Henna TV Segment on the Rhode Show

Henna TV Segment on the Rhode Show

Nomad Heart

I'm now officially the booking agent for Nomad Heart. You can now request to book Nic Tharpa Cartier as your artist for painstakingly perfect Moroccan henna! He is a master of North African styles and I am so happy to be helping him bring his immense talents to even more people!

Keep an eye out for Nic's forthcoming book, Moor: A Henna Atlas of Morocco, co-authored with Lisa "Kenzi" Butterworth, available March 15th (the Ides of March), 2010 at HennaTribe.com

Artist At Work video series : #1, Simple Floral Hand Henna on Joni

...please go to YouTube and leave comments! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muuFVhQPIDg#watch-main-area

Supply Store Down

The supply store is down today...and I will not be able to devote substantial time to trying to fix it until Sunday, when the Black Friday weekend sale was supposed to end.

For this reason, the sale will be extended until Wednesday.

Everything in the store is 20% off during the sale.

Store at HennaByHeather.com Now Open!

My online henna supply store is officially open for business!

Featured items for the Grand Opening:

• $6 100g boxes of Jamilah henna - 2009 summer crop
  
• Henna Hafla - Henna pattern book with designs for parties, by Jamilah Zebarth; just $10 for 60 designs
  

Jessica Simpson's Henna ; cute elephant!

Here's a photo of Jessica Simpson's henna after it had a chance to darken up a bit:



Here's hoping that people want henna as cute as this after they see it :)

Sonya Masur Fall Show - Thurs, Nov 5

I'll be doing henna on a pay-per-design basis at this fabulous party that *the public is invited to* for Sonya Masur's fall show. If you've been wanting an individual henna design and live in the Boston area...this is your chance! Free wine and cheese, as well as other fantastic artists! Henna designs will be $5-30, and designs from both my upcoming book and Jamilah's book will be featured!! Thursday, Nov 5, 7-9pm, 66 Thorton Rd, Needham

www.sonyamasur.com

New henna photo gallery

Work from Summer 2009 is now up on my website:

www.hennabyheather.com/gallery.htm

My henna designs are ALL over this site...

...and most of the feedback is pretty nice :)

http://www.mehndidesigns101.com/

October's Public Events

Tues, Oct 20: Boston Melting Pot Girls' Night Out www.meltingpot.com

Wed, Oct 21: URI Dining special dinner featuring henna by yours truly and bellydancing by Tempest www.uri.edu/dining 5:30-8pm

Thurs, Oct 22: Henna at Northeastern University residence hall

Sat, Oct 24: Living Dead Festival @ PJ O'Connors Pub, Jewett City, CT 6pm-midnight (free Halloween/spooky/calavera henna for all!)

Tues, Oct 27: Providence Melting Pot Girls' Night Out

Thurs, Oct 29: Johnson and Wales Intercultural Center

Fri, Oct 30: India Restaurant, Providence


Email me or comment here if you want more information about any of these events!

Henna @ The Big E this weekend!

I'll be at the Big E in West Springfield, MA this weekend! The henna corner will be within The Earth Shop, near Gate 7, across the walkway from the big yellow slide.

I'll be there this weekend. Jamilah, Terisa, Joni, and Kelly will be there next weekend.

Drum + Dance Circle @ the World Dance and Music Center in Pawtucket, RI (right over the MA border!)

This Friday, Sept 11, I'll be doing henna 5:45-6:45 before the start of the Drum and Dance Circle at the World Dance and Music Center, 925 Central Ave, Pawtucket, RI.

Stay for Middle Eastern drumming lessons by George Rizk, followed by the drum and dance circle!

A small henna design, drum lesson, and drum circle participation will run you about $20 total.

It's an amazing way to spend your Friday night!!

Visit the homepage for the World Dance and Music Center for more info!

4th annual Northeast Henna Gathering

Announcing the 4th Annual Northeast Henna Gathering!

March 27-28, 2010
...plus some activities for early arrivals on March 26 :)



Updated flyer and most current info will always be at:

http://www.hennabyheather.com/northeast.html


Some preliminary details:

All Saturday & Sunday activities will be
@ The Spot on Thayer
286 Thayer St, Providence, RI
This is the best artist space in the whole artsy city! Light, airy, and perfect :)


Workshops

• Intro - Heather Caunt-Nulton of Henna By Heather
  
• Moroccan henna - Nick Cartier of Nomad Heart (....and/or a quite-easily-guessable friend?)
  
• Scientific Method for Henna Artists - Jen Schafer of Henna Muse
• The Science of Aftercare - Colleen Finnerty
  
• Group mixology experimentation
  
• Henna crafts
  
• Sangeet Designs + Festival Favorites are a STRONG possibility but not 100% confirmed...can't say who...but...when we do...you will want to come even more!
  

If you want to teach a workshop, please submit your workshop proposal to Colleen at starfiend3@aim.com by September 30, 2009.... super-strong proposals on interesting, not-yet-covered topics that show obvious evidence of true expertise and teaching ability will be HIGHLY favored...
...you should have extensive supporting materials to prove your awesomeness...website, videos, pattern books, articles etc...
Teachers get their registration fee comped.


Registration :
$100 preregistration fee covers
-ALL Saturday and Sunday activities - workshops, demos, crafts, etc
-unlimited free supplies! henna, glitter, aftercare stuff... you name it, we'll have it!
-a goodie bag with lots of cool stuff including, at the least:
Jamila henna powder, cajeput essential oil, glitter, pre-rolled henna cones, cocoa butter, bindis
*if you're a supplier who wants to donate to the goodie bags, please contact info@hennabyheather.com

To register, please fill out this contact form.
Include a note saying you're registering for the Northeast Henna Gathering.
Heather will email you a PayPal invoice for the amount owed
as well as an address to mail a check to, in case you prefer that.


Much, much more info is posted at www.hennabyheather.com/northeast.html. We'll continue adding and updating as more stuff is confirmed!

A breakdown of the important points in case you're too lazy to click the link:
-we'll be supplying you with EVERYTHING you need to do henna all weekend!
-we've scored and amazing group hotel rate of just $125 at Hotel Providence!
-by popular demand, there will be no bellydance stuff this year... it'll be all henna (and perhaps other temporary body art) all the time!!!
-your co-organizers are Colleen Finnerty, Heather Caunt-Nulton and Nick Cartier
-this is not-for-profit! any $ leftover will be reinvested in next year...perhaps for travel stipends for our teachers...

Henna Recipe

How To Make Your Own Henna Paste
the Henna By Heather way :)

What you need:
100g Jamila henna powder
1oz cajeput essential oil
a bottle of lemon juice

1. Put 100g of Jamila henna powder in a bowl that you're going to dedicate to henna mixing.

2. Mix in lemon juice. Start with 1 cup and check the consistency. Keep adding more lemon juice until the henna is the consistency of thick mashed potatoes.

3. Let this sit on your kitchen counter (not the fridge, which is too cold, or by the oven or heater, which is too hot) for 12 hours (give or take...I may leave my henna anywhere from 8 to 16 hours depending on what else I have to do that day.) My kitchen counter is 60-90 degrees, depending on the season. In the dog days of summer, it may be ready before the full 12 hours. In the winter, it may take a little longer. You'll know it's ready when the top layer of your henna is much darker than what is underneath - this shows you dye release has been achieved.

4. After dye release, mix in 1oz of cajeput essential oil.

5. Let sit on your kitchen counter for another 12 (give or take) hours.
6. Test the consistency of your henna. You will probably want to add more lemon juice unless you like your henna very thick. Just add lemon juice until henna reaches a consistency you think will be pleasant to work with. For me this is somewhere between thick Greek yogurt and thin grits. You should experiment a bit to see what works best for you.

7. That's it! Put your henna in a carrot bag, use the carrot bag to fill your cones, and you're ready to go!


FURTHER EXPERIMENTATION

This is an explanation of how I make my henna paste. I love my recipe. It took me almost 10 years to finally decide I was done experimenting and would just use this recipe all the time. It always serves me very well, but you may want to tweak it a bit to serve your own circumstances or preferences. Here are some tips for ways you might change up my recipe.

I. Increase or decrease amounts as needed. I typically mix 3-5 100g boxes of henna powder at a time. You could also mix just 25g (1/4 box) at a time. Less than that would probably be a bit of a pain and yield too high of a percentage of waste (henna stuck to the sides of your bowl when you go to put it in cones). 100g of henna is what most henna artists I know seem to mix at a time, hence it is what the recipe above is for.


II. Some of the most important reasons for changing your henna mix are climate-related. Here in cold, damp Southern New England, I definitely don't want to put sugar in my henna mix. In addition to making the henna stringy (which I don't like, but many do), sugar makes the henna take muuuch longer to dry. In fact, if you put the amount of sugar some others (who may live in arid or even desert-like climates) recommend, it feels like it will *never* dry. If you do live in a drier area, you may want to use table sugar, fructose, dextrose, hard candies, molasses, tamarind, or other sweet stuff to ensure that your henna doesn't dry and crumble off prematurely. If you live in a more humid region but you do like stringy henna, start by mixing just a tiny bit of sugar in with your mix. Experiment until you find the right balance of stringiness vs drying time for you.


III. Many people prefer not to use lemon juice to mix their henna. Water works just fine! Tea and coffee are also great, if you and your clients don't mind the fact that caffeine easily travels through the skin. Just keep in mind that using water or a water-based liquid may change how long you should let your henna sit before it reaches dye release and is ready to use. If using water, be sure that it is fairly pure / well-filtered, as chemicals in the water may affect your henna. Also, some people like using fresh lemon juice rather than bottled. If you have time to squeeze lots of lemons, or are just doing a small batch, by all means, give this a try!

IV. You may want to use a different essential oil. Anything with monoterpene alcohols ("terps") will work. I use cajeput because it is the best combination of the factors I consider important:
QUALITY
it has lots of monoterpene alcohols, which is important...and the sources you can find for it are almost exclusively for aromatherapy or henna artists, who insist on the highest quality supplies...unlike the teatree oil you might find at your local easy-to-find-teatree-oil source that may or may not have the best stuff...
PRICE
You could use naoli and get similar or even slightly better results, but boy would it be expensive!
AVAILABILITY
You can find it online very easily (although the best price you'll find for it is here, you'll notice:) It's near impossible to find locally... You could find tea tree oil in a health food store pretty easily... but it won't be as high quality.
SIMPLICITY
Sure, you could use a fancy blended specialty oil after you've confirmed that all of its ingredients are safe for use on skin... but will you be able to remember its ingredients list when a customer asks you what you put in your henna paste? The fewer ingredients you use, the less likely you'll throw something into the mix that someone will be allergic to...
One note about these blended oils: NEVER use "mehndi oil" that you don't know the ingredients of! If the manufacturer won't tell you what's in the oil because it's some sort of secret, or they don't bother to list it on their packaging, don't buy it. Make sure you always know exactly what you are putting on your and others' bodies.

Free henna @ Lush, Providence Place, Sept 28 6-9pm

Super Amazing Providence Hotel Deal for Northeast Henna Gathering!!!

The Hotel Providence is giving us approximately 60% off their normal rates for the Northeast Henna Gathering!!

Fortunately for us, Providence is billing itself as The Creative Capital these days, and all hotels in the city are REALLY interested in hosting artist conferences! Artists having leverage... who would've thought, right?

I just had to share this as soon as I found out!!! The actual booking information (including the group code you'll need to use to get that awesome rate) will be provided when the first "official" announcement of the Northeast Henna Gathering (which will be March 27 and 28, with pre-gathering activities for early arrivals on the 26th) is made. But I figured some people would be interested to know about these awesome rates if they were trying to plan a trip and see if their budget would allow them to come... No, you don't *not* have to rent a car this year and stay outside of the city in order to get budget-friendly accommodations!

$125/night for a gorgeous, posh hotel right in the nicest part of Downtown Providence... You will be SO ridiculously pleased with this hotel! Especially if you booked a room last year at the similarly-priced but much farther away and not nearly as posh Holiday Inn Express in North Attleboro... The difference is really astounding.



Also, we've confirmed that the main days of the Gathering (the 27th and 28th) will be at The Spot, the coolest artist space in the whole artsy city!

We are amazed and astounded that we are able to bring you such awesome locations this year...

We can't really mention who will be teaching workshops quite yet...but when you see those...you will be even more ridiculously excited, I think :) I am!!

Day-long henna workshop, Sunday, Sept 27

Next henna class

Henna body art class


Wednesday, August 5


7-9pm


@ The Learning Connection, Wayland Square, Providence, RI





Visit learnconnect.com and search for "henna" for registration information

WTNH segment

Many thanks to Connie, Kate, Karen, and everyone else at WTNH's CT style for being such gracious, wonderful hosts!!

TV segment on CT Style, WTNH

I'll be doing a 6 minute henna segment on WTNH (channel 8 in New Haven / CT) next Wednesday!
It airs 12:30-1pm (it's a split segment, so I'll be on at the beginning and the end).

CT Style on WTNH

You can watch it live on TV or streaming from their website, or view it after the fact in the saved segments on their site :)

Henna Supply Store Now Open!

The Henna Supply Store is now open!

Here's a complete product list for you:
100g of Jamila henna powder - $7.25
1 kilo of Jamila henna powder - $55
1oz of cajeput essential oil - $8
1 pre-rolled henna cone - $0.90
15 pre-rolled henna cones - $12
Henna pattern book (printed) - $12
1 package of bindis - $3.50
6 packages of bindis - $20

click here to go to the store and buy some...

If you'd like to receive updates about the store and other useful tips for henna artists, please sign up for my Henna Artist Mailing List:

Henna Supply Store Mailing List

East Providence Heritage Festival

Come see me today at the East Providence Heritage Festival, Pierce Stadium, 201 Mercer St, East Providence, and get $5 off any $15+ design! Just print this blog posting out and bring it with you for your discount :)

Walk-in henna appointments and East Providence Heritage Days Festival

I'll be taking walk-in henna appointments at the World Dance and Music Center this Thurs 5-7pm! $30 for up to 15min. 925 Central Ave, Pawtucket.


Also, Fri-Sun, I'll be doing henna at the East Providence Heritage Days Festival! Look for my booth near the end of the row along the 3rd base line.
Visit http://www.myspace.com/heritagedays for details.

Sailfest in New London + Main Street Stroll in East Greenwich

I'll be doing henna body art (aka mehndi) all around New England this weekend!

Thursday: Main Street Stroll, East Greenwich, RI

Saturday + Sunday, July 11 + 12: Sailfest, New London, CT
Sailfest is the most fun festival I do all year - come see the tall ships and fireworks!
Note that there are usually three henna booths at this event...so if you're looking for me, make sure you find me :) My parents or husband will be minding the front of the booth - look for them.

FYI for Providence area folks

Friday, July 3: Grand Opening of Heather's Henna Studio

GRAND OPENING HENNA PARTY!!!

Heather's Henna Studio
at the World Dance and Music Center
925 Central Ave, Pawtucket, RI

Friday, July 3
6-9pm



Grand Opening Special
Designs start at $10!

You will have to see the space in person to believe it, but here's a preview:



Also that evening, we'll have drumming lessons by reknown Lebanese musician George Rizk 6:45-7:15 ($5) and a drum circle 7:30-9:30 (also $5)



Private Henna Appointments and Parties at Heather's Henna Studio

The Grand Opening party is only the beginning!
Heather will be available for private appointments at the Henna Studio Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. Please call 617-429-6301 (Heather's cell) ahead of time to make an appointment. The rate for private henna appointments is $30 per 15 minutes, $100/hr for 1 hour or more.


Host your own Henna Party at our studio

Decrease your stress and impress your guests by hosting your party with us!

We'll provide tables, chairs, and an amazing sound system... and you can even use the stage if you'd like!

Henna services are just $100 per hour for as many people as you would like to invite! Please allow 10-15 minutes per person for an authentic henna experience, or just 5 minutes per person for a quick and simple tattoo design.

The studio rental rate is $35/hour on weekdays before 4pm and $50/hour on nights and weekends.

Any or all of the following can be added on to your party as well:
-Indian food buffet
-Bellydance performance or lesson
-Hula performance or lesson
-Live Middle Eastern band
-DJ with a wide range of of Bollywood, Middle Eastern, and 80's retro music


What else will you find at the World Dance and Music Center?

-Bellydance, hula, and pilates classes for all levels
-Boutique with World Music CDs, Henna-decorated percussion instruments and other artwork, Bellydance and Hula Costuming, and more
-Monthly drum circles
-Frequent special guest workshops

Check LolaDance.com for the latest happenings, or contact Lola, the Director of the World Dance and Music Center, at info@loladance.com for further information about any of the above!






Directions to Heather's Henna Studio at the World Dance and Music Center:
Just 1 turn from exit 2A off of I-95!
Follow Newport Ave until the traffic light at Central Ave. Turn Left. Look on your right on the first block for the sign for the World Dance and Music Center. Heather's Henna Studio is within the Center, up the stairs :)

GRAND OPENING HENNA PARTY
Friday, July 3, 6-9pm, 925 Central Ave, Pawtucket, RI

New photo gallery

New photos are up! Check them out in the gallery on the upper left here.

Here are a few of the best:

South End Open Market this Sat + Sun

With a farmer's market and an antique market right around the corner, the South End Open Market is going to be bigger and better than ever! There's been press in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, Daily Candy, and more! It's going to be HUGE! Come get henna :)

Upcoming events

Here are some upcoming events where you can find me doing henna this month!

Friday, May 8: India restaurant, 1060 Hope St, Providence, RI
small henna designs for tips: 7-9pm
private appointments for 15min+: 5-7pm

Saturday, May 9: Za-Beth Bellydance event 1-5pm
"Spring Gathering"
Fundraiser for "Rosie's Place"- women helping women
A Day for you, the BellyDancer...
WORKSHOPS, SHOWS, SHOPPING, HENNA!
Courtyard Marriot, 700 Unicorn Park Drive, Woburn, Ma. 01801

Saturday, May 9: Dirge Carolers show @ Cantab Lounge, Central Square, Cambridge, MA
Henna will be on hand for after the show, starting around 10pm.

Sunday, May 10: Temple Israel Boston festival 11am-1pm

Sat May 16 + Sun May 17: South End Open Market - Boston, MA


Email for more details about any of these.

Henna Workshop April 15

There are still a few spaces remaining for the Henna Body Art workshop at The Learning Connection in Providence, RI on Wednesday, April 15!

Click here to find out more and sign up.

Artistic Adornment

Here are links to two sets of recent photos done by Artistic Adornment, the newly-reinvigorated henna collective of southern New England!

Photoshoot for Get magazine (get-ri.com)
teaser:


FFF New Designers Fashion Show
teaser:



...updated website for the group coming soon...

Northeast Henna + Bellydance Gathering THIS SUNDAY

Come join the 75+ artists who will be converging in downtown Providence this Sunday!!!
People are coming from CA, WA, OH, VA, NJ, ME...and of course RI, MA, CT...

If you want to learn/practice henna and/or bellydance, come for noon.
If you just want to watch performances and get hennaed, come for 5.
If you just want to dance and listen to some good live music and take it all in, come for 9.

www.hennabyheather.com/northeast.html for all the details.
Here's the flyer, one last time.

Dog Walking in Boulder, CO

This is just a quick shout out to my brother, Greg, and his Boulder, CO dog walking (and pet sitting) business, Leader of the Pack. Go check out his website!

More workshops, demos, and vendors for 3rd annual NEHBG!

Check out the most recent updates at http://www.hennabyheather.com/northeast.html

Here is a recently updated flyer - please post it to your MySpace/FaceBook/Twitter/etc!

Excellent News! All henna artists invited to The Spot on Thayer St on Saturday, March 28

Saturday, March 28, 12-6pm

Henna artists arriving in town early for the New England Henna and Bellydance Gathering will be meeting at The Spot on Thayer St on Providence's swanky/hip East Side (right next to the Brown and RISD campuses)...rather than in my tiny apartment as initially planned.

The Spot
286 Thayer St.
Providence, RI

The Spot is a super-awesome artist space with the following useful ammenities:
1. 2 big rooms with tons of beautiful artwork around to inspire you
2. Really excellent natural light from huge windows
3. Lots of comfy chairs...and lots of open space in the room that doubles as a dance studio
4. A fully equipped stage with lots of hand drums around that we're welcomed to use

I've booked 12-6 so that we have ample time to chill and do henna on each other, but also have time in the evening to get out and see the city a bit. If no one else books anything that evening, they'll let us say until 2am... and if someone else does book something that evening, chances are very high that we won't interfere with what they're doing and could just continue to stay there...what's likely to be booked on a Saturday night is a live show.

The Spot can accommodate up to 80 people, and 40 people can comfortably spread out and do henna on one another.

More info at thespotonthayer.com.

A bit of info on the East Side / Thayer St for you:
Thayer St has long been *the* artsy cool street in a very artsy cool city. You'll hear locals complaining that it is going downhill, which is true, as big chain stores with deep pockets come in raise the rents for everyone, forcing some of the quirkier shops to close.
But...it is still by far the coolest single street in the city with the most stuff to do that is of interest to henna artists :)

Some of the other cool things within walking distance of The Spot are:

-Spectrum India, a huge Indian gift/clothing shop
252 Thayer St
www.spectrumindia.com

-Byblos Hookah Bar
235 Meeting St
www.providencebyblos.com
I'll make a reservation for 10 for 8pm for anyone who wants to go (you NEED a reservation at this place, otherwise the wait is like 3-4 hours). There's a $10/person food/drink minimum along with the hookah, and I can't cover this cost...but it is very worthwhile. The decor, the atmosphere... I don't even smoke (except here!) and I LOVE it...

-Bedlam, an alternative fashion boutique with the best selection of Indian skirts (and sometimes blouses) second to Spectrum
183 Angell St
www.bedlamgoth.com

-Avon Cinema, showing independent films
260 Thayer St
www.avoncinema.com


SATURDAY FOOD:
As was the plan for when this was going to be at my place, I'll still be providing plenty of food from India (www.indiarestaurant.com).

SATURDAY TRANSPORTATION:
Transportation is a million times easier, as you don't have to navigate the suburbs to find my house or call anyone for a ride!
If you're driving, there's plenty of parking on-street parking around. Stick to parking on Bowen St or Brook St if you are not used to city driving. If you are, you may get lucky and find a spot right on Thayer.

Buses from out-of-town pull into Kennedy Plaza (if it's Peter Pan, be sure to NOT get off at the terminal, which is actually in Pawtucket, RI...they sometimes fail to make this clear!)
Then you can hop on the #40 bus outbound towards Butler Hospital...get off at the Thayer St/ Waterman stop.


SATURDAY $:
I did shell out some $ to rent this space ($200 to be exact)... so any help with covering this cost would be most appreciated (suggested: $10-20/person, sliding scale). I'm not going to require that people pay, though, because originally the idea was to have a (free) meeting just at my house.

...but as the # of henna artists coming got very high very fast (about 15 after 1.5 weeks of promotions), it became clear that my little townhouse wasn't going to cut it as a venue for Saturday festivities.

I'm excited about these changes for bringing you a bigger, better, way cooler 3rd annual Northeast Henna and Bellydance Gathering!

Sunday will, of course, be 100% full of awesome according to the original plan.

Boston's South End Open Market

I'll be doing henna at the South End Open Market on the following dates (and maybe more):



Opening weekend: May 16 + 17

July 26

August 9

August 23

South End Open Studios: September 19 + 20
(someone may fill in for me on the 20th if this happens to be the same day as Worcester's stART on the Street)

3rd annual Northeast Henna and Bellydance Gathering

the 3rd annual

Northeast Henna and Bellydance Gathering

Workshops all day - party all night!

Sunday, March 29

@ The Dark Lady

124 Snow St, Providence, RI

12-5pm: Workshops all day

Henna:

Heather Caunt-Nulton - Intro & Indian Mehndi

Genevieve Levin - Gulf Style

Nick Cartier - Moroccan Design and Traditions

Colleen Finnerty - Science

(room for 1 more henna workshop - contact Heather if you'd like to offer one)

Bellydance:

Aepril Schaile - Theatrical Bellydance

The Goddess Coyle - Sword, Zills, Candles, and Veil

Sarah Leonard - Choreography

(room for 2 more dance workshops... contact Heather if you're interested in offering one)

5pm-1am: Party all night*

Catered Indian Dinner

Bellydance Hafla with many performances

Henna Party

Live music and and DJs for open dancing
(in conjunction with Sanctuary's Raqs Gothique)

*net proceeds donated to Rubia - Mending Afghanistan stitch by stitch

REGISTRATION:

$60 preregistration - $80 after March 15

($15/20 for anyone only coming after 5pm to "party all night" but no workshops)

1. Fill out the form at

http://www.HennaByHeather.com/contact.php

and include a note saying that you would like to preregister for the Northeast Henna and Bellydance Gathering.

Please also indicate your estimated arrival date and/or time.

2. Pay your registration fee via PayPal to info@hennabyheather.com or email to make other payment arrangements.

Updated info will always be available at

http://www.hennabyheather.com/northeast.html

Join the Henna and Bellydance Gathering email list here to receive updates via email:

Henna and Bellydance Gathering email list

Email Address:



Email Marketing by VerticalResponse

Reviews on Yelp

If you've gotten henna done by me and were pleased, might you be so kind as to leave me a review in Yelp's Boston henna artist listings?

You'll have to register for an account to do so...but your kindness will not be forgotten!

Thanks,
Heather

Full line of henna / mehndi ceramic tiles / coasters available!

Visit Shade and Stone for many, many more color choices!

Here are a few:

Primary Source Holiday Bazaar is TODAY ...

Come support social studies education!
Sincerely,
Heather the former anthro major and current linguistics PhD candidate :)




Blurb From Primary Source's website:

2008 Primary Source Holiday Bazaar and Trivia Night

December 5, 2008
3:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Ave., Watertown



On Friday, December 5, 2008, Primary Source will hold its 2nd Annual Holiday Bazaar and first annual Trivia Night at the Watertown Hellenic Center. Proceeds from the event will benefit Primary Source and our work to provide schools with the resources they need to help students thrive in an increasingly interconnected world. The Primary Source Holiday Bazaar is free and open to the public. Last year's bazaar drew more than 250 community members, and an even larger crowd is expected this December.

• Preview dozens of vendors who will offer gifts from around the world
  
• Buy tickets to win one of dozens of exciting raffle prizes
  
• See one of New England's best henna artists in action
  
• Sign up now to test your wits at Trivia Night with Dan "The Trivia Man" Donato
  
• Plan to bring the whole family - all ages are welcome
  

3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
International Holiday Bazaar Open

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Trivia Night (complimentary hors d'oeuvres and cash bar)

Find out more about becoming a vendor at the Holiday Bazaar.

For more information, please contact Julie Newport (julie@primarysource.org or 617-923-9933 ext 18).

Major support from:

Free henna / mehndi in Boston

Henna / Mehndi inspired coasters make great holiday gifts!

Check out these henna/mehndi inspired coasters from ShadeAndStone.com!

Design 1 - Paisley

Design 2 - Lotus flower

Design 3 - Mini mehndi mandala in a square

All designs by yours truly.

These tiles / coasters make great gifts for anyone on your list who loves henna, quirky decor items, art, enjoying a nice beverage, or, if they're feeling really adventurous, redecorating their bathroom/kitchen/all-purpose room (these ceramic tiles make great accent tiles!)

Henna-inspired mini art pieces

Check out these commissioned henna-designed tiles @ Shade and Stone! Now you can incorporate the beauty of mehndi into your home decor :)

They're still in the very first stages of putting the designs up on the site. There are 5 designs total in this series (with more series likely if they sell well!). They're still deciding what colors to make them available in. What colors would *you* think would be good? Let me know and I can pass along your suggestions to the company owner.

I'm thinking:
ivory/mohagany (because it'd be reminiscent of henna)
tan/brown (so there's an available very neutral option)
pink/magenta (so they appeal to uber-girly girls)
green/red (so people might buy them for Christmas gifts)

It would make me smile (and increase the chances of them commissioning more pieces from me) if you bought one or a set of 4 as a gift for someone you know who likes fancy homey stuff and/or henna.

Photos from Sling'n'Slack 2008

View the set of photos of henna I did at the Sling'n'Slack last weekend here - leave comments if you have a Flickr account!
(consider getting one if you don't? :)

Thank you, Yelpers!

Last night I did a party at Tantric Indian Bistro in Boston for Yelp Elite Boston. Everyone was dressed in costumes that, for the most part, were exceedingly clever, unique, or both. I was contacted by both the Yelp Boston community leader *and* the owner of the restaurant, who found me using different methods... they wanted me to come do henna in exchange for free / for exposure...which normally screams "do not do this gig!!!" loud and clear... but somehow I knew this one would be cool. I'm a sucker for a swanky Indian restaurant right in the theater district, and a night spent with probably smart, probably dorky (in a good way), probably amusing people. So I took a gamble and agreed to do it. Not only did the owner unexpectedly generously compensate me with a gift certificate that will nicely finance a night out with friends in their hookah lounge, but she was super sweet and friendly to boot! Yelpers tipped far better than the average crowd, perhaps thanks to the handy little "Yelp's gratuitous guide to tipping" that Leighann, the community leader, so cleverly placed right next to an empty glass on my henna table.

Anyway... I did tons of custom designs, which was very fun. It was awesome to have people not always pick things from the book....these were people who trusted me when I said I do my best work when they just give me an idea and I run with it...and I think they were glad they did... because check out the 5 new 5-star reviews they gave to Henna By Heather on Yelp :).

And all of the mentions of the henna within the event as a whole are really a treat to read as well!

I feel loved.
Very cool.

If you've ever had henna done by me, and want to leave me more nice reviews there, and share even more love, please feel free :)

Henna @ India tonight, 7-9pm

I'll be doing henna for tips tonight @ India Restaurant, 1060 Hope Street, Providence, RI.

The Goddess Coyle bellydance troupe of RI will also be performing, so you're in for a real treat!

Hope to see you there!

Sugar Skulls!

These are round 3.5 of the sugar skulls I've been dilligently making the past few days... these in particular are for a Day of the Dead party flyer for Sanctuary, a goth/industrial/etc club night in Providence, RI. They're the DJ staff :)

If you need your own calaveras de azucar, just let me know :)

Shallow Graves Magazine features the Northeast Henna and Bellydance Gathering

The premier issue of Shallow Graves Magazine features an article about the Northeast Henna and Bellydance Gathering and Raqs Gothique, including interviews with me and Aepril Schaile!

Check out it and buy your own copy at ShallowGraves.org

They placed #5 out of all paranormal print magazines! Check it. And buy your copy now (totally worth the $9.99).


....what does henna have to do with the paranormal, you ask? Well, we did paint some pagany symbols on some gothically-inclined folks that day... and, more importantly, Raqs Gothique that same night was organized in conjunction with the gathering...and that clearly had some otherworldly sorts of undertones, especially thanks to the amazing bellydancers' performances, featuring huge Isis wings from one troupe and a skull headdress from another...

Pregnant Belly Henna - Blessingways and more!

Check out this great article and book on some emerging traditions of using henna to decorate pregnant bellies!:

Article in Mothering Magazine - birth preparation - blessings (with henna!).

Here's a book on blessingways with a hennaed belly featured on the cover!
Note that the henna in the photo appears to not have been done by an experienced henna artist... it will come out a bazillion times better if you have a professional henna artist decorate your belly! Do an image search for "pregnant belly henna" and you are sure to find some stunning examples.

Blessingways are beautiful ceremonies - I've had the pleasure of doing henna for the bellies of moms-to-be at four of them so far. Everyone has their own spin on it, it seems. But what they all have in common is that it is a celebration of the mother and all of her connections with other women. In this way they're very similar to baby showers... but in a blessingway, it's the sharing of stories and advice given from woman to woman that take center stage, rather than party games and presents.

Machine Mural

Josh CJG Robinson, Heather Adels and I painted this mural together Sept 15-19, 2008 at Machine nightclub in Boston (very near Fenway). These two were simply the best people ever to work with...they totally rock and made the experience awesome.



If you need a mural, or anything else, for that matter, painted, let us know!

Tracy and Toseef's Wedding Photos

It's so great to work for wonderful people! I did a wedding up in New Hampshire (Twin Mountain, in the White Mountain region, about an hour and a half from Maine) back in early August... it was just about the best mehndi party I have ever been to - a nice combination of festivities, a big-but-not-too-big crowd (30-40) of wonderful people, and very tasty food. And Tracy, being the fabulous person she is, has followed through on her promise to take some nice photos of her henna after it was done and had darkened up, on the days of the 2 wedding ceremonies! She was a joy to work with, as were her and her groom's entire families.

There are *so* many good photos that I can't possibly put them all on my website (or can I? in a special Tracy + Toseef's wedding gallery?)... so...

Please help me decide which of these many photos should be featured in my website gallery:
Photos of bridal mehndi for Tracy and Toseef's wedding in Twin Mountain, New Hampshire
... because the henna artist's favorite shots (showing off the favorite details of the henna design) are not always the same as those that appeal to people more broadly!


PS - I figure I should mention, if you're looking for a great place to stay in the White Mountains that is surprisingly reasonably priced, check out Profile Deluxe Motel, Twin Mountain, NH. I stayed there after doing Tracy's mehndi party, and was really wowed with the combination of the very friendly staff and super-cute, bed-and-breakfast-type rooms. This is definitely not your standard motel... So yes, I highly recommend them, and hope that saying so here may help them out a bit :)

Henna / Mehndi for Eid next Wednesday

Henna / Mehndi
for Eid

Henna painting available at
India Restaurant
1060 Hope Street
Providence, RI

Eid ul-Fitr
October 1
4-6:30pm

Eid al-Adha
December 8, 9, 10
6-8pm each day


Cost: $10-30 per hand
Walk-ins happily accepted,
or email info@hennabyheather.com for an appointment

Excited about the Berlin, CT Fair!

I can't wait to return to my hometown and paint people with henna day and night for three days straight!

The Berlin Fair is one of Connecticut's best, and of course the source of many childhood and teen memories for me.

If you're reading this and you're going to be there... show up before 1pm for excellent discounts on henna just for mentioning that you read about it here :)

Videos are popular like woah!

My henna videos on Expert Village have gotten a ridiculous number of hits! I am sad to see that the (insanely lame!) tribal henna design demo has well over 2x the average number of hits for all the other videos. Tribal = 5,000+, most = 2,000-2,500. That's a *lot* of hits...

People are clearly frustrated that rolling cones is hard, as that's pretty much the only clip with negative ratings... I should've thought to mention that it's silly to try to learn cone-rolling through anything other than in-person instruction and/or a lot of trial and error. But I didn't, and people are sad that they fail when they try to make cones after I made it look so easy in the instruction video. Whoops.

Anyway...that is very weird to see indeed. There are over 5,000 people out there who have come across my videos in their attempts to learn henna... Wow.

I feel internet famous.

I have a mailing list!

If you'd like to join my mailing list, you may do so here:

Henna By Heather's Email List

Henna for Burning Man

Doing henna for Gabe was a real treat - it's rare that someone who wants tribal stuff is a) willing to let me have fun with detail within the shapes and b) wants really ridiculously large-scale work and is willing to make arrangements to make it happen. Plus Gabe is super nice, as is his documentary filmmaker roommate who filmed the entire process! (Video coming soon...)

Halloween Party!

I'll be putting down the henna cones and picking up my bass + keyboard to help entertain you at this:

Penny Dreadful's Halloween Bash!

My band, The Dirge Carolers will be playing, as will Deathbed Bride and others TBA. But, most importantly and most awesomely, Penny Dreadful the 13th, Rondo Award winning horror hostess (think modern-day Elvira) will be hosting and performing!

Details are TBA, but it is Halloween night, and will be either in New Bedford, MA or Providence, RI. So mark your calendar now!!!



And yeah, I suppose I could bring henna with me if you asked really nice...

Goddess Coyle Gypsy Faire this Saturday

The Goddess Coyle Gypsy Faire is this Saturday, all day, in Riverside, RI.
Scroll back about 6-7 entries in this blog for more details. It will be awesome and you should go.


Bellydance
Fire breathing
Live music, drumming
Storytelling
Kids' Activities
Awesome Vendors
...and, yeah, henna.

Henna in the past 2 days

Here are some of the cooler pieces I've gotten to do in the past 2 days... a real photo update to my webpage will be made eventually when things are less busy. Probably in November or December...

Henna Party in Manchester, NH

Henna Party @ Bliss Healing Arts Studio
250 Commercial Street #2007
Manchester, NH
Aug 17, 12-3pm, $30

RSVP Appreciated: 603-624-0080

Bellydance workshop by The Goddess Coyle to follow

-------------------

One of very few chances to get some henna in Manchester, NH! If you're from the area, don't miss out!

American Cancer Society Fundraiser Event in Foxboro Today

Bella Nova Salon
396 Central St
Foxboro
MA
02035

12-8pm, Saturday, August 2nd
Music, vendors, and fun - all for a great cause!
Henna 3:30-8pm

...this public event is one of your best opportunities to get any henna design you'd like without having to set up a private appointment!

Cool things in the works

It looks like a company that makes arty tiles and prints is going to buy the rights to use some of my henna designs!

If anyone has advice about setting something like this up, please let me know!

Bartering is my friend!

I just got asked to do a party that is incredibly local to me... they were all set to pay my standard rates, but then, out of curiosity, right before emailing them their contract, I looked at the website connected with their email address.

It turns out it the hosts of the party own the Rhode Island Fencing Academy and Club!

Fencing is something I've always thought is pretty interesting, and Peter really does love sword stuff of all sorts... So, going out on a limb, I inquired as to whether they'd be interested in bartering lessons worth 2x as much as they would've paid in cash... and they said they'd be happy to!

So we can has fencing lessons! Excellent!
Yeah, money is nice, but when the ga$ expen$e is not too much to get to a gig, and the person I'm doing henna for does / makes / sells something really cool, I am totally up for bartering!

....keep that in mind if you are within a 15 minute drive of Attleboro (so basically Attleboro, South Attleboro, North Attleborough, Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, or Seekonk...)
Generally I'd need more "stuff" compensation per henna-doing hour than I would've in flat-out cash... but if you've got cool stuff... we can probably work something out :)

Upcoming Events

Friday, July 18: Henna on Craig Torres for City Mystery - Theatre District, Boston, MA

Saturday, July 19: Henna @ India Restaurant, 1060 Hope Street, 7-9pm
Also... The Dirge Carolers perform at KC's Tap in Pawtucket...we go on after 9:30, obviously :P

Wednesday, July 23: Private party @ Mediterraneo, Federal Hill, Providence, RI... and thus an excuse to go to a swanky restaurant I've always wanted to check out. Email me if you would like to set up an appointment before 6:30 or after 10:30 @ Jessie's, the awesome dessert cafe down the street...

Friday, July 25: Providence Roller Derby:


Saturday, July 26: Private party in Pawcatuck, CT... book a party geographically between Attleboro, MA and Pawtucket, RI for a time between 2pm and 6pm for NO TRAVEL FEE

Saturday, August 2: American Cancer Society Benefit @ Bella Nova Salon

Saturday, August 16: The Goddess Coyle Gypsy Faire...email for details.

Sunday, August 17: Henna party with bellydancing!!! Just $30 admission covers your henna and entertainment! 12-2pm, Manchester, NH. email for details.

............there is more, but this is enough to share for now :)

Hennaing body builder Craig Torres

In a couple of weeks, I'll be doing henna on body builder Craig Torres:
http://www.repetrope.com/men/competitors/detail.asp?CompetitorID=1617
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTwxd-NP8wc
I'll divulge details of why once they aren't privileged information anymore... but it will be pretty cool, I'll say that much.

3rd Annual Goddess Coyle Annual Event / Gypsy Faire :: August 16th

3rd ANNUAL GODDESS COYLE EVENT/ GYPSY FAIRE

Posted By:
THE GODDESS COYLE
Hosted By::
Holly Ferreira and Miladys Leblanc

When:
Our annual event celebrating talented artists of all natures....
Saturday Aug 16, 2008
At the stroke of 12 noon ~ 9pm

Where:
RIVERSIDE SPORTSMAN ASSOCIATION
WAMPANOG TRAIL
RIVERSIDE, RI 02916

The cost for this event is $20.00:
That includes a wide range of food, but the drinks need to be bought at the bar(including water).

THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR VENDORS OR PERFORMERS!!!!!!!

*This is a gypsy faire...so anything goes.
BUT!! it is also a family event, so it needs to remain a safe, friendly atmostphere..
If you are an artist, drummer, musician, henna artist, painter, dancer, fortune teller, juggler,massage therapist, reiki master, or if you have something important to teach people ** ANYTHING!!!
please contact us,

THE GODDESS COYLE

We will form a list,
and choose what we will need from there....
.
I will be updating with more information as I get it... there will be plenty of things to buy and do...so be prepared...
looking forward to this amazing event!!!

Miladys and Holly will also be discussing which charity(or charities) we will be donating to..

~*~

Already signed up to participate...

HENNA BY HEATHER~*~ the best henna artist I know
J & E CREATIONS ~*~ a bunch of magical trinkets
MY WICKED GARDEN~*~ balms for henna or permanent tattoo/specialty soaps and other lovely potions
THE BEADED PEACOCK~*~ costumes for the gypsy and goddess in you.
MY FAVORITE GYPSY SHEILA~*~ (tribal jewelry)
TEMPLE OF THE DIVINE SPIRT~*~ (rev. mother susan) handcrafted jewelry, magick supplies
TAROT READINGS KIM DEPINA~*~ tarot card & angel readings & reiki
KRIS McCOLLOUGH~LABYRINTH WORSHOP/DON'T MISS THIS!!!!!!!!!!! she will be the first workshop
JONI RAE~*~ goddess dolls (so beautiful)
GIFTS OF LIFE~*~ benefit of fair trade products
LISA GUILLIMETTE ~*~JewelryKRIS~* graphic belly dance/gypsy art
!!!!!DANCERS!!!!!
Brenda (RI Belly Dancer)
The Beaded Peacock
Kristie Speck & Sheherazade's Sisters/
Miladys & Holly
The Keepers of The Flame
Zoe*Mekenzie*Charlotte(the little flames)
Lilymoon Storm""""(hopefully)
DRUMMERS
Phillip~amazing artist
Belladonna~middle eastern goddess
Diane~african drum goddess
STORYTELLING
American Indian stories
FIRE BREATH
JOHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Henna class TOMORROW in Providence

My henna class tomorrow @ the Learning Connection in Providence has TWELVE people signed up!!! Wowza!

It seems like the trend is for my classes to be empty and canceled, empty and canceled, repeat all fall, winter, and spring...
....and then in the summer they are Crazy Full.

This is my only henna class this summer... and probably the only class all year that is 100% sure not to be cancelled... so if you have been waiting / hoping to take a class... tomorrow is the time!

Sign up at:
www.learnconnect.com

The class is listed under crafts rather than art for whatever reason, so look there :)

Henna class TOMORROW in Providence

My henna class tomorrow @ the Learning Connection in Providence has TWELVE people signed up!!! Wowza!

It seems like the trend is for my classes to be empty and canceled, empty and canceled, repeat all fall, winter, and spring...
....and then in the summer they are Crazy Full.

This is my only henna class this summer... and probably the only class all year that is 100% sure not to be cancelled... so if you have been waiting / hoping to take a class... tomorrow is the time!

Sign up at:
www.learnconnect.com

The class is listed under crafts rather than art for whatever reason, so look there :)

World Night of Henna

On the night of June 20th, the eve of the first true day of summer,
henna artists around the globe celebrate their artistry by creating
elaborate designs laced with images of the season. This amazing array of art, created between sundown and sunrise, blooms into life on skin over the following 24 hours, a beautiful tribute to the changing of the seasons and the celebratory power of henna. In order to link art with social aid, many artists will donate proceeds from their event to a charity of their choice. Information and other event listings can be found at www.WorldNightofHenna.com.

I will be celebrating the World Night of Henna at 1060 Hope Street, Providence, RI from 7-9pm on June 20th. Free henna will be provided to all customers at India that night, and rather than tipping the henna artist as is the norm there, customers are asked to make a
donation to the Red Cross's Disaster Relief Fund.

RI PrideFest

Tiffany (80s pop icon!!!) will be performing FOR FREE.... and yes, of course I will be doing henna.

It's so hard to pick which event to come to and get henna at, isn't it? They are all so cool!!! I love my "work".

World Night of Henna :: June 20

World Night of Henna
June 20: Free Henna at India Restaurant
7-9pm, 1060 Hope Street, Providence, RI
Come to the most gorgeous Indian restaurant in Providence, have free henna done,
donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund in leiu of tipping your artist, AND be part of the World Night of Henna!

PROVIDENCE ROLLER DERBY :: tomorrow :: Sea Shanty Shakedown

The Providence Roller Derby's season kickoff is TOMORROW!

The Old Money Honeys vs. The Mob Squad

halftime performance: Sharks Come Cruisin'


And, yep, you guessed it... there shall be henna!
Designs start at $5. Your artists are Mina and Peter.

May 30
2 Kennedy Plaza
7pm
$13
http://www.providencerollerderby.com/



...meanwhile, I will be @ India... being responsible to a fault...and thus missing this awesome event.

Go have fun @ the Roller Derby for me!!!

Looking for Models :: June 22nd, New Haven, CT

June 22: International Festival of Art and Ideas - New Haven Green, New Haven, CT

LOOKING FOR MODELS: Would you like a giant and/or intricate henna design on your back, stomach/chest, or bald head? For free?

I will be doing henna demos from 1pm-5pm along with at least 2 other henna artists.
We would like to have 4 models each, one for each hour...for a total of 12 models.

If interested, please explain why you'd like to model and send a photo of you in whatever outfit you would wear for the shoot to info@hennabyheather.com.
(If you're having your head or hands done, the outfit doesn't necessarily matter; but if you're having another part of your body done, it will be of the utmost importance that the outfit be photogenic and leave enough skin exposed to henna.)

Your compensation for this is your henna, valued at $100.

You can take a photographer with you and get portfolio pics out of this that way... I can't promise I'll necessarily have a professional one around.


Also, my band, The Dirge Carolers, will be playing this same festival!!! So come check us out at that...details will be posted to our webpage soon : www.dirgecarolers.com. We'll have CDs for sale, as well as probably bumper stickers.

Speaking of merchandise... I'll probably bring some nice 8x10 and 5x7 prints of some of my better-shot henna photos as well.

Dancing for Darfur - UNICEF benefit - details

Note: 20% of all henna proceeds will be donated to UNICEF

------------------please repost ------------------------

Osiris and The Triple Goddess Belly Dance Troupe present
DANCING FOR DARFUR

May 18th at Riverside American Legion in Riverside RI.


A charity event to benefit the rehabilitation of women and children who have been victimized and exploited by militia troupes in Darfur, Sudan.


http://www. unicefusa.
org/site/c. duLRI8O0H/b. 50755/k.A58/Crisis_in_Darfur__Feature_Stories__Emergencies__What_We_Do__US_Fund_for_UNICEF.

htm
unicefusa. org

A gathering of artistic talents, entertainment, and food including Henna by Heather , Tarot Card readings, Reiki, an assortment of Vendors, BELLY DANCE PERFORMANCES and a drum circle to complete an extraordinary day!

Workshop and Performance by the amazing and beautiful SABRINA!!!!
http://www. bellydancersabrina. com
http://groups. yahoo. com/group/BellyDancingbySabrina/

Additional performances by members of Osiris and Triple Goddess troupe as well as many other talented belly dancers offering a variety of styles.


The date is set for Sunday May 18th, doors open at 11:30, there will be a FREE yoga workshop from 12:00-12:30.


Sabrina is giving a belly dance workshop from 1:00-2:00.


Break time to visit our many vendors
Then belly dance performances are scheduled to start around 3:00pm with a drum circle to follow :)

Admission information:

Sabrina’s workshop is $10.00 in advance $20.

00 at the door
Sabrina’s workshop plus performances is $25.00 in advance $35.00 at the door.


Performances only = $10 in advance, $15 at the door

For information on where to send advanced payments or any other inquiries please contact my dance troupe Osiris and The Triple Goddess at:
www. myspace. com/osiris3goddess or email us at osiris3goddess@gmail.com.



Thank you & Hope to see you there!

-----------------------------------
More Details about Dancing for Darfur Benefit

- ADDRESS:

Riverside American Legion

Riverside, RI 02915
(401) 433-9859

-FEES:

Checks accepted for in advance payments.


Make checks payable to Cristina Soares.

Send it to 59 Richfield Ave.

East Providence, RI 02914
Please include your email address for payment confirmation.


In advance payments are recommended:

- $25 for workshop and performances
- $10 show

LAST DAY FOR ADVANCE PAYMENTS IS MAY 15

If you prefer paying at the door: cash only

-$35 for workshop and performances

- $15 for show

KIDS UNDER 11 ARE FREE! :)

-SCHEDULE:

11.30- Doors open.

(get henna, shop, etc)

12.15- Yoga workshop- warm up, stretches, flexibility, and strength

1.00 – Sabrina’s workshop

2.00-3.00 – get ready for the performances (or get henna, shop, etc)

3.

00- performances begin

4.

30- drum circle

- WHAT TO BRING:

Bring your veil for Sabrina’s workshop. If you don’t have one, we will have some extra ones available- first come, first serve basis.


If you are planning to stay all day, bring your lunch. We’ll have some snacks and beverages available.


If you are performing, make sure you bring your CD – keep in mind that performances are around 7 minutes or less.


Bring your own business cards.


We will have a table available to display them

Bring your positive energy, your smiles, and your shimmies! It will be a wonderful day! :)

Fun May public events - come check them out ...and get henna :)

From my events calendar at www.hennabyheather.com/events.html:

May 9: Dartmouth College's Relay for Life - Hanover, NH


May 18: Dancing for Darfur : Charity event hosted by Osiris and the Triple Goddess
20% of all henna proceeds donated to UNICEF's Darfur initiative

May 20: South Coast Learning Network Henna Body Art Class
7-9pm, $39 registration, $30 materials
5 Dover Street, beautiful downtown New Bedford, MA 02740
maximum class size: 20
Register: http://www.learnconnect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=1013&courseid=4146&categoryid=42&subcategoryid=77&catalogid=8

May 30: FREE HENNA TATTOOS @ India Restaurant - Providence, RI
7-9pm (I'm paid in gift certs only - please remember to tip your artist :)

May 30: Providence Roller Derby - Downtown Providence Skating Rink
doors at 7 - come early for henna
artists = Peter and Mina


Check out even more events in June and throughout the summer at www.hennabyheather.com/events.html

Meriden Daffodil Festival

I will be doing henna at the Meriden Daffodil Festival this Saturday and Sunday!

I have a corner spot on crafter's row, and intend to have helium balloons coming off my tent so that it is easy for you to find me from a distance :)

The fest sure has been getting a ton of press! It is going to be an awesome kickoff for the henna season, for sure.

I've drawn up about a dozen daffodil designs specifically for the occasion... they are purdy, if I do say so myself!

Hope to see you there!

www.daffodilfest.com

(ps - there will be a face painter there, apparently also doing temporary tattoos...if you haven't met me in person yet and aren't quite sure who/what to look for...be sure to look for the henna tent, not that.)

New pics

My parents got me some awesome new design books (imported from India courtesy of Magical Mehendi) for my birthday! Three of them were by Asha Savla.

Here are the first two things I tried from those. They're on Jess of J and E Creations, who will be selling her wares alongside me at the My Wicked Garden open house and artisan party this Friday. Email me if you want details about that!

On with the photos:

Expert Village Henna How-to videos now reasonably linked from my site

It just occurred to me that there is no way to know that I did the ExpertVillage.com henna how-to series from looking at my website... so I've added stills and descriptions of each clip to my "learn to do henna" page that was previously reserved just for workshop info.

http://www.hennabyheather.com/hennabyheather_workshops.html

Ambidextrous!!

Check this out:

Not super impressive, right?
Look again.
That's my RIGHT HAND.
That means I did this with my left hand.
Aw yeah.

(design inspiration comes from Riffat)

New Henna Gallery

Finally, I have updated my henna photo galleries to include work from the past year! You can check them out at the top of the page here:
www.hennabyheather.com/gallery.htm

Also, it would be even better if you could check them out on Flickr or MySpace (same photos) and leave comments!

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7394880@N04/

MySpace: www.myspace.com/cherrytreedusk

Little girls as animals = adorable!!!

Check out this photo of some face painting I did this Sunday at a birthday party in RI:


At the party, it was asked whether or not I could do superheroes for a boy's birthday party, too... the answer is, of course!

Little kids are adorable, and this brought me back to my middle and highschool years as a YMCA daycare volunteer and latchkey worker :)

My Wicked Garden Open House and Artisan Party

28 Mar 2008, 7pm

My Wicked Garden Home
Johnston, Rhode Island

Herbal products, hand made Jewelry, henna, tea and snacks! What more could you want!

Open house see all My Wicked Garden Goodies and taste some yummy tea! J&E Creations will be here with their beautiful hand made jewelry http://www.jecreations-llc.com/ and the amazing Henna Heather will be here doing some complementary Henna pieces on those who would like them! http://www.hennabyheather.com/
Snacks provided by best Café in Providence Carmichaels Café! http://www.restaurant.com/microsite.asp?rid=317062&rpid=3514

email me for details if you'd like to come!

I need a logo! CONTEST

I need a logo... I've needed a logo for years, and have just been way too lazy about it, figuring having a signature photo was enough for most of my purposes... And now that I'm trying to come up with something on my own, I just can't decide!

So... I hereby announce the "make Heather a logo" contest!

The winning entry will:
-"feel" like a henna design
-be complex enough to make a nice t-shirt design
-be eye-catching and scream "HENNA!" from a distance - like on, say, a booth banner
-be simple (or simplifiable) enough to make into a nice "favicon"
(like the HP leaf you (probably) see at the top of this tab right now)
-appeal especially to teenage girls and middle-aged women
-be monochrome and easy to change the color of as needed w/ photoshop (submit as black)

Your entry should include both:
a 800x800 (or bigger!) JPEG image at 300dpi resolution
a 16x16 favicon

(the favicon has to be square, but the logo itself need not be)

Email it to:
info at hennabyheather dot com

What you'll win:
-500g of Jamila
-henna aftercare balm from My Wicked Garden
-a copy of my henna design e-book
-top billing in the 'henna artists' section of my link page
-a henna-decorated hand-shaped notecard from my local fair trade store
-some bangles
-whatever else I come up with

Deadline:
March 22nd (so that I have it in time for the Northeast Henna Gathering, should I need it for then)

If a submission comes in earlier that totally blows me away and I decide to go with that before the actual deadline... that is my prerogative. So, the earlier you submit, the better the chances your logo will be chosen.

A wake-up call to future henna artists!

I just got emailed this job posting... and wanted to remind my fellow henna artists and henna artists to be that you can *easily* charge $50/hr even in the slowest location, and should probably be making more like $150 if you're in a busy beach / resort-ish location like this one:

-------------
ARTISTS - TATOO ARTISTS ARTISTS WANTED Temporary Henna Tatoo Artists for busy [Famous Beach Name Erased] Beach location. $8-$10/hr. CALL (XXX) XXX-XXXX
----------

...job postings like this make me ill. (and yeah, that 2x misspelling of "tattoo" was theirs... really professional, huh?)

If you are or know a local highschool student who thinks $8-10/hr to draw on people is great compared to whatever other minimum wage job you might be able to easily get... you're very right... but these rates are utterly abusive when you look at the big picture. A "busy beach location", if they really are busy and really by the beach, is probably bringing in $200/hr+ worth of business! So $190+ per hour is being stolen directly from you, the artist, and put into the pockets of the corporate fat cats running the establishment you're working for. Even if it's insanely slow for a beach location, you should *easily* be bringing in $60/hr...and thus $50/hr is being stolen from you.

If you want to start working as a henna artist, work with an independent professional who will show you the ropes while giving you a fair share! Even a beginning apprentice tends to make $25 per hour at a busy location, and that's if they work incredibly slowly...

If you want to learn henna from real henna artists and get hooked up with the well-paying gigs, consider coming to the Northeast Henna Gathering where there will be artists around who will be happy to work with you as a peer-in-training and not someone to blatantly exploit...




(note: monetary amounts [except for the hourly rate this establishment is paying its artists, which was published] are speculation, as every situation is of course different, but it's very much experience-based speculation...)

Northeast Henna *AND BELLYDANCE* Gathering

We are thrilled to announce that the Northeast Henna Gathering is now the Northeast Henna and Bellydance Gathering. Dance teachers from all over New England are teaching workshops on everything from foundations to improvisation to hand and arm movements!

Also, the Gathering has moved to a GORGEOUS venue - The Dark Lady, 124 Snow St, Providence, RI. This is just 15 minutes down the road from where it was originally going to be... so your long-ish distance travel plans shouldn't really be affected. The venue is FABULOUS (truly gorgeous - you MUST come see the deep red and gold walls, the chandeliers...) and has a real dance floor, a nice sound system, and some *very* comfy furniture.

Here's a complete schedule:
---------------------------------------
 Noon - 12:30 p.m. - Get settled in, meet people.
12-12:30 get settled in
12:30-1:30 Intro henna workshop (mixing, rolling cones, basic design elements)
1:30-4:30 More henna small group training and practice
1:30-2:30 Dance workshop by The Goddess Coyle: Intro to Bellydance
2:30-3:30 Dance workshop by Aepril Schaile:
Eerie Serpents, Ethereal Grace : Hands and Arms in Dark Fusion Bellyance:
Learn to achieve dramatically expressive and "bonelessly" undulating hands and arms via moving meditation, drills, and visualization. Suitable for all levels of dance experience.
3:30-4:30 Dance workshop by Neylan: Improvisational Tribal Style
4:30-5:30 Downtime to chat, henna each other, practice new dance moves, etc.
5:30-6:30 Indian Dinner (catered!)
6:30-9:00 More henna workshops, including
-pattern drawing (and creating a the Northeast Henna Gathering Design Book using templates from HennaTribe and Henna Page)
-other crafts to do with henna (drums, clothing, wooden boxes, etc...these materials are *extra* for those interested.)
-pastry decoration for henna artists
(how many times have *you* heard "wow, you would be really good at cake decorating!" ?
We'll explore this while decorating cookies to be shared at Raqs Gothique

9:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. Bellydance nightclub takeover!!!
Sanctuary Presents:
Raqs Gothique II
@ The Dark Lady
124 Snow St, Providence, RI
9:30pm-1am, 18+, $5 for those not already attending the daytime festivities
(admission included for those attending the daytime Gathering)
Live band: Copal
Performances by Aepril Schaile and The Goddess Coyle
DJ Lost Boy
Get your shimmy on and take some fabulous photos of your
models and newfound friends their bellydance finery.
---------------------------------------------

The registration fee is $35 through March 1st (that's tomorrow!!)...after that, it goes up to $80 for ALL dance and henna workshops, or $40 for just dance or just henna.

To register, go here:
www.hennabyheather.com/northeast.html

Current probable henna artist count: 16 (13 confirmed, 5 not quite confirmed yet)
Total attendee count so far: 28

Hope to see you there!


-Heather

Meriden Daffodil Festival

I just applied to be a part of this year's Meriden (CT) Daffodil Festival.
My dad found out about this one by asking people at work what festivals they went to... he is the best research/pr guy ever! :)

It'll be April 26-27, and will take the place of the way-too-expensive-for-way-too-little-payoff MayFair in Harvard Square this year as my big henna season kickoff event!

The Animals (of "House of the Rising Sun" fame) will be headlining this huge outdoor festival... so come check out "New England's Most Beautiful Craft Fair!" with way over half a million daffodils in bloom!

Free Henna @ India Restaurant, Hope St, Providence

FREE HENNA TATTOOS @ India Restaurant
Fridays and Saturdays in March (and maybe indefinitely!)
Hope Street (where it meets Blackstone Blvd), Providence, RI
8-10pm
Small motifs (typically $5-10 at festivals) are free!
More elaborate henna is $15+

Feb 29 + Mar 1
Mar 7 + 8
Mar 14 + 15
Mar 21
Mar 28 + 29

Henna Workshops this Summer

Of course, coming to the Northeast Henna Gathering on March 30th is the best (and cheapest!) way to immerse yourself in the world of henna and learn all about it...


But for those of you who can't make it (why not??), or who want to continue with your henna practice, I am holding some more workshops in May and June:

May 20: South Coast Learning Network Henna Body Art Class
7-9pm, $39 registration, $30 materials
5 Dover Street, beautiful downtown New Bedford, MA 02740
maximum class size: 20
Register: http://www.learnconnect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=1013&courseid=4146&categoryid=42&subcategoryid=77&catalogid=8


June 25: Learning Connection Henna Body Art Class
7-9pm, $39 registration, $30 materials
201 Wayland Ave, Wayland Square, Providence, RI
maximum class size: 20
Register: http://www.learnconnect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=1013&courseid=4146&categoryid=42&subcategoryid=77&catalogid=7



I'm also teaching a face painting class this summer:

May 7: Learning Connection Face Painting Class
7-9pm, $35 registration, $30 materials
201 Wayland Ave, Wayland Square, Providence, RI 02906
Register:
http://www.learnconnect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=1013&courseid=4225&categoryid=42&subcategoryid=77&catalogid=7



Feel free to contact me for more information.


email: info@HennaByHeather.com
web: www.HennaByHeather.com
phone: 401-831-7375
cell: 617-429-6301

New henna / mehndi photos!

The first two of these are inspired by Nick Cartier's new "bookini" Rajasthan (available through the shop @ HennaTribe.com)... both are on Peter. I also did one on myself, but it hasn't darkened up yet and I didn't get a good paste-off picture. You should *definitely* get a copy of this mini-book...it is very excellent stuff! Check out Nick's work at www.NomadHeart.com.

Foot (the excess # of dots are the main change I made here... dots make everything better! right?):


Hand:


Continuing on that same sort of geometric sort of train of thought... here's a hand design with a Moroccan feel, designed on the fly for the daughter of a very sweet massage therapist at Eastover Resort's January Girls Weekend Away:


Here are two pieces for the Dances of Vice festival that was the 2nd weekend in February... it was an excellent time and you should go next year if you have any sort of love for costuming or over-the-top artsiness. The model is Sally - whose skirt she made herself and is *phenomenal* up close. The compass rose on Sally's back is by Colleen, the flowing flowers down the shoulder/arm are mine:


This is also from Dances of Vice...the club lighting made for a pretty neat photo, although of course it is too dark to really see the henna... it's another compass rose (it REALLY is true that people always want whatever they see!) with some stars:


And last but not least, two photos of the bridal henna I did, based on a design by Jessica McQueen of Henna Caravan in Southern California. It looks to me like her design was almost certainly inspired by Kim Brennan...who might've been inspired by Asha Savla? The chain of inspiration is pretty much never ending... it's amusing to be able to trace it back!



It's the "slow season" for henna... but what that actually translates to is more time to do some big, beautiful pieces. A much needed break from the gazillion Chinese characters and other tattooz that I did all fall and will start doing again come March or so.

stART in the Park - June 1st

The absolutely fabulous people who bring you stART on the Street every September in Worcester have lined up another sure-to-be-excellent event for June! What an awesome way to start the summer!

stART in the Park (www.startonthestreet.org/start-park)
Sunday June 1, 2008 11am - 4pm (rain date: Sunday June 8th)

FREE ADMISSION!

Beaver Brook Park, Mann Street in Worcester, MA

75+ artists and crafters, performers, food vendors, kids activities, local farms and organizations, celebrity softball and more!

A day long celebration of arts, crafts, culture, cuisine and fun in the sun! Join us for a free celebration in Beaver Brook Park on Mann Street in Worcester, MA. Bring a blanket and spread out a picnic lunch or purchase food from area restaurants and caterers.

Items available for purchase include arts & crafts, produce, decorative and edible plants and more - be a responsible member of the community and sustain local small businesses!

Bellydance benefit on Sunday

This Sunday at the American Legion in Warwick, RI, the Ocean State NBDA is hosting a benefit for Day One.

I'll be there doing henna, and donating a percentage of all proceeds to Day One. Designs will start at $5, and admission to the event is only $10!

More info:

Henna Designs for Dances of Vice neo-Victorian / steampunk music festival

Here are some designs I drew up for Dances of Vice... the scanning resolution is way low and they don't look as good as they will in the final polished versions....but for now, here they are:

Appointments at Color Bomb Tattoo

I'm now accepting appointments at Color Bomb Tattoo, 150 Broadway, Providence, RI

Email me at info@hennabyheather.com or call at 617-429-6301 (my cell) to make an appointment.

Appointments start at $35 for 20 minutes.

Henna @ Bellydance Benefit for Day One

I just got asked to do henna at this event - yay!
20% of all henna proceeds will be donated to Day One.

One of the best of the best...

Check out this beautiful work by an insanely talented Korean henna artist:

http://www.ejbodyart.com/

Free patterns page updated

I've updated my Free Patterns Page so that it's:

a) easier to navigate
b) faster to load

Soon I'll put up a list of henna-related books that are for sale on Amazon.com so that people have a quick and easy way to go from searching for free patterns to buying professionally printed patterns from a reputable source.

Kuchi Belt from The Fair Trade Store (Flavours of Life) in New London, CT

Check it out - ooooh, shiny! I got it from Flavours of Life, the fair trade store in New London, CT.



This gorgeous kuchi (Pashtun) belt was made by Afghani refugees in Pakistan. I've been looking for this type of jewelry with this sort of high quality for a long time, pretty much ever since I got the necklace in the center of this photo back in 2002 at the Harvard Peabody Museum.

Look for the belt in future photoshoots and maybe in more 'authentic' feeling henna booth setups.

And, importantly, at Raqs Gothique!

Sweet 16 Party

Colleen and I did henna tattoos at a sweet sixteen party last night... it was nuts! They had what seemed to be a rave/retro 80's theme (do the two to together? you be the judge), in a giant house. The bday girls and moms were very sweet and great to work with/for. We mostly did tattoo designs, no "real", authentic henna.

It was totally worth the trip all the way down to Wilton (Norwalk) CT, and I was glad to have Colleen by my side!

We only got a few photos... but they aren't anything worth posting here really, as they're just little tattoo designs.

Flickr Account

I just got myself a Flickr account... because it seems like a neat way to share photos with other henna artists and get their quick comments. It's way better than MySpace or HennaPage for that specific purpose.

If you're reading this blog and have a bit of time... it would be really great if you could go to Flickr and leave me comments! You might have to create an account if you don't already have one.

Gulf style henna gauntlets for Mandy

A video of this being applied has been taken and just needs to be mixed in with some music and posted to my YouTube channel :)

Not bad for 2 hands practically up to the elbow in under an hour, but they are a bit shakey looking... the goal was speed, though... All in all, I'm pretty happy about how they came out given how quickly they were done, but certainly I could have done it crisper.

Henna Pattern Book for beginners, mehendi party guests, and festivals now available!

Now available: E-book with 24 hand patterns, all hand-drawn by Heather!
The book was originally conceived of as a book for festivals and mehndi parties with designs that take under 5 minutes each while still being true to the authentic-yet-cute spirit of my style.
Great for beginners! Includes a broad array of styles and many different pattern elements, including:

Peacock
Lotus flower
Mandala
Flowers
Khamsa (hamsa)
Jewelry-style
Pashto / Kuchi jewelry inspired
Celestial (sun, moon, star)
Veve inspired
Paisley
Indian
Morrocan
Ankh
Feminine *and* masculine henna designs
Vines and swirls
Om


Click the button below to buy your own copy!
$10
delivered electronically - download instructions will be emailed
Now available: E-book with 24 hand patterns, all hand-drawn by Heather of www.HennaByHeather.com!

The book was originally conceived of as a book for festivals and mehndi parties with designs that take under 5 minutes each while still being true to the authentic-yet-cute spirit of my style.
Great for beginners! Includes a broad array of styles and many different pattern elements, including:

Peacock, Lotus flower, Mandala, Flowers, Khamsa, Vines, Swirls,
Om, Jewelry-style, Pashto / Kuchi jewelry inspired, Celestial (sun, moon, star), Veve inspired, Paisley, Indian, Moroccan, Ankh, Feminine *and* masculine designs

....so as you can see, there's a lot of variety in there!

Click on the button below to purchase your copy for only $10!

Recent Henna

Here's some henna I've done on myself in the past week or so:

based on an Asha Savla design



this went all the way up my arm, but it was tough to get a good photo of all of it...



And here's the henna I did on Anastasia and Amy at their party on Saturday:

Northeast Henna Gathering - complete information

Northeast Henna Gathering (#2)
A day of henna – a night of bellydance!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
12:00 noon – 1:00 a.m.

Your host:
Heather Caunt-Nulton
Attleboro, MA (45 minutes south of Boston, 15 minutes north of Providence)
Exit 5 off of I-95 in Massachusetts (you could also take exit 2, but that way is a bit trickier)

RSVP, address and further information:
web: http://www.hennabyheather.com/northeast.html
e-mail:info@hennabyheather.com
home office: 401-831-7375


Tentative schedule:
(we are very laid back about the schedule…as such, it is subject to change)
Noon -1:00 p.m. - Get settled in, meet people.
1:00 -3:00 p.m. Henna and photograph models and each other.
3:00 -5:00 p.m. Workshops on different techniques and styles.
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Indian dinner.
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. henna-esque decoration of cookies, cupcakes, etc.
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Draw patterns for our Northeast Gathering Henna Pattern Book, finish up
(and gild, glitter, or crystal-ify) any remaining body art, get pretty for the club
9:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. Bellydance nightclub takeover!!!



Raqs Gothique II
@ The Dark Lady
124 Snow St, Providence, RI
Live entertainment and much dancing!
Get your shimmy on and take some fabulous photos of your
models and newfound friends their bellydance finery.


Accommodation:
Up to 15 people can henna and hang out comfortably at Heather’s house.
Possible accomodations include the Days Inn and Super 8 Motel in Attleboro and North Attleboro. You may also wish to stay in downtown Providence so you don't have far to travel after the bellydancing.

Fees:
$35 to cover dinner, bellydance club event, henna and baking supplies, modest pay for models

What to bring:
Yourself, any special henna tools you want to use and/or share



Photos from last year and updates can be found at:
The Northeast Henna Gathering Webpage

Upcoming gigs

Colleen and I will be doing henna in Wilton, CT (practically NYC) on Saturday, January 25th. We'd be very happy to take other gigs in the Fairfield County area that day before 6pm with no travel fee. Simply email Heather to arrange for an appointment.

Also, I'll be at Eastover Resort in Lenox, MA (The Berkshires) for their increasingly popular Girls' Weekend Away.

And Colleen and I will be doing henna at Raqs Gothique II, hosted by Sanctuary at The Dark Lady (and part of the Northeast Henna Gathering) on Sunday, March 30th.

For more information on the Northeast Henna Gathering, please check out HennaConference.com. It's a mere $35 for henna supplies, models, dinner, and admission to Raqs Gothique!

New camera!

I got a new camera! I'm looking forward to using it to get some nice henna photos in the upcoming months.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Henna for Eid

I just got home from doing henna / mehndi for Eid! I've been wanting to do henna for Eid for years now, but since it always coincides so closely with Christmas or the end of school, I'm usually away and/or insanely busy... not so this year!

The hostess and her family and friends were incredibly kind... they were definitely some of my favorite clients ever! They fed me yummy lamb and bday cake and generally made me feel really welcomed and appreciated, so I totally cut them a deal... I think I charged them a bit less than half what I should have. And now I remember what it's like to be having so much fun doing henna that you don't care about the money... I think it was good I slowed down with accepting appointments for a while... it makes me appreciate the few good ones I do take all the more!

But that said, I expect henna stuff to be back in full swing in May (after the semester is over), with a few events leading up to it to get me going again (like May Fair in Harvard Square).

Here are the photos!!!

I'm famous on the interwebs!

Check out the Indian "fun" website funwadi.com that has featured me repeatedly:

http://www.funwadi.com/forum/henna-design-for-ur-back-t25024.html

http://www.funwadi.com/forum/mehndi-design-for-ur-hands-nd-feets-t25023.html

http://www.funwadi.com/forum/simple-hands-design-s-t25029.html


http://www.funwadi.com/forum/traditional-hand-design-s-t25032.html

Spoke too soon...

People have been telling me that emails have been bouncing back to them, despite my server company assuring me that everything has been resolved since my website was attacked by hackers.

I'm planning to move my website (and email) to a new server, as this one seems to have serious, recurring problems. In the meantim, please call rather than email. My # is 401-831-7375.


-Heather

Arabic Calligraphy for Henna

Peter's doing henna at Northeastern University's Arabic Student Association's fair, so I made up some Arabic Calligraphy Charts for him. They're up in the Free Patterns section of the website.

I still need to have them checked by a native speaker, but I have cross-references with a few dictionaries, so I'm pretty confident they're right. Plenty of native speakers will be on hand to fix them up for Peter tomorrow, I'm sure :) Maybe they'll have some even better ideas for what else could be included.

Arabic Calligraphy for Henna

Peter's doing henna at Northeastern University's Arabic Student Association's fair, so I made up some Arabic Calligraphy Charts for him. They're up in the Free Patterns section of the website.

I still need to have them checked by a native speaker, but I have cross-references with a few dictionaries, so I'm pretty confident they're right. Plenty of native speakers will be on hand to fix them up for Peter tomorrow, I'm sure :) Maybe they'll have some even better ideas for what else could be included.

Website/email back up!

After about a week of server issues, HennaByHeather.com is up and running at full capacity once again!

If you tried to contact me any time between Oct 16th and now, and I haven't responded... try again. Chances are I didn't get your original message.

New postcards have arrived!

My new postcards have arrived! No longer will I have to make excuses that "the photo was really stunning, so we had to use it, but the good henna was on the *back* of her hands", like I had to with the old cards... Huzzah! Mandy is the star, and on the back are Dez's hands. I figure Megan is famous enough with the Amerikan Body Art promo stuff she did with me, which faaaaar more people see than my own promotions, I'm sure.

In other news, Colleen and Peter have been taking over a lot of gigs for me, which is good, because it means that I'm focusing more on school. And that definitely needed to happen. Teaching at the University of New Hampshire is going quite well, I think. And my BUCLD presentation is nearing completion (a full 3 weeks early!...ha).

All in all, things are going well.
I do have some gigs to do that no one else could take over, but they'll be fun, as always, so I don't mind.

But the call to local and local-ish henna artists still stands... if you want me to book gigs for you, I am completely willing to do so! You just need to have most weekends mostly free, and occasional weekdays, and be willing to travel. And be very personable. And talented. And and and. But if you want in, let me know and we'll see what we can work out!

Spirit of Change Holistic Expo

Tomorrow (Friday) from 6-9pm and Saturday 10am-8pm I'll be at the Spirit of Change expo. They're the biggest New Age / holistic magazine in New England and they've given me a very, very sweet deal on the booth space, so I will be there. As will 75 workshop leaders and 124 other vendors. Admission is only $12. Come get henna!

Ha... evidence of how poorly I photograph.

This was taken at stART in Worcester 2 weekends ago.

Yup, that's my parents in the back there. Because they are awesome and help me all the time.

Photo by Cindy Woehrle

website hits

I just checked my webstats, and I have had almost 2 million hits since last October!

Holy cow! Thank you, internet/world!

New designs in the 'free henna patterns' section of the site!

Here is a sampling of what I've been working on lately. There are at least 25 other designs that I've got scanned as well that will be put up eventually.

Wide band wrist and ankle cuff design with lotus flower and Indian fill motifs:

Simple hand and foot flower designs, per client request. I like the way the vines flow from one foot to another here.

A traditionally inspired design with bold, simple circular shapes for a basis and lots of vines, swirls, and lines as fill:

Simple mirrored paisley design, inspired by a couple who wanted matching mehndi. Honestly their matching henna was a bit less girly than this, as it had to be suitable for both the bride and groom. But this pattern is a bit more elaborate than what they decided to both get:

One of many versions of the ever-popular swirly vines with dots. Great for doing very quick, very full looking henna designs. These simple mehndi patterns are also nice on the leg, arm, wrist, ankle, etc.

Introducing... Colleen!

My friend Colleen has taken up henna, and is the newest member of my ever-growing network of fabulous henna artist contacts. Have a look at the most recent work she sent me!

Photos of designs done on skin will continue to be added to her page as she builds up her portfolio.

For now, you'll just have to be satisfied with these - one is inspired by something I did at the Henna Page Sling'n'Slack last year, one is based on something from Kim Brennan (whether it was Mehndi Masala or Ganesha's Henna Garden, I forget), and one kind of looks like something out of Lezard's First, but I think is actually her original...

Henna How-To Videos on Expert Village!

Hahaha...oh my god it's hard to watch myself in these... but I figure I should share (especially with my dad, who reads this blog religiously):


Go Rate The Videos! Leave nice comments :)

Woah they messed up in the editing of that second one...hahaha...they said they weren't going to put what should've been "outtakes" - whoops!

It's funny how messed up the transcripts are. I guess that job must not pay well enough to hire someone with good hearing, spelling, and general knowledge?

This is what happens when you don't have total control, I guess. I'm alright with that, because the only effort I put into this was about half a day of hanging out and doing henna on Dez and learning how other people make videos... that's a lot better than doing all the production and stuff myself - that would've been a whole new set of stuff to learn, and I don't have time right now :P

Henna @ Sailfest in New London and the J & E Creations Picnic

Here are some photos taken in the last month... this is nowhere near everything good, but it's going to take a loooong time to organize this summer's photos, and right now time is something I'm short on... so here you go, 3 photos:


Full torso flower design from Kim Brennan's Mehndi Masala:



Logo from The Day (New London newspaper) on my navy vet Dad's arm at Sailfest...this got him in the paper! My mom is a marketing genius :)


This is the beginning of what became a huge full arm piece, for Jess of J & E Creations at their picnic (where I did henna for almost everyone):

Watch this video!

Look for this image:

...in the background of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMLZOrVMKoM

So cool!
(And no, what they're using isn't henna, but it does say that in the French caption, I believe.)

23 new designs for book done!

I've finished 23 new designs for my upcoming beginner henna design book!! The current books that are out there have designs that people have expressed are too difficult, so I'm trying to address that. Personally I love all the books that are out there, and feel that every one I've come across has helped me tremendously. But it seems like there's still a need, so I'm going to be happy to fill it with an upcoming e-book. I'm taking the route of self-publishing an e-book, to keep things as simple as possible.


...but if anyone reading this blog happens to be or know a publisher...haha...of course I would be happy to consider offers :)

There will probably be a how-to section and a brief history, in addition to the designs themselves. What else would you like to see? Let me know.

Henna @ BlackSun Festival in New Haven, CT (Toad's Place, Marriott, Diner 21 Art Show, etc)

I've vended at both of the previous Blacksun festivals, and people have been really supportive...hopefully that will continue this year!

While I will certainly be in the vendor hall from 12pm-5pm on Sunday in the hotel as scheduled (with my trusty assistant Paul), I also did want to point out that I'm available all weekend, and can be reached by cell phone at 617-429-6301 to set up a private appointment. This would be great to do if you want to have something cool to show off during the festival, and don't want to wait until Sunday to get it...

Also, prints from my black and white series of hennaed-up goth gals will be up in the art show - so do check them out! They're for sale, if you're interested (not sure what the protocol for selling stuff there is, if there is one, but you can, at worst, just call me. prices will be ridiculously reasonable).


BOTH the vendor hall AND the art show reception are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. So you have absolutely no reason not to go. Both are also on the same day - Sunday.
More info about both can be found on the Blacksun Festival website.

Someone being inspired by my work... for the 3rd time!

This is the 3rd time I've found a photo of someone trying their hand at doing one of my designs... tres cool. It's from Lindsey, who attended the Northeast Henna Gathering I hosted this past spring. Maybe she'll put a credit up there now that I've asked :)

Hers:


Mine:


If anyone sees any other examples of people doing my designs, Please let me know! So far, no one actually has credited me for the source of the design, so unless you obsessively look over my stuff, you probably won't actually spot it... but...just in case... (I'm looking at you, dad:) let me know if you see anything that looks very familiar.

Tambourines with Henna-painted heads for sale soon!

I just got an inquiry about wholesaling my hennaed tambourines to J&E Creations... So once we get things all worked out, those should be up for sale soon!

Check my links page for their banner/website...and go buy some jewelry/bath products from them... GOOD STUFF! My new favorite necklace (a malachite/rose quartz pendant w/ bali silver and a quartz crystal) is from them, and their coconut grove scented spray/lotion/soap/etc is delicious!

Making major steps towards having a design book out by Christmas

One of the local cultural festivals I'll be doing this fall, stART in Worcester, MA, is giving me a HUGE incentive to get going with this pattern book I've been working on this year. If I made 25 "mini art pieces" for them to give out to their attendees, they will hand out one of my postcards to the first 400 (anyway, close to 400). Now, this doesn't sound quite like the best deal ever, but it is actually going to work out very nicely.

Why?
Because my "mini art pieces" will be cardboard pieces cut out in the shape of my hand, which I'll then decorate henna-style. Perhaps I'll have them as bookmarks, perhaps laminated and turned into magnets...or...? (ideas on this are most welcomed) But the main point is that I will be drawing at least 25, and maybe more, henna designs off the top of my head... on paper, not bodies. So...I'll just high-res-scan them into my computer (VERY high res) and...voila! Designs for my upcoming book!

I'm looking into publishing options for doing a photo/howto/coffeetable/design book, along the lines of Sumita Batra's book... mostly it looks like this will be expensive. I may well go the route of self-publishing e-books. Any advice on this would be very welcomed, too.

Henna for Harry Potter release event in Falmouth (Cape Cod)

This is going to be sooooo much fun!!!
Main St. in Falmouth becomes Daigon Alley ALL DAY tomorrow.
Parade @ 4:30, other stuff all the way through midnight or even 1am

(and yes, I will be there largely to do henna...)

---------------

On Friday, July 20,in the hours leading up to the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,the seventh and final book of the series, Falmouth Village (from Queens Buyway to Peg Noonan Park) will become Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

Diagon Alley is the shopping area where Harry and his friends purchase their wizarding supplies: winds, owls, books, newts, robes, potion supplies, brooms, sweet and anything else they could possible need. Hogsmeade is the only all-wizarding village in Britain and the source of many adventures for students at Hogwarts.

Many stores in Falmouth will - for the day - rename themselves as stores in Hogsmeade, such as Winky’s Kitchen, Honeydukes Sweet Shop , Tickle & Flash , Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, The Flying Catywampous , Mr. Bobbins’ House of Jiggerypokery, The Leaky Cauldron and many, many more – each offering clues, magical merchandise, foods, and special offers.

WATCH FOR THEIR SPECIAL SIGNS. EIGHT COUSINS WILL BECOME FLOURISH AND BLOTTS!
-------------------------------




There will be a used sock drive at the Transfiguration Classroom (Artie's Cafe) to benefit SPEW. And anyone who comes in costume will get a 20% discount Friday evening at Leary Family Amusements.
_______________________________________________



About 4 p.m. Costume Parade, from Queens Buyway area to Peg Noonan Park, where the first Marauders Maps will be handed out. Photographers will be snapping costumes from 4 to 11:30, and posting the snapshots on a computer in a business window. Judges from Real Bodies and Buyway Boutique will announce winners the following day on www.eightcousins.com.

5:00 - 8:00 Quidditch on the Village Green, BYOB (Bring Your Own Broom). Still in development. 15-minute innings, each open to new players. Scored goals will add to running totals for the four Hogwarts houses, and be posted at Eight Cousins and on the www.eightcousins.com the following day.

4:30 - 11:30 Treasure Hunt, using Marauders Maps to collect clues to work out a Harry Potter puzzle and collect a prize while supplies last. Clues are at each of 40+ participating businesses.

6:00 - 9:00 O.W.L. Testing: See what kind of Hogwarts student you are, by checking your Harry Potter Trivia knowledge, at testing points in several participating businesses. You will receive a Report Card with grades, so study up!

8:00-10:00 Compete for your Hogwarts house, based on your knowledge of Harry Potter vocabulary (see the Pottersaurus!) at Eight Cousins.

9:00 - 11:30 Investigate the Horcruxes. Fifteen detailed questions about the final outcome of the story will be posted at points all through the party area. Pick up a score card and see how your predictions match those of Eight Cousins. Then see what happens in the book, and score yourself when you finish reading it. Bring your finished score card in and receive a prize – and our congratulations!

And at Midnight, the back door opens at Flourish and Blotts (Eight Cousins) revealing ....

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

Cape Cod Harry Potter Release Street Fair

Come to Main Street and Eight Cousins bookstore in Falmouth, MA (out on the Cape) for a day-long street fair in celebration of the newest Harry Potter book's release!

Friday, July 20th
4pm-1am or later
Main St
Falmouth, MA

Henna - Live Bands - People in Costume - Vendors - etc
Parade at 4:30!!!!

I'm really going to have to do henna on the face of someone I know to see how well it does/doesn't take... 'cuz I *know* I'll be asked to do it a lot at this.

ExpertVillage.com

I've been asked to do the henna series for expertvillage.com!!!!

How freaking awesome is that?!?!

I was planning to do a how-to video series myself... but to have a professional crew record it, for free, and post it to the best how-to site ever??? WOW!

Supply Shop Now Open

A supply shop with henna paste, design transfer paper, henna cones, and the first few pages of the first draft of my design book is now here!!!

Check it out.

I decided to do this because I got 5 (!!!) orders this past week without even advertising that I sell anything. I've always gotten a few inquiries here and there, but apparently with all of the workshops, festivals, etc I've been doing, my business is just expanding like crazy!

For permanent tattoos...

I recently got (yet another) call asking me if I do permanent tattoos... and then I realized...hey, I should post who I refer people to up here, in case they're looking. It's Color Bomb Tattoo, and the guy to ask for is Walter. He's fabulous, and, importantly, he loves henna. So any henna-style permanent tattoo you need done, he can hook you up for sure.

...and, of course, as always, I'm available for tattoo design commissions... I can draw it and he can put it on you :)

Do be sure to tell him I sent you so that he believes me when I say that I tell everyone about him :)

I'll probably make him a proper page on my "associate artist" listing section soon...soon being in like July when I have something resembling free time again.

Henna Events - long time no blog, eh?

3 things you can come to if you want, 2 you probably can't:


June 14: Public Access TV Filming - Henna and Drum Circle
Show = Concert Connections (with Kelly)

If you are/know a bellydancer who would like a 10-15 minute segment and can arrive in southeastern CT by 6:30ish, contact Kelly: www.myspace.com/concertkelly



June 15: Fundraiser for stART 2007 - Gallery, Traina Center for the Arts - Clark University, Worcester, MA
One of your few opportunities to have a henna design done by Heather out in Western MA without booking a party or other event... and a portion of the proceeds will benefit stART 2007!
stART: www.startonthestreet.org

June 16: PrideFest - Providence, RI
Again, one of few opportunities to get a henna design done without booking an hour+ appointment. Oh, and it's Pride, and awesome, and you should come because it's way fun.
PrideRI.com

June 17: Boston Harbor Cruise for Monadnock Regional High School Graduation
(you're not invited haha...but I get to go on a cruise...whoohoo!)

June 17: Bridal shower up in Boston


.....so those last 2 dates are there as secret code for "Contact me if you want henna done up in Boston on Sunday after 1pm and want to book just an hour without a travel fee instead of the normal minimum of 2hrs plus travel fee."



It's going to be a busy week/end... I'll talk to you again at the end of it! Perhaps out at Sanctuary this Sunday?

Here's the drum for the Slough Museum henna exhibit!

I'm off to the post office to ship it to England now :)

Featured artist on Norwalk (CT) Public School Teacher's Website = Me

http://bronners.npsteachers.org/26006

Teamwork!

I'll be teaming up with other henna artists much more this summer and in the future... Things work best when we work together! If you are a henna artist and would like to work with me, do get in touch.

Currently the people I've been working with the most are Terisa, Tracey, Carrie, Shauna, David, and Peter. I look forward to more good times this summer with all these wonderful artists!

MayFair is This Sunday!!!!

Look for my booth very very nearby the Curious George store. It'll be green and white. Multiple other henna artists *and* my parents will be working with me... fun times!

Announcement of adult ed classes in Providence and Brookline (Boston)

July 10: Henna Body Art Class @ Learning Connection in Providence

July 17: Face Painting Class @ Learning Connection in Providence

August 7-28: Advanced Henna Body Art Class - Tuesdays @ Learning Connection in Providence

August 9: Henna Workshop @ Brookline Adult Ed 7-9:30pm - Brookline (Boston), MA

MayFair in Harvard Square (Cambridge) and Show @ SkyBar

Slough (UK) Museum Henna Exhibit

I just got news that a tambourine I've hennaed will be featured in an exhibit on the art of henna at the Slough Museum! The tambourine will then be the prize for the henna contest that the museum is holding. Riffat, an absolutely amazing artist and very sweet person, is putting it together. A real press release is forthcoming, but I wanted to share now since I am so excited :)

Been a busy bee

This past week or so I:

-hennaed up much of my extended family at Easter
-did full face painting for some models (Anne and Dorian)
-hennaed 2 pregnant bellies
-did 1 bat mitzvah, 1 bachelorette party, 3 ladies' night parties, 1 college event, and 2 private appointments

Here are the facepainting photos

and

Here's a small sampling of the henna photos

Northeast Henna Gathering - Photos!

I had so much fun hosting the Northeast Henna Gathering last Saturday!!! I met some really wonderful women, and we all hennaed each other like crazy, ate yummy food, and spent quite a lot of time talking shop and just chilling out.

Here are some photos... I plan to do this again next year! This time with way more notice.

Me, Vanessa, Therisa, and Lindsey


Mehndi I did on Therisa, from Kiran's new book, "Love Mehndi"


Lindsey with mehndi I did on her from Deepali's "The Glory of Henna"


The rest of the photos are here:
Northeast Henna Gathering (mini-conferencE) Photos

Raqs Gothique - An evening of Gothic Bellydance Presented by Sanctuary, April 1st @ The Dark Lady

Not this Sunday, but the next one.

Arabic Bridal Mehndi - Paste Off

Here's Mandy's arabic bridal mehndi style design 1 day after application:







Prints of these will be for sale! Inquire if you'd like one...

Northeast Henna Gathering Reminder

Northeast Henna Gathering

3/31/07 (very soon!)
All day - 10am-10pm

@ Heather's house
in Providence, RI

Meet area henna artists and have a blast!
Only $30 (to cover food and supplies... below cost)

Still some spaces left!

More details at hennaconference.com
or email Heather at info@hennabyheather.com
or call 401-831-7375

Arabic bridal henna hand design w/ zardosi

Check out this Arabic bridal mehndi I did for Mandy tonight! She is the best! Oooh, glitter, gilding, and swarovski crystals are so sparkly!

Design inspired by Asha Savla

Ultra Plush Party and Show

FYI, I'll be doing freeeee henna at the Ultra Plush party next Saturday. They're putting it on in conjunction with their Emergenza Festival show. Tickets to the show are $10, and they're throwing the party as a bit of a bonus for people who are going, at least that's what I gather.

Ultra Plush is made up of some of the nicest people ever! And their music is very cool! So come to the party, go to the show, have fun, and get hennaed.



------------------------------------------------------
More info - copied from Ultra Plush:
------------------------------------------------------

Dear Plushies and Sonick Magus,
Spring is right around the corner and we are so
> ready to rock!
> Ultra Plush is playing the Middle East Downstairs!!!
> April 5th at 10:30pm
>
> This show is round two for Ultra Plush in the
> Emergenza (Battle of the Bands).
> We are having so much fun performing on stages that
> we would other
> wise not be on, thanks so much.
> We hope you can come out and support us at the show
> and... (drum roll
> Victor)...
>
> COME TO OUR PARTY!!!
> We know it's hard to get out to a show and to pay
> $10.00
> so to respect for your time and efforts we are
> having a party for all
> of those who support Ultra Plush.
>
>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Sat - March 24th ~ We Welcome Back Persephone and
> the Horned King!
>
> Doors open at 8:00pm
>
> At the Ultra Plush Palace by the Labyrinth of the
> Void.
>
> *$10.00 gets you a ticket to our show on April 5th,
> Drinks and Special
> Activity (was Tarot and Massage last time).
>
> Outdoor and indoor fire, music room for jamming,
> dungeon, drinking,
> good friends and fun!
>
> If you want to contribute please help we could use a
> hand with:
> Working the Bar.
> Working the door.
> Putting on Activity (Tarot, Massage, Henna, etc.)
> Decor.
> Costumes.
> Food.
> Art: Inside and outside space.
> Music: Performances by musical groups or solo
> artists.
> A projector for a movie room (we would like to show
> one of the three:
> Peek oil, Lose change or The Secret).
> Setting up/Cleaning up
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Looking forward to seeing you all at our house and
> at the show:)
>
> Tickets are also available via paypal. We have a
> link on our myspace
> page to buy them this way however they are a 1.00
> due to fees.
> www.myspace.com/ultraplush

Boston (Brighton) Gig @ Soho - Free henna!

I'll be at Soho at 386 Market St in Brighton on Thursday, March 29th, from 9pm-1am, doing free henna! There will also be someone there doing free massages... it promises to be a very fun time, so do stop by!

Macy's - Downtown Crossing, Boston - Elizabeth Arden Counter

Just writing to let folks know that I'll be doing free henna for Elizabeth Arden customers at their counter at the Macy's in Downtown Crossing in Boston. I'll be there 12-4 on March 28th and 29th.

Announcing: Northeast Henna Gathering and Learning Connection Workshops

Want to meet other henna artists? Come to:

The Northeast Henna Gathering


Want to learn how to do henna? Come to:

Learning Connection Workshops

Face Painting

I just got the most AWESOME out-of-print face painting book in the mail. Part of the prize for that Amerikan Body Art photo contest. (Yes, I am still ridiculously happy about that....and I don't feel I've gotten quite enough bragging about it out yet :P)


Anyway, now I need some victims...erm, volunteers? Models - yes, yes, that's how to say it... who will let me paint their faces and take pictures.

Who's game?

The good part is that it washes right off. No commitment. This is not henna. Just water-soluble face/body paint.

ENTIRELY new Gallery!!!

I finally updated my gallery!!!! It is almost all new stuff, with very few exceptions.

Check it out here:
http://www.hennabyheather.com/gallery.htm

It represents soooo many hours of work. Most of the stuff in the "best work" section is indeed from all of those sessions with models, so I feel like all that effort was definitely worth it. (Just the experience of doing it made it worthwhile enough...but to get some good stuff out of it is all the better.)

Let me know if you have any favorites!

What I'm most interested to know at this point is which would be the coolest to put up in a gallery... I'm thinking of approaching a few places next month. I imagine my opinion on what'd be best would be decent, but you never know...

To-Do List

Here's a list of fun henna-related stuff I intend to do in the near future:

-Write article for The Worldly: www.theworldly.net

-Add to Monday Music at HP: http://www.hennapage.com/henna/music/treat.html

-Add to Monday Munchies at HP:
http://www.hennapage.com/henna/food/treats.html

-Add to Monday Media at HP:
http://www.hennapage.com/henna/media/treats.html

-Continue to build contact database

-Research more spring shows to henna at, apply for big summer and fall shows

Bollywood Radio

I just discovered a very fun internet radio station: Bollywood Radio. A constant flow of hits from Indian movies!

Check it out for yourself here:
http://www.bollywood.mu/