The Big Post (hang in there til then end, mmmkay?)

This entire weekend, the hubbins was around. He was feeling less-than-stellar. As I had committed to staying off the computer when he’s around, an insightful blog post was put on hiatus. Now, had I been truly thoughtful, I would have just started writing something down on paper. Alas, I knitted instead. I thought about blogging. I really did. I intend to post on topics such as supporting WAHMs (work at home moms), budgeting, investment pieces (as in that pricey purse, not as in real investing folks), feeling beautiful inside and out. I have some DIYs I want to work on and share with you. The truth is, I’ve been pretty distracted. This is nothing new. So let me talk a bit about me.

I have four kids, 10 and under. I hope to have more. I am not a supreme housekeeper, cook, or organizer. I wish I had more patience, and I wish I had more ‘stick-to-itive-ness’.  I love Jesus. I want to love Him more. I want to be receptive to God’s voice, and do what He asks me to do.  Now, seeing as I haven’t yet heard a particularly clear “Kim, I would like you to INSERT COMMAND HERE…” I have to go with what I know might please Him.

What on earth does this have to do with your sexy mommy style blog Kim?

Not much. But kind of everything.

This silly blog. I originally was going to try to keep my faith a bit muted, so as not to offend anyone that might read, but not agree. Nope. That won’t work. I want you to know why I think this is important, relevant, and what it’s about. I’m reaching out to women, and I want them to hear me. So listen up girly.

If you read every once in awhile, my hope is that you take something away that helps you feel more beautiful.. whether it’s some cute way to style your bangs, some neat product that will tame your tendrils, or just a boost of  ‘go get-em’.

With every post I make, I want you to know that God loves you. That you are beautiful, and that He knows the number of hairs on your pretty head. I’m totally serious.

Luke 12:7.
⁶ “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. ⁷ And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

Now why on earth is that important to Him?

Because you ARE His.

Let me tell you, I am feeling pretty dumpy this morning. Jammy pants, icky hair, yucky face. I just feel bleh. But as I write this, I know I’m going to get up, clean up, and fluff up a little. When I read Luke 12:6 and 12:7, I am reminded that God knows me inside and out. That he knows when I feel greasy and gross, and he knows when I’ve tried to fluff up a bit. And honestly, I want to make Him smile. I want to take care of myself, because I know I’m loved.

Imagine a little girl, maybe 4 or 5. She dives into a pile of dress ups, and does her absolute best to put together an ensemble worthy of only the classiest pretend-wedding. She might put some blush on her cheeks and paint her nails. Her hair might be in random pig tails that she struggled and winced to get into her hair. She might be clomping around in shoes that are only 11 sizes too big. But she has tried so hard. And why? So that you will admire her.

And don’t you? Don’t you smile at her and adore her? Not because she looks super chic! But because she is precious. Absolutely precious. And wouldn’t you rather see her dress up and enjoy, and even feel good about herself? As opposed to being self-doubting, self conscious, depressed.. Imagine your own daughter, who you gave birth to with your body, or your heart. Imagine her feeling terrible about herself. Feeling inadequate.. Doesn’t it break your heart?

I am no bible guru. I have so much to learn before I could even attempt to teach.. but I KNOW this..

God’s heart breaks for you. Christ’s heart broke for you.

Whether you are a believer now or not.. Whether you were once upon a time, and then got lost. He’s always been there, on the front porch of your heart. Excitedly expecting you to open the door to Him. And you know what? You look perfect.

1 Peter 3:3-4
³ Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. ⁴ You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look and feel beautiful. I think there’s everything right with it, as a matter of fact. But I just want you to remember that the phrase “it’s what’s on the inside that counts” isn’t only cliche. It’s just plain ol’ truth. The boost we get from a pretty purse, or a good hair day is only going to be temporary. Let’s remember that, okay? Let’s remember to work on the inside with the outside.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled cool stuff..POLYVORE.

An uber cool website that let’s you virtually shop for outfits and accessories. Set up an account, watch the tutorial, and start playing dress-up online. I stumbled upon it when cruising Pinterest. I’d see these awesome images, and just followed the links. Here are a few of my favorites lately:

Yellow and grey by kristen-344 featuring a cashmere cardigan

Just click on the image to visit Polyvore. Do this when kids are napping, or it’s bedtime. You will be spending some time here… Enjoy!

And the winner is…

That would be YOU, Jolyn!

(and there was great rejoicing.. yaaaay!)

I made a quick list in order, and only counted each poster once. I, of course, omitted my own posts. Voila. Thank you to everyone who commented and shared. The whole giveaway thing is so much fun. I will be doing more of it in the future for sure. Stay tuned for another post today as I attempt a wee bit o’ DIY. Congrats Jolyn. Now, go tame those curls!

Technical Difficulties

So apparently I upset the interwebz, and so my blog was looking pretty trashed earlier. I think it’s all ironed out (I’m thinking the tutorial video I embedded was a no-no. Ugh). So, sorry about that.

The truth is, the honeybadger did it.

And he don’t give a….

So I’m Kind of Grounded, but oooh.. look at Etsy..

Well not really grounded. But I did get my computer time limited.

You see, I am a computer addict. Seriously. I could lose hours on the computer, and I do. I absolutely do. I think way more women do than then they might care to admit to. While I cruise Pinterest, Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, Pinterest (do you see a trend?) the house sits unattended to. My kids have heard “just a minute” more in the past few minutes than I care to admit to. And when the hubbins was super crabby on Sunday, I nestled in with my blog and my boards and found comfort in those places. When he got exceedingly crabby, I took radical action, booked a sitter, and announced he and I were going to dinner. In the car, I had him cornered.
“What’s the matter?”
“You’re in front of THAT BOX all the time! You want me to spend time with you, but you are THERE!”

If you’ve seen Despicable Me, let me tell you, I heard Gru’s voice say “Light bulb.” If you haven’t, go rent it. It’s super adorable and sweet. Slow moving, but just fun.

Now with that little glimpse into my homelife, I have committed to NOT being on the computer when the hubbins is around, and only being online if my kids are napping, or engaged in a movie. I hope to blog 2-3 times a week, so be sure you’ve subscribed for email updates so you don’t miss something fun.

Now.. onto the fun stuff.

We’ve been talking hair, and this weekend was admittedly hair disaster for me. In my pics, you can see I have shorter bangs. Some days, said bangs are completely misbehaved. So I pin back said bangs, in cute little twists and braids, like so:

Kate Hudson Awesomesauce

 

Headbands.. Oooh.. so many choices. My only rule is this girls. At all costs, no matter HOW cute, do NOT go for the GIANT SILK FLOWER on your head. Feathers? Sure.. Jersey or felt, knit, buttons, whatever you can find on Etsy is more than fab. But please, save the GINORMOUS poppies for the babies. Mmmmmkay?

Short Hair Fab

Yes, yes, YES!

Find that gem at Etsy

 

Almost like a snobbish hat. And I love it.

Etsy again.

NO! (But totally yes for the behbehs)

If your minion must have it. Etsy.

 

In the meantime, the crafty critter in me will attempt my own saucy headbands. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

 

 

 

Taking Care of Your Hair

So far we’ve talked a bit about a hair coloring trend, the Ombre. We also talked about the art of the blow out. Hair isn’t really a topic we can wrap up, and I’ll link all the cool sites I continue to find. I’m also interested in the fun things you do with your hair. Now, as this blog is in it’s total infancy, a linky party would be a bit premature.  So for the giveaway this weekend, I’m going to go back to the comments section.  I want you to post a comment telling me where you feel you could use some help. Or post a comment with a success story.. tell us about a product you LOVE! As a hairdresser, I am completely spoiled by having profession product available to me at a discount. When someone sits in my chair and asks me if there’s anything at the store they could try, I have ZERO advice. And it’s not because I’m trying to sell them MY retail (I don’t earn commission on retail at the salon!), it’s because I honestly have no clue!

Here’s what’s up for grabs:

Surface Purify Shampoo

I use this shampoo every third wash, to really get my hair feeling clean. The Surface line is totally environmentally friendly, vegan, not tested on animals.. you know the drill. This is a GREAT shampoo for blondes, as it removes buildup and deposits in light hair. I have uber dark hair, and I love it just as much for mine!

Surface Trinity Protein Cream

And I’m telling you right now, this stuff is the shizz. After I shampoo, I towel dry (not condition) and mist about 15 pumps of this all over my hair. I then finger comb it before blow drying it. Trinity Protein Cream has an incredible amount of good stuff, and unique proteins that don’t get your hair crunchy (as some protein creams may make your hair.) If I’m going to curl or flat iron my hair, I also mist a little on the ends, then pull the iron through. The heat seals the protein in, and makes for much healthier looking ends.

Today on the homestead, the hubbins is hanging some cabinets. Mood of the house: Stressed. Look for a fun post tomorrow, when I won’t get the ‘hairy eye’ for being on the computer.

Contest ends: Friday, January 27th. Please pass the blog along to your friends. If they mention you in their comment, I’ll give you credit for an extra post

Blow Outs…

The obvious title for this blog entry would have been “The Blow Job”, but c’mon. That was just too easy. But rest assured, my mind is that grungy. Regardless, I settled on a close second. For the mommies out there, we are all WELL AQUAINTED with the term “blow out”. It usually involves seedy poop between the babies shoulder blades. Good times, ah yes. Good times.

I had intended to post this last night, but in between the “Come to Jesus” I had to have with the kids (shortly after my second oldest declared me the WORST MOM EVER!) I was pretty exhausted and instead just vegged out in front of Pinterest. After the minions were down of course. But I’m here now, and that counts.

If you are just finding this post, and it’s sometime in February, then obviously you did NOT subscribe. That’s a bummer, cause there was a giveaway in January and you totally missed out. So go subscribe so you don’t miss out next time. Go on, I’ll wait. If it is indeed January 19th whilst you are reading this, then rest assured.. good things await. This weekend we’ll do a fun giveaway for some great Surface products.

So today we’re going to talk about drying your hair. I’ve been online fishing for some tutorials and inspiration, and have a few goodies to share with you. While watching the Pinterest stream, in the Hair and Beauty section, I noticed that folks are pinning hair that looks soft, fluffy, and romantic. Almost careless. Occasionally that super-sharp biased bob pops up, but more often than not, that bob has softened. It seems to me that Hollywood has a tendency to cut all it’s hair off, only to re-appear with bra strap length tendrils only a few months later. Ah, the beauty of extensions. Well, here in West Michigan, extensions are not the every day, and so I am hesitant to jump back on the short hair bandwagon that was so good to me for so many years. That’s not to say short hair isn’t full of awesome, because it is. It is completely supreme in my opinion. Unfortunately, I have a hubbins that just loves the long stuff, and for now, I’m humoring him. In the long run it pays off.. but it kills me when I see pictures like this:

Goldie Hawn

How fantastic is that short hair? I mean really.. It’s airy, light, feminine, and short! It’s also from HOW many years ago, and still looks awesome. I think a soft cut like that packs just as much romance into it as any head of long flowing layers. With that length, it’s obvious that some product and a round brush make the cut completely beautiful. So what if you want to go shorter?

Ginnifer Goodwin

Look how pixie short that hair is, but still tousled and romantic. How does she get  her hair to DO that?! When I pixied my hair, it just stuck flat to my head. What’s her secret??
The video below will help you out:

 

 

So let’s talk a little longer… hair that is. That biased bob that the mom-on-the-go look of the decade? Let’s soften it up a bit:

Kathryn Heigl

Paris Hilton

ZOMG Headband LOVE..

A little bit of surface layering, and a sideswept bang completely soften that angled cut, and yet you still have that sexy naked neck. So here’s some blow out education for medium length hair:

Placeholder, because I can’t find a decent tutorial so I’m gonna have to make my own. Meh.

In the meantime, a couple tips.

Tip #1. Use some kind of protectant. This would be a leave-in conditioner, or a blow dry cream. I use Surface’s Protien Cream.

Tip#2. Use a volumizing product. Generally a mousse works great for finer hair, but there are some great gels out there too. Again, I love Surface’s Reflect Gel.

Tip #3. Try to blow from root to ends. Yes, you can totally flip upside down to get some massive fluff and puff, but you’re going to do your finishing right side up, so remember to keep lifting your hair AWAY from the scalp.

Tip#4. If you have problem areas such as unruly bangs, start there. Get control of those tough spots right away.

And if you have long hair, and want to go hardcore pro:

Holy crap eh? Because Detroit don’t play..

Mascara.. blow dryers.. curling irons.. oh my!

Step Away from the Ombre… Uh… Hombre..

Have you heard of it? Let me tell you.. it’s sOOOoooo 2011.  Actually, it’s a trend that is (from where I’m standing) just popping up on Main Street, Suburbia. Celebrities have been sporting this look for over a year, and honestly, I had mistaken it for laziness. I kid you not.   That’s a ship that sailed right past me, and I feel like a total goob for missing it. I’m a hair PROFESSIONAL for Pete’s sake. But nooooo.. I saw Sarah Jessica Parker’s dark roots and was like,  “Man. That’s bold. So hot, she don’t need to retouch her ROOTS yo. Recogniiiiize..” Okay, not really. I probably sounded more “uuuuh, scuze me.. forgot to keep that color appointment did we? Hmmmm?” in a totally catty way in my head. Really, I’m pretty sure my internal monologue sounded like Dane Cook’s woman voice.

But of course, I digress. It’s what I do. If you didn’t know that, you need to read my previous posts.

Again- I digress.

So the Ombre, for the fashion-backward (guilty), is a hair-color method that involves lightening your ends and darkening your roots. Done right, it might look something like this:

Jessica Biel

I kind of love it.

But then this is out there too:

Drew Barrymore

I love you Drew. But no. No no no.

I actually had a client that came in with the Ombre, and none of us knew what it was. Including her. She was hoping to get her roots lightened up, because she felt so dark. Then upon closer inspection, we realized what had happened. The super fancy salon she went to in NY had not only lightened her ends up, but they had DARKENED her root to midshaft sections. Now, the beauty of the Ombre is supposed to not only be the caramel hilights at the end that make your hair look as though it was dipped in honey, but also in the low maintenance. If we actually bring the root area to an even darker shade than the clients natural color, we completely negate that positive note. Now the client has light ends, dark midshaft, and light roots. Highlighting her was tricky. We wanted to pull the color all the way to the ends, but it would (as color does) pull lighter on her natural regrowth area, and darker on the midshaft.

I realize  this is a lot of colorist talk, but the point is this (or these, as I do have more than one):

1. The Ombre is nothing new, but it may be new to you. Style trickles down, starting on a couture runway, then sporting itself in big cities. It takes a while for it to hit main street USA, and then a few years later it pops up in random parts of Europe. And let’s face it- that’s a good thing. If we were to snatch the looks right off the runway and sport them to a PTA meeting, we might get removed from the cake-walk committee. Seriously. You do NOT want to piss those ladies off.
2. The Ombre can be super low maintenance and full of awesome if, and ONLY IF, you have naturally dark hair. If you have to manually darken your roots in order to make them darker than your ends, DON’T. Or do, and be prepared to need retouches every 5 weeks AT LEAST.
3. Reverse Ombres are not okay. Unless you have naturally LIGHT hair. See rule 2., and figure out what I mean. You’re smart, you’ll get what I’m saying.
4. Don’t try to do it at home. And yes, I did find a video on how-to with boxed color, but please… PLEASE… don’t experiment with this one. It could just go really, really wrong. And color correction is really, really expensive.

I will not be sporting the Ombre any time soon, as I am growing my hair out, and am already in the process of trying to mask some serious chemical damage.  I’m using PM Shines (a Paul Mitchell product), which is like a glaze/demi-permanent color that boosts shine and adds some serious richness to my hair.

I’ll be throwing up another post later today, maybe even this evening, regarding some styling mojo. Your mission this week is to get in touch with your styling mojo. Remember, it’s an extra 15 minutes a day.

Coffee.

Mascara.

Hair.

You can do this. You’re a sexy beast. I believe in you.

Some Techie Stuffins..

Just a quick note to warn you that I will be dinking around with the format of the blog. The theme I am currently using, though UBER cute, is a bit restrictive. I’ll be posting fun stuff this week along with (remember, we’re playing with hair!), but if you are one to check in, be warned. It could be getting messy round these here parts. Consider yourself warned.

 

Let’s Talk About Hair.

I had intended to post this on Friday, but I felt like I was getting a little gung-ho with the rapid blog posts. I hope your inbox (if you subscribed) has enjoyed a little breather. I may have traumatized myself a bit too, with those super awesome (note: sarcasm) pics from my “Pinned it, did it” post. I’m still trying to recover.

So let’s get down to business. We’re going to talk hair today. This isn’t the only post I’ll ever share on a topic that tops us all. Alas, it will be one of many. In case you weren’t aware (or had not read my ‘about‘ page), I am a hairstylist. I work at a sweet little salon in Grand Haven, Michigan named “Honey”.

Honey Hair Salon

Now, you might wonder why a salon would name itself after a sweet sticky yummy product provided by hard working bees. All you have to do is walk in the door, and you’ll have your answer. Salon owner Heidi Wrighthouse greets everyone with a sugary “Hey Honey! What can I do for you?” Heidi and I go back many years, and to date, I have never known anyone that can use as many pet names as she does, without coming off as condescending. Her pet name for me is currently “Slim Shady”. I’m okay with that, as I have a very inappropriate affinity for Eminem. Inappropriate because I have four small children whose ears might melt off their sweet little heads if they were exposed to those lyrics.. But I digress.

One might think a hairstylist will have wild or awesome hair all the time. Well, if you just check my “Pinned it, did it” post, you will see that is CERTAINLY not the case. When I’m out and about lately, I get tons of compliments on my hair. I will admit, my hair HAS been rockin’ lately. Why? Because I finally started investing some time in it. You don’t have time? Then you’re going to have crappy hair.

Yeah. I said it. Harsh, I know.

Something that we have ALL done, is sit down in a salon chair and say “I want piece-y layers, a messy look, THAT I DON’T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING WITH.” Or “I am just a wash-and-go kinda gal”.

Now, first of all, there is nothing wrong with that. If you run out with wet hair, then I assume you don’t have any expectations that it’s going to dry into a super-cool styled coif. If you DO have those expectations, well you are going to be disappointed. So that totally sounds harsh, but let me elaborate.

Kristin Cavallari

This style is super cute and basic. A medium length bob with some layering, and a casual side swept bang.

Styling this bob in my salon would start off with freshly shampooed and conditioned hair. Then I would use Surface’s Reflect styling gel, working it in at the roots. From there I would blow dry that hair with as much lifting as I could. Basically the equivilant of blowdrying upside down. Concentrating the airflow at the roots, and directing it towards the ends. If you were to blow toward the scalp, you would really be roughing up that cuticle, which leads to damaged hair. So I’m blowing it out roots to ends with a large bristled round brush. When I was done blowing the hair out, it would actually look something more like this:

Jenny McCarthy

Jenny McCarthy’s bob is rockin’, don’t get me wrong. And although there may be more layers in Kristin Cavallari’s bob, when it is just freshly blown, without any finishing product, all of those layers will lay softly and smoothly together. They will essentially blend in. In order to get that chunky look, I would dust the hair with some Push Powder (a talc-like product that dirties the hair and makes for mega grip and volume) and then work in some Crave paste to create definition and separation of those choppy ends. I would finish with Theory hairspray.

This all might sound like a lot, but truly, this is what it takes to get some good hair. The key is, a little time, and some great product.

Honey's Retail and Front Desk

Obviously there are a million trends and cuts and styles out there. If you want to achieve a specific look, then take a picture in to your hairstylist. Have a frank conversation with her as to whether your hair can ‘do that’.  Honestly, most of the mega-hot layered and longer looks you see in celebrity shots have extensions. Even the almighty Jennifer Anniston uses them. Once you find your hair zen with your mega-awesome stylist, talk to her about product. I will TOTALLY admit, salon products can be pricey. As a matter of fact, Honey carries a line that is definitely higher priced than what you’ll find at many retailers. But there is total truth in the mantra “You get what you pay for.” With a professional product, you are going to use a LOT LESS to get the kind of results you would need a lot more using a store brand. The Surface line is a totally vegan, environmentally friendly line that is safe and healthy to use. That’s important to a client who is using it on her hair and scalp on a daily basis, and even more to a stylist who has her hands in it and is breathing it for 10 hours a day. Now THAT said, I know there are some awesome store brands out there. When it comes to shampoo, I am totally willing to confess my love for Treseme shampoos. It smells awesome and makes my hair super shiny. Right now in my shower though, I have Purify shampoo (by Surface) and I use a leave in conditioner (Surface Protien Spray).

So you say: Wow Kim. That was a lot of good information, but how can that help me? How do I incorporate it into my own getting sexy regiment?

I’m so glad you asked.

Since you are dedicated to wearing your mascara every day, and you are sporting a rockin’ sexy scarf this chilly season, let’s top it off with some great hair. If you don’t have a little stash of money to go see your stylist for a fresh cut (even just a trim) in the near future, then start squirreling a little away here and there. Remember to budget for styling product as well.  Your product total will likely match or even exceed your hair cut cost, but will also last you a good while.

Now think about your daily routine. Do you already struggle to get up and shower? Do you run late? That was totally my problem. I just didn’t allow enough time for hair in the morning. My solution is this- I shower the night before. I really wrap my hair up tight in a towel while I brush my teeth. Once it’s good and towel tried, I spray it with a leave-in conditioner, comb it through, and hit the sack.

The next morning, my hair looks like crapola, BUT, it’s not saturated and requiring 15 extra minutes of blow drying. I pull either a flat iron through it, or (my current preferred style) just curl the whole thing. It takes me about 15 minutes. Here’s a great link to a blog FULL of awesome styling advice. I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do, but don’t forget about me!

The Small Things: Hairstyle Tutorials

How to curl your hair with a curling iron

So that’s my big intro to hair talk this week. Throughout the week I’ll be posting some fun hair finds, and by the end of the week there will be an opportunity for you faithful readers to win some of my favorite products.

I’ll leave you with a favorite Proverb of mine~

Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

Remember to bless others with some honey today.

The Bumpy Scarf Pattern

 

 

Are you ready for this? It’s tricky.. Seriously, pretty hardcore.

Materials:
280ish yards of a thick worsted, or even a bulky yarn, suited to size 10ish needles
Size 10ish needles

Stitches used:
Knit
Purl

Instructions:
Cast on 48 stitches in whatever cast on method works for you.
Row 1: *knit, purl* repeat to end. Turn.
Row 2: *purl, knit* repeat to end. Turn.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you run out of yarn, leaving a couple feet to seam the ends together. You can whip stitch the ends together, or get fancy and do a kitchener stitch. I gave my scarf a single twist before seaming the ends together, and that gave it a great shape.

If you are a seasoned knitter, you are chuckling at my “pattern”, because it’s nothing more than a seed stitch. If you a novice knitter, you now know how to make a seed stitch. Basically you are just knitting into purl stitches, and purling into knit stitches. This creates an awesome and warm bumpy material.

Here are some great links to walk you through this.

KnittingHelp.com

Continental Knit Stitch

Continental Purl Stitch

I strongly recommend using the continental method, as the switching from knit to purl is much faster and smoother with this method. The KnittingHelp.com site is the site I used to learn to knit years ago. It’s videos are fantastic and easy to follow.

Happy knitting!