NEW! Moroccan Henna Product Line

Did you know that freehandmehndi.com carries a line of Moroccan Henna Products? Use fresh authentic Moroccan henna, with spicy clove oil, and apply through our Moroccan Style syringe tip applicators!

Music!!!! Sometimes a girl just needs some trance.

Finished Color - More or Less

I forgot to ask my friend to take a photo for me today. It was a beautiful, sunny day... I even had my camera.. but no.

So.. here is a photo taken at 9PM.. by me.. camera phone.. bad lighting.. sorry ;{ for poor quality.
However, I said I would post a photo of the finished color. I left the paste on for about two hours, then just did the olive oil after care.. and voila!

Practicing Peacock Arm Tattoo

Inspired by the henna video showing work by the artists of Nepal, I decided to practice to improve both speed & style.

Here is a photo of late night henna practice where the work focused on creating an armlet tattoo. I feel very good about peacock faces in general.. and I am sure the eyes are improving.

I also feel better about my use of negative space, and am remembering to double line major design areas so that they really stand out.

Also, bolding or filling some areas also sees to help bring a design to life.

Of course the greatest difficulty I find when henna-ing myself is working upside down!

And then there is not smudging as I go! This is when the use of lemon sugar glaze & a blow dryer is priceless.

I can work out the pattern, spray, dry, and continue without having to be overly careful.

I will be able to put up finished color photos of this tattoo.. so ..

Stay tuned?


Namaste

Winter Henna - How to Wrap for Good Color

I am so fortunate to have met a new & wonderful goddess with a love of body art! Here are photos of her henna journey in December.. Jacksonville, Florida.

The first photo in this series is of the palms of the hands. To accomplish this tattoo, I started with the Lotus Om on the left hand, then the mandala center on the right.. back to the left and so on.

The patterns were misted with a lemon sugar glaze and allowed to dry as we moved from hand to hand, finishing the palms... but stopping before we got to the tips of the fingers. This way, it is easy to turn the hand over, resting on the finger tips, to apply mehandi to the back of the hands.

It is very important to remind that henna is a heat activated body dye. What that means is that warm temperatures help open pores, keep palms warm & moist, thus allowing the henna to stay active on the body for a longer period of time. All these conditions make for a dark finished color & a longer lasting tattoo.

The second picture in this series shows the "henna wrapping" which is a photo of tissue (which is taped when necessary to keep the tissue in place) and the plastic gloves used to create a little henna spa.. or sauna.. to give dark color in the winter time.

The tissue actually sticks to the lemon sugar glaze that is regularly applied during the henna process, and the tape helps keep the tissue in place. The little gloves (food service grade) are also taped shut at the wrist for comfort. There are so many benefits to this method, which I always use for bridal henna to ensure the darkest color, winter or summer in this air-conditioned part of the country!

Photo three is Tara's peacock garden pattern. You may be able to see the head of the peacock page right, then notice the tail that spreads across her fingers. The little six petaled flowers that grace the back of her hand are traditional, as are the little dots.

Once the back of her hands was finished, we turned palms face up to spread henna paste to cover the tips of her fingers. Photo four show the joy of a good design... that the back of the hand is visually pleasing when presented with the palm. As always, I hope to be able to post finished color photos in the near future.

Although this pattern was completed on Saturday afternoon, the finished color will not reveal itself until Monday. Henna usually takes about 48 hours to develop. For more tips on how to have a successful henna tattoo, please visit my site, or browse other posts in this blog.

As you can see from the photos, Tara got her manicure before her henna... which will make her design last longer & provides us all with these lovely photos. Henna tattoo is available by appointment during the winter months for those who chose traditional patterns, palms and backs of hands.

Summer time is our henna party season.. for that little something, just for fun. Namaste!

2008 Free Hand Mehndi Design Contest Winner

Thank You Ash for submitting your stunning designs! Ash is a subscriber of the Free Hand Mehndi YouTube Channel.

Contest winner receives Jamila Henna Powder 100 grams, 6ml of Tea Tree Oil, 6 mylar cones, mixing instructions, and design templates.

I would like to also thank Hasina Mehndi of Canada for Her stunning designs. Her designs will be featured on Free Hand Mehndi's YouTube Channel during the month of January.


Next contest starts April 1st!

Register on freehandmehndi.com and.....

You will have access to exclusive promotions that are not announced anywhere else. You will be the first to hear about new products. No purchase is necessary to sign up.

Freehandmehndi.com will never sell your information and you can opt out at any time.

1. Visit freehandmehndi.com
2.Register on the site
3. Place an order and use code welcome23 and get FREE Shipping on your first order

Fine Art Photo? Can you find the henna tattoo?

I am so happy to have been able to do this full hand henna pattern.

An "original" free hand design, the use of negative space makes a lovely pattern.

Can you find the henna in this photo?

I really like the mehandi against this fabric. I am sure there is another foto coming soon.. but as I have yet to see it, I share this image with you in hopes that you will find is as much fun as I do.

Wishing you warm nights.

Namaste,

Ann George

Winter Time Henna Fun - Henna Parties for the Holidays

Here is a photo of a full palm henna tattoo I did at a get together. I am always happy to have true patrons of traditional henna as they give me the chance to stay in practice with free hand/traditional & fine line henna.

Winter can be a very good time to have a henna party because the house is toasty warm, most people are in sweaters, woolies, and long sleeves, so the body temperature is up! These conditions are excellent to help the henna paste give the darkest possible stain.

Also.. with all other body parts covered, I have a chance to do full palm henna tattoo. I will post some new photos from friends having henna in India soon. Be sure to stop by the henna bookstore to get the latest pattern booklets from India.

Namaste.

Now Shipping to Canada & the UK

It has been a long time coming, but Free Hand Mehndi now ships to Canada and the UK. Our site is fully integrated and will properly calculate shipping charges for both countries.

Because of customs regulations, essential and henna oils cannot be shipped outside of the USA. Please check with your local post or customs office regarding customs fees/taxes/tariffs and items that are not ok for import into your country.

If you would like to purchase a kit, that contains an item that your country prohibits you from importing, please email and I would be happy to make substitutions.

NEW! Free Hand Mehndi Design Sheets

These sheets were designed by yours truly. Each sheet has a step by step visual of how to complete a design. Yes, it is that simple. Put many simple shapes together and you get all of those intricate designs you see.

More sheets to come.....in the mean time they are available at freehandmehndi.com and are reasonably low in cost. There are also some belly templates for pregnant and non pregnant bellies.

NEW! Henna Resource from Free Hand Mehndi

Ever just need to know the basics? Just want to mix henna, store it, apply it, terp it, and more? Free Hand Mehndi has started a library of resource pages just for your general info. Most of these pages are authored by Free Hand Mehndi and are not available for reprint.

Mixing Henna
Henna Powders
Henna Oils & Terps

More pages are in the works including black henna warning, application methods, and before/after care. Any recommendations? Feel free to send them along freehandmehndi@gmail.com

Black Henna PPD Read this article!

I was searching for information on black henna and found this article about a 10 year old girl with a black henna scar. Please read this article, this stuff is dangerous and it nothing to be played with. Please be careful while on vacation!

You can read the full article here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1026257/10-year-old-girl-scarred-temporary-tattoo-Playboy-bunny.html


Here are some tips on sniffing out black henna:

1. They tell you it will dry in 30 minutes or less
2. It is thin like paint, and they paint it on with a paint brush
3. It has a chemical smell
4. It is black in color (natural henna is green or brown)
5. It stings when applied

Henna Design Contest November 16th 2008

Its time to celebrate! Its my birthday and in celebration I am having another henna design contest. I am going to mix it up a little this year. For those who have video cameras please upload your video to youtube as a response to my video (click here).

For those who have digital cameras please email your images as attachments to freehandmehndi@gmail.com In the subject line please type 2008 design contest.

I will compile all of the photograph submissions into one video and number them off. The contest will start on November 16th-December 6th. The submission will be put up for voting on December 6th-12th. Voting will be done by those who view the video and myself. You are welcome to vote on your own submission or submissions of others.

**The prize this time around will be a box of Jamila Henna Powder 100 grams, 6ml of Tea Tree Oil, 6 mylar cones, mixing instructions, and design templates**

My website is open for those who need to do a little henna shopping freehandmehndi.com The site is still under construction (adding new products, pictures, etc), but there are plenty of great product available. Need something you don't see? Please feel free to suggest something.

You Tube

If you didn't already know, yes I am on Youtube and have been for some time. I love it. You can find some of my design videos there. And featured videos that I found on Youtube by other users that I think are wonderful.

Please visit my channel and subscribe today!

www.youtube.com/freehandmehndi

Free Hand Mehndi on Etsy

I was introduced to etsy.com by my mother. We are both artists and think the idea is pretty cool. You can visit my etsy shop here freehandmehndi.etsy.com

And learn more about etsy at etsy.com

Currently I have two active postings for henna powder. I should have more posted soon. Those items are available for purchase now, even though my website is not yet open.

New Logo

I wanted to go for a new look. With a tight budget after all of those moves I designed it myself. I was going for a contemporary and clean cut look. Let me know what you think.

I intended for the swirlies to represent henna designs and I used this particular font because I felt it matched the swirlies best. Then I put the two together. It only took about 30 minutes to complete the whole logo believe it or not.

I even did a matching banner!

Tell me your opinions on this new logo.

Henna Tattoo How To Video from Nepal

dress inspired

This girl's hands and dress were beautiful. I worked from a part of the design in her dress to create her henna.

This was at a birthday party and there were so many girls getting henna! I think I counted 17 hennas that I did.

surprise sweet 16 henna

The birthday girl had NO IDEA I was coming. And I did not know that it was a surprise. So when I got out of the car to see several girls outside of the house, and said that I was the henna artist... she was so excited!!!
I was there for hours and had fun doing so much henna on so many girls, many of whom are into gymnastics, so they had fabulous bodies, and wanted beautiful things to flaunt :)

Saying Farewell for the Summer

We seem to be coming the the natural end of henna tattoo season in Jacksonville... Riverside anyway.

Spirit Vision henna sends all best wishes & many thanks to everyone at The Midnight Sun for making this henna season such a joy!

Of course we are still available for private parites, birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers & corporate events of all kinds.

Our more experienced artists are able to do henna tattoo of this complexity in 20 minutes or less.

If you Have to Have more henna, just call the Studio - (904) 993-7466 - to make an appointment for your event.

It has been a pleasure to henna everyone this year! We will be back in the Spring.

Temporary Body Art - Mehandi at Midnight Sun 9/13/08

Here is a henna tattoo design for the wrist chosen from the many pattern books I bring to the Midnight Sun, Park Street, Five Points, Jacksonville, Florida.

I will have plenty of fragrant henna paste on hand this Saturday & should be in the shop no later than 1:15 PM.

This image - showing henna paste on the skin - is adapted from a pattern presented by the goddess of henna tattoo, Catherine Cartwright-Jones. This henna tattoo shows the tremendous range of patterns and styles available with henna body art.

Henna body art is safe, painless, temporary, and only takes about 10 minutes to complete. So.. what are you waiting for?

Henna season is coming to an end. Come get some color while the sun shines.

Henna Tattoo at the Midnight Sun today - 9/6/08

Here is a quick little henna for the back of the hand. Now the fabulous pattern was inspired by the very talented artist at Mirage Body Art in Tallahassee, Florida.

Be sure to visit her site for some lovely art & great inspiration. I did not complete her design, as my client just wanted a touch of henna to celebrate First Friday. This henna tattoo is a "Chef's Choice" pattern.

This means your order "somehing like this" but I only have $10.00 to spend. That way, you get the look you want at a price you can afford.

This weekend is also the Riverside Art Festival.. and there may well be other henna artists out to play. I will be at Midnight Sun.. I think in the window, but if not, please look for me to be set up in the lovely rattan furniture area.

First Friday at Bead Here Now! Henna at 6:30 PM

New to the idea of Henna Tattoo? Watch this excellent video featuring Traditional Henna Tattoo designs posted by Chandan Henna. Of course some of these patterns require much more time than we will have tonight.. but enjoy the possible.
Spirit Vision Henna will be offering henna tattoo this Friday night at Bead Here Now on Park Street in the Historic Five Points district, Riverside, Florida. Come on out and join the party. The shops are open late and galleries have new exhibits. It may drizzle, but if you remember to bring an umbrella, you can keep your henna tattoo nice & dry.

Gilded Henna Tattoo - Simple Patterns with Jeweled Color

Here is an example of gilding. Notice the jeweled colors in the henna tattoo? This is not colored henna, rather it is gilding paste, a very temporary form of body art that lasts only as long as you don't wash your hands.

Gilding is a great way to embellish your henna design. And, while simple henna tattoos are very fashionable, and are created to accent the natural beauty of your hand, the gilding is just a bit of fancy for the day. Many times people will choose gilding colors to match the outfit they are wearing when they have their henna applied.

The gilding paste is made from glitters, jewel powders and sometimes cosmetic powders mixed with a neutral carrier gel. Gidling is applied with a cone, just like henna, so you can easily get the very same effect as a henna tattoo using only gilding paste. It is very important to wait for your henna paste to dry before adding the gilding, your artist will help you with that.

For examples of gilding, visit the gilded henna gallery at Spirit Vision Henna Tattoo.

Henna Tattoo in Jacksonville Florida - 8/30

Com on down to the Midnight Sun import store this Saturday August 30, 3008 and fill your hands with the latest in Arabic henna fashion.

Ann George will bring a collection of the latest heena patterns as well as a big collection of tribal henna tattoo designs and traditional Indian henna tattoos. This is a sample image from the little henna tattoo pattern booklet available for sale at Spirit Vision Henna Tattoo. We will try something different this Saturday and start vending henna about 11:00 AM!

If you are new to henna tattoo, please be sure to visit the FAQ PAGE! so you have the best experience possible.

For more information about how to purchase this and other fine little booklets, visit her HENNA TATTOO BOOK STORE. If you are just hoping to find more designs, no worries.. the site is full of photo galleries of henna tattoos!

Bollywood birthday party....

A fabulously themed party by a creative mom for her daughter. She found a woman to buy sarees from for a really good price, got the girls bangles, and bought throw pillows and more. She got great bargains, and the girls all had so much fun. They had a great tent set up with so many beautiful silks.

a great bollywood birthday party:

the birthday girl and her mom

Henna Pattern - Peacock Tattoo with Flowers

Here is a photo of a full palm henna tattoo. This design was done using the "draw the outlines first" method which has really improved my finished designs.

Visit the henna videos category on this site to see one of the best "how to" videos online. I started the pattern at the wrist, drew the outlines for the peacock & the bracelet at the wrist, then moved to draw the outlines for the encircled flower pattern at the base of the hand. I went back to fill in the details of the peacock & bracelet before moving to fill the hand. After finishing that portion of the pattern I drew outlines for the flower pattern that runs up the pinky & ring finger, then the little paisley and the flower at the base of the thumb.

After filling in all those areas, it was time to finish off the fingers. I used bold strokes to finish, hoping that the use of negative space would create the little glove effect as well as enhance the complexity of the palm pattern. If you like this pattern, you may enjoy a visit to the Henna Patterns page on my site. There are lots of little booklets from India on sale.. filled with inspiring images.

I intent to be back to work at the MIdnight Sun this weekend. Perhaps I will see you there?

Joe Cocker: Woodstock '69 With a Little help from my friends

Live Out Loud!

No Henna Today - 8/23/08 - at Midnight Sun

It is just tooo wet to come out & do henna tattoo today!

Henna works best when it's warm, sunny, and dry as we are able to let the paste stay on the skin, undisturbed, for along time. During a tropical storm, or the remnants of one.. it is often too wet to be sure that your henna paste won't get wet as well.

For those new to henna, the reason this is important is that henna works by penetrating layers of the skin to stain it some shade of reddish brown. If water gets on the paste ( the photo shows henna paste still on the skin) then the paste can run, thus smearing the pattern a bit.

For best results you want to have the henna paste on the skin at least 6 hours, some leave the henna overnight. Let's hope next weekend will be brighter!

Intricate Henna Tattoo - Just a Doodle

Sometimes the loveliest mehandi is the little embellishment. This is a photo of an intricate henna tattoo that decorates the back of the hand.

This small jewel style is very popular with Western customers. It is just a touch of the exotic beauty we see in complex henna patterns... without covering the entire hand or arm. This freehand henna tattoo is clearly composed of traditional Indian components, but assembled in such a way as to fit the back of my clients hand.

This is a sample of the henna you can get at the Midnight Sun in Jacksonville, Florida... although we seem to be coming to then end of henna season. I am happy to continue to offer henna all year long, but as we move into the cooler months, it may be best to call ahead or to e-mail the Studio to be certain I will be at the shop. Namaste!

Bridal Henna for Back of Hand

It is always wonderful to have friends! I am particularly grateful for those with the time and patience to help me perfect my skills.

This henna tattoo took about an hour and a half to complete. We were having a relaxed time, no stress or hurry, and didn't realize that time and passed so quickly. After we finished, we wrapped that tattoo in tissue and plastic to be sure to get the best color possible.

This paste, I included eucalyptus oil, clove oil, a bit of neroli & some cajeput. It was an invigorating mix that we both enjoyed. The henna flowed very smoothly from the "floral paper" cone, and I was able to provide several applications of lemon/sugar to the design to keep it moist as long as possible.

I will have finished color photos on Wednesday I hope, and will be sure to post them as soon as possible. Again, I was inspired by the many very talented artists who have so generously posted their work on line. Following their example, I did draw the primary design elements on the arm first, then filled those in, moving down to the hand and finally the fingers.

Traditional Indian Henna for Feet

Here is a photo of a traditional henna tattoo for the foot adapted from a pattern by Vashti. Her work was published in a henna book from India that I bought a long time ago. I am very happy to be able to offer new henna booklets from India with lots of great designs like this one.

I started this henna tattoo at the ankle and worked down from there. I used a fairly wide tip on the rolled mylar cone to be sure to get enough paste on the skin to give good color & to show off this bold design.

I did modify the pattern a bit from the original to flatter my clients foot. She was hoping to make her foot look longer & more elegant. I think the pattern she chose was excellent to accomplish this.

As well, leaving a bit of negative space between the finished medallion on the top of the foot, and the "toe ring" pattern at the tip of the foot gives the illusion of length.

She was very happy with her pattern. Sadly, we were working a bit late in the evening and did not have time to start the other foot.. perhaps next time we will be able to do some art earlier in the day.

To get good dark color on henna for the foot is it best to sleep with the paste on the skin. Some people will wrap the tattoo in tissue & plastic wrap to help "sweat" the design. This works best for me.. and always for brides. Others wrap the pattern with tissue and sleep in socks.

Both methods help this heat activated natural dye to give the darkest color possible. Other tips for dark color are published on my FAQ page and in different posts on this blog. (Notice in the photo below that we were able to incorporate her inked tattoo into the henna pattern.)

Henna Today at the Midnight Sun - Rain or Shine Henna Party

I will be at the Midnight Sun today between 1:15 and 5:15 PM, rain or shine, to do some henna tattoo.

Pictured here is a quick little pattern that took about 6 minutes to complete, is easy to wear, and just in case in rains today, easy to keep dry.

Of course, tattoos on the feet & ankles are very popular, but not the best choice for a rainy day.

I will bring lots of pattern books to choose from, but this is a "chef's choice" design created to fit the wearer.

If you have a tattoo pattern you want, please bring it along. See you soon?

Dark Red Color in Arabic Henna Tattoo - Jamila Henna 2008

Here is a bold Arabic style henna tattoo for the palm and inner wrist. The wonderful dark color is a sample of the fine red that is available when using the 2008 harvest of Jamila henna powder.

Of course, to get the best finished color, one should leave the paste on as long as possible. In this case, I applied the henna at 10:30 PM. I was able to apply several treatments with lemon sugar glaze to keep the paste wet, and therefore active for about half an hour.

Afterwards, I gently wrapped the henna tattoo in tissue and then wore a plastic glove ( the soft food service kind ) over the pattern for the rest of the night. This process of wrapping in tissue and plastic really helps to get the darkest color possible because henna is a heat activated body dye.

It is also clear in this photo that henna gives the darkest color on the palms of the hands. The henna stain is lighter as it moves up the arm although the same paste was applied to both areas. Some people get darker color on the arm than I do. It is really a matter of skin type, body chemistry and some times, the color of the skin.

The nice thing about this palm tattoo is that it leaves much of the hand free for everyday tasks. So.. if you want a simple henna tattoo on your palm, this kind of pattern will work well for you. 2008 Jamila henna powder is still available for $8.50 each 100 gram box with free shipping in the USA.

Tribal Henna Tattoo for the Hand

Here is a tribal henna tattoo for the back of the hand. This design uses components common in many North African patterns.

In keeping with the "less is more" philosophy of life, I tried to accent the natural beauty of my clients hand using a pattern that drew the eye, but did not over whelm. Also, if you notice, the henna pattern avoids the joints of the fingers, and is "out of the way" so that a busy day can easily be accomplished.

If you do choose to get henna on the back of the hand, and want to get the darkest stain possible, then please try to leave the paste in place until you to to bed that night.

That evening, after you remove the dried paste with olive oil, sleeping in a glove (plastic or otherwise) will help heat up the henna to give a dark result.

Henna Fish - Tattoo for Festival Days

This little fish is a "chef's choice" pattern for the back of the hand. It took just a few minutes to create a henna pattern based on the koi.. or fancy goldfish concept.

Once the outline was drawn for the eyes & head, the rest of the fish just flowed along. You will notice the pattern is filled in with traditional henna components, the line, spot, curved and straight lines.

I hope you enjoy it. If you would like one, just stop by the Midnight Sun in Five Points, Riverside, Jacksonville, Florida.

Namaste!

hands together

I had a great settings in Maine, and a beautiful woman wanted her hands done simply.

women on Vinalhaven

so much fun, and we will have to be doing it again sometime this fall!
They picked fun things, and really individual.
I did hear though that some of them went swimming in the quarry shortly afterwards though! (completely disregarding the fact that you should, a) leave the henna on for 4-6 hours, and b) that you should avoid water on it for at least that long if not much longer!)
I will just have to go back and henna them all again this fall!