Henna Table & Henna Tent for Summer Fun

Well.. I can't wait for warm weather! I miss Saturday afternoons at Midnight Sun & all the wonderful festivals in Jacksonville,Florida.

Click RIGHT HERE for a little slide show of my henna tent set up. You can see all kinds of incense, henna powders & kits, wonderful little gift bags and other jewels we sell when vending out.

If you would like Spirit Vision Henna at your North East Florida festival, Art Walk or Artists Weekend, just give us a call at (904) 993-7466.

a fun surprise birthday party

what a great and fun evening..... a 'girls night in' birthday party where they surprised the birthday girl with henna!

for the party

I hennaed both of Lindsay's hands... left....and right....
(this pattern was inspired by a great little metal case that Lindsay had brought with her)

her mom's first henna....

I hennaed hands last night for a beautiful girl. Her name is Lindsay, she is in her 20's, and she recently was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I have had the priviledge of meeting this young woman, who is taking on her disease with a fabulous attitude and she is determined to beat it, as I can imagine she will.

She is going to a wonderful place in Bloomfield (IMG) and she is doing all sorts of things to be proactive about helping her body rid itself of the disease. And she is the healthiest "sick" person I have ever seen.

When I met her a few weeks ago, we had talked aboout hennaing her head when/ if she lost her hair. She hasn't. So I hennaed her hands for a big party tonight that they are having for her. I am pleased to do henna for her.

pretty hand

this pattern was inspired by one I saw on Kenzi's website..... lacy and beautiful..... I loved creating it.

Inspirations

I bought this box of Yogi tea since there were some great henna designs on the box. I immediately went home and created the design from the corner of it, onto my hand. Loved it, and got great compliments on it.

Amys's Henna Tattoo

Here is an original henna tattoo pattern based on traditional concepts of course! Amy & I were sititng lake side on a breezy morning when we did this art. I tried to create a pattern that fit here hand, her mood, and the day.

We were able to take this photo of the henna paste still on the skin. Her hand is resting in an old orchard bird bath! I really like this photo.

Of course we are now drawing to the close of henna season here, although if you call ahead & make an appointment, we can still do great art!

belly henna

I was honored to create this on a wonderfully busy baby. He was incredibly active throughout the whole time I was painting. The mom wanted something kind of intricate in the middle, then branching out on the sides. I had a paisley on my hand at the time, and she loved it, and wanted it to be the center. I did the paisley and then grew it from there.

Bua bula Arts Aboriginal Corporation

Greetings All,

After watching "Ten Canoes" I was browsing around to see what I could find.. and found this great link (click the title)!

For great inspiration!!!!

Help to Complete the Vision!

Thanks so much to all who visited Midnight Sun & made donations for henna tattoo. Your support of my art helped make it possible for me to support this great project. May all beings benefit.

Simple Henna Palm Tattoo

Here is a photo of a simple henna pattern from my work at Midnight Sun. If you want to see more photos please visit the slide show at Spirit Vision Henna.

We are almost at the end of henna season, so please be sure to give a call if you want some body art before winter time. You can reach the studio at (904)993-7466.

henna rock

I just spent a week on a small island in Maine. It was peaceful and we had beautiful weather.
We spent time painting rocks, which I love doing.

This one I painted and left for our friends who own the boathouse we stayed in.

How wonderful to Henna Twins!

I had a wonderful time at Midnight Sun today, and met many wonderful people. I wish I could have taken photos of all the henna, but I was busy.. and we are all happy.

I did maange to take this photo of sisters, who were twins and chose similar, almost identical tattoos. Ok. They chose the same basic design, but henna has a way of negotiating with a human canvas. Here are the results.

I will not be working on Saturday, September first, but will be back on the 8th. See you soon.

Thirty Minute Henna Hand

I must thank Cindy for the "loan" of her hand. She made it possible for me to practice a new design, as fast as I could.

The tip of the cone was cut very small, which made it easy to do her fingers, and all the fine lines on the back of her hand. To get the heavier lines I had to double some of the fine lines, which took a bit longer than I wanted it to.

I started at the fingertips and worked backward from there. I wanted to be sure that the ribbon that "draped" the back of the hand was in the proper place & the easiest was was backwards.

Of course I now have my super portable, very comfortable, ne,w drum chairs which make the henna process so much easier.

I got them at Midnight Sun of course! They are little round bamboo stools that look like djembes colorful, water-proof and very steady to sit on.

Cindy's hand is resting on the top of the stool (they make great photo backdrops as well.)

ESPN- raffle winner

The raffle winner from the ESPN event is Jennifer Altarriba.
She has won a one hour appointment with me to use however she wishes, for a private appointment, or to share with some friends.

Henna Tattoo FAQ

Mehndi, or henna tattoo, is a natural form of temporary body decoration. Henna Tattoo will always be some shade of reddish brown. The finished color depends on your skin type & how long you let the paste stay on your skin. The longer the paste remains the deeper the finished color. Your design will darken over the first 48 hours.

To prepare your skin for Mehndi, please wash the skin surface to remove any oils, lotions and dry skin. Mehndi works best on the palm of the hands, the feet & the tender skin of the inner arm. Designs on the back of the hands, arms, or other parts of the body do not last as long, nor does the color take as well. After your design is completed, a glaze of lemon-sugar may be applied at regular intervals to secure the paste to the skin and enhance the final color.

Please try to leave the paste in place for at least three hours. For best results leave the paste in place for 6 hours, or overnight. To remove, scrape the hardened paste off the skin. Use a vegetable oil to remove any remaining paste before washing the design.

Aftercare: If possible, avoid wetting the design area for at least 12 hours. Moisturizing the design twice daily with a vegetable oil will help make the design last. The design can remain visible on the skin for one to 3 weeks. This is a photo of henna paste On the skin. The finished color will be a shade of red to reddish brown.

Om Armband - from Catherine Cartwright Jones

Here is a fun little Om arm band tattoo. Traditionally, henna is applied to the palms of the hands, back of the hands, forearms, feet and ankles. The deep red to brown color of premium henna is best in these places.

Most drop-in customers choose patterns for the back of the hands, belly and the lower back.... similar to where one might put ink.

If you choose to put your henna in one of these locations, please remember to leave the paste on as long as possible & to get as warm as you can. You will get the best finished color if you Do Not wear moisturizer, sun block or other body lotions on henna day.

Tips for successful henna tattoo on the feet

These are photos of henna paste on the skin. The natural dye in the henna is staining the skin UNDER the black paste you see in the photo. When the paste is removed, the stain is visible and will darken over the next 48 hours. The quality of finished color depends in part on how you care for your design.

The peacock pattern is very popular, and is one that works great with flip flops! Of course, it's best to leave your shoe on when getting your henna so we can be sure the flip won't flop into your paste.

The second design is great for henna parties where you are free to wander barefoot in your home or other party venue. Bare feet enable the artist to get creative, make henna sandal designs, and all sorts of wonderful art.

There are more photos of henna designs for the feet in this blog, and on my new henna website. I am sure I have a good link to some bridal henna on myspace!

Here are a few tips for good color and a successful henna design on the feet:

• Have your pedicure before you come for henna.
• Wear flip flops or shoes that leave lots of room for your new tattoo.
• Leave the paste on as long as possible.
• Avoid air conditioning (really.. henna gives the best color in hot weather).
• Be sure to protect your finished tattoo with olive oil before getting it wet.
• It is best to stay out of the pool for a day or two so that your henna has time to darken.

If you are feeling really relaxed & indulgent, you can always have henna on the soles of your feet. I will have a few photos of this fabulous art online in my new galleries soon.

Of course there are lots of wonderful artists publishing all kinds of pattern books. Some are available online at Amazon.com, but be sure to visit Tap Dancing Lizard for more great ideas.

ESPN event

We had a fabulous time doing henna at an event for ESPN today. It was incredibly busy, and we had a line, and painted for 3 1/2 hours. It was a great venue and a fun day, with tons of music and dancing and good food, and luckily great weather too.

People were asking for some creative things, and it was great trying to accommodate for everyones wishes. We painted as fast as we could and I think we hennaed about 200 people. They would like us to come back again, which we will happily do.

We were so busy doing henna, that I hardly took any photos. Here are some of the few I did take:
(I will have to email my contact at ESPN and see if we can get some of the photos from their photographers, as we didn't even take any pictures of our tent, or anything)






We will be announcing a raffle winner in the next few days. Check back here to find out who won!

Beach Henna

Did this while waiting for Eli at his camp....

Henna Palm Tattoo - 2007 Jamila Color

I love red henna. It's my favorite color. I know many people love the super dark, almost black/red henna, but I love the ruby red.

Here is a color sample of the 2007 harvest of Jamila henna. The paste stains very quickly, which is great for festivals, but it also gives this lovely color.

Please forgive the pattern. It is not my best work (I was trying a new style a little later in the evening than I usually do) but I had to see the color.

This is color only 12 hours after the paste was removed! More photos coming soon.

Finished color 2007 Jamila Harvest

As promised here are photos of the 2oo7 Jamila Henna Powder harvest. I am very pleased with the dark, rich color, consistent to the knee.

To purchase your 100 gram box, just click the title of this post.

Big Bold Henna Tattoos

Inspired by Neeta's book, "Sangeet". I am thinking differently. It's great fun.

If all goes well, I should have finished color on line by Wednesday.

From start to peaceful finish each design took about 45 minutes to complete. All told, we had two hours of fun.

the latest....

These were done in the last week. Unfortunately I couldn't do the farmer's market as planned for this weekend, but I hope to be back there at some point. In the meantime, I have been busy with some private appointments.

Shannon's Gilded Peacock - Henna Tattoo

I have started working with a more liquid paste mix. I use Jamila henna, the 2007 harvest now, which is very gummy and stringy and workable. I am very pleased with my quick color test results, and will have full hand color on line soon.

In the mean time, please enjoy a photo of Shannon's gilded peacock design. I am still inspired by Neeta's book "Sangeet" as you will see from this photo. The gilding colors are purple glitter & jade green matte gels.

The more liquid texture of the paste made it possible for me to work more quickly than I have in the past, as the paste just flows right out of the henna cone. I am still using my "plastic bag cone" with rubber band closure. It has a carrot bag look, but is soft & easy to use so my hand doesn't get tired at all.

I am convinced that the little bit of pomegranate juice concentrate I am adding at the start of the mix (lemon juice, spiced tea, henna powder, pomegranate juice) really helps keep the henna on the skin, and makes it easier to work.

Lower Back Tattoo in Henna

Here is another wonderful henna tattoo pattern from Sangeet (applied by Ann George of Spirit Vision Henna in Jacksonville, Flordia).

My client said she got very good color with her last henna tattoo. Although the back is not usually a place to get the best color, she took great care of her henna tattoo. She left the paste on a good while, and got the design area warm for the first day and applied olive oil regularly after the paste was removed. I hope to post a photo of the finished color.

If you have had a henna tattoo & would like to send your photo of the finished color, please mail it to me.

Wrist Jewel Henna Tattoo

I remain thankful to Kimberlee, a henna artist in Jupiter Florida for recommending Sangeet's design book. Click the title of this post to visit Kimberlee's "space".

This fine line henna tattoo was made possible in part by mixing the paste to be rather liquid, sticky and stringy.

The addition of fenugreek seeds in the tea mix which I add when first mixing the paste helps create a stringy mix. Adding a bit of pomegranate juice just before putting the paste in the cone ensured the paste would be sticky and liquid. To get the fine line, I cut just a bit off the tip of a plain old plastic cone... and voila!

footwork

wanted to try something on my foot, as I will be going to Maine tomorrow and wanted to have something cool for the beach. It is hard to get the line where I want it, when I do it on myself. This one wrapped all the way around the back of my foot and ended at my big toe. I love it.
(the flower is left over from last weekend's farmer's market)

sunny lately

Two different clients, two versions of a sun.

This woman wanted the idea of a sun, but seemed drawn to this type of design.


The second was my brother-in-law and he wanted a sun, with the initials of his wife and two kids inside the circle. (this photo is taken from above, looking down on his shoulder)

Henna Tattoo: Lower Back Henna Pattern

Here is another great henna pattern from Sangeet. Of course I modified it a bit so that there would be enough paste to give good color on the lower back. I like the way elements in the henna pattern compliment the design elements in the woman's belt.

If you come for a lower back tattoo, be sure to wear a low cut pant & a midriff top. It's best to come early for a lower back tattoo so you can browse all the great Five Points shops, sun your henna & get the best color possible.

(Click the photo for the full sized image.)

market day

had a slow but good day at the farmer's market. We will be back there in two weeks.

This girl wanted the vine and flowers to wrap around her arm....


This woman wanted something that looked 'kind of like' scrolled ironwork, but she wouldn't stop moving, so it was kind of hard to have straight lines. Luckily she loved it!




The view from the Star Henna booth...... a fabulous local organic farm and all of their goods are displayed so nicely- just beautiful!

Raffle winner

This was an appointment that was from a woman who won a free appointment with me that I raffled off at EGGStock in June.

She had her daughter there, a friend, and her daughter too. It was a fun appointment to do.

A Henna Jewel for the Forearm

Here is a pattern from the wonderful pattern book by Sangeet. This book has designs that people really like, as well, the patterns are good for all parts of the body. You may purchase the book from Tap Dancing Lizard.

Henna tattoo will be available today, 7/14/07 at Midnight Sun. I should be at the shop no later than 2:00 pm. See you there?