband, who said, "You look like a hot lunch lady." I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I like the idea of snoods. They've been worn in some fashion or another since at least the medieval period. There are many photos of Victorian women sporting snoods (although reenactors battle fiercely over whether they are period correct or not.) They look romantic and can dress up a casual outfit. On the other hand, you can end up looking like you just stumbled out of a Ren Faire. And of course, there's the fact that they're lunch lady chic.

I just can't make up my mind. I posted on a long hair forum, asking whether to Snood or Not To Snood and it seemed evenly divided. Some people didn't seem to mind the snood so much as the fact that they didn't like the fact that my hair was covered. I was flattered, since I don't often have people complain that they can't see my hair properly. As if my hair is really something exciting to see.

So I'm asking you, gentle readers...should I Snood or Not? I wouldn't wear the snood all the time, just once in a while to break things up and to protect my hair. Post in the comments and let me know your vote!

Tangle Teezer Vs. Goody Ouchless Paddle Brush

I've been promising a proper review of the Tangle Teezer and I think it's time I delivered. Today, the Tangle Teezer is facing off with Goody's Ouchless Paddle Brush.

Round One: Size and Shape

The main difference here is the lack of a handle on the Tangle Teezer. I thought that the lack of handle would really bother me, but it doesn't. The Tangle Teezer is molded to fit well in the hand. I have more control over what I'm brushing.

I actually really like not having a handle. Holding tightly to a small cylinder for long periods of time can cause fatigue in your hands, believe it or not. I don't get cramps in my hands from the Tangle Teezer.

The Goody brush does have an advantage over the Tangle Teezer in that the handle can reach farther, but the advantage isn't a big one.

I'm awarding Round One to the Tangle Teezer.

Round Two: Bristles
                           

                                                     Goody Ouchless Brush Bristles

As you can see, the bristles are tipped in plastic and are bent. What makes this brush "Ouchless" is the holes around each bristle. Instead of ripping the hair when the bristle hits a snag, it retracts into the brush. It does make it harder to untangle snarls, though, since it refuses to go through them.

                                                          Tangle Teezer Bristles

The bristles on the Tangle Teezer are almost soft. They're flexible and bend if you apply pressure to them. As you can see, they lack that rubber tip on the end. When they hit a snag, they bend and pull a few hairs from the snarls. In that, they're more efficient at detangling than the Ouchless brush.

This round is a tie because the bristles on the Goody Ouchless brush really are "ouchless," but the Tangle Teezer is better at taking on tangles.

Round Three: Looks

This round is won hands down by the Tangle Teezer. Goody's baby blue plastic brush can't even touch Tangle Teezer's large variety of colors and sizes.  And come on, purple GLITTER?! That's a whole new level of awesome.

The Winner is.....The Tangle Teezer!

You can find the Tangle Teezer on Ebay in assorted colors and sizes. It's a British product, so you may have to shell out a bit for shipping. I found that even with shipping, my Tangle Teezer came out to less than $20; totally worth it in my opinion.

New Arrivals: Nightblooming Hairsticks and A Bit of Tea in Underland

I got my gorgeous new Nightblooming hairsticks! They're of a perfect length and look a lot like arrows. Of course I have action shots!

I love them! They really do look a lot like arrows!

Friday evening! I bought the movie Alice in Wonderland on Blu Ray. I'm a huge fan of Tim Burton, although I seldom admit to it since it's so cliche nowadays. Heck, I even loved Frankenweenie.

I saw the movie in the theater and loved it. I'm sitting here watching it again, and I must say, I am loving Alice's hair. I'm planning a recreation, just for fun.

The first style she wears is constricted and tightly bound, which fits in well with her Victorian constraints. It looks like two twists wrapped like milkmaid braids and firmly pinned into place.

The hairstyles after she enters Underland gets loose and flowing, like her clothing. Absolutely stunning!

It's so nice to see such gorgeous long hair in a  movie. It's a shame that she cut it into a pixie shortly after the movie premiered, though.

Introducing The New Model, Flexi8s and A Bit of Cuteness

I figured it was about time to introduce our new hair model. My neighbor has graciously allowed me to use her hair to experiment on and take pictures. I really feel I can't honestly recommend anything without getting the opinion of someone who has hair completely different from mine.

Lyndsey has color treated, heat styled hair. The ends are currently dry, but she's giving the Triple Moon Anointing Oil a test run to see if it helps out the condition of her ends. I ordered some more Panacea Salve and she'll be using that as soon as it arrives, as well.

This is her hair as it is this evening, washed yesterday and blowdried (I've been trying to get her to put down the blowdryer. She did shelf the flat iron finally!):

As you can see, it's about arm pit length. I've brought over Flexi8s, Ficcare Maximas, lotions, oils, salves, forks, etc, to try them out on her hair. I'll be occasionally posting pictures to show what's working on her hair to help out you folks with hair different from mine.

Here is her hair in a cinnabun held with a Medium Flexi8:

To highlight the differences in our hair, here is mine in the same style with an XXL Flexi8:

We both like the Flexi8 for holding our cinnabuns. She also commented that it didn't bother her and she wasn't aware of it during the day. Often, barrettes and ponytail holders cause her scalp to ache, as she's pretty sensitive.  So, thumbs up for the Flexi8s!

Random cuteness alert! This is my sweet little baby:

Since she's in so many of my hair shots, I figured I'd give her a hair shot of her own. I think she's pretty cute.

She walked off with my Tangle Teezer today and stashed it somewhere in her toy box. I was planning on doing an indepth review of it today, but it will have to wait until I find out where she put it. I guess I should have known purple glittery plastic was up for grabs in this house.

Anyways, stay tuned for my Tangle Teezer review coming soon!

Long Hair Is *So* Boring

I want to do a more indepth review of the Tangle Teezer, but I'm still under the weather. So, an easy post.

I get asked all the time if my hair is "too long" to do much with it. I really don't get this question at all. I think you can do more with long hair than with short. Sure, with short hair, you have that super chic do, but can you put that up in a pony tail?

Anyway, to illustrate my point, I'll show you some of the many pictures of things I've done to my hair.

Look at this Nautilus bun;

I think what makes this special is the beautiful dragonfly Flexi8 keeping it up. I could easily wear this out to a cocktail party or wedding and no one would even know that it took me two minutes to do!

Here's the braided version of the Nautilus:

I absolutely love this photo. Not because my hair looks awesome (although it does,) but because of my baby's head and her little hand sticking up. Baby's first length shot?

Anyways, the braided Nautilus is kind of my signature 'do. I think it makes my hair look fuller, thicker and so fancy. I don't need to use any elastics or hair pins- just the hairstick- to hold my hair up.

Figure 8-

This Figure 8 is one of those things that happens once in a lifetime. It's so big and beautiful, but I'd never be able to reproduce such an awesome Figure 8 in my entire life. I'm just thrilled I got a picture of it before it went to hairstyle heaven.

The Elling Woman style is one of my favorites. Elling Woman was a bog body discovered in Denmark. It is thought that she was a sacrifice to the Gods. Her hair was so well preserved that they were able to tell how it was dressed the day she died. I absolutely love the idea that women today are wearing the same style that women wore thousands of years ago.

ETA: This is a link to more information about Elling Woman. There are bog bodies pictured on the site, so consider yourself warned. http://www.tollundman.dk/ellingkvinden.asp

 My interpretation of Elling Woman:

People are always so impressed when they see the Elling Woman style and wonder how I did it.

Braid:

I love to wear my hair in a braid. It's almost like wearing it loose and it feels good to feel my hair against my back.

Rose bun:

There's that sweet baby again. Look, she's holding a Pokemon ball!

The rose bun is simply a rope braid put into a bun. It looks awesome, though, doesn't it? It looks incredibly elaborate and intricate, but it really isn't at all.

Double dutch braids into Chinese bun:

Another simply bun that looks incredibly elaborate. I like this one personally because the bun looks massive. What can I say; I'm a fan of big buns.


Renaissance Hair Taping:

This is such a cool style. You can "tape" your hair up and leave it for a few days. It's awesome for camping. My five year old likes me to tape her hair because it gets her out of brushing for a few days and she gets "Princess" hair.

Is that too much? I don't want to overwhelm anyone with hair photos. Maybe just one more...?

With long hair, you can copy fantasy styles from stage and screen. I copied Princess Leia's hair from the Rebel Assault (no, not THAT style, guys!)

It's beautiful, isn't it? I was amazed at how lovely it turned out.

Who says you can't do anything with long hair? They obviously don't have long hair!

A New Model!

This is just going to be a brief post. I've been sick as a dog all day and I really want to go to bed.

I do have some exciting news. My neighbor has graciously agreed to model the things I've tried out on myself and on her. I figure this will help out those of you with shoulder length, finer color treated hair.

I don't want to recommend items that will only work on fine, long thick hair. I love finding products that work for all types of hair and people. I think that her help will make this a lot easier. A picture can help people determine if something can work for them.

Anyhoo, very briefly, you can look forward to new pictures in the future of different types of hair trying out the same products. I'm pretty excited about this and can't wait to see the feedback from you guys.

New Arrivals: Tangle Teezer and Spalted Holly Grahtoe Fork

I got a few exciting packages in the mail today. Remember this?

Last time I had a picture of that fork, it wasn't in my hair. It looks so beautiful and I'm glad I went ahead and bought it. It's so comfortable and the spalted holly is just stunning.

Another purchase that arrived today- the Tangle Teezer. I was a little wary when I first looked at the bristles. They're soft and really flexible. My hair tends to eat brushes like that. My baby loved using it on herself, although my five year old isn't really a fan.

I really like it!  It goes smoothly through my length without any pulling or ripping. The shape is a little odd, but it fits comfortably in my hand. The Tangle Teezer is a British invention and is hard to find in the United States. I bought mine  brand new off Ebay for roughly $14.

I highly recommend the Tangle Teezer to anyone who has a hard time brushing their own or their child's hair. The following video shows you how easily it goes through long hair.

Dreaming of Autumn and New Hairsticks

I made the mistake of checking out Nightblooming's Etsy store this evening and had some crazy timing. I guess she just put up some stuff because it showed tomorrow's date. I almost wish I had checked tomorrow, because I probably would have spent less money.

I just needed to snag some more Panacea Salve, but then I saw these:

Silver Fletched Arrows of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. I saw them and was done for. They had to be mine!

Artemis, the Moon Goddess, the Goddess of Animals, the Goddess of Women. She's one of my favorite goddesses, and I love and know a lot of them. I love the imagery of Artemis, standing in the glow of the moon with her silvery bow arched, an arrow at the ready. She's strong, with her feet planted firmly on the ground, ready to take down the grown stag with her nocked arrow.

Those hairsticks are not only gorgeous, they're also functional. They'll go with almost anything I wear.

I was sorely tempted by this:

It's called Autumn in Rivendell and it is stunning! It's built on a Ketylo stick, which are incredibly popular, but don't work well for me (and my wallet is thankful for that.) The color of this Ketylo hair stick goes perfectly with this piece and it reminds me of Autumn in my childhood. I remember stomping on fallen leaves. The sound of the crunching leaves, the colors and the smell of the leaves made Fall my absolute favorite. Even today, as an adult, I adore Autumn.

We're planning our count down to moving to the East Coast. We'll be moving right as the leaves begin to turn. Moving can be a major pain in the butt, especially when it's halfway around the world, but I am excited about it. I'm originally from the East Coast and I really miss the four seasons.

My kids don't remember temperatures below 70 degrees and haven't experienced a proper Autumn. I'm looking forward to raking leaves into a pile and letting them jump into the leaves, just like I did when I was a kid. Carving pumpkins here entails doing it right before Trick or Treating because they rot in the heat, which is no fun at all. It's strange; the things you miss when they aren't there anymore.

Sale Alert: Ravenslair

I thought I would pass on the news of a sale from an Etsy store I buy from. In honor of the one year anniversary of her first sale, Ravenslair is having a sale. Everything will be at least 20% off and some items will have a bigger discount starting June 7th.

If you've been eyeballing a certain item in her shop, now is the time to pick it up!

Check out this pretty Foxglove Fairy Shelot with matching hair stick:

Here's a set of hairsticks after my own heart. Inspired by Pele, the Hawai'ian Volcano Goddess, these hairsticks are the vibrant reds and blacks of flowing lava and hardened black igneous rock.

 

These are really interesting. Spiraled Copper Texas Twister Hair Sticks. Spirals have long been a favorite of the long haired. Spirals screw into updos and hold them like nothing else. These are the longest hair spirals I've ever seen at four inches and I bet they work awesome.

The sale will run from June 7- June 9 and does not include shipping rates. Snag 'em while you can!