It looks like a rainbow exploded and turned into hair ties. Purdy!!!
Also, for my Mister:
Hope you can forgive me :)
I love you!!!
Friday, 30 August 2013
One more.
I wanted to mention that I saw these tie-dyed hair elastics on Etsy and I thought, BONANZA!!
It looks like a rainbow exploded and turned into hair ties. Purdy!!!
Also, for my Mister:
It looks like a rainbow exploded and turned into hair ties. Purdy!!!
Also, for my Mister:
Speaking of pretty timber...
I was just browsing through the Jeterforks store admiring his work and I saw a few really beautiful things that I just can't understand why they have not sold yet. I'm going to link them all here to force you guys to look at the pretty.
Flame box elder is soooo pretty! I have a spiral in this wood and in person it is just gorgeousness.
Pheasant wood looks amazing. It really does look almost feathered. If it wasn't almost the exact same shade as my hair I doubt I would have been able to resist this one.
Black and white ebony. Who doesn't love a bit of black and white ebony, really? If I hadn't been hanging out for round topped four pronged jeterforks this one would have fallen into my cart a long time ago. Same goes for this verawood and this bubinga really.
Pretty, pretty wood!
So, if someone would like to treat themselves and buy one of these please feel free. I don't know why they are still available to be honest and they keep winking at me. *Puts hands over eyes*
Nooo! We have to pay for underlay for the floor. Sorry forks. I can't buy you.
I get far too much joy from enabling people, so let me know if I tempt you.
Have a fantastic weekend.
Cardi.
Obsessed with pretty timber.
Over the last four or maybe even more years I've been a member of a few different hair forums, but although I admire beautiful hair and appreciate tips on hair care, what has maintained my interest has been all the discussion of pretty hair toys and also the varied group of people I have chatted with along the way. I am proud to call some of these people my friends, even if we have never actually met.
Hair toys is a sort of generalized term which includes all sorts of common and uncommon things which are used to hold hair in styles or even just to decorate hair. I mostly like things that are practical, comfortable and don't cause any damage, but my real passion is only for the beautiful timber that is used to create the wooden hair forks and hair sticks. I wonder if I were well again if I should switch completely out of my science based career and test out my skills in carving and wood-working? It's unlikely to happen at this rate (hurry up please research!) but my dear Granddad, may he rest in peace, was a carpenter, and I wonder if somehow I have wood-working in my blood? Probably a silly notion, but it's nice to think I could share one of his qualities.
Because I have such an appreciation for the look of beautifully finished wood I have become fascinated by the different types of woods and I like to collect the most beautiful wooden hairtoys that I can find. I am certain that had I not discovered wooden hairtoys, I would have eventually ended up obsessed with beautiful wooden pens, bowls or other knick-knacks, but I really like it this way because I can wear the things I like so much every day.
I have a couple new photos that I have taken of beautiful wooden hair forks from Designs by Baerreis that arrived yesterday afternoon. I had no idea maple in particular could be so pretty! I think my new zebrawood three prong Ursula, (the striped one) is the nicest of their work that I own so far, and I am delighted by the patterns in the maple nautilus (four pronged fork). I was pleased to see how nicely they were shaped and I like the shape of the three prong fork even better than the example photo in the shop. The rounded prong gaps are really lovely. I was happy to see that both woods were finished very nicely too.
One of my favourite references for the different looks and types of woods is HobbitHouse. I LOVE HobbitHouse and if the guy behind it ever reads this, thank-you, thank-you for all your hard work. I have learned so much from this site that it is simply incredible. Plus I like to look at all the pretty woods and enjoy the discussion about the accuracy of photographs by vendors. I especially like the fact sheets and colour change discussions. They are very informative. I like to imagine that the creator of that webpage would understand my passion for beautiful timber.
I have been slowly collecting bits and pieces for over four years now. I like to think I am quite choosey and that the sellers I return to are very talented and deserve the repeat business.
One of my favourite things in wooden creations is burl. Burl is the result of damage to the tree that kind of forms a little "tumour". Once the tree or branch affected is felled, and the wood worked, burl will show up with whorls of grain and some voids. My absolute favourite woodworker is amazing in how he works with burl and fills the voids beautifully with things like crushed precious stones before finishing his hair sticks or forks. I suppose now would be a good time to link the new Elymwold fork I have headed this way:
See how he has filled the eucalyptus burl topper with turquoise to beautifully close any gaps in the burl? Then added strips of black wattle which shimmer copper-bronze in the light, and another stripe of silky oak inlaid with silver? All on top of a glossy gabon ebony fork! Yes, I know it's probably not exciting to anyone who isn't a "grainiac" (wood grain maniac), but to me it's more gorgeous than a whopping great big diamond ring. I hope this piece in particular can become a family heirloom and be passed down for who-knows how long. I need a "happy dance" smiley on this blog. I don't think I have ever seen anything quite this amazing before, even my birds-eye maple glass bead topped Graydog hairstick will take second place to this work of art.
There's a reason this crafter is my all time favourite. This should not diminish how highly I think of other vendors I mention.
And last of all, but certainly not least, I can't stop thinking about the black and white ebony and bocote Jeterforks on the way. I just know they are going to be in my absolute favourites list. Two years between orders was far too long. I kept on looking and admiring constantly, but was trying to cut back on spending in general after moving house.
Mr Jeter's work is always perfectly smooth when he's finished with it, even when using rough or ridged woods. He really takes very good care. Your hair will always be safe with these forks and I will happily recommend them to anyone. I like the fork shapes and Mr Jeter is incredibly helpful. Like Elymwold, he has always been very happy to shorten forks where needed, which is a wonderful kindness and encourages me to buy beautiful things I would otherwise have passed on. The head curve is always perfect and consistent and I find that with the tung oil and beeswax finish the forks increase in beauty with age. If you live in the U.S. the shipping is free too. Bargain!
So, I hope you're all tempted and maybe you can pick yourselves up some pretty wooden things. I probably (definitely) have enough already, but I make an exception when I see something amazing.
I promise photos when the elymwold and jeterforks arrive and I'm still slowly working on clearing out some other stuff that I liked before but has been gathering dust since Elymwold started making forks.
So yeah, I just rambled on about timber and hair forks for ages. Well done if you managed to read it all without falling asleep. You might be a grainiac just like me.
Cardi
Hair toys is a sort of generalized term which includes all sorts of common and uncommon things which are used to hold hair in styles or even just to decorate hair. I mostly like things that are practical, comfortable and don't cause any damage, but my real passion is only for the beautiful timber that is used to create the wooden hair forks and hair sticks. I wonder if I were well again if I should switch completely out of my science based career and test out my skills in carving and wood-working? It's unlikely to happen at this rate (hurry up please research!) but my dear Granddad, may he rest in peace, was a carpenter, and I wonder if somehow I have wood-working in my blood? Probably a silly notion, but it's nice to think I could share one of his qualities.
Because I have such an appreciation for the look of beautifully finished wood I have become fascinated by the different types of woods and I like to collect the most beautiful wooden hairtoys that I can find. I am certain that had I not discovered wooden hairtoys, I would have eventually ended up obsessed with beautiful wooden pens, bowls or other knick-knacks, but I really like it this way because I can wear the things I like so much every day.
I have a couple new photos that I have taken of beautiful wooden hair forks from Designs by Baerreis that arrived yesterday afternoon. I had no idea maple in particular could be so pretty! I think my new zebrawood three prong Ursula, (the striped one) is the nicest of their work that I own so far, and I am delighted by the patterns in the maple nautilus (four pronged fork). I was pleased to see how nicely they were shaped and I like the shape of the three prong fork even better than the example photo in the shop. The rounded prong gaps are really lovely. I was happy to see that both woods were finished very nicely too.
One of my favourite references for the different looks and types of woods is HobbitHouse. I LOVE HobbitHouse and if the guy behind it ever reads this, thank-you, thank-you for all your hard work. I have learned so much from this site that it is simply incredible. Plus I like to look at all the pretty woods and enjoy the discussion about the accuracy of photographs by vendors. I especially like the fact sheets and colour change discussions. They are very informative. I like to imagine that the creator of that webpage would understand my passion for beautiful timber.
I have been slowly collecting bits and pieces for over four years now. I like to think I am quite choosey and that the sellers I return to are very talented and deserve the repeat business.
One of my favourite things in wooden creations is burl. Burl is the result of damage to the tree that kind of forms a little "tumour". Once the tree or branch affected is felled, and the wood worked, burl will show up with whorls of grain and some voids. My absolute favourite woodworker is amazing in how he works with burl and fills the voids beautifully with things like crushed precious stones before finishing his hair sticks or forks. I suppose now would be a good time to link the new Elymwold fork I have headed this way:
See how he has filled the eucalyptus burl topper with turquoise to beautifully close any gaps in the burl? Then added strips of black wattle which shimmer copper-bronze in the light, and another stripe of silky oak inlaid with silver? All on top of a glossy gabon ebony fork! Yes, I know it's probably not exciting to anyone who isn't a "grainiac" (wood grain maniac), but to me it's more gorgeous than a whopping great big diamond ring. I hope this piece in particular can become a family heirloom and be passed down for who-knows how long. I need a "happy dance" smiley on this blog. I don't think I have ever seen anything quite this amazing before, even my birds-eye maple glass bead topped Graydog hairstick will take second place to this work of art.
There's a reason this crafter is my all time favourite. This should not diminish how highly I think of other vendors I mention.
And last of all, but certainly not least, I can't stop thinking about the black and white ebony and bocote Jeterforks on the way. I just know they are going to be in my absolute favourites list. Two years between orders was far too long. I kept on looking and admiring constantly, but was trying to cut back on spending in general after moving house.
Mr Jeter's work is always perfectly smooth when he's finished with it, even when using rough or ridged woods. He really takes very good care. Your hair will always be safe with these forks and I will happily recommend them to anyone. I like the fork shapes and Mr Jeter is incredibly helpful. Like Elymwold, he has always been very happy to shorten forks where needed, which is a wonderful kindness and encourages me to buy beautiful things I would otherwise have passed on. The head curve is always perfect and consistent and I find that with the tung oil and beeswax finish the forks increase in beauty with age. If you live in the U.S. the shipping is free too. Bargain!
So, I hope you're all tempted and maybe you can pick yourselves up some pretty wooden things. I probably (definitely) have enough already, but I make an exception when I see something amazing.
I promise photos when the elymwold and jeterforks arrive and I'm still slowly working on clearing out some other stuff that I liked before but has been gathering dust since Elymwold started making forks.
So yeah, I just rambled on about timber and hair forks for ages. Well done if you managed to read it all without falling asleep. You might be a grainiac just like me.
Cardi
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
Why, Etsy, Why??
I buy things from Etsy more than I buy things from anywhere else, so when I say these things I am saying them as a frequent shopper and an even more frequent browser.
Etsy, your latest changes are NOT an improvement in my opinion.
I don't like the interface as much anymore. I find it annoying having to click on a tab to see what the shipping is or if the seller will even ship to my country. Sometimes the shipping amount will make or break a transaction, so to make me search for this instead of it being right there is not helpful nor conducive to me trying a new vendor.
I HATE the changes to feedback. My ability to gain positive feedback has been wiped out. How can a vendor trust me when I tell them that they should take a chance and mail something to Australia, without being able to base that decision on my 100% positive feedback from multiple vendors. My loyal patronage has been wiped out and I am now only as trustworthy as any random new account.
Also, I don't want everyone to know what I have bought, but I LOVE to leave positive feedback for those who deserve it. Why can't I leave anonymous positive feedback? Why do I have to have my account name and profile picture displayed any time I want to leave honest reviews? Also, grouping sales in feedback is disrespectful to people's privacy. Maybe that person who bought 5 things at once (not me in this case) doesn't want everyone to know about it, but still think the vendor deserves a good review for their fantastic service and well made merchandise?
Also, vendors aren't going to like getting less than 5 stars. This may lead to vendors refusing to sell to people who don't believe in 5 stars for anything short of perfection. There is too much space for hurt feelings. There are some vendors who do indeed always deserve 5 stars (sometimes more), but there are others I am happy to buy from that probably would only honestly rate a 4 or 4 and a half, but that I am still happy to buy from repeatedly. I don't want to insult these people or hurt their businesses, so I will leave them a 5, but is this really honest? Also, making me wait until a designated date to type reviews? Why? If something arrives before that, I want to review it then, as a way to let the seller know it arrived and I am happy.
I don't like the idea of having my account name and profile picture, and a link to my profile proudly displayed next to feedback. Why is this necessary? Is the aim to make it possible for sellers to hunt down buyers? Why else? I'm good enough at contacting vendors on my own, thank-you.
Now, if it weren't for fantastic Etsy vendors who always deserve 5+ stars, like Elymwold (beyond amazing work and best customer service ever), Jeterforks, (years of fantastic service, and stunning work) and 60th Street, (consistently beautiful work and care for customers as much as their work), I might be annoyed enough to stop shopping at Etsy.
I feel patronized when I am typing a review and a little, encouraging "Great, keep going" pops up underneath. What am I? Six? I mean, really...
Anyways, I don't think it will make any difference but I just thought I would put that out there.
Probably a case of TL:DR here, sorry. As an apology, I offer you photos.
Etsy, your latest changes are NOT an improvement in my opinion.
I don't like the interface as much anymore. I find it annoying having to click on a tab to see what the shipping is or if the seller will even ship to my country. Sometimes the shipping amount will make or break a transaction, so to make me search for this instead of it being right there is not helpful nor conducive to me trying a new vendor.
I HATE the changes to feedback. My ability to gain positive feedback has been wiped out. How can a vendor trust me when I tell them that they should take a chance and mail something to Australia, without being able to base that decision on my 100% positive feedback from multiple vendors. My loyal patronage has been wiped out and I am now only as trustworthy as any random new account.
Also, I don't want everyone to know what I have bought, but I LOVE to leave positive feedback for those who deserve it. Why can't I leave anonymous positive feedback? Why do I have to have my account name and profile picture displayed any time I want to leave honest reviews? Also, grouping sales in feedback is disrespectful to people's privacy. Maybe that person who bought 5 things at once (not me in this case) doesn't want everyone to know about it, but still think the vendor deserves a good review for their fantastic service and well made merchandise?
Also, vendors aren't going to like getting less than 5 stars. This may lead to vendors refusing to sell to people who don't believe in 5 stars for anything short of perfection. There is too much space for hurt feelings. There are some vendors who do indeed always deserve 5 stars (sometimes more), but there are others I am happy to buy from that probably would only honestly rate a 4 or 4 and a half, but that I am still happy to buy from repeatedly. I don't want to insult these people or hurt their businesses, so I will leave them a 5, but is this really honest? Also, making me wait until a designated date to type reviews? Why? If something arrives before that, I want to review it then, as a way to let the seller know it arrived and I am happy.
I don't like the idea of having my account name and profile picture, and a link to my profile proudly displayed next to feedback. Why is this necessary? Is the aim to make it possible for sellers to hunt down buyers? Why else? I'm good enough at contacting vendors on my own, thank-you.
Now, if it weren't for fantastic Etsy vendors who always deserve 5+ stars, like Elymwold (beyond amazing work and best customer service ever), Jeterforks, (years of fantastic service, and stunning work) and 60th Street, (consistently beautiful work and care for customers as much as their work), I might be annoyed enough to stop shopping at Etsy.
I feel patronized when I am typing a review and a little, encouraging "Great, keep going" pops up underneath. What am I? Six? I mean, really...
Anyways, I don't think it will make any difference but I just thought I would put that out there.
Probably a case of TL:DR here, sorry. As an apology, I offer you photos.
Yeah, she doesn't like the Etsy changes either!
A kitteh washing a doggie. I bet they don't care about anonymous feedback.
And three happy window shoppers.
Hope everyone is well, and watch out for some sale listings at "The Island". I've made enough back to pay back what I spent on those gorgeous new Jeterforks, but now I have to drum up the money for my Elymwolds. I think I'd happily sell most of what I own to pay for those forks. They're so amazing!
Hope I haven't scared anyone away for good with this one.
Cardi.
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
Ever-changing collection
Well, I have had one very fortunate day when it comes to finding out about beautiful things before they were listed. I don't have magic powers or anything, I guess I just asked very nice people at the right times! I feel pretty lucky. Also grateful. I already think I own the most beautiful Jeterfork ever made. That's this one. A really beautiful swirly cherry wood.
Today I think I have even managed to top my favourite grained Jeterfork with two more incredible pieces of wood. One black and white ebony and one bocote. I have been searching for the perfect black and white ebony fork for years, and to find one from one of my top three favourite vendors and at such a great price? Well, I was over the moon! Here's some pics of the new ones:
I can't believe how fortunate I was! I hadn't made a purchase from Jeterforks on Etsy for myself in just over two years, (mostly because the cherry wood one was so awesome I felt I couldn't top it) and I can tell these forks will be worth the wait. I'm particularly happy about the high contrast topper on the black and white ebony and the fascinating swirly grain in the bocote fork, with the knots on the prongs. Joshua from Jeterforks is one of best three hair fork vendors out there, and I have high standards. He's extremely helpful too.
Also, I have reserved a couple of amazing new Elymwold forks, but I don't have listings to link the photos from yet. Nigel from Elymwold is one of the nicest people ever, and if you are serious about wanting to reserve something just send him a polite conversation and ask. You won't regret it. Even with no customs, Nigel is very happy to tell you if he has something non-custom available.
Now, between my Elymwold beauties and my natural wood 60thstreets and my carefully chosen, amazing Jeterforks, it is going to be difficult to use anything else, so it feels like the right time to shed quite a few of my less used items. Paying for new things by selling the old unused ones feels much better than just buying new things. Also, with time I now know exactly what I want and most of my new items are forever keepers. Going for quality instead of quantity now. I can reduce my collection and have more forever items. Sounds like a WINNING situation to me. Hopefully I can find homes for some of the things I'm willing to let go, (even if it is only because I'm allergic to dymondwood now.) I'll miss all the happy bright colours when they are gone, but I can console myself with amazing burl and wood grain.
Hopefully I'll end up at least even, or in the front after this last lot of purchases. That would be fantastic. I just hope everything arrives safely at their destinations. That's most important to me.
In other news Mr Cardi changed my ring-tone to the "Can't hug every cat" song and I laugh every time my phone rings. Thank you Darling!
Hope everyone is having a good week. I'm going to have to stop shopping for a long time now, but I'll be happy to point out all the gorgeous things I see to everyone else.
Cardi.
Today I think I have even managed to top my favourite grained Jeterfork with two more incredible pieces of wood. One black and white ebony and one bocote. I have been searching for the perfect black and white ebony fork for years, and to find one from one of my top three favourite vendors and at such a great price? Well, I was over the moon! Here's some pics of the new ones:
I can't believe how fortunate I was! I hadn't made a purchase from Jeterforks on Etsy for myself in just over two years, (mostly because the cherry wood one was so awesome I felt I couldn't top it) and I can tell these forks will be worth the wait. I'm particularly happy about the high contrast topper on the black and white ebony and the fascinating swirly grain in the bocote fork, with the knots on the prongs. Joshua from Jeterforks is one of best three hair fork vendors out there, and I have high standards. He's extremely helpful too.
Also, I have reserved a couple of amazing new Elymwold forks, but I don't have listings to link the photos from yet. Nigel from Elymwold is one of the nicest people ever, and if you are serious about wanting to reserve something just send him a polite conversation and ask. You won't regret it. Even with no customs, Nigel is very happy to tell you if he has something non-custom available.
Now, between my Elymwold beauties and my natural wood 60thstreets and my carefully chosen, amazing Jeterforks, it is going to be difficult to use anything else, so it feels like the right time to shed quite a few of my less used items. Paying for new things by selling the old unused ones feels much better than just buying new things. Also, with time I now know exactly what I want and most of my new items are forever keepers. Going for quality instead of quantity now. I can reduce my collection and have more forever items. Sounds like a WINNING situation to me. Hopefully I can find homes for some of the things I'm willing to let go, (even if it is only because I'm allergic to dymondwood now.) I'll miss all the happy bright colours when they are gone, but I can console myself with amazing burl and wood grain.
Hopefully I'll end up at least even, or in the front after this last lot of purchases. That would be fantastic. I just hope everything arrives safely at their destinations. That's most important to me.
In other news Mr Cardi changed my ring-tone to the "Can't hug every cat" song and I laugh every time my phone rings. Thank you Darling!
Hope everyone is having a good week. I'm going to have to stop shopping for a long time now, but I'll be happy to point out all the gorgeous things I see to everyone else.
Cardi.
Monday, 26 August 2013
Busy Weekend
Wow, this weekend has been so busy, I've not had time to even think about blogging until now, but everything is settling down now.
I'm particularly pleased to have scored six large bottles of the original Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Conditioner at a local bargain store. No silicones and not heavy, but really moisturizing. I love that stuff! Ever since they changed the formula I've been trying conditioner after conditioner with disappointing results and sticky build-up, so it is really happy news for me to have enough to last some time now.
There are a few things I really want to review in the next week. The "Tangle Angel" hair brush, Redken Diamond Oil, the intense version, and I really should mention how much I like Jeterforks and Baerreis hair forks too. Hopefully that is something to look forward to and will make up a bit for the break.
If you don't know already, Designs by Baerreis are having a 30% off sale at the moment, which is unheard of to me in the last four years I have been watching hair-toy sellers. Here's their shiny new internet store Gallery26, and if you can't help yourself, the coupon code is 303030. I am wearing one of their hair forks as my own strange celebration of the sale. I feel so silly having ordered two forks last month for the first time in over a year. Oh well! Here's the pic:
It's a "finny" in padauk wood, holding a pencil bun. I'm also wearing a pair of the earrings I bought from MaryGraceJewellery just over a week ago. I'm very happy with them too.
The sale ends on the 28th of August, I believe. I'm still watching the Elymwold store in awe of all the beautiful customs that everyone had ordered too, and I'll try to link anything particularly beautiful that I see.
Hope you all had a great weekend.
Cardi.
I'm particularly pleased to have scored six large bottles of the original Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Conditioner at a local bargain store. No silicones and not heavy, but really moisturizing. I love that stuff! Ever since they changed the formula I've been trying conditioner after conditioner with disappointing results and sticky build-up, so it is really happy news for me to have enough to last some time now.
There are a few things I really want to review in the next week. The "Tangle Angel" hair brush, Redken Diamond Oil, the intense version, and I really should mention how much I like Jeterforks and Baerreis hair forks too. Hopefully that is something to look forward to and will make up a bit for the break.
If you don't know already, Designs by Baerreis are having a 30% off sale at the moment, which is unheard of to me in the last four years I have been watching hair-toy sellers. Here's their shiny new internet store Gallery26, and if you can't help yourself, the coupon code is 303030. I am wearing one of their hair forks as my own strange celebration of the sale. I feel so silly having ordered two forks last month for the first time in over a year. Oh well! Here's the pic:
It's a "finny" in padauk wood, holding a pencil bun. I'm also wearing a pair of the earrings I bought from MaryGraceJewellery just over a week ago. I'm very happy with them too.
The sale ends on the 28th of August, I believe. I'm still watching the Elymwold store in awe of all the beautiful customs that everyone had ordered too, and I'll try to link anything particularly beautiful that I see.
Hope you all had a great weekend.
Cardi.
Thursday, 22 August 2013
Mooreartstudio Spiral In Action
Just a quick blog post to show my Mooreartstudio box elder spiral hairstick in use.
My spirals are all 6 inches long, so for someone who might not want as much stick to show, a 5.5 or 5 inch hairstick might work better. These seriously never move. I think he does custom orders too.
Anyone tempted yet?
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
WOW!
I realize that everyone doesn't have the time to stalk Etsy, that I do. Because of this, when I see something truly amazing - even if it is reserved for someone else - I am going to link it here for you guys.
Check this out from Elymwold:
Check this out from Elymwold:
Nigel has mad talent. The likes of which I have never seen before from a hairtoy maker. How incredible is that?!
We all neeeeeeeed more stuff from Elymwold.
That's all for now.
Iron Matcheroo!
Good morning everyone. *Checks to see it is still morning* Yep it still is.
I received some mail yesterday! It was extra exciting because my Father-in-law who is very clever and crafty had just made us a new mailbox, so the padded envelopes fit easily inside with no bending.
Also, I had only been expecting two orders from Mary Grace Jewellery but there were three packages. Oh wow, I didn't know what to think.
I told you all in one of my previous blogs that I had enabled myself into buying earrings, and they are all here now. It turns out that my gorgeous friend Lulu also managed to sneak order me a pair too. Oh Lulu, you're just so sweet. I was already trying to hunt you down some more wild 60thstreet forks since you're now mad about wood grain too, but your friendship was all the gift I could ever need. *Huge hug for Lulu*
So, I have lots of photos for us all today.
Group shot of the earrings I had ordered.
The absolutely stunning gift Lulu chose. Aren't they spectacular?
Unfortunately the pair of vitrail vintage style earrings I had fallen in love with were out of stock, so Mary sent through a refund for those. I'd be dishonest if I said I wasn't a little heartbroken about that, but she was very polite and quick to let me know and do the refund. Also the leaves with red beads on the far right were supposed to be fern leaves, but I like the leaves just as much and I let Mary know I'm happy with them regardless.
I was so excited by Lulu's surprise that I started to think about which hair toy I could wear in an action shot with them, to thank her, and I came up with these:
I really like how macassar ebony looks beside them. Thank-you again Lulu. You're the best! When my sock-puppet, erm, I mean wonderful husband (sorry, bad forum joke) gets home I'll see if he'll help me out with that action shot.
After taking that photo, I got into a matchy-match mood and started to think which hair-toys would go with each pair of new earrings and I started to have a bit too much fun, as you'll be able to see in a moment.
**Off topic for a bit. Mr Cardigan and I used to love watching Iron Chef, and we'd call it "Iron Cookeroo" and have great fun watching the cooking battles with strange ingredients. That's why I can't help thinking, "Iron Matcheroo" about all of this. Oh no. My crazy is showing.**
More photos now:
This...
became this...
and now I am all worn out for the day! Whew. I'm so pleased with my little earring haul and it was all so inexpensive. Yay! Plus I got to play with so many of my favourite things today and my doggies had fun out in the sunshine.
If anyone has any questions about the different items, I'm still keeping comments off because I don't want to be trolled, so if you're my friend you can probably reach me by email or at one of my new favourite places, Untangled Island.
...and it's still morning!
Have a great Thursday everyone.
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
I'm so blessed.
Something a little different today.
I just wanted to write a quick entry to say how wonderfully blessed I feel.
Some of you might know that I suffer from a severe form of CFIDS which is an invisible illness, but really incredibly debilitating. Infuriatingly medicine is still in the early stages of truly investigating this disorder and I'm involved in two research studies right now.
Despite all of that, I was very fortunate to be born into a very loving and supportive family who always make me feel loved and keep encouraging me when my health gets me down. Also I have married the most wonderful man who loves me fiercely despite my limitations. On top of that, my husband has the kindest, most understanding parents too, who never make me feel like I am not enough. Plus my fur babies!
And then, I've got a small group of incredible friends from all across the world who I enjoy chatting with through email and on various forums. Now I can reach most of you right here. You all make my life so joyful. You really do. I can forget if I am in pain, and any random feelings of loneliness or isolation just melt away.
So here's a lolcat for you bunch:
It really did.
Cardi.
Monday, 19 August 2013
Mooreartstudio
While I do wear Elymwold hair sticks or forks or 60thstreet hair forks more often than not, there are a few other makers who make particular items that I like very, very much.
One of my other favourite items are my Mooreartstudio spiral hairsticks.
I'm pretty choosey about what I really like, so for something to be one of my favourite things it has to be hair friendly and well finished, beautiful and comfortable to wear. Mooreartstudio spirals are all of these things.
Here's some photos to keep you guys going:
These spirals are all about 6 inches long in total. They are all finished very smoothly and have a natural semi-matte appearance. I occasionally buff them with coconut oil or a scented wood balm to give more shine and chatoyance, which reminds me, next time I'm at bunnings warehouse I want to get some wood balm.
*Makes mental note*
I put these hairsticks into my hair using a screwing action which locks them firmly into place. They do not move. Ever! They're amazing! Also I love that these particular hairsticks just let the wood do the talking. They are not waterproof, so I wouldn't even risk wearing them in damp hair or on a hot day as I would be very sad if they were spoiled.
I occasionally have trouble with some top heavy hairsticks drooping or falling out, so most of my favourite things are not top heavy. The best holding hairsticks seem to either have either a spiral shape like these or a gorgeous gentle wave like shape, like my Elymwolds or Timberstone Turnings.
One last photo to show the different woods:
One of my other favourite items are my Mooreartstudio spiral hairsticks.
I'm pretty choosey about what I really like, so for something to be one of my favourite things it has to be hair friendly and well finished, beautiful and comfortable to wear. Mooreartstudio spirals are all of these things.
Here's some photos to keep you guys going:
These spirals are all about 6 inches long in total. They are all finished very smoothly and have a natural semi-matte appearance. I occasionally buff them with coconut oil or a scented wood balm to give more shine and chatoyance, which reminds me, next time I'm at bunnings warehouse I want to get some wood balm.
*Makes mental note*
I put these hairsticks into my hair using a screwing action which locks them firmly into place. They do not move. Ever! They're amazing! Also I love that these particular hairsticks just let the wood do the talking. They are not waterproof, so I wouldn't even risk wearing them in damp hair or on a hot day as I would be very sad if they were spoiled.
I occasionally have trouble with some top heavy hairsticks drooping or falling out, so most of my favourite things are not top heavy. The best holding hairsticks seem to either have either a spiral shape like these or a gorgeous gentle wave like shape, like my Elymwolds or Timberstone Turnings.
One last photo to show the different woods:
From top to bottom, Holly, Flame Box Elder, Pink Ivory and Ebony.
One thing I must say about these hairsticks is that the pink ivory wood did appear darker to me in person than it was in the original listing, but I am ok with that. It's a really rich deep cool reddish pink, and I like that. I have a few lighter pink ivory items that started out a pale salmon pink but have become redder with age, so this is probably to be expected. Of them all, I find the gabon ebony to be the most classic looking, and the flame box elder to be the most stunning in person.
I definitely recommend giving one of these a try. I purchased one at first, but then found them so useful that I added some more. Four will be enough for me, I think, and I'll be hanging on to these as long as I can put my hair up.
Last of all, here's a photo of me wearing my holly and ebony spirals:
Catch ya all later,
Cardi.
Whoops! So I enabled myself.
My last blog was about how excited I was to see the sale at Mary Grace Jewellery at Etsy. I wonder how many of my friends who read that blog also fell victim to temptation?
I totally managed to tempt myself. No surprises there! I'm very excited to look forward to my new earrings arriving. I might need to nip down to the hardware store to grab another tackle box to store them in safely. I think the boxes I use are close to air-tight, so they will help prevent the metal from oxidizing or tarnishing. For your reference here is a listing on ebay, showing a similar product. I wish I'd had something like that when I was younger to keep all my earrings together, safe and tidy. I lost far too many favourite earrings as a teenager in drawers and through sneaky holes in handbag pockets.
I'm not sure what else I'd like to talk about for now. I have earrings on the brain, so here are a couple photos of the earrings I've purchased at the 60% off sale.
I totally managed to tempt myself. No surprises there! I'm very excited to look forward to my new earrings arriving. I might need to nip down to the hardware store to grab another tackle box to store them in safely. I think the boxes I use are close to air-tight, so they will help prevent the metal from oxidizing or tarnishing. For your reference here is a listing on ebay, showing a similar product. I wish I'd had something like that when I was younger to keep all my earrings together, safe and tidy. I lost far too many favourite earrings as a teenager in drawers and through sneaky holes in handbag pockets.
I'm not sure what else I'd like to talk about for now. I have earrings on the brain, so here are a couple photos of the earrings I've purchased at the 60% off sale.
My husband chose the pretty purple feathers for me. I promise to wear some of my new earrings in future hair-toy action shots when they arrive. Send me word if you bought anything too, and we can be excited together.
It's cold and windy here today. It's so funny to think most of my friends overseas are still in Summer. More stuff on hairtoys soon.
Cardi.
Sunday, 18 August 2013
Mary Grace Jewellery is having a sale!
Something different for a change. No hair toys, but of course, there's still something wooden.
A couple years ago I discovered a lovely little jewelry store on etsy which makes not particularly expensive, but very, very nice earrings that I adore and wear quite often. MaryGraceJewellery on Etsy.
And, they currently have a 60% off sale while she prepares to overhaul her stock, so of course, now is the perfect time to share how much I like her things.
Here are two of my most favourite earrings which were purchased from this store:
A couple years ago I discovered a lovely little jewelry store on etsy which makes not particularly expensive, but very, very nice earrings that I adore and wear quite often. MaryGraceJewellery on Etsy.
And, they currently have a 60% off sale while she prepares to overhaul her stock, so of course, now is the perfect time to share how much I like her things.
Here are two of my most favourite earrings which were purchased from this store:
The wooden leaf earrings are just so light and comfortable to wear, and I think they are fun and not over the top. The rainbow glass jewel earrings... WOW! I fell in love with them when I first saw them in July 2011 and they are still a firm favourite.
Maybe some of you might find something you like, during the sale, but if not I'd keep an eye on her store anyway to see what new things she stocks after this clear out. I really adore earrings since I wear my hair up so often, but she does make other pretty things too.
Happy Monday from Australia,
Cardi.
Can't seem to stop blogging today.
I'm finding the adjustment from forum to blog a little bumpy and I just can't seem to stop wanting to tell my online friends about the things that I like the most.
Hopefully this will be it for a little while, but I couldn't resist writing one more entry to say how much I adore my Elymwold mini fork pairs.
That's these guys here which I have shown photographs of before:
I just love them!
I've been suffering a bit from a sore patch on the crown of my head because I repeatedly do the same updo. Mostly because my hair isn't long enough for the the proper buns I know yet. Using these little beauties allows me to keep my hair up securely, but to keep any pressure spread out across the back of my head. I don't even have all that much hair compared with many people I know, so I can imagine what a boon it might be to them to be able to spread the weight of their hair more evenly across the crown of their heads.
These little forks are shorter than 5 inches and they each have a head curve which makes them comfortable for me to use. They hold much better for me than all of my plain metal hair pins which tend to slip out. I might end up re-homing my metal hair pins since I don't think they will get much use anymore.
And here's a photo to show how I use two at a time:
I hope I'll be able to buy one or two more pairs like these one day. I still can't believe how comfortable and light they are.
Here are some links to similar hair pins for reference. The figured Tasmanian blackwood pair looks incredibly divine.
Well, it's almost Monday and I'll try to take a couple days off of blogging to give any readers time to catch up with my posts.
Bye for now,
Cardi.
Saturday, 17 August 2013
An afterthought.
Someone once asked on a hair forum:
"So what's the deal with these hair forks? I mean, they're just boring wood, right?"
My response is, if you own one and don't understand then please send them to me.
I can see what is special about them. It starts with the tree and ends with the love poured into each creation. Same answer for any of my other beloved hair things.
"So what's the deal with these hair forks? I mean, they're just boring wood, right?"
My response is, if you own one and don't understand then please send them to me.
I can see what is special about them. It starts with the tree and ends with the love poured into each creation. Same answer for any of my other beloved hair things.
60th Street Productions
Most people who know me know that I absolutely adore the hair forks made by 60th Street Productions. These have been an obsession of mine for almost four years now, I think.
You can find 60th Street Productions on Etsy if you are lucky enough to catch an unsold listing. They have their very own well constructed website where they sometimes have sales on a particular style or shape of wood. I find it best to keep an eye on this website weekly at a minimum, just in case.
This small family business, where all of the hair forks are created by one man, Jim, is to thank for originally triggering my passion for beautiful wood. The photos above are forks which have all been created from natural woods, finished in a way to enhance their natural grain. I would never have discovered the beauty of flawlessly finished timber if it were not for these forks, so all of my subsequent discoveries are in some way thanks to these people. For that I am incredibly grateful.
In the spirit of honesty I must also credit Jan and Jim from 60thstreet for reaffirming my faith in the innate good of people at a time in my life when something truly awful had just happened. The kind communications from complete strangers when I was grieving the terrible loss of my first niece, who was still an infant, just went above and beyond anything I had experienced before outside of my family. Many beautiful souls have revealed themselves to me since, but I will never forget this moment in my life. So I must point out that although I am slightly biased because I know how good-hearted the people behind this business are, regardless I believe that everything I say about the hair forks is entirely true.
As you can see, they do incredible work with natural wood. The forks are flawless, with a gentle head curve for comfort and fine tapering prongs, but they are much stronger than they appear and can hold huge amounts of hair effectively.
Jim also works with brightly coloured dymondwood, which is a compound created by impregnating birch with coloured resins. It is compressed and becomes extremely strong when set and is water resistant. 60thstreet polish this to a high gloss, with a hair friendly, glass-like, shiny appearance. These are one of only a few other hairtoys with a comparable finish to that my beautiful Elymwold hairsticks and forks. The only other seller with a glass-like finish that I have tried is Timberstone Turnings, which I hope to blog about when I have a few of their creations one day.
Here are some photographs of beautiful dymondwood creations from 60thstreet which are currently for sale.
The forks are made in a variety of different styles, prong number and spacing and topper shapes. If you visit their website and look through the fork styles and available woods or browse through the sold items on Etsy it will give a better idea of the huge variation between individual fork styles, but one thing always remains the same, their perfect workmanship and their simple and elegant shaping. I like to choose forks with a shape that will flatter the particular wood the most.
These forks have become increasingly difficult to get a hold of due to their increasing popularity. People from all over the world are mad about them. Jan and Jim have their priorities absolutely right and put their family life first, whilst maintaining their business with professionalism and putting quality ahead of quantity. I respect their decision, but I wouldn't mind adding another few natural four prong forks to my collection one day if I can catch them on Etsy.
Hope you're having a great weekend,
Cardi.
You can find 60th Street Productions on Etsy if you are lucky enough to catch an unsold listing. They have their very own well constructed website where they sometimes have sales on a particular style or shape of wood. I find it best to keep an eye on this website weekly at a minimum, just in case.
Pink ivory jeni, Gabon ebony amie, Bloodwood daisey, Tasmanian Blackwood Bev, Osage Orange lynne.
These are the same forks again to show the beautiful flash in some of these woods.
This small family business, where all of the hair forks are created by one man, Jim, is to thank for originally triggering my passion for beautiful wood. The photos above are forks which have all been created from natural woods, finished in a way to enhance their natural grain. I would never have discovered the beauty of flawlessly finished timber if it were not for these forks, so all of my subsequent discoveries are in some way thanks to these people. For that I am incredibly grateful.
In the spirit of honesty I must also credit Jan and Jim from 60thstreet for reaffirming my faith in the innate good of people at a time in my life when something truly awful had just happened. The kind communications from complete strangers when I was grieving the terrible loss of my first niece, who was still an infant, just went above and beyond anything I had experienced before outside of my family. Many beautiful souls have revealed themselves to me since, but I will never forget this moment in my life. So I must point out that although I am slightly biased because I know how good-hearted the people behind this business are, regardless I believe that everything I say about the hair forks is entirely true.
As you can see, they do incredible work with natural wood. The forks are flawless, with a gentle head curve for comfort and fine tapering prongs, but they are much stronger than they appear and can hold huge amounts of hair effectively.
Jim also works with brightly coloured dymondwood, which is a compound created by impregnating birch with coloured resins. It is compressed and becomes extremely strong when set and is water resistant. 60thstreet polish this to a high gloss, with a hair friendly, glass-like, shiny appearance. These are one of only a few other hairtoys with a comparable finish to that my beautiful Elymwold hairsticks and forks. The only other seller with a glass-like finish that I have tried is Timberstone Turnings, which I hope to blog about when I have a few of their creations one day.
Here are some photographs of beautiful dymondwood creations from 60thstreet which are currently for sale.
There is a selection of multicoloured dymondwoods available
Also colours with a more solid appearance.
The forks are made in a variety of different styles, prong number and spacing and topper shapes. If you visit their website and look through the fork styles and available woods or browse through the sold items on Etsy it will give a better idea of the huge variation between individual fork styles, but one thing always remains the same, their perfect workmanship and their simple and elegant shaping. I like to choose forks with a shape that will flatter the particular wood the most.
These forks have become increasingly difficult to get a hold of due to their increasing popularity. People from all over the world are mad about them. Jan and Jim have their priorities absolutely right and put their family life first, whilst maintaining their business with professionalism and putting quality ahead of quantity. I respect their decision, but I wouldn't mind adding another few natural four prong forks to my collection one day if I can catch them on Etsy.
Hope you're having a great weekend,
Cardi.
Does not being able to have something really make you want it more?
I'm talking about hair things of course. What else?
There is a certain vendor whose goods I have been admiring for quite some time now. Their photos are nicely taken. The products tempt me so much and have a simple but very well made but also very functional look about them. Of course I can't vouch for quality as I am unable to try them out because I don't live in the U.S.A
Which store is it? OverTheHawaiianMoon on Etsy.
I'm not sure what tempts me most! Is it the three pack of conical spiral hairsticks?
They look like a beautiful cross between my mooreartstudio spirals that I absolutely adore (and will be blogging about soon) and the unicorn horn hairsticks that beetnik505 used to make, but I didn't manage to stock up on before her store closed. The price for that is incredible, and the selection of woods looks like exactly what I would choose for myself.
I also like the look of the yellow teak forks.
The teak looks gorgeous with pretty swirls and the forks appear to have a nice head curve and have good straight prongs with a taper to a point (which I would probably file down a little to my liking).
Check out how beautiful these curly teak hairsticks appear to be, and at two for $20! That just seems too good to be true to me.
I understand that etsy vendors probably have difficulties with customs from other countries. I have heard that some countries hold items up for a long time and others charge quite significant handling fees, but we don't have any customs fees under $1000 in Australia, so I'll close my eyes and cross my fingers and wish really, really hard that one day I'll be able to shop at this store.
Until then, have any of my U.S. friends shopped at this store? Can you put me out of my misery and let me know if they really are as nice as they look?
Next time I'll post about something I actually have instead of something I'm drooling over, but now that I am off in blog-land rather than on a forum, I've got to do my tempting here instead.
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Cardi.
There is a certain vendor whose goods I have been admiring for quite some time now. Their photos are nicely taken. The products tempt me so much and have a simple but very well made but also very functional look about them. Of course I can't vouch for quality as I am unable to try them out because I don't live in the U.S.A
Which store is it? OverTheHawaiianMoon on Etsy.
I'm not sure what tempts me most! Is it the three pack of conical spiral hairsticks?
They look like a beautiful cross between my mooreartstudio spirals that I absolutely adore (and will be blogging about soon) and the unicorn horn hairsticks that beetnik505 used to make, but I didn't manage to stock up on before her store closed. The price for that is incredible, and the selection of woods looks like exactly what I would choose for myself.
I also like the look of the yellow teak forks.
The teak looks gorgeous with pretty swirls and the forks appear to have a nice head curve and have good straight prongs with a taper to a point (which I would probably file down a little to my liking).
Check out how beautiful these curly teak hairsticks appear to be, and at two for $20! That just seems too good to be true to me.
I understand that etsy vendors probably have difficulties with customs from other countries. I have heard that some countries hold items up for a long time and others charge quite significant handling fees, but we don't have any customs fees under $1000 in Australia, so I'll close my eyes and cross my fingers and wish really, really hard that one day I'll be able to shop at this store.
Until then, have any of my U.S. friends shopped at this store? Can you put me out of my misery and let me know if they really are as nice as they look?
Next time I'll post about something I actually have instead of something I'm drooling over, but now that I am off in blog-land rather than on a forum, I've got to do my tempting here instead.
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Cardi.
Friday, 16 August 2013
Sunshine is like magic!
I love the sun. I suppose it is quite fortunate that I live where I do. It's still winter but the sun is so clear and and warm and cheering in the middle of the day.
Why am I rambling about the sunshine? Well I discovered that I can actually take decent photos of hairtoys on my same old phone camera and all I need is a white plastic IKEA chair and a bit of the midday sun. I'm hoping that I will be able to do my hair forks and sticks justice with my new method. How exciting!
Fingers crossed it is another bright and beautiful day tomorrow. I'd love to get some photos which capture the true beauty of some of my most treasured 60thstreet hair forks. More about those soon.
Until then, here are some photos of Elymwold's amazing work that I managed to snap with my new method:
Catch you all soon,
Cardi.
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