Sale Alert: Grahtoe Studios

There's nothing like the smell of a sale first thing in the morning! Especially when it's my favorite etailer, Grahtoe Studios!

Grahtoe is having an anniversary sale! Use the coupon code ANNIVERSRY14 to receive 14% off your entire order! The coupon is good for Etsy only and must be used BEFORE checkout in the "Apply Coupon" code box.  The coupon is good through the 31st.

Check out this gorgeous silky wood curved fork:

These hair sticks are calling my name:

Here's an absolutely stunning decorative bowl. It almost glows!

Head on over to Grahtoe before the sale ends!

Getting Used to the Haircut/ Cool Find: Non-slip hair ties

You know, it's funny. I started to have difficulty making nautilus buns when my hair was classic. No matter how tightly I wound my hair, it still drooped and looked sloppy. I never realized my hair could get too long for certain updos.

Since I cut my hair back, the nautilus looks like it should. That's kind of exciting. I still miss my old hair, but I know I made the right decision.

I was browsing my local CVS for hair accessories for my girls and I came across Scunci's "No Slip Grip" hair ties. They feel like those black plastic bracelets that were popular in the mid nineties, only they come in better colors.

In fact, they remind me of a much larger version of those teeny silicone hair ties.

Anyhoo, since Sofie just started cheerleading and needs to have her hair in a pony tail, I thought I'd give them a try.

I really do like these. I never wear my hair in a pony tail because the tie would cause breakage and droop halfway through the day. These hair ties work great. Since it's been so warm, I've been wearing my hair up most of the time. My go-to hairstyle these days is a braided pony tail since I can use these ties without breakage and slipping. They really grip without tearing! Plus, they keep my daughter's crazy hair up and out of her way while she's rah, rah, rahing. Of all the "no slip" hair ties I've tried,
 these are the best by far.

Because there are so many "non-slip" products out there, these are the ones I'm talking about:

Grahtoe's "Ice Hairtanas"

Holy crap! Check these bad boys out!

They're acrylic and with aircraft grade aluminum and they are STUNNING. I think these are simply the most amazing things that Grahtoe's come up with so far. I'm not a big fan of hair swords, but these have even ME drooling over them!

So cool! These aren't up on Grahtoe's shop yet and I can't even begin to imagine how much they'd cost, but they sure are gorgeous! On Grahtoe's Facebook page, they encourage anyone with an interest to shoot them a convo. Whoever gets them, action shots, please? These are incredible!

Cool Find: Swashbuckler Hair Swords by Grahtoe

Grahtoe does a lot of "hair swords," but I've never seen any like this!

The amount of time and energy that went into these must have been incredible. These would be awesome for the pirate enthusiast (and I know a few of those.)

New Arrivals: Timberstone Turnings Hair Stick

About a month ago, I ordered a custom hair stick from Timberstone Turnings. Their sticks can be a bit on the pricey side, but once you hold them in your hand, you'll understand.

Today, that hair stick arrived in the mail. It's African Blackwood with a mother-of-pearl inlay.

The mother-of-pearl sparkles in the sunlight. It's so smooth and sleek and just gorgeous.

This particular design of stick is called the "Chloe." It's a bit wider than hair sticks I usually use, but that doesn't bother me a bit, which surprised me.

Timberstone Turnings offers a variety of woods from African Blackwood to Tulipwood to Bloodwood (or Cardinal Wood- my favorite!) Gemstones for inlay are numerous, including pearls, amber, citrine and amethyst. You can even have vines, mermaids, dragons, roses or fairies inlaid into the stick!

To order, head over to Timberstone Turnings on Etsy and convo the shop with your idea for a design. You'll be put on a wait-list for your custom stick. I did not expect my hair stick for at least two months, so I was pleasantly surprised by the turn around time.

To see examples of what they can do, check out their website here. They do not take orders from their website, so make sure to contact them through Etsy if you want to purchase.

Skeleton Cameo Fork and Sneak Peak

I finally got my act together and took a picture of my skeleton cameo fork and thought I'd share it with you.

Here's a sneak peak of an upcoming post- stay tuned!

Sale Alert: Grahtoe's Black Friday, Weekend and Cyber Monday Sale

Grahtoe's having a sale! Per their email announcement:

"Hello and.... very first of all we want to say THANK YOU!!! for shopping at Grah-Toe Studios and inspiring us to always come up with new and artistically fun and fabulous ways to keep your beautiful tresses in updo fashion! 
 
And we know the best "thanks yous" come in the wallet, we are having a Black friday, weekend and Cyber Monday sale in our Etsy shop! WOOT!!

There is a new way to do this now, and here it is: Coupon codes!! You type in the appropriate code and it takes the discount off your order before you check out! No more refunds through PayPal!! YIPEEEEEEEEE
 
On Thursday and Friday use the code and type it exactly like this: BLACKFRIDAYNOV2010 and it will take 15% off your order!
 
Over Saturday and Sunday the code to use is: FAITHFULGTS1 and you will get 15% off your entire order,
on Monday, use the code CYBERMONDAY  and get 15% off your entire order!

In the future we are also going to be sending you special codes in your boxes on our cards, for you to use when you return to our shop or refer friends! Special surprises in your boxes is always fun!! It could be free shipping, or a percent off, or a free item!!

We look forward to seeing you at the sale over this weekend, and remember, its the Etsy shop only, not the Art Fire shop at this time! Custom orders are not included, only stock items. We will be listing items as they sell too! We have a lot of forks here made and ready so if you are looking for something, please ask! It may be here waiting for you! (That is not a custom order, it will be included in the sale if it is made and waiting!)

And we do have some new products that we will be unveiling closer to the New Year, so be on the look out for a new hair fork look at Grah-Toe Studios !

We are also doing a new series on our woods at our blog, be sure to be watching for those if you are interested in woods. We are researching their status as trees, where they grow, and their properties, magical, physical and visual!"

Check out their Etsy shop here and their blog here. This sale is awesome and is the time to buy if you've had your eye on a certain something. They've added hand mirrors, detanglers and shawl pins.


I absolutely love this snowflake fork:

And their hand mirrors are stunning:

The loop allows you to hang it up easily to use as a wall mirror, too!

So, dash on over to Grahtoe's shop and check it out.

Trying the Treseme Fresh Start and Grahtoe Temptations

I clarified my hair this evening and boy, was it overdue! My hair feels amazing again; so clean! I used Lush Big Shampoo. It's a little weird because you're scrubbing your head with sea salt, but it works better than anything else I've tried. I know tomorrow my hair is going to be so shiny and bouncy again. Never again am I going this long without clarifying.

I bought some of that Treseme Fresh Start Spray and wasn't impressed. It's kind of like scented water spray. The scent isn't too bad, but it really didn't do too much for my five year old's hair.

I much prefer hair mists from Lilypad Bathworks (in whatever scent you want!) for the same purpose. Sofie loves her hair mist in the Candy Fluff dupe.

I got a message from Grahtoe yesterday and I was doomed. They made an applewood fork mermaid's tail with a perched owl. My dream fork! I asked them to hold it until we move since the movers are coming Monday (!) and we'll be between addresses. I will certainly post action shots as soon as I receive the fork.  That's just one thing I love about Grahtoe- they really get their customers.

I may be off the radar for a while while we're moving, but I have my MacBook and will update as much as I can. 

Grahtoe Knot?

I've been playing around with new buns, trying to come up with something to name in honor of Grahtoe Studio. ....maybe I should rename this blog "Crazy For Grahtoe...."

Anyway, it's similar to a Nautilus bun, but wrapped differently.

 I've been doing research to make sure this hasn't been done before, but I'm planning on calling it the "Grahtoe Knot," (with Grahtoe's permission, of course. )

What do you guys think? (Please excuse the unbrushed hair. It looks neater when I comb my hair first.)

Apple Wood and Owls

I know I've been gushing about Grahtoe Studio a lot lately, but I just saw an announcement about a new shipment of wood they've received and I am excited!

They announced that they now have apple wood which is currently uncut and prime for custom orders. I love apple wood.

Apple wood is traditionally symbolic of fertility (which doesn't limit it to your fertility. Think of the word "fertile." It can apply to a fertile mind, or fertile land, etc,) and also to peace, happiness and plenty (that's where that fertility comes in.) It can also be applied towards love.

What a wonderful wood to wear in your hair! I'm trying so hard not to buy anything because of the house, but I am sorely tempted by Grahtoe's acquisition of apple wood and I think I may get something small.

Grahtoe also has cocobolo ("rose wood") and zircote wood with mostly dark staining, just ready to be cut.

I've also been thinking a lot about owls lately. I love owls. They're my favorite animal. I've been trying to resist purchasing owl hair accessories.

Grahtoe made a fork with an owl medallion. I much prefer a perched owl and this one is in flight, so I am thankful for that. If it were a perched owl, I would have to buy it.

 

If Grahtoe makes a apple wood fork with a perched owl- I am doomed.

Speaking of owls, check out this awesome buffalo horn comb from Quecraft:

I'm a huge fan of horn combs. One can never have too many (especially in this house where my kids like to snag them and sword fight with them.)

I've ordered from Quecraft on Etsy once before and was satisfied with my purchase.

One final announcement; Grahtoe has extended their free hair stick promotion through the end of the month. Purchase a hair fork and get a FREE matching hair stick!

Grahtoe Special

Grahtoe Studio has set a goal of 1000 sales by the end of September. They're only twelve away from their goal.

As a special incentive to help Grahtoe achieve their goal, they're giving away a free matching hairstick with purchase on the last few items until the goal is reached.

Check out this fun and eye-catching "Cyclops" fork. Remember your mom or teacher telling you they had eyes in the back of their head? Now you can have one, too! This would be a fun fork to wear for Halloween, too.

These matching "micro" forks are perfect to use in place of hair pins. They're large enough to stand out, but are perfect if you're looking for something a little smaller than Grahtoe's usual offerings.

They're designed after my personal favorite style, the Mermaid's Tail and are made of gorgeous teak.

Check out Grahtoe Studios to see what kinds of new forks they have up and help them reach their goal!

Help RavensCroft Clear The Shelves

I recently featured one of Ravenscroft's fabulous moon forks, which are unlike anything else I've seen. Unfortunately, her store will be closing on September 26th due to illness.

Let's help her clear her shelves out while acquiring one of her amazing pieces for perhaps the last time.

Here's a beautiful Goddess hair stick. I love the shape of this. It's classically Goddess, but so functional.

The grain on the wood is just gorgeous.

Swing by Ravenscroft's Etsy store and see if something strikes your fancy.

Grahtoe Leaf Fork

I just saw this and had to share, as it's absolutely stunning.

Grahtoe Studios have done it again!

The colors are beautiful and I just love the leaf on top. If I were not taking a pretty expensive trip next week, this fork would be mine.


Kimi and Stacy at Grahtoe are just pure artists. How do they keep coming up with better and better designs? I would have run out of ideas by now, and yet they keep cranking them out! Can't wait to see what they come out with next.

Sale Alert: Grahtoe Studios

Yeah, you heard me right- Grahtoe is having a sale! I'm totally excited about this because (if you haven't noticed already,) Grahtoe is my favorite hair accessory maker. I love Grahtoe.

Their beautiful hand mirrors (not the palm sized ones, the larger ones) are 30% off (I've been lusting after those for a while.) They're different looking from regular mirrors, but you can hang them on a hook or nail when you aren't using them.

Just look at that! Absolutely stunning!

Their boxes of snowflakes/stars are $5 off. I was going to buy a box for my mother in law and for my husband (they like snowflakes) for Christmas, but I'm going to buy them now and just save them until Christmastime. I've gotten two snowflakes from Grahtoe and I can tell you, they are delicate and gorgeous. Not one is like the other and they'll look beautiful hanging from our Christmas tree.

While you're stopping into their shop, check out their new line of "hair swords." They're hair sticks shaped and modeled after swords. I've seen ones that have actual blades, but these ones are wood, so they're aren't sharp.

Those are pretty bad ass, if I do say so myself.

One of their most popular items (so far as I can tell, based on long hair gossip,) is their Mermaid's Tail sticks. They're antler hair sticks (no animals were harmed in the making of these. Antlers are naturally shed and collected by people who find them on the ground.) They have a decorative "mermaid's tail" in different kinds of woods. This one is in purple heart wood:

And speaking of Grahtoe, guess what I bought?! I check their Etsy store just about every day, just in case I miss something I have to have. I saw these handbag mirrors and I knew I needed one.

It's a beautiful zebra wood and is so affordable. It fits into the palm of my hand and is perfect for checking out the back of my hair in our bathroom mirror.

Anyway, if you're looking for a unique gift or a new hair accessory, Grahtoe's an awesome Etsyer to check out. They're completely unique, classic and timeless, and just incredibly well made.

Kimi and Stacy are really awesome about custom orders, so if you see something you like, but want something a bit different, they're amazing to work with. You can find their Etsy store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/grahtoestudio?ref=seller_info.

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!

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!

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.

Grahtoe Studios

I just saw this and had to share. My favorite Etsy store, Grahtoe Studios, made this gorgeous spalted holly hair fork. It's absolutely stunning with creamy white holly wood and blue, gray, black spalted through.

I personally own many Grahtoe pieces and the craftsmanship on their work is incredible. The really nice thing about their work is that the same fork can work for hair my length or for my neighbor, with shoulder length hair.

Often, before I rave about products, I try them out on my neighbor. She has shoulder length, color treated hair. It's so different than mine that when I find something that can be used by both of us, I know I have a winner. 

Grahtoe can customize their forks and will adjust the length of the tines, depending on your needs.  They often have exotic woods, but they use rescued as often as they can, which is really appealing to me. Grahtoe is owned by a husband and wife team and they are just amazing to work with. One of my first forks was a custom. I am a terrible artist, so I just described what I wanted in my favorite wood (cardinal, in case you were curious,) and Kimi drew up exactly what I envisioned. She's definitely intuitive when it comes to designs.

Grahtoe also makes antler hair sticks. I won't lie, it grossed me out and I swore I would *never* own antler. The antler is shed from live deer and picked up by people that sell the antlers to craftsman. No deer are harmed by the making of the antler hair sticks. The antler sticks were so interesting to me that I finally just went ahead and ordered some. Once I got past the ick factor, I discovered that antler is beautiful and so strong, I couldn't break it no matter how hard I tried. My antler hair sticks are topped with purple heart wood and are among my favorite hair accessories. I have to say, I doubt I will ever see someone else with hair sticks quite like mine.

Here are the purple heart wood topped antler hair sticks in a nautilus bun:

A good rule of thumb about hair forks is to buy something that's no longer than the length of your hand.  

I bought S, my five year old daughter, her first hair fork from Grahtoe. They made it custom to fit her. I measured her hand to get a good fit. She loves it and it's sturdy enough that I don't need to worry about it breaking. The tines are also blunted on her fork so she can't poke herself with it.

If you're looking for a beautiful, quality hair accessory, I can't recommend Grahtoe enough. Anything that can work for so many types of hair is worth it, in my opinion.