how i care for my hair.

Affiliate links included in this post.

I thought I would share my hair care routine with you all, since one of my readers asked what I do to my hair to keep it healthy (thanks Yael for asking, by the way!). I used to have a lot of trouble with my hair and I hated how thick and frizzy it was. I tend to have thick, somewhat course hair. But it is much better today than it used to be. I have a few tips for my type of hair that I've found works fairly well. First of all, don't use cheap shampoo that strips your hair of its natural oils. Find a shampoo that has argan oil or another type of moisture/oil in it. It doesn't have to be expensive either. I really like the Shea Moisture brand that you can find at most drugstores. It's inexpensive and it lasts a really long time. Both Jed and I use it and he has really curly hair that can get frizzy if he uses the wrong shampoo. I also apply a small amount of argan oil all throughout my hair while it's still wet. Sometimes I will even apply a tiny amount at the top of my head, where I can have a tendency to get frizzies. I generally put more oil in my hair during the humid summer months than the winter. If it's really cold and dry, my hair is straight. When it's hot and humid, my hair is a wavy puff ball. However, ever since I started using argan oil, I haven't had much trouble with frizz! I also use conditioner, but I don't worry about getting an expensive one. I've been using the Dove brand for awhile now, which is nice and thick and it keeps the tangles at bay.

Up until more recently, I really haven't used a hairdryer or curling iron/straightener on a regular bases. I think that is partly why my hair isn't damaged. I also know now that since I'm drying my hair more often and using really hot curling irons etc., I should probably get a heat protectant. Anyone know of one that is good? I hate adding extra gunk to my hair if I don't have to, but I don't want to damage it either. Other than that, my hair routine is pretty simple. I also take a good multi vitamin and other supplements for my skin (zinc for blemishes). I haven't taken any of those hair/skin/nail vitamins before, though. I wonder if anyone has had experience taking these sorts of vitamins? Do they make your hair grow faster or skin softer? That is another thing I need to research more about; dry skin. I inherited dry skin, which is quite annoying! I'm sure there is something lacking in my diet, but for now I just have to make sure I use a really thick lotion and body oil right after a shower, otherwise my skin hates me. But now I'm getting off topic!

The hairbrush I use is by Sonia Kashuk for Target, which is similar to the very chic and very expensive Mason Pearson brush. I love that the Sonia Kashuk brush is not expensive so if something were to happen to it, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Mine is amazing on those nasty nape-of-the-neck tangles I tend to get. And best of all, tangles are never painful to brush out. I also use a brush to tease my hair when I'm feeling in a '60s mood! The one I use is called "Teaze" by Phillips. I got it on Amazon for $5 or $6 and it works really well. Like I mentioned before, I love the Elnett hairspray by L'Oreal. I've never liked a hairspray so much!

As for my bangs, I blow dry them while brushing to the left and to the right. Then I use my straightener to curl them under. When my bangs were shorter, I didn't always use a curling iron. Sometimes I would even put the smallest amount of argan oil to tame them (in the summertime), but I know when I do that I'll probably need to wash them the next day. At the moment I am currently growing them out, so I'm playing around with different ways to wear them. I still love my bangs, but I think I'm ready to try another style. I used to trim my bangs, which is so simple to do yourself and saves on trips to your hairdresser every other week.

So, what are some tips you've learned about your hair? Any fabulous hair products that you would like to tell me about?

valentines

Valentine's Day is coming up fast! This year as part of my (unofficial) New Year's resolutions, I am trying to take advantage of the holidays that I love, and make time to craft and celebrate them. I have always loved Valentine's Day, even when I went through a stage of my life where I acted like I was indifferent to it. Even if you don't have a sweetheart to share this particular holiday with, it can still be fun! I have lots of great memories when I was a little girl, making and sending out cards to friends and family. Mom would make a heart mailbox, either out of a used Cheerios box or a cardboard oatmeal canister. All of my family would write valentines throughout the season and drop them in the mailbox. On Valentine's Day we got to open the (overflowing) mailbox and read our cards. Mom would usually pick up those boxed cutout valentine cards for us from the grocery store. I loved the Charlie Brown ones! I'm not sure if you can get those anymore, but I found some cute more grown-up valentines at the Victorian Trading Co. This year I vow my Valentine cards won't be mailed at the last minute! How about you? Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? Any fun traditions or crafts you like to do around this season? ♥

P.S. Some fun Valentine's Day ideas that may help you get inspired to do some holiday crafting or baking!

vintage hairsetter

 

I recently purchased an old 1970's Clairol hairsetter from eBay and wanted to write about how I liked it. My mom used to have one like this, but the last time I was home she couldn't remember where she put it. I know she used to have one with a mirror and I remember thinking how amazing it was when I was growing up. I've hardly ever used hot rollers, since I always thought they looked too complicated. But more recently I have had a new found curiosity for hot rollers, possibly because my hair is getting really long and I thought it's about time I play with it a bit more than I have. I love the fact that hot rollers are really a lot easier than they look and are much faster than a curling iron. You simply roll your hair up and let it sit there while you do other things around the house. Easy! I have a modern velvet style roller set that are really large, but I've found these can be tricky to work with. They don't really grab onto your hair as easily, so they have a tendency to fall or flop around on me. I really like how the vintage hot rollers have these little spikes that grab onto your hair when you roll them up, so you don't really have to worry so much that they will fall out. Although I will say I had a bit of trouble getting them out. I think it was the way I wrapped my hair around the curlers. Next time I'll be more careful.

From the little experience I've had so far using hot rollers to curl my hair, I've found a few things that are helpful. First of all, I like to start with freshly washed and dried hair. For some reason my hair keeps curl so much better right after it has been washed (I've heard this from others as well). I like to blow dry my hair, but if you prefer, you could probably let it air dry. After the hair is dry, I like to spray Elnett hairspray all over my hair and then brush it out. The curls tend to last so much longer when I use hairspray. With this set, I didn't add any hairspray (need to get more) and today my hair is wavy, but not as curled. I also left the curls in for a good 30-45 minutes. I've read that it's best to leave them in until they are no longer warm to the touch. When I took mine out they were still slightly warm, but I didn't want to wait any longer. As you can see, they did a pretty good job of curling my hair! I was a little surprised because the hot rollers didn't feel very hot to the touch like my modern velvet rollers. An added bonus!

I highly recommend using a vintage hair setter if you happen to find one. I am betting you can find these all over at thrift stores for much cheaper than you can find them on eBay (where I got mine) or Etsy. Mine cost about $20 (including shipping), which I don't think is bad, but I just know you could find them for much less if you frequently go thrifting! Mine is in great condition, but I still washed all the curlers in soapy water (I used a cheap shampoo) and cleaned everything else with vinegar. In my hairsetter, there is a compartment where you were supposed to put a special conditioning liquid in the base, under where the curlers were placed. I discovered you could remove the metal cover and since it looked like it could use a bit of cleaning, I poured some white vinegar in there and turned on the heat. It cleaned the gunk right off and now it looks brand new!

A few videos on using vintage hot rollers that I found helpful. Also the vintage manual I got with my set can be found on Archive.org.

Some photos from the last few weeks...

There have been a whirlwind of activities in the last month for Jed and I (mostly having to do with lazing around and being with family). I am sorry for not blogging more often. We were gone over the holidays, but we are back now and getting into our daily rhythm once again. I am working on some new projects for (hopefully) the summertime which I'm rather excited about! But I'm not going to say what that is until I know it will actually happen. ;)

The weather has been crazy warm this year, although it's colder today. Over the weekend it felt like a spring thaw. Perhaps this is a bit early, but I am getting excited for Valentine's Day this year and planning some fun crafty decorations! I even ordered some heart cookie cutters, so cookie baking and decorating will be in order! Enjoy the rest of the month, everyone. xo

P.S. I got to meet up with Jenny when I was home in Iowa over Christmas! Such a fun time chatting with her at the knit shop. She is always so inspiring!

a white christmas

Jed and I drove to Iowa last week right before the snow storm hit (literally minutes before)! I wasn't counting on a white Christmas this year since it really did not look as if it would snow. Our weather in the midwest has been pretty strange and it was kind of hard for me to get in the Christmas spirit this year. But we were pleasantly surprised to find a blanket of snow on the ground the morning after we arrived at my parents' house. I really miss my home in Iowa, with all the space and beautiful scenery. I wanted to be sure and take some pictures while there was still snow on the ground. I'm sharing a few pictures from our Christmas last week as well as a few photos from Christmas with our families. It has been a wonderful break for us here. We get to spend a few more days in Iowa after the holidays and I'm looking forward to seeing some friends while we're here. Wishing you all a very happy Christmas! xoxo

• My favorite Christmas scene from Meet Me in St Louis.
• More photos from our holiday on Instagram.
• The meaning of Christmas. :)

new items and some "sample" dresses

The sale continues! Check out the newest items in the shop. I am including the new linen pullover top in the 50% off sale! Only size small available for shipping right now. I'll be closing my shop next week since we are headed home for Christmas. The last day I can ship anything will be Tuesday the 18th. I've also reduced the chambray top and velvet dress even further. Go take a look!

S H O P

christmas shopping + huge shop sale

These photos are a few weeks old since I took them while I was home for Thanksgiving. I am really starting to get excited for Christmas, so I thought I would share them with you! Jed and I rented a car to go home for Thanksgiving and since we had the car for an extra day, we thought we would use the opportunity to go scout for a Christmas tree. We found this fantastic little tree shop in our town and we couldn't be happier with our pretty tree! Last year we got a little table tree from Whole Foods, but their selection didn't seem quite as good this year, so we found this other place, which was perfect! Both Jed and I grew up with fake trees, but we both love real trees so we have made this our own little tradition. I just love how they smell! A fake tree just does not compare to the real thing. I am hoping to bake up some gingerbread cookies for the tree tomorrow and I think a few sparkly holiday crafts are in order!

The other photos are from my favorite antique shop called "Alice's Wonderland" near my parents home. The woman who owns the shop adopted some stray cats and they hang out all over the shop. They are the most adorable cats (some of them are quite large!!) and make the shop feel so cozy and welcoming. I especially love antique shopping around this time of year when everyone has their pretty Christmas decorations out. I adore vintage decorations, though I don't have any myself. I think I might start collecting vintage ornaments. Perhaps by next year I will have enough to put on our tree.

Before I leave you, I wanted to let you know I've marked down some of the items in my shop by 50%. I only marked the items that are made and ready to ship. So if you are thinking of getting something for Christmas or have been eyeing something for yourself, now is the time to go for it! I also have a new linen top coming next week. Stay tuned!

Some holiday tunes I've been listening to lately...

december is here and shop update!

Hello everyone!! It has been awhile since I've been here! I haven't really had much time to write lately and then when I do have time to write I am too tired to think of anything to say. I am trying to get back into writing, though. I have so many photos from the last few weeks and I want to start sharing some of them, but it is a bit overwhelming. Most of the pictures I took with my iphone and these particular photos take time to upload to my computer. Anyway, suffice it to say November came and went entirely too fast! I can't believe it's already December and Christmas is just around the corner! Jed and I already picked out our Christmas tree, which I plan to share pictures of soon*. We haven't really decorated around the house yet, though. I am slowly acquiring decorations and putting them under the tree so we can decorate one of these weekends. I'm also planning a gingerbread house and cookie baking day. I just love this season! I listened to Christmas music all day to get in the spirit. And I'm getting excited about all the Christmas movie watching.

What are some of your favorite Christmas movies or even some favorite holiday/winter books you like? Also, I'd love to hear about your Christmas traditions. Jed and I are slowly creating our own little traditions and I am always curious to hear what others do.

In other news, I've created two new tops. I am sorry for all the "shop talk" these days! I swear I will start adding more real content in this space and not just that I have a shop update. ;) But I did want to show you these two tops inspired by cold wintery days. The soft wool top is my favorite (and named after this lovely person, I do hope you don't mind...). I sewed myself a top from the same pattern only mine is a cotton plaid I purchased over the summer. I am constantly wearing it, since it's so comfortable yet still quite flattering. I love the festive woven cotton tartan from the second top. I couldn't resist making some fun holiday inspired things. I'm also planning to make a silk garment (I haven't decided yet if it should be a dress or a top) soon to be added to the shop in the next few weeks. In the meantime, check out my website for more images.

Have a lovely week everyone! Wishing and hoping for lots and lots of snow... xo


P.S. I was recently interviewed by the lovely Gina on her blog Oaxacaborn. I thought the questions were excellent and I had so much fun thinking about my answers. Do take a look if you like!


*The picture I am sharing isn't the finished tree. I couldn't wait, though, so I temporarily decorated with some vintage Christmas cards that I'm actually planning to send to friends. I will properly decorate the tree soon!