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Photo by Motormouth Studio


I’ve got a new hairdo to ad to my collage of hair. I’m pretty happy with the new hair. 
I got a coupon in the mail for Great Clips…. and, while I am all about paying good money for a good hair do, sometimes money isn’t lining my pockets and my hair still grows. I was lucky enough to have a really awesome little stylist doing my hair (I can always tell if I will like them by how their hair looks. She had the CUTEST short pixie-cut. So cute I thought about asking her to cut my hair like that!) 
Anyways, she did a great job and got my unruly hair back to fighting shape. Ended up going with a very subtle inverted bob. I’m hoping my front layers grow long soon so I can go a tad more dramatic with it. 
Then I went to my friend’s house for a ladies night and got experimental with my color! I talked a little about how I wanted to add in a fun color. I was hesitant to do too much. I did just a peek-a-boo highlight of magenta and dyed the rest of my hair a dark brown. 

In case you ever want to DIY your hair color I compiled a few tips from my experience:

1) Ask for help at the beauty supply store. I looked at the huge array of hair dye at the supply store and was seriously dumbfounded. No clue what I was doing (and I have dyed my hair before). The worker helped me get all of the tools I needed and the right dye and bleach for my goal. 
2) Wear clothes you don’t care about and stay in a space that is easily cleaned when dyeing your hair. I got dye all over the counter (serious bleach power got it cleaned up). I remembered to wear a shirt I didn’t care about. But, I totally wiped my hands on my jeans and pretty much ruined them. 🙁 
3) Take your time. Be careful. Read all the directions through completely. 
4) Have an extra pair of hands ready and willing to help. I was able to do quite a bit by myself. But, when it came to foiling and painting on the dye I would not have been able to do it without my friends. 
5) Don’t expect professional results. I like the way my hair looks. Would it have looked better if a professional did it? Yes. The pink is already fading fast because I didn’t leave the bleach on quite long enough. I missed a couple of hidden spots with the pink, so my hair has a bit of blonde peeking through every now and again. Did I save money and have fun doing it the DIY way? Sure did! 

Please excuse this awful phone pic.  Argh. Bad Blogger.

How I did it: 

1. I made sure I had clean, dry hair. I washed it that morning and wore it that way all day. I don’t think it is good to dye your hair when it is super dirty (lots of oils) or directly after shampooing. I’m not an expert… just what works for me.
2. I separated out a diagonal section of hair under the top layer of hair. I combed it out and placed it on top of a piece of foil. I used the salon type of foil for my hair. I’m not sure if regular foil works or not, but I assume it does. 
Another phone pic. 
3. I then put a bleach mixture ( Manic Panic Flash Lightning Hair Bleach Kit works well and has directions) on my sectioned off hair. I made sure it didn’t touch my other hair.
4. I did the strand test after the suggested time and I thought my hair was lightened enough, so I rinsed it out. I then dried it completely. I ended up realizing that it was more yellow than I wanted. I should have taken the step to highlight it again. But, I opted out. Which is part of the reason why my color is losing its brilliance already.
5. After drying my hair completely, I sectioned out my hair again. This time it was super easy because part of my hair was bright yellow and the rest was brown. I folded the foil underneath the bleached portion of hair again. I painted on the magenta color (I used Ion Color Brilliance Bright Gel in Magenta)
6. I folded the foil up to protect the hair. After about 15 minutes I put in the dark brown hair color on the rest of my hair. I used a simple box of hair dye from the local grocery store. 
7. After my hair soaked it all in for the allotted time (around 40 minutes) I hopped in the shower to rinse it out. It was suggested that I use cold water anytime I rinse my hair.


I’m trying to do better about writing here and my other blogs. I also want to share my writings with everyone who reads my work already. So, I’m going to TRY my best to update once a week what and where I have been writing. Maybe you’ll find something you missed!

A Well Crafted Party

Photo by Motormouth Studio

Woot! I wrote all week! I put a lot of effort and love into my son’s first birthday party. It was a wonderful and emotional time. I’m glad that we will always have the images and memories from the special celebration. I had a LOT of posts for you about the party.

Monday: {Real Party} You Are My Sunshine Party
Tuesday: {Recipe} Kid-Friendly Banana Cupcakes
Wednesday: {Recipe} Italian Pressed Sandwiches
Thursday: First Birthday Activity Ideas
Friday: {Friday Finds} Toddler Food Trays

Next week…. look forward to: First Birthday Favor Ideas, Sunshine Party Free Printables, A Creepy Zombie Party, A Giveaway and MORE!

Leave the Laundry for Later

I wrote over here all week as well! I’m on FIRE. 😉 If you didn’t know about my personal blog… then I’d love for you to pop over and see what it is about. I’ve been going back and forth about whether I should keep two blogs or have one blog that covers everything. I’m not sure still… but, I’d love to know what you think about the blog!
Monday: First Birthday Party (photos of the adorable guests and the birthday boy)
Tuesday: First Birthday Surprise (Idea for a special Birthday surprise)
Wednesday: Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Thursday: Baby Sign: A Success Story
Friday: Novel November
Next Week… look forward to: Saving Money by Brown Bagging, Yoga that my Doctor ordered, and more!

Portland Bloggers’ Blog: 

Next Week… look forward to information about the SEO event on November 17 and Review of the Bloggers’ Night Out! 

I’ve talked a little about the fact that I am a Freelance Writer. I’ve always, ALWAYS, had a dream that I would write a fiction novel. I’ve been working on one of my novel ideas off and on for a couple years now. Recently, I’ve been writing a lot of fiction for ghost writing gigs and I have found out that I can write many more words than I thought I could. And, much faster than I had anticipated.

Anyways… then I hear about November being National Novel Writing Month. The idea is that you work really hard for one month and you write a novel of about 50,000 words. After that month you can get down to the nitty gritty of editing, but you are editing a NOVEL that you have written. Awesome.

So, I’m going to do it! There is a great (FREE) website, National Novel Writing Month, that helps you keep track of your word counts in an environment that is built to help motivate you to actually finish your work. There are also forums for people who need help with ideas, etc. I’d love to know if you are going to be writing a novel next month along side with me! If you are then maybe we can help keep each other motivated!

Now I don’t know whether I should be looking forward to the month of November or super scared!