Fashion tip time! ABOUT HENNA FOR HAIR AND TATTOOS Tonight i am dying my hair with henna. I use henna lately and gave up the chemical stuff for two reasons. 1. it permanent, not semi permanent 2. its all natural (see the rest of this post) and 3. because its all natural, it doesnt accellerate my issues with my thinning hair (PCOS, I am blessed with this, and by blessed i mean cursed). So, a couple things. Henna is the powdered leaves of a plant. it can come in other colors, but when it isnt red, its isnt really henna. real henna, without chemicals, dyes everything it touches that is made of natural materials red. chemicals are added to make colored henna, and some, especially black henna, which is often used for tattoos at carnivals and events, can cause allergic reactions or chemical reactions. you can use it for skin, hair, wood, fabric, and more... it wont dye your tub or glass or metal bowls, but dont use ceramic (it will dye any cracks in the glaze) or plastic. Henna is cheap. i have gotten some for as little as 3.00 a box on ebay, HOWEVER, not all henna is created equal. the kind i use for my hair... was sent to me by my sisters in law and i cant read a single word on the box, since its all in arabic... jamila henna is the cheapest i have seen, it works well for light and medium hair, but not well at all for tattoos. i had weak results on my brunette hair. Mehndi henna for tattoos... should be high quality. usually you have to mix more ingredients to make it work right. i have tried different recipes but when i do tattoos at the market, i use the brand i sell in my shop, Earth Henna, because it comes with a pre- mixed amount of great quality henna, a solution made of eucalyptus and walnut oil and other things, and all the equipment, and it sets in an hour... which is pretty fast compared to others i have tried. I believe it is well worth the higher price, especially for beginners. when making tattoos with a box of powder... i have to leave it on all night, and cover it with a lemon sugar stickiness. which is sticky. and a pain. and make my own solution and i never have the ingredients on hand... . so if you are doing tattoos... do yourself a favor and go all out for the good stuff. so... back to hair. this is easy, and way less drippy than a normal dye job. most henna comes in the same sixe box so i will give my measurments according to the box size. i have short hair, about 4 inches or so, i use exacty 1/4 box of powder. in a metal or glass bowl, mix the powder with hot water, a little at a time, until it makes a moist paste. not runny, about like aquafresh toothpaste (hint, if you wish to learn henna tattoos without wasting your precious henna, practice with aquafresh, it is almost the same consistency) anyway. your paste. when you have a goopy green paste, like a bowl of mud, start covering your head. you want to plaster this stuff all over your hair. wear gloves if you dont want yellow hands for a day, but i never bother. cover the floor you think you cant keep it from dripping, because it will dye things. once your hair is totally covered, plaster it as close to your heads as possible. if you have long hair, clip it up. wear raggy clothes that can get dyed. shorter hair, you should be able to just plaster it down. the great thing about the henna dye job is, it dries pretty fast, on the outside anyway. so it doesnt drip all over your house. you can walk around with henna all over your head and not worry about the rugs or furniture too much. which is great because i leave this on as long as possible. you should leave it at least an hour, but i usually leave it about 2-3 hours, because i want it as dark as possible. i also usually have to do this at least twice to get the color i want. the other good thing is,,, when you are walking around with it all over your noggin, you arent breathing in peroxide fumes... it smells more like playing in a pile of autumn leaves... finally, to wash this mud out of your hair. you will need to shower, the sink wont do. and use an old towel, it may dye the towel... first rinse to loosen it up. then, take a big handful of conditioner. goop your hair all up and scrub. then rinse. repeat with shampoo, probably twice, until there is no more. and then condition like normal. you will smell like leaves all night, just so you know, the smell will fade over the next two days or so. also, wait until your hair dries to sleep, in case anything is left to ruin your pillowcases. That is all. Here is a link to my mehndi henna if you are interested. sorry i cant sell hair henna in my etsy shop as it is not an art supply, as mehndi henna is... https://www.etsy.com/listing/112245669/henna-starter-kit-with-refill-earth i also have listings for just the refills and just the starter kits.

Ear cuffs and long necklaces

So..I am really excited about some new things i will be selling in my bead shop www.starbazaar.etsy.com which are finally out of production and on the way here. Ear cuffs. I used to love ear cuffs when they were popular in the 90's, and then again when i was in my 20's... then i forgot about them until i was watching Star Trek the next generation one day and was reminded by Something the bajorans wear (see this board on pinterest for examples). I have a plan for some finished jewelry, and also to sell the others.. as i ordered 2000 cuffs in two colors...

Further, I have been struggling with my loss of a workspace when i decided to close my market stall at the public market. My apartment is not exactly the right size to set up... and i discovered that the things i didnt like when i was able to spread out are actually better for an apartment lifestyle.. I have been doing more time consuming and materials consuming projects. Long necklaces with no clasps, strung on hemp, made with ancient style beads, but with a more contemporary layout... less hippy and more universal.. but still with my cultural touches... This one is made with cast brass African discs, unfinished wood, African pipestone, old rusted prayer malas from Ethiopia, and brass cubes. the color scheme is neutral and soft. And in making that one, i was inspired to make this one. made with brass spacers from Ghana, and Sono wood saucers (my best sellers in my bead shop), as well as brass discs from india. I will be making more of these, and listing them... in my jewelry shop www.nedjmabazaar.etsy.com see ya!

The life of a bead seller can be insane

Selling beads involves a lot of tedious work... counting out little tiny beads, preparing packets of several styles for people (also the fun part, seeing peoples combinations) preparing a TON of photos and listings... searching and searching.. managing inventory of often thousands of beads... if not 10's of thousands is not easy work. Occasionally i get to a point where i have put off a little bit of organization here and there for so long that it is a disaster... It happened while my husband was away at truck driving school in Iowa... and my son was at grandmas in seattle... i had two months of not being accountable to anyone else.. so my beads took over the living room... and never recovered. So this week when it came time to do my annual inventory... well... it was quite a chore. I browsed pinterest for ideas for organizing this madhouse... and after i saw a million ways to organize if i have a million dollars... i settled on mason jars. (a few good runners up can be found on this pin board .)Pint sized mason jars made sense for my budget and size needs. Plus I think pint jars are the cutest. The jars will be somehow stored out of sight but easily accessible... hopefully in some cute way.. .but i havent decided yet. Anyway... my progress was cataloged on facebook with quite a bit of interest so i though i would share the photos here of my progress. my iphone makes every photo taken in my house turn yellow... maybe because of the yellow walls... so forgive me. also what looks like dirt all over the carpet is beads and bits of cording and labels... it was, as i said, quite a chore... but it feels great!

Slow Cooker Beans, Algerian style (Mimi's recipe)

So... I have never much cared for beans... outside of green beans. To me the beans have been too chalky, or too sweet, or too something. so I shy away. But my husband likes them. And he likes them like his mom makes them. So i learned. and for the longest time I made them for him, or let him make them for himself since it is one of the three things he knows how to cook, and i would have a few bites and then something else. But then I got a slow cooker. And since I realized that some of the things I normally don't like are transformed into magnifique when cooked low and slow. So I gave his beans a whirl today in the good ol' crock pot. I know, beans are beans... this is nothing new... but i want to eat ten bowls of these... it is like food heaven. Another thing about this dish... if i add up the cost... since i buy my lamb in roasts, cut it in portions, freeze, and keep the end pieces for soups... it ends up being pretty reasonably priced for feeding 4 people or so. i would say this dish cost me less than $5.00 total, and who doesn't need a recipe to feed the family for less than 5 bucks... ? Here it is

1 package beans of choice, soaked overnight (i used great northern because i like them) 1 piece lamb or beef 3-4 oz (optional) 2 soup spoons tomato paste 1/2 onion 1 parsnip, quartered and peeled 2 carrots , quartered 3 cloves garlic 1 soup spoon of cumin 1/2 tsp coriander 2 beef boullion cubes pepper to taste italian seasoning, a couple tsps i suppose. (i just throw some in) salt if needed throw everything but the beans in the bottom of the slow cooker. cover with beans. cover with water. if you ever over salt your soup. chop up a potato and throw it in. cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8-9 hours (I did high so not sure about low)

Hello again. I have decided to give this blogging thing another try. Recently I had to let the booth at the Spokane public market go. I had been attempting to make money there for a year, but after that year was up, my assessment was that the traffic was just not sufficient to make it worth the money i put into it. I was ok with the time. 3 days a week, 8 hours a day. I liked it because it got me out of the house, talking to people, having fun goofing around the market during slow times... but out of all my venues it took the most money to run, but with no payoff at all. so buh bye wonderful fun place to work... hellllllooooo being home all day and cabin fever... on top of that it is cold and snowy so it is time for me to talk to someone. even if nobody reads. keep the ideas flowing, stop posting incessently on facebook... stop pinning to nobody on pinterest all day (i like pinterest but it does lack the ability to ramble on about things) all those things that writing helps with... I think what i intend to do this time is write as if nobody is listening, and write about everything, as if i dont have the ulterior motive of promoting my business. I do have such a motive, I will not lie. I do not want to ever have to get another job working for someone else. so i must promote... but... really, I just want to have a chat with nobody or everybody. So i will use my blog to do so... or i wont, because if i am truthful, i tend to start these things and then stop them on a whim... so i am not making promises this time.

New Beads, Czech Glass!

Czech glass beads are more than the average glass beads. They are of great high quality, unique colors, finishes, and patterns. They are extremely popular now, and are a great way to add value and interest to your creations, from the simple spacer to the gorgeous rondelle, faceted and polished. I added Many new styles of seed beads, spacers, coins, and rondelles at www.starbazaar.etsy.com.

In Shopping Heaven at Bay Market (Best Asian Market)

My favorite job site was when I started work at Verizon Wireless, and they posted me as a customer service rep at their Uwajimaya kiosk, located in a GIANT Asian grocery, complete with restaurants, gift shop, and deli counter, as well as aisles upon aisles of fun new things to try... I was in shopping heaven, as i am constantly searching for something I have never tried before, and Asian groceries are the best place for culinary adventures.

Today i wandered into the Best Asian Market (yes, that is their name, as well as, apparently Bay Market) and was transported in time to my lunch hours, which were spent reading the fine print on packages written in Thai, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Japanese...

The building is in a neighborhood few seek out, that stretch of East Sprague that people would rather just... drive on through with the doors locked.. which to some is a drawback but since i was born in that neighborhood, and well frankly, have seen much worse, I am charmed by the art deco buildings and spattering of ethnic markets, thrift shops, and fledgling specialty shops which pepper the often empty storefronts and failed nightclubs and restaurants. Yes, Best Asian Market is not a place you would just wander by and visit on a whim, Yet judging by the traffic inside, it surely is a place to seek out.

The market is a big Art deco corner building in cream and pink, The inside is a simple setup. freezer cases full of frozen fruits, vegetable, ice creams, cakes, pork buns, spring rolls, onion pancakes, and more lead you to a produce section with prices not to be beat and a selection of fresh baby bok choy, shitake and other mushrooms, sprouts, ginger root, herbs, radish... The aisles are filled with sauces, seasonings, canned fruits and vegetables, teas and more, and a plethora of noodles... so many i was stuck in that aisle quite a while trying to decide. Finally, proteins. feezer cases of frozen fish from the common to the um... what was that? and then the even more adventurous, frozen snail, even insects, soft shell crabs (i will buy them some day!), fish cakes... and we wont talk about the meat case but lets just say... the pork hocks looked good but, i am not so adventurous for the rest.

This was a great find for me, and i will be back regularly, the only complaint i have is the aisles are so narro it is hard to navigate with a shopping cart, but next time i will just take a basket.

If I have to choose one product to highlight it would be:

Huy Ky Bakery's Dau xanh nhun mut or Winter Melon and Bean Hopia
a flaky but not too sweet pastry filled with sweet mung bean paste and bits of winter melon. This was my favorite purchase today. It is a perfect blend of richness, powdery softness, and just a little crunch and freshness.


and i think todays adventure will lead to regular installments, maybe not so long, of great finds at great markets.

Best Asian Market is found at 2020 E Sprague Ave Spokane, WA 99202
They service restaurants and individual shoppers.

Thursday is Market Day

One of the benefits of selling at the Spokane Public Market is that i get insight on all the vendors and their goods.. i try all the tasty foods, and getto know the artisans and their crafts.

on a normal thursday i will be spotlighting a different vendor each week. this week i will be giving you a broader look through photography at some of my favorites...

Wednesday Wandering Day

There has always been an intense wanderlust in me. I started travelling at 16 when i hopped trains and hitchhiked up and down the west coast for a couple years. Discovery is what makes me feel alive, and the need for intense change is a complicated but fun part of my personality.

Wednesdays, hence forth, will be a day to reflect on what i have seen this week, what i wish to see... something new that i discovered, either close to home or far away...

it will be fun :) i promise. I will be back later with my first installment.

Tuesday Tasty Treat Day

Whether it is a sweet treat to remind you of a far away home, or a long ago childhood, or a sugary taste of a far away land, dessert can be more than just a cavity creator and evil plan hatched by grandma to make your children hyper before dropping them off at home...

Tuesdays will be all about tasty treats. how to make them, how to eat them, where to buy them...

Today I would like to highlight super easy recipes made with bananas and coconuts. these recipes require minimal ingredients, time, and money... yet are huge on flavor... they are also relatively inexpensive and can feed a crowd of people on less than $10.00

Pani Popo - Polynesian coconut rolls

I actually tried this a few weeks ago at an ethiopian restaurant, and not when i was in hawaii last year... still. the result is the same. Pani popo is a simple dinner roll smothered in coconut cream. It is made with two whopping ingredients!

2 cans coconut cream
1 package frozen dinner roll dough

prepare the dinner roll dough according to the package. when the dough has risen, pour one can of coconut cream over the top, evenly. bake according to package directions. to serve, heat the remaining can of coconut cream in the microwave or stovetop. place each roll in a small bowl and pour warm cream over the top.


Thai Banana rolls -

This one takes a little more time due to wrapping and frying but it is so worth it! This was one of my favorite treats to buy when i worked in the international district in seattle. it is sweet, stick, crispy, amazing.

bananas
spring roll wrappers
honey
oil for frying
toasted sesame seeds

Cut the bananas into pieces 1/2 the length of your wrappers. Heat oil for deep frying. Set up your station with banana pieces, wrappers, and a small bowl of water. place a banana on one half of the wrapper, fold in the sides and roll the wrapper around the banana. wet your fingers with the water and seal the edges. fry until golden and bubbly. repeat. when finished, drizzle honey or simple syrup over them, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds. serve warm.

Enjoy!