My client is awesome for getting someone ot take an amazing pic of a tattoo for me on the day after. Here's the reference pic. I love doing portraits, animals, humans, whatever. So let me know if you want to book some time at No Ka Oi or Body Graphics. I'm booking a month or more in advance for weekends FYI.
Yesterday I was at No Ka Oi Tiki Tattoo in Philly for 12.5 hours. It was a long day without many breaks, but fun work was done. An alien abduction outer half sleeve, owl with a full moon on a gnarly tree half sleeve, and a dog portrait. I can't wait to finish these pieces. Actually the dog is finished, but I need a better pic.
Today was an emotional roller coaster. We decided to bring T back to the Dr since he was unconsolable the other day, not eating for a bit now, and hacking up a lung again since Saturday. Josh actually took him to the office while I attempted to shop at The Kids Consignment weekend event. After filling a bag, I put everything back when I saw the length of the line. Insert sad face. There really are a lot of great deals on used clothing there, but I couldn't wait. Then I hopped over to BJ's to get some bulk items for the family - Amy's bean burritos, All free and clear laundry liquid, and large bags of Organic mixed frozen berries for smoothies amongst other things. After I did all of that, I stopped by the Dr's since they were still there. Can you believe it?! Talon has a respiratory infection again (or just didn't get rid of it) or asthma and a double ear infection. Therefore, he's back on antibiotics, and has to have nebulizer treatments at home. I hate working when he's sick, but at least there were more fun pieces to do today.
After getting 90% of all the drawing done for today at home, I headed to Body Graphics in NJ. I was busy from the moment I got in to the moment I left. One of my clients today brought in a ridiculous amount of meat for my family and I. I'm proud to announce that the freezer is officially full from that and the trek to the Wholesale club this morning. On my way home, I heard some extremely sad news that inspired me to write even though I should be drawing for tomorrow.
Wait it IS tomorrow.... I need to get this out and get to bed. I've decided to wake up extremely early to draw since right now my eyes are getting heavy.
The news reminded me to love your loved ones, family and friends, as much and as often as you can. They need to be put first because one minute they're there and the next minute that could change when you least expect it. It's something I constantly battle with since my blood is scattered about the country, however Josh's family is right here in South Jersey yet I rarely see them because I work so much. This week a big effort was made to see some people I care about. We had dinner with my husband's brother, wife, and kids. Talon and I spent some QT alone and with friends at the Aquarium. Having three days off in a row is something I'm going to try and stick with.
Next week, I'm hoping for more of the same. My happiness can depend on making other people happy. I show my love by expressing myself creatively in hopes to make people happy whether it be by tattooing them, cooking up a healthy yet tasty gourmet meal, and sharing all natural body products. This week I'll be showing off my body products to a group of people for the first time. I'm so grateful to meet such interesting and generous people whether they're in my life for short or long amounts of time. I'm not perfect, maybe I don't always express myself in a loving way every minute of the day. Regardless, I really do care.
Well I think the bath cakes were a fail unless you don't mind relaxing in a multi level plethora of chunkiness. I assumed that these cakes would dissolve completely. Maybe they do in certain conditions? Regardless, I'm giving away the cakes. If anyone wants one, please let me know by commenting on this blog. I will be working at NJ Body Graphics this Friday and Saturday and No Ka Oi in Philly Wed night, Thursday, and Sunday if you want to pick them up. There is a citrus blend and Serenity small french clay cakes up for grabs. You must agree to let me know what you thought honestly. You can send me an email on this one unless you absolutely love them! If some people might like taking a bath in the chunkiness of oils and essential oils, I'd like to know.
Never ever give up. Therefore we try again using alternate ingredients. On this round we even have icing, my friends. They're fizzy, and smell more yummy than the other cakes. We used one this morning with great success. The first batch is not the best looking cupcakes and icing job, since I'm not the greatest with cake decorating. However, we'll be perfecting the technique.
There are also some new additions to the bath fizzy family. Guilt free Chocolate ice cream Fizzies are curing now. Vanilla will be on its way once the Chocolate ice cream's have made it through testing.
Even though the fails get me down, I'm happy with the Body scrubs, lip conditioner, Uplifting Body Butter, Rosewater Jojoba Cold Creme, Almond Grains Facial Scrub/ Mask, regular bath fizzies, and the heart shaped lotion bars. We have two parties coming up starting next week, and I'm pretty excited to show off these products to my friends. My hopes are up for the Guilt free bath desserts, though. We shall see. I know I'll get it eventually,
"The Noble Duke of York, he had ten thousand men
He marched them all up the hill
And then he marched them down again
And when you're up you're up
And when you're down, you're down
And when you're only half way up
You're neither up nor down"
For many reasons this song is playing in my head today. I've been feeling off since yesterday. The samsara that I'm caught in has got my mind marching in a downward spiral. Therefore my thoughts and mood is going down and down. Hopefully today I can catch up with things, meditate a little, and be on the up and up.
You would think I'd be pretty clear headed since I've been practicing healthful living for the most part. I haven't drank alcohol for nearly two months. My diet is overall healthy and full of Organic food. The only thing I need to catch up on is exercise and rest, and quit those Organic American Spirits. It's a tough life when you have a family (husband, toddler, 2 dogs), work full time, and don't have full time day care. Toddler's get sick too. Our little one has a fever and a cough AGAIN. Last week we thought we were in the clear at least we hoped and prayed for an end to cold season. I've been up since 5am because I had to tend to the sick little one. On top of that I've been catching up on work emails and cleaning. I also need to draw (note it's my so called day off). Someday I will find a balance, and perhaps this will be very soon.
Next week begins my appointment only ventures in tattooing at Body Graphics in Pennsauken, NJ and No Ka Oi in Philadelphia. I will be booking all of my own tattoo appointments, but consult appointments can be done via the shop that you want to get tattooed at. I'm pretty excited about this, although the fear of change always lingers in the back of my mind.
Please note some of the following ways that I work. I prefer to tattoo in NJ since I have a private room there, parking is free, and I live closer to that shop. Please let me know if you have a car and can make it to the NJ shop which is only 5 miles away from the Philly shop so that I can offer the Philadelphia appointments to people without cars. I'm hoping to work 4 days tattooing and have one day dedicated to drawing. At your consultation, we still take a NON REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT usually $50 - $100 depending on the complexity and size of the drawing. When people are booking time for large work taking more than one session, we'll book all of the planned sessions at the consultation appointment. I won't commit to drawing anything for people unless they book the tattoo sessions at the consultation. Booking many appointments in advance also secures that you will get your tattoo done in a timely manner, and we're covered if a cancellation is in comes up on either end. Having a child has made me accept that things come up in people's lives, and tattoos always don't come first. Not to mention if you get sick, please don't come in and get tattooed. Often people say to "Take your time", however they don't always mean it. The drawing will be ready either a day before or on the day of your appointment emailed to you. Preferably we can go over it at the tattoo appointment, and I can redraw it then and there if you don't approve the drawing. People don't always understand the etiquette of a tattoo shop. After 15 years of being in the business, I still have to remember that part of my job is to educate the public.
Besides spending a great day with my son and hitting up the Discovery museum, today was extremely productive with creating new body products. I'm tired, but I can't stop devising new recipes in my head and researching.
So here's the list with some pics of today's creations
:
These are small bath cakes in the Serenity blend (Rose Otto, Bergamot, and Ylang Ylang) with Pink French clay for natural color. After you draw a warm bath, drops these in and they will dissolve in the water and create a skin detoxifying and moisturizing bath with essential oils that can aid with insomnia, stress, indigestion, slow heartbeat, increase libido, adding luster and hydration to the skin, and balancing emotions. They pair well with the Serenity Scrub and soon to be available Serenity Lotion bars. (contains local eggs from Tabernacle, NJ)
These Large bath cakes have a similar recipe to the previous bath treats, however the color is brought to you by turmeric, the eggs and essential oils of Pink Grapefruit, Sweet Orange,and Lemon. These oils can aid in weight loss and the reduction of cellulite and stretch marks in addition to helping with digestion, rheumatism, uplifting the spirit, and antibacterial properties.
Note a with other citrus oils, please avoid direct exposure to sunlight where the oil has been on the skin as it may be photosensitive.
(contains local eggs from Tabernacle, NJ)
This lip conditioner's are made from Beeswax, Shea Butter, Unrefined Avocado Oil, Honey, and essential oil of Vanilla. Although the flavoring is mild, the moisturizing effect is great.
The last item made was a new recipe for Shea Vanilla and Jasmine Body Butter with Unrefined Avocado Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Vitamin E. and essential oils of Vanilla and Jasmine. Darkness had set in to pics will be taken in the morning. We'll have to see how this cures, and then test it. I've already used it on my hands, and they feel soft and moisturized. My fingers are crossed that this turns out good since there was quite a bit of Organic Unrefined Shea Butter used, and it ain't cheap! Not to mention the blending process was quite tedious and time consuming.
I'm so excited about the wide variety that's will be available. I'm hoping that people fall in love with these products as much as I have.
Spring is in the air. Soon we'll all be bearing some more skin so make sure it's looking good! Book your own Eco Darling Soiree so you can experience these luxurious yet eco friendly products yourself.
New packages have arrived containing materials to make new body products. We received some "new to me" high quality oils and essential oils, and now all of our butters are Organic. We also acquired some local unrefined beeswax from a Beekeeper in Bucks County, PA that I have to refine myself. I'm actually excited about this. Creating these products is such a Zen experience and using them is too.
What a fulfilling yet expensive hobby this has become. Although last week sales were made, I'm hoping there are more to come. Every cent of the profits are going right back into the purchase of more materials. Soon we hope to have enough to acquire our own personalized jars and for now. I'd personally like to stay as paperless as possible so I've been emailing ingredient labels, detailed instructions, and other tidbits of info.
As far as new products, there will be some new additions to the list. The Body Butter will be made available again in different scents and with a longer shelf life due to the power antioxidants. Lip balm is in the works also. I'm going to start experimenting with day facial moisturizers since the Cold Creme is certainly a night time product. Despite the fact that I personally use the Rosewater Jojoba Cold Creme every morning with great results. My skin is glowing, and I hardly wear that much make up anymore. There will be some fragrant free products for those of you who prefer unscented. The plan is to make small batches of products until they run out to keep everything fresh. The shelf life of some of our products such as the Rosewater Jojoba Cold Creme and Uplifting Body Butter will have a 3 - 6 month shelf life unless you keep it in the fridge.
We're so happy to have gotten several great comments on our facebook page. Keep it coming! If you have any questions or requests, you can always post on the page or email me directly at teganink@mac.com.
Tuesdays have been nice for some alone time lately. My son's "pa paw" picks him up around 8:30am so I have lots of time to do things like make new products. Today I started the process of making some bath fizzies I decided to call Bath "not" Bombs. I have two scents curing right now, Lavender/Orange and Rosemary/Eucalyptus. They both great for relaxing and skin softening. You can use the Lavender/ Orange ones with the kiddies too. The Rosemary/Eucalyptus ones are great for when you have aching joints or muscles or need some help breathing easy from a cold or virus. Hopefully cold season will be over soon, though. It was great to make this new product since I'd been waiting on one of the ingredients to come in for about a week. Of course I also got to indulge on some coffee by myself, which was a nice way to start the day.
Some kind of virus wreaked havoc on our household for the past week and a half. My son and I only have a lingering cough, but my hubby is still experiencing migraines. Poor guy. I hope tomorrow is a new day, and he's healed. We have a date night to enjoy.
I'm so excited about Eco Darling. I have one party booked already, and another one in the making. I also sold some products today and got some good reviews on the facebook page. Check it out if you get the chance.
Creating all of these body products is so therapeutic for me. I love making things, and it's way better than cooking since I can't eat the products. Although some of them smell or look good enough to eat.
The first set of Lotion bars in the Tranquility scent are made from cocoa butter, coconut oil, and beeswax so they're delicious smelling. They go on so smoothly. The cocoa scent is the dominant scent, but the Tranquility blend is still there. It will work it's magic on your skin.
The next couple of batches were made tonight. To feature the scent more, Olive Oil, Grapeseed Oil, and Shea were used along with the beeswax. These feature the scents more yet the oils and butters still rejuvenate your skin. I can't wait to actually test them tomorrow when they're fully set.
For now, we're going to wrap them in parchment paper for the least amount of waste, but we will be selling tins if you need one to store it in. These bar must be stored in cooler places since they melt at body temperature. Storing them in a tin or jar is ideal. Just in case they become a little too warm and melt, you'll still be able to use every bit of it if you store it in a container.
I'm so excited to get these out there so you all can enjoy them too. They will compliment the body scrubs available. I assure you that you'll feel great inside and out after you use them. These products will nourish you body and mind. If you have any questions on the beneficial properties of the ingredients including the essential oils, please feel free to leave questions in the comment section.
