My Joy

When I'm happy, I dance.

But I've been a bit mopey these last few weeks so I've needed other people to do it for me.

When one is miserable, one watches this video. The pure euphoria mingled with an occasional mean mugging expression on QueenTeddy's video makes me swoon, sigh and hold up a white flag in acceptance of how knocked out I am.
This video is blooming marvellous to me and definitely brightens up any dull, dreary day I'm having.

I have replayed this several times. I probably am watching it now.

Happy dance by @queenteddy - #africandance #africanworkout #africangirl #naturalhair #QUEENTEDDYVIDEOS #dance #coupedecale #makosa #teddysjourneyto50pounds #danceto50pounds #afrobeats #africansong #makosa #congolesedance #camerondance #nigeriangirl

A video posted by SheabutterCottage (@sheabuttercottage) on Nov 12, 2016 at 4:52pm PST

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Wash Day - Return of the Mixtress?

This was the wash and go.

Nearly two weeks later...


Eeeeeeesh. All shrunken and tangled.
By day 6, I knew it needed a wash but by that point, it was too late. So here I am. Guilty as charged of neglect and laziness. There were days with no scarfing, no spritzing, rough ponytail styling....

Look, I'ma try to make it up to my hair, okay???

To help release the tangles, I used my argan oil conditioner on dry hair to start to weigh it down, making it easier to detangle and separate the strands.

 When I jumped in under the shower, it all activated (a la the Avengers when someone yells 'Avengers - assemble!') and made it easier to release the tangles and get rid of the shed hair. I gently separated my hair into six sections as I was going and worked on each one, one at a time., continuing to add conditioner as necessary.
Man, was it necessary.
I ended up finishing the bottle!

After I rinsed it out, my hair felt a little dry, which had always been my problem with 'traditional' cowashing using conditioner. So I remedied it with my absolute fave Edens Bodywork Coconut Cowash. I made sure to massage it into my scalp and smooth down my strands, separating the larger parts of entangled hair with my fingers. and then rinsing it out immediately and twisting then repeating on the next section.
It's seasonal shedding time, so by the time I was done, it seemed as though Cousin It had rocked up for a quick visit. It took me an hour in total to detangle and wash my hair - wrinkly fingers galore my friends.
Wrinkly. Fingers.

After this, I applied my homemade Henna Gravy (well, that's what the Wonder Thing calls it).

 I'm working on tweaking the recipe but today it had henna infusion, yoghurt, honey, olive oil, fenugreek infused coconut oil and guar gum (LOVE!) in it and is based on this goat milk recipe from Shelli of Hairscapades. This is definitely a tweaker (agh, cottage cheese lumps!) but it was worth the strange smell. It went on like an absolute DREAM!!

As soon as I applied it, my hair starting lumping together in the sections where there are curls and waves and it slid through my hair SO easily. Shelli was not joking about the slip!


 I left it on for about...20 minutes? As I rinsed, I notice it was a little bit hard to the touch but it rinsed out easily and left my hair feeling completely yummy - strong and not dry, ready for my leave ins.

I followed up with Eden Bodyworks Soufflé. I'm on a using up binge and I realised I've been sleeping on this when I used it in the wash and go that caused this wash day. It feels lovely and creamy but doesn't build up on my hair.


My ends felt a little drier so I sealed with my Aloe Gel with Shea Butter mix. Each twisted section was then transformed into a plait (except for two mega jumbo twists in comparison, which became four plaits).

I have no pictures of this but the soufflé always goes on creamy and white and eventually dries clear. I don't know why but it's helpful in avoiding questions!

When I pull out the butter-y products, as opposed to the gel products, it feels like pulling out the cardigans and tights, ready for autumn layering.
Maybe I am ready for winter.

I reserve my right to take that statement back if I get another morning like this before November...

*sigh*

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Rejects Wash and Go.

It started with two buns.

I had some free time, and still have some excess (summer) products from last year's adventures that I thought I'd better use up.

So here we go.


1. I jumped in the shower and co washed with Eden Body Works Coconut Cowash.
It will take a meteorite of an an event/product to stop me from using this cowash - f'real, f'real. I'm on my third? Fourth? Tub. I LOVE this!

2, I wanted strengthening of my hair's pattern and I didn't want to spend aaages in the shower marinating, so I used Aphogee's 2 minute reconstructor. Am I the only one who has to plan their hairstyle before they wash so they know what products to use? Otherwise, I just end up in a foaming, flustered flap.

3. I jumped out and used my As I am Leave In Conditioner. Lazy Quick Review: Love the citrusy orangey scent, has no slip and feels a bit weird after you've handed it, but works well on wet hair and as an underwear layer on my wash and go because it's light and has little to no build up. The packaging drove me MAD though. The ink is water soluble, so every time I touched the label with wet hands for my wash and go, I'd end up with black specks everywhere. In annoyance, I pulled off the label, but the glue was tougher than the writing ink and now it's like having gentle velcro on the bottle when I handle it.

On top, I layered Eden Body Works Pudding Soufflé, inspired by Christina and her sister. My hair looked like I'd put soufflé in it, but it dries clear.

I'd originally bought it as a moisturiser for dry hair but it does so very much better as a leave in on wet hair.

Then I finished off with Kinky Curly Curling Custard. I like it but it's 2) too expensive and 3) slightly too sticky/tacky to the touch even nearly two weeks later.. It's soft but touchable (kinda...) hold can't be denied and neither can that deee-licious scent. Plus, a little goes a long way. I thought I'd finish it this time around but no. I still have enough for another go it seems.

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Viscose Maxi Skirt

I mean seriously, I make one or two skirts, and suddenly I think I'm an expert.

The worst thing to do after you've bought a fabric that you think might be tricky is to google it and have it confirmed.

So. Viscose. Slippery, silky, slide-y.

The sequel to the pre-wash, if you like. How did I cope?


Reasonably well, I'd say - I do have a skirt out of it. It didn't take very long to do either. I decided not to cut the fabric and just gather it at the waist.  The less sewing I did, the better I reckoned.

So I :

1. Sewed a side seam with tissue paper pinned under the fabric.
2. Sewed a 4 inch channel (2 inches deep on both sides) at the top.
3. Measured the elastic around my waist and cut trimmed to size.
4. Inserted the elastic in the channel and stitched it together using a zig zag stitch in two places and backstitch over them twice to make it super secure.
5. Realised I'd made a mobius loop by sewing the elastic together the wrong way and proceeded to hunt down my seam ripper, undo my hard work and fume furiously like the most timid downtrodden sailor.
6.  Repeated 4. but the correct way this time.
7. Did a 1/2 inch and then 4 inch hem.

And it still touches my ankles. Well, the floor. I could be a bit more generous with the hem, I guess, so that I stop tripping myself over but I quite enjoy having to pick it up in a princess-like manner when stepping down from the door say or, you know, awkwardly clambering over a stile in the countryside.

I AM ACTUALLY IN THERE.
Oh, and the waistband is just under my bosom.

I found a few things - viscose is notorious for shrinking and my fabric didn't shrink evenly, so one of my side seams was slightly long on one side, so I trimmed upwards to let them meet. Other than that, once I'd worked out where to put the tissue paper, the longest part was number 5, which took about half an hour.
I didn't finish the seams and I should. I will. Well, I might.
I used a 34mm wide elastic, which was fine, but it's not non-roll, so my elastic has ended up folded in half around my 'waist'. My waist just can't do big waistbands I guess.

Next time, I'll use non-roll elastic for the waistband and see how that turns out.

Fabric wise, I love it. Like my cotton maxi skirt, I don't start burning under my skirt when it gets too hot bu.t unlike my cotton equivalent, when it's a little breezy, I don't feel like I'm standing in my underwear in public!
It is swishy and flowing and absolutely perfect for summer. I'll take 5 please.

Unknowingly inspired by Cashmerette.

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Rag 'n' Bone Man - Wolves

Mr Simple (I can call him that now, right?) and I have been a little bit obsessed with a show on BBC called New Blood over the last month. Funny, heart-stoppingly thrilling and quick paced.

Oh, and it had an AWESOME theme tune and introduced me to Rag 'N' Bone Man.

If you can, turn the bass up till your table is thumping and sing loud enough to startle your neighbours.

I do.

It helps me feel better when I miss the (occasionally begrudging) bromance between the two main characters Rash and Stefan *sniff*

Keep the wolves from the door

I hear them scratchin' like I don't know better

Won't you keep the wolves from the door? 

Won't be long before I cave in and open up -

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3 flat bags

As well as my plans for myself, I've also been working on a little something-somethng for three littlies that I know....

I have to confess - if you'd told me I'd make what are essentially three flat bags this year, I'da said you were crazy. I'd thought flat bags were mad BORING and...well, flat. No excitement!

Well, maybe I've changed my mind. A little. 

A lot.

Plus, I needed the sewing practise.

If the first bag looks familiar, it should - it started out as an interesting way to use up my scraps from the riding hood cape project. All the drawstring bags in this post were upcycled from scrap fabric I had lying around and made using this tutorial (the first is slightly longer because I was making the measurements up as I went). So this is quilting cotton, and red fleece...

Denim (from a pair of old jeans) and green scrap satiny fabric with green drawstring. I was definitely channelling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when I thought this up and I'm glad it worked out as I imagined. The satiny fabric frayed like no-one's business, so it's on top of some more denim so as not to undermine the integrity of the bag, especially with the rambunctiousness of the new owner >.<

The final one is cotton poplin, chosen specially by the recipient, who couldn't decide between pink and yellow, so received a satin lined patch pocket. It was only after I put it on that I realised it was ever. so. slightly. crooked.
Beh, I thought.
        Two surprises instead of just one.

 

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Prewash - the prequel.

I am very often frightened of the future.

Using all my strength, I take a step towards it 

and find that the fear transforms into excitement.

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