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Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The infamous failed condom henna applicator.


For the last 5-ish years I have been a frequent poster on the Henapage.com forum. I try to help out as much as I can.
Last December a frantic post was left by an artist who lost her beloved applicator bottles. For those new to henna, most professional artists opt for hand rolled plastic or mylar cones...

Some artists swear by Jac bottles.... Jac Bottles are plastic bottles with metal tips.

She could not use a cone to save her life, and needed a replacement for her bottles asap.

In an effort to help, I started to brainstorm. What could she make an applicator out of on the fly? What is something people have on hand, is expendable, would hold henna, could have a metal tip affixed to it and not leak... then it hit me, Condoms.

I pull out a Trojan, wash off the lubey, put a jac bottle tip on it.... fill it with henna..... squeeze... and NOTHING comes out. I open another condom and try again...I try reinforcing it with duct tape... Duct tape fixes everything right? Wrong... still doesn't work. The sides stretch too much to push out any henna.


In my attempt to "help" I didn't realize I had used 3 rubbers until they laid discarded on the coffee table as if they had been left there after some spiked-masochistic-dirty-bum-lovin. THEN I thought.... " oh hell dyp; how am I gonna explain THIS to the boyfriend creature?"

(Luckily; he knows me enough to just laugh and shake his head. )


I never did find a suitable replacement for applicator bottles.

The origional forum post can be seen here in it's full glory...

http://www.hennapage.com/henna/forum/index.php?module=phpwsbb&PHPWSBB_MAN_OP=view&PHPWS_MAN_ITEMS[]=11632


Hey; at least I tried :)

Sunday, April 5, 2009

When I was young my great-grandmother, Bula was the family creator. She hand sewed Christmas stockings for all us kids. She crocheted slippers for Christmas. She was just amazing.
I used to sit and watch her crochet. I was completely enamored watching her twist and knot this scratchy yarn with a hook and cloth being made from it. It was magic to me and I wanted to do magic too. When I was 7-8 she tried to teach me to crochet. It was a disaster. She was right-handed. I am left-handed. She got so frustrated with me she told me I would never learn it and that was that.

She was the typical great-grandmother. House permanently smelled like pan gravy and moth balls. She always had a dish of wrapped candy on the table. The most unique feature in her house was in the guest bathroom. My straight-laced old-school grandmother had a crocheted skunk air freashener holder in the bathroom. A WHAT? I know, I know.... It was a mouthfull. Let me explain; it was a crocheted tube, decorated like a skunk. You slipped in a can of spray air freshener and when you dispersed the spray it was like the skunk was spraying.
Everytime we went to see Grandma my sisters and I would fight over that damned thing. We would all race to the bathroom to spray the skunk. It was THE thing to do at grandmas. ( Keep in mind this was before cable, Internet, cell phones, video games... this was way back in the 80's)
I think I was 12 when my grandmother died. I was asked if there was anything of hers I wanted.... anything at all... and guess what I asked for? That damned skunk! Out of a whole house of amazing stuff... I asked for the skunk. ( I am weird, what can I say.)
So fast forward a handful of years... I finally learn to crochet... fast forward a couple more years... I have an 8 year old son, a stinky boyfriend, my own house... and... we find the skunk packed away in a box.

MY son loved it, my boyfriend loved it... so skunk is officially out of retirement. Everytime one of my boys comes out of the bathroom, the running joke is to "skunk it." I actually buy canned air freashenor JUST so my boys can use the skunk. It must be 35 years old but its still MUCH loved. My wonderful little niece likes to come over and she heads straight to the bathroom for the skunk just like we used to do when we were little.

Well, I decided I needed to make a new one so the one my grandmother made would not be ruined. I started looking for a pattern online... low and behold... none exist. So I had wing it... but the new skunk turned out pretty good.

My sister just bought a new house. I sent her the new skunk as a house warming gift. My niece was SO happy. ( My sister probley less happy. LOL.)

Anyhow.... the old skunk is on the left, the new one on the right.

I will be making a few more cause I think everyone in the family needs one now! LOL! In fact, I don't think any home is complete without a skunk in the bathroom .

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

A month of mischief and creating

Well, well, where does the time go? I swear it wasn't but last week I last posted...

Anyhow, I have been quite busy creating. I will share a couple in a sec but first I HAVE to share 2 things: First is this killer purse my mom and sister got for me...

Isn't that just the coolest freaking bag ever? I SO love it. It's so me.

The next share is something I have been wanting for the last year.... Something to HOLD my supplies, not so much to create.... I guess could paint it.... I finally got a DEEP FREEZE!!!!

I'm so happy. I can store my henna and some food for the boys.... Litterally the freezer above the fridge was 60% henna, 30% coffee and 10% stuff crammed in there that we probley could have eaten if we could have found it. Think I'm joking? Here is the stash of just henna powder dumped out on the floor...

Can you spot my little helper?

There were also several baggies of mixed mystery cones as well....
My helper is one of our rescues, Fred. He is inspecting a baggy of henna cones. He apparently LIKES henna!!!



Henna all nice and neat in the new freezer. Hee hee, it's the small things in life. And look... we can have fish sticks again!!! Whoohooo!!!!



Here is Fred again, loving on some henna. Nothing is better than fearie kisses, henna, a new purse AND a deep freeze.

Life is good!!!!
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