13
Nov, 13

How to Care for Your Purple Hair

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I finally did it!  I finally dyed the lower-half of my hair dark purple, and I love it so much!  The whole process, with a cut and style, took about 3 1/2 hours.  And it was totally worth it!  I’ve had my hair a couple of colors in the past, but never purple until now.  Although lovely in every way, having purple hair (or any bright color) takes a lot of care and it can fade fast.  And even though it’s a permanent dye, it won’t last forever.  Natural dyes tend to adhere better to the hair and last longer, but unnatural dyes like purple, pink, red, blue, green, etc. just don’t.

Other than my new purple hair, I’m thrilled to have Ms. Twinkie Chan as a guest today!  I mean, who knows more about bright and fun hair color than her?!  So, here are a few tips from Twinkie and my stylist/colorist to ensure that your purple/colored hair stays glamorous until your next tone session.

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Twinkie says:  When you’re starting to experiment with bright colors in your hair, you’ll probably need to bleach your hair out first, unless your are a blonde. While a lot of my friends DIY their own hair to save on the expense, I would still highly recommend that you go to a professional. I know people who have accidentally burned patches of hair off of their heads, and while hair always grows back, it’s nice to avoid that situation! I have heard of people getting their hair ruined at salons as well, but my colorist is really bleach-conservative, and I have never experienced any breakage.

One thing I remember back when I had some purple in my hair, is that I felt like I also had to change my make-up a little bit to accommodate the bluer tones. So don’t be surprised if you find yourself in Sephora, cruising some pinky blushes and blue-based lippies! It can be a fun excuse to experiment with different make-up. When I went to the mall for some make-up help, I ended up at Stila and bonding with the gal who worked there. Incidentally, we got our hair colored by the same person!

But when I had teal-green streaks, I realized that greenish hair was not for me, and not even makeup could save me! I think it picked up too much on the yellow tones of my skin, and I just felt like an alien. I couldn’t wait to change the teal out! So if you want to experiment with bright hair, just remember, that some bright colors may work for your skin tone and some may not, but don’t get discouraged if you feel like an alien, because there could be another color that’s great for you!

When I first went 100% pink, I really looked like I was wearing a wig, like I didn’t belong to my hair. I now have  a few panels or pieces of black in my pink, and the black really helps add dimension and break up the color a little bit. If you find yourself feeling too odd with your new hair, trying adding some darker pieces back in.

When washing freshly-dyed hair, you also want to make sure you didn’t just get a fancy manicure, because your hair color will definitely dye your polish a little bit!

If you decide to freshen up your color at home, and you accidentally get dye all over your shower, I have found that some spray bleach really goes a long way. Just spritz some on, open a window, and let it soak in for a while. Don’t freak out, especially if you’re a renter!

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Okay, so here are the basics:

1. Don’t wear light colors like white or pastels, at least in the beginning, because it will rub off!  This is no joke for those of you with long locks.  I tested it on an old white tee the night I got it done, and again after the first wash (four days later); it does rub off.

2. Try sleeping with a black pillowcase or an old towel over your pillow, as well.  Also, be careful when leaning back on your couch, car seats, and especially other peoples furniture!  Eep!  I bet you never thought of this, but be sure that your seat-belt doesn’t rub on your hair, because that will stain, as well!

3. Wash your purple/colored tendrils as little as possible and when you do, wash in cold (burrr) water using a color protecting shampoo and conditioner.  Chose a product with no parabens or sulfates.  Some colorists will also recommend finding vinegar-based shampoos that don’t foam up very much.  You don’t want to strip your color.  Instead, between washes, use dry shampoo to hold off your natural oils.  For me, I can usually get away with wearing my hair down for the first two days, anything beyond that, I put it up in a bun or pony.  Then I wash it every fourth day.

Note: Hot water does fade your color faster, so I like to wash my hair separately in the stainless steel kitchen sink using cold water and the awesome sprayer on our faucet.  I use the sink for two reasons, first, I’m a chicken and don’t want to be standing in a cold shower, ever.  Second, our new shower is white and I don’t want to risk staining it with purple.  I think Ron would kill me!  If you’re brave or crunched for time, you can shower.  Wash your hair in cold water (fast!) and then pin it up.  Now, you can shower your body in cozy warm water!  Be aware that the purple does run off in the shower and sink, so be sure to rise it away as soon as possible.  And like Twinkie mentioned above, bleach spray can go a long way if water alone doesn’t cut it.  Also, black or old towels are are great idea, because it will absorb into the towels.

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Twinkie says:  We pink-haired girls often also boost our color a bit with each hair wash by putting a little hair-dye into our conditioner.

4. Be gentle with heat styling, as well.  The more heat you apply, the more your color will break down and fade.  This is difficult for me because I love to curl, dry and straighten my hair.  I try to heat style only once between washes, unless I’m headed to a Ball or something super fancy!  Ha, if only!  Make sure that you don’t care about your straightener and curling iron getting stained purple (or any color), either, because they will.  You might also notice that your hands will be tinted as well.  The heat pulls the color out as you’re handling your hair.  It usually washed right off.

5. Avoid too many hair products.  If you can, don’t use hair spray, palmades, etc., because it will contribute to the fading.  Plus, it takes a lot more effort to scrub those product out when you do shampoo.

Basically, you want to baby your colored hair if you want it to stay vibrant longer.  In the beginning, it seems like a lot to think about, but it eventually becomes second nature and part of your everyday (or every third or fourth day) routine.  Until the pros master a way to make purples, pinks, reds and blues permanent-permanent, this is what we have to do.  The price of beauty, eh?!  Anyhoo, have fun with it and don’t be afraid to add a little bit of color to your hair.

Hopefully these tips will help you maintain your color longer!  I want to give a big thanks to Twinkie for sharing her tips with us.  She’s a hair-colored icon in my book!  Oh, and did I mention that she’s the absolute sweetest?!  If you haven’t already, be sure to check out her website and say hello!  If you have any hair color tips, tricks and stories, we want to hear them in the comments below!

23
Oct, 13

Temporarily Without Internet

I have so much to share on the last and final week of the building process, but we won’t be able to get internet, cable or phone until Oct. 30th.  That was the soonest that Comcast could get us in.  So, I will be sharing the {Life Lately} Week 25 post next week when I can upload my photos to the blog.  Until then, I’ll be busy unpacking and trying to get settled.  I can’t wait to get my studio space in working condition.  Especially since my mom and I have a craft show coming up in about two weeks!  After I get the kitchen and our closet situated, I’ll focus on my studio so that I can get in there and work, work, work.  I have so many fun DIY projects and posts to share once most things are in order.  Have a great week and I’ll see you on Instagram, Twitter, FB and Pinterest (through my iPhone – since I’ll have no internet) until then!

16
Oct, 13

{Life Lately} Week 24

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This week Ron was in Pagosa Springs, so I took my family to see the final touches on the house before we close on Friday.  Friday night I took my mom and one of my brothers to see the inside.  Then on Sunday I took my dad and my youngest brother to see the outside (as it was locked).  It was so helpful to have my family look at it and find little things that I had over-looked.  There were a few windows and things that needed to be sealed better.  Our representative assured us that these things will be taken care of by closing.  They also plan to have our landscaping in, too.  I wasn’t able to go inside this Sunday, because they had it all locked up, but that allowed my dad to focus on the exterior details.  He’s a painter by trade, so he knows what to look for.  I’m so blessed to have such a supportive family.  Anyhoo, here are a few photos from week 24.

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Our baby tree in the front yard is in.

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Our AC unit is in and they still need to fix that window well… looks like someone ran over it with the Bob Cat.  Eep!

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My dad pointing out a few things.

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This Saturday we have so many of our family and friends that will be helping us move our things from my parents’ and from both of our storage units (which are of course at separate locations – sheesh).  Then, this Sunday will mark week 25 (the final week of this adventure) and we will officially be moved in to our new home!

 

 

09
Oct, 13

{Life Lately} Week 23

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Week 23 has brought us the most change in the shortest amount of time.  The crew is really wrapping things up, and quickly!  Monday, Ron and I met with our amazing contractor and he did the final walk-through of the house with our Realtor and us.  He explained how everything worked, from the furnace to the care of the granite countertops.  We also went through each room with red, green and blue dots to mark what needed to be touched up by the carpenters, drywallers and painters.  This step really made me very appreciative of the time and care that the contractor and his crew put into our new home.  It showed that they wanted to make it perfect for the day that we move in.

What day is that you ask?!  We close on Friday October 18th at 11am (squeal)!!!  We’re beyond excited to finally see everything in its place.  After all is said and done, this whole process will take 25 weeks to complete.  That’s a long time, but well worth the wait.  I really want to thank my parents for being so supportive in this process.  My dad opened up his home to us and our three fur babies for 25 weeks!  I don’t know how he could stand having us that long, but he made us feel welcome the whole time.  My mom was so kind to let us store a lot of our stuff in her garage and on the side of her house.  I’m sure it was in the way, but she never complained!  This process would have been very unpleasant without the both of them there to support us.  Thank you beyond words!

Below are some photos that I snapped during our final walk-through.  Enjoy!

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Moving day is coming!  I’ll be taking more photos this coming Sunday.  We hope to see the landscaping put in this week and that might be the only other change that we really see.  P.S. I love how the new iPhone 5s takes better photos when the camera is switched to face you, however this photo of me could have been fuzzier and I wouldn’t have minded… hahaha

30
Sep, 13

Come See Us This Saturday!

Lately my mom and I have been feverishly working to prep for our October Craft Show.  Since we thought we’d be moved into the new house before this show, we stored almost all of my crafting supplies in storage.  I thought I would have a week or two to craft my heart out in the new house before unpacking everything else, but boy was I wrong.  Recently we found out that our Closing date has been pushed to mid October (the 18th), so I had to go to plan B and dig out as many crafting supplies as possible and tote them to my dad’s house.  I’m doing what I can with what I was able to find.  We tried to keep all of my crafting supplies in a general area within one storage unit, but that’s not as easy as it sounds when things are packed ceiling-high.  Nonetheless, its frantic but so much fun!  I hope to see some of you at the show.

Saturday October 5th 9am-4pm
Adams County Fairgrounds – 9755 Henderson Road (same as 124th Ave.) Colorado
$2 admission (14 & under is FREE)
FREE Parking
250 Booths in 2 Buildings
Food Provided by 4-H

12
Sep, 13

5 Year Wedding Anni: Turks + Caicos

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It’s hard to believe that five wonderful years of marriage have already gone by.  Where does the time go?  As you know by now, when Ron and I travel, we usually try to squeeze in as much adventure and excitement as time allows.  We can’t help it, we want to see everything!  This time, however, we decided to see what a lazy and relaxing beach vacation was really like.  So, we decided on Turks + Caicos.  If you’ve never been, I highly recommend it.  It’s warm with clear blue water and white sandy beaches.  Things run at a much slower pace and it’s extremely romantic.

I have to warn you, this post is extremely photo-heavy.  Are you ready?!

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My mom armed me with plenty of magazines for the flights, so I was thrilled to sit back and relax.  Also, knowing that my dad was watching our fur-babies, made it even easier to let go of any stress as we took off for Miami.

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On the way to T+C we had a 5 hour layover in Miami, so I made the most of it by painting my nails pink!  I have to admit, out of all of the airports that we’ve been through, Miami has to be our least favorite.  It’s always so chaotic and we seem to always come across the rudest people.  So once we ate, we found a quiet corner near the gate and kept to ourselves as much as possible.  That seemed to work out perfectly.

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The view from our room was breathtaking!  Our balcony overlooked the pool, garden and ocean.

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One of my favorite parts of the resort were all of the little lizards running around.  I got way more photos of them then Ron saw necessary.

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I just fell in love with these two pups.  They never let each other out of sight as they ran along the beach as the sun was setting.  I wanted to take them home so bad!

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One night we went to grab a bite at Jimmy’s Dive Bar in hopes of finding some more local food.  We have to admit that we weren’t too impressed.  It was just that – a dive bar with greasy bar food.  At least we tried.

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We found some little crabs on the pier…

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… then we saw several schools of baby puffer fish.  Adorable!  They were so quick, too.

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The pool water was so warm!  I loved it!

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We rented bikes everyday and rode into town for ice cream, food, shopping and sight seeing.  There were two parrots that we would ride by multiple times a day and we said “hello!” each time.  After few times, we would hear each one repeat it back.  How cute is that?!

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This is some sort of crab that reminded me of my hermit crabs growing up.  Then shortly after taking this photo, my face and hand was pooped on by some crazy birds!!!  Urgh.

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This was a little snorkeling spot that we found.  Ron came really close – too close – to a barracuda and we saw so many fish, sea urchin and coral.  Beautiful!

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Now, the quality of this photo is poor, but we chased three dolphins for a good 1-2 miles up the beach and this is the only photo that came out.  We would like to believe that one of the dolphins was the infamous Jo Jo the Dolphin.

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We have so many more photos to share, like snorkeling and underwater ones.  We also have some photos from Iguana Island and a boat tour that we went on.  I’ll share those in another post real soon.  We had such a wonderful time and we can’t wait to go back and visit!  Until next time T+C!

18
Aug, 13

30-Day Self-Portrait Challenge // No. 24, 25, 26, 27 + 28

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It was fun to have part of the 30-Day Self-Portrait Challenge go into our 5 Year Wedding Anniversary vacation!  I got lots of fun shots – mostly of my feet in the soft-white sand.  Which was fitting, because that’s where I spent most of my time.  It was such a lovely and relaxing time, that I can’t wait to go back!  I’ll share more on our trip in another post.  Get ready for a lot more photos and stories!

01
Aug, 13

30-Day Self-Portrait Challenge // No.17

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It’s day 17 of this 30-day challenge and I’m sharing a photo of my new Nike+ shoes.  I really like them a lot.  They’re light-weight, super soft and squishy, and they’re bright and cheerful!  They actually make me want to walk and jog more than usual.  The Heeler pups are loving it, too, because they get to run more.  If you have Blue Heelers, then you know, walking doesn’t do it for them like a good run.  Because they’re working dogs, they have so much energy to burn.  And since we live in the suburbs with a lack of cattle to chase, a good run or game of Frisbee does the trick.  We need to get as much outdoor exercise in now, because I feel Fall coming here already, then comes the snow…

31
Jul, 13

30-Day Self-Portrait Challenge // No. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 + 16

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It’s been a whirlwind of a week, but I’ve been keeping up on my self-portraits.  In fact, so much has been happening that I can’t seem to remember it all to share.  Eep!  This last weekend I spent Saturday babysitting for a really great friend and we had a girls day with my mom.  My mom and I took the baby antique shopping and out to a linner (late lunch-early dinner), then once the baby went to bed, Ron and I watched a movie and nibbled on candy for the rest of the night.  It was a busy, yet rewarding day.  Then, Sunday we went to check on the status of the house.  Can you believe that we’re in week 13 already?!  It’s been pretty wet and rainy here, so things have slowed down, but I can’t wait to see next week.  We then went to visit some friends for lunch and a few games of pool, and ended the evening with a family dinner.

This week I hope to take it a bit easier, but I’ll still be working on a few projects.  I just can’t wait to have a studio again where I can spread out and make make make!

26
Jul, 13

Big things are brewing for the Roblin’s

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For the past month now, I’ve been working on a new project for my Roblin’s.  I’ve been working so hard, that I filled up my last idea book, so I had to go to the store and buy a new one last night.  I’m really excited about this project and want to share more, but I need to wait.  I need to wait until it all comes together.  It will be wrapped up and ready to roll this Fall, so I’ll update you along the way.  Until then, I’ll keep working hard.

On another note, the house is still progressing.  I’m excited to see what’s new this Sunday, and don’t worry, I’ll be sure to share!  I’m curious what’ll be next.  Will the outside be close to done, or will they have focused their efforts inside?  The excitement is almost too much to handle!