Monday, July 30, 2012

Make a Tote!

This quick no-sew tutorial will teach you how to make a market tote from a discarded wool sweater! :)
Step One: Gather essentials!
You will also need a washing machine for felting :)

Step Two: Turn the garment inside out. Take some 100% wool yarn and sew up the bottom of your sweater.
It should look something like this when you are done :)
Step Three: Put the sweater in the washing machine, turn it on hot, (with cold rinse) and add a quarter-size amount of soap. (note, this will ruin your sweater but make it perfect for turning into a tote!)
If you do not have a washing machine, submerge the sweater in a sink full of very hot water and soap, and felt by hand by rubbing and "working" the wool with your hands.

After washing, dry your sweater on hot.
Repeat step two until you have a compact, shrunken sweater that does not unravel when you cut it.
Step Four: Lay your sweater out and make these cuts:
Step five: Love your new tote creation!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Blackberries

I made blackberry jam last week with my mom! We picked the berries, she squished them and then we both boiled and cooked the jam.
I love spending time with my mother. :) We bond together in so many ways--goodwill shopping, chatting, cooking--I am so blessed to have her in my life. ^_^ What mother-daughter or father-son things do you enjoy? I will always cherish these memories.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Tote

I made this lovely little tote out of an old 100% wool sweater!
Tutorial coming soon :)
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In other news: I'm so busy! I've neglected my poor little blog. Being an adult in the working world really does have its drawbacks as well as its perks, dear readers, as I'm sure you all know.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Bracelets

I made two bracelets today!
I like the green one best. All I did was braid some glass beads...I love how it is so shiny and green.
Sooo...did you notice the feather in the first picture? I have a bag of feathers...what else can I use them for besides photo props? I want to braid them all into my hair...not sure how that would work...

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

First Hat

I never showed you all the first hat I ever made!
I started the hat on circular needles and finished it on double pointed ones!

It looks great with my red hair :)

Monday, July 9, 2012

Home

Summer sure is hot this year.
Now that I'm home from vacation I probably won't be posting every day! I'm thinking a monday-wednesday-friday deal.
If you notice anything different about these pictures: I had my mom take them! I have the best mother in the whole world :) Yesterday I got home from work and she had put a glass of water next to my bed!
How are you guys keeping cool this summer?

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Scary Weather

So VA and WV were hit by terrible storms last week. We lost power for two days, but a majority of Lynchburg and surrounding areas lost power for almost a week. Not many people were hurt, but the streets and power lines were a wreck. I am glad to say that I saw a lot of love and kindness coming from the community as everyone pitched in to clean it up.! Here are a few pictures.
This is the street S Carter Studios lives on. Picture taken by her!
Above picture by Appalachion Power. This is in downtown lynchburg. During college I used to live seconds off this road! This was the area that was hit the worst.
These photos were taken by Kipp Teague. They all are of lynchburg!

Please keep Virginia friends and families in your prayers!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Key Necklace

Happy forth of July! I celebrated my fourth by...doing something crafty! I think I'm addicted to making jewelry now. Funny, since I've never tried it at all before this month!
This is a blue key necklace. I love vintage keys and little charms! Of course, this is for sale in my etsy shop. I hope someone falls madly in love with it and buys it!

Monday, July 2, 2012

Romance

I was privileged to model this lovely dress this week. Its amazing, so soft and the color is almost a pale rose pink. Of course the dress is handmade.
I feel like a princess wearing it. Don't you love clothes that treat you like royalty?

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Henna Hair Tutorial

Welcome to the wonderful Henna Hair Tutorial, or as I like to call it, how to turn your hair into fire, like Merida from Brave. Or Ariel from The Little Mermaid. 
Before we get started lets lay some ground rules, as well as go over some henna misconceptions. 
  1. DO NOT USE ANYTHING METAL when handling henna! Okay? Metal reacts with henna. This is bad. Don't use a metal pot, don't stir your henna with a metal spoon!! 
  2. There is only one kind of Henna. What, you ask? You've seen black henna? Blond henna? Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but henna (that is, the plant called Lawsonia Inermis) only comes in red! There is no black henna, or blond henna, only red henna! Be carful what you buy; those other things are usually only 1%-10% henna, and can contain harmful chemicals and metals and other dyes. I would suggest only buying 100% Lawsonia Inermis!
  3. That being said, there are different organic things you can do to henna to bring out different colors. For example, you can add fresh coffee (darker red), tea, yogurt, lemon (lightens color), and other organic materials to change the color of the henna. Just make sure its organic! No metals! 
  4. Always do a strand test before dying your hair. Mix up a little bit of henna with some hot water and dye some hair from your hairbrush. You should do four strand tests--leaving each one on for 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours. Pick what color you like best and that is how long you will leave the henna on your hair! 
  5. I bought my henna from this etsy shop. I did have to use two packs on my hair, but I have very very thick hair. 
  6. This henna will dye your skin also. Or your forehead. Be careful! On my pale skin it only took about 3-5 minuets to change my creamy completion to pumpkin orange. Use a friend to help spot check you!  
  7. The henna that falls on the floor and that got on my shower did not dye the floor or shower. Even when it stuck on there for awhile--just to let you know. Your shower/floor may be different through, so don't take my word for it! The henna did, however, irreversibly stain the clothes I was wearing, so don something you don't mind discarding after this (or saving for future henna treatments!) 
  8. You can use henna over chemically dyed hair. HOWEVER you cannot chemically dye your hair after using henna. It will turn green.
Okay, now on to the tutorial!

Did you skip the introduction? If so, shame on you. Go back and read it RIGHT NOW, or you might turn out looking like an oompa loompa. Seriously!
To dye your hair with henna you will need the following:
  • A pair of gloves
  • Scissors
  • A plastic bag or bowl
  • Henna
  • Hair clips (for long hair)
  • Plastic spoon (I just used my hands) 
  • Lemon (optional) 
  • blow dryer (optional)
Now
1) Pour your henna into a plastic bowl or bag. Yes, it smells like really strong green tea. Yes, your hair will smell like that for 1-2 washes. Personally, I like the smell. 
2) Don your gloves!
3) I added a lemon to lighten the henna. 
4) Now add hot water. I used 200 grams of henna and about 3-4 cups of hot water. You want your henna to look like thick pancake batter. Just add one cup slowly as you stir and mash, until you get the required consistency. 
5) Mash your henna all up or stir with a plastic spoon/fork. There will be lumps. Now, cover your henna and let it sit for 30 minuets to 2 hours. Some people even let their henna sit overnight. I don't do that.
Now it is time to APPLY YOUR HENNA!
(Are you excited? I'm exited!) 

1) Pin up sections of your hair. Acknowledge you look like an idiot. 
2) Apply henna like you would any hair color treatment. Start at your roots and go down. 
The henna is like mud. It will get everywhere. Clean it off your skin and anything else you think might stain, but its just a fact. Henna is really messy and never stays in one place. 

3) When you are done with one side, flip it all up on your head and secure with clips so it can soak.
4) Do the other side of your hair. Realize your arms hurt.
Also before putting on the shower cap do a quick check all over to make sure there are no dry spots!

5) Cap yourself! 
Now comes the hard part. Based on your strand test (you did a strand test, right?) leave the henna on your hair for anywhere between 30 minutes to 3 hours. I left mine on for about 3 hours. 
  • Some people put heat on their hair while waiting (via a blow dryer) I did that the first time and it made my hair ultra orange, so I'm not doing it today. 
  • Don't let your hair dry out. Henna needs to be moist (that is why you wear a cap) for the whole time its on your head. If it dries out it is no longer dying your hair.
6) Amuse yourself while feeling like a green-tea mud-yuck-slime monkey.

Here is a list of some of the things I did:
  1. Talk on the phone to my mom
  2. Eat lunch
  3. Have tea
  4. Read this article on feminism: Why Women Still Can't Have It All
  5. Read counter article on feminism: We Cannot Have It All Because We No Longer Have Dreams
  6. Contemplate life 
  7. Enjoyed The Hunger Games
7) After the appropriate time has passed, wash out the henna from your hair (still wearing your gloves or you WILL dye your fingernails orange) and get all dressed up to take pictures with your new color! I hope it turned out well! 
Some further notes: 
  • Henna does fade over time. Mine seems to need reapplication every 2-3 months. I'll be sure to post pictures of what it looks like after each wash :) Stay tuned! And I'd love to see what color red yours turned! 
  • Henna turns out different on everyone's hair. It does not really "dye" your hair more as it "coats" your hair in a red color, making each hair different based on what color you start out with. That being said, henna is a permanent dye. It does fade, but it is permanent. See my before/after picture? You can see my new hair growth based on my 3-month old henna hair that is now strawberry blond instead of vivid red.  
Happy Henna-ing :)