LocLava Updates...new items listed

Today began a massive updating to the LocLava etsy shop. New upcycled scarves have been added. These were recently featured in the Morean Art Center Upcycled show. These scarves are so cool. They are made of cotton and silk fabrics of all kinds, mis matched together into great combinations of color and texture. Silk sari ribbons and hand dyed silk ribbons are layered and sewn on and then the scarves are embellished with all sorts of great fibers, yards and trims. Handmade fringes of silk remnants and silk yarns accent the ends. Each on eis one of a kind and sure to be noticed. Pair with a jacket and jeans for a go anywhere look. So many colors are in each one, they can go with anything. They can also be worn as head wraps, belts and shawls.

Also added are more bone hair/jewelry bead variety packs that are very popular. Get them while I have them in stock! New hair jewelry has been added too. These are a best seller and hair salons in the area.

Stay tuned for NEW head bands, hair sleeves, hair bands, hair clips and scarves/hair wraps.

logo hand made for you

logo hand made for you, a photo by LocLava on Flickr.

Updated Facebook Fan Page

So tonight, I spent a lot of time doing some of the tings that we creative types tend to put off.  I updated my facebook fan page. I even have the www.facebook.com/loclava name thing all done. I updated the fan page with tons of pictures and descriptions. I linked my twitter to my blog to my fan page to my linked in. I am getting this technology stuff down pretty good and honestly with a little research all the information you need to do it too is all there. Thank god for google.

First BnR on ETSY!

knottysleeves dreadlock cuff

Simply Dreadlocks Team BnR on Etsy

Well yesterday began the first Simply Dreadlocks team BnR. For those unfamiliar, BnR means buy and replace.

It is a marketing tool used on Etsy to promote each others' businesses. This is the very first one I am participating in and it is using the team members from the Simply Dreadlocks team on Etsy.

Vitalgoods dreadlock shampoo

This has proven to be a great bunch of artisans who make all types of dreadlock and hair related items, from natural shampoos from Vitalgoods to beautiful peyote stitch dread sleeves from Knottysleeves and of course, lovely dread jewels from LocLava.

knottymama handmade cedar wood bead

I might have to get one of these beautiful handmade cedar dreadlock beads made by knottymama.

hair jewelry by loclava

Support your local handmade business.Together we can make things better.

Henna for your locs?

As most of you know, my hair is loc'd. The longest ones are about 3 feet long. The shortest are about 23".  I am often asked if they are heavy. Ehhhh, sometimes they are. I wear them up mostly, since they do get in the way when sewing or painting or dying things and if I have them up and off center, my neck will let me know. I decided a while back that I wanted to henna my hair.

Naturally, my hair is a medium to dark brown and I thought having a bit of red would spice them up a bit. I like the idea of having Firey locs.

Henna is a plant, found in Pakistan, India and Yemen and probably some other places too. It is ground down to a powder and then mixed with an acid, such as lemon juice and then put on the hair. The process is thousands of years old and henna makes your hair shiny and healthy.

Several months ago, I ordered inexpensive samples of henna from Hennahut.com and Hennaforhair.com. I tested the ends of 2 locs. I liked the color from the Henna Hut sample quite a bit, but decided to purchase from Henna for Hair. My reason for this is I wanted to support the incredible amount of research and free ebooks and information that is provided on Henna for Hair. Plus I think Henna Hut does have some additives in the henna, while Henna for Hair is pure henna.

Henna has to oxidize for a few days after it is applied and rinsed out, so below are pictures of how it looks right now, just 6 hours after washing, I expect the color to deepen some in the next 2-4 days. I will post an update and let you know if I have the Firey locs I was hoping for.

LocLava Blog has moved!

Handmade scarves from www.kristinhemphill.com

After way too long, I have decided to change blog platforms from wordpress to blogger. Even though the options are a bit more limited, I am finding blogger much more user friendly. Please sign on to follow or share my information with your friends. Thanks so much for your support.

Finally, I have created a new website that incorporates my artwork, interior design skills and my accessories business. It will be so much easier for all my customers to come to one place and get the information and access to all of my other works.

www.kristinhemphill.com

I had been struggling for months (really over year, at least) to work on my own website prior to this, trying to learn css and use different programs like zen cart and light box to make a good website. I had help from the great Chris Jenkins from www.imtheirwebguy.com . But even with all of that, I was not able to create anything I was proud of.

So, I went to www.wix.com and created my site, all by myself in just a few hours. I linked it to my other domains, etsy store and this blog and poof!  Great looking website with my own domains and email. It was really pretty easy to do and fun too. I am happy with the final outcome. Please take a look and let me know what you think. Updates to the shop coming next! Thanks for your patience. Stay tuned.