Quick Shopping Links

Friday, November 28, 2008

Holiday On the Drive: December 6

Holiday On the Drive
Saturday December 6
6 pm - 9 pm

This FREE yearly event is a must attend! Downtown College Park, Orlando closes Edgewater Dr. from Princeton St. to Winter Park St. from 6 pm to 9 pm for this fantastic holiday festival.

College Park presents...
  • Santa
  • Strolling Carolers
  • Pony Rides
  • Face Painting
  • A Treasure Hunt (free goodies and fantastic prizes!)
  • Holiday discounts from College Park boutiques and businesses

Here at Beachcombers Bazaar, we are adding our own fun to the festivities!

  • Tribal Belly Dancers from Florida Tribal Dance
  • Henna Tattoos with Mariko
  • $1 a Minute Massage with Diane of the YOU Health Center
  • Magician/Comedian
  • GREAT holiday deals!

Other local stores will be offering specials, entertainment, and some will even have food for Holiday On the Drive!

This is a great opportunity to get some bargain holiday shopping done, support local small businesses, and have a fun evening!

See you there!
Jody

Monday, November 24, 2008

Henna Vs. Winter: Henna and it's relationship to temperature

This time of year I start getting emails from henna artists that are not getting as good of color from their henna as they typically do. Henna can be picky about temperature and winter is a different set of challenges than summer.

In summer, we have to be careful that we don't "cook" our henna. We have to keep it out of sunlight and not let it get too warm. When mixing henna powder in the summer dye release is often much quicker (often a just a few hours will yield good dye release). This also means that the henna paste can lose it's dying abilities quickly, so you need to keep your henna cool.
In the winter (even here in Florida) we have to be more patient with our henna. The same henna that would obtain full dye release in a few hours can take a full day or more in a cooler environment. I find that if my house is less than 70 degrees I need to let my henna powder mix sit 24 hours or more. I do this in stages. I mix my powder with my liquid (lemon, tea mix, or whatever I am using that day) and let it sit overnight. The next day, either in the morning or before work, I add sugar, essential oils, and any additional liquid if needed. I let that sit again overnight and the next day I put the henna in applicators and cones for freezing. Sometimes I don't freeze the cones until the next day.

I am always cold, so I have to work extra hard to get a good stain in the winter. I get all my supplies together along with a candle, blanket, and cup of hot tea or glass of wine. I do my henna while I am all wrapped up in my blanket and seal it with lemon sugar. When my hands (or feet) get cold, I hold them over the candle.

This winter, keep temperature in mind while mixing and applying your henna. Remember, body temperature is nearly 99 degrees. Even 70 degrees is a significant difference in temperature.

A fellow Floridain henna artist, Michael, gave me this tip to share...

"I have this thing called a "ThermiPaq"... basically it's a sand bag that you use for sore muscles and you can heat in the microwave or put in the freezer. I heated mine up for about 1.5 minutes and put that in the bottom of a cooler. I then covered it with a small towel and then laid my bottles of henna on top. This way, the henna was gently heated overnight even though the house was cold. I did that for 2 nights and the henna started turning a dark green/brownish color. I tried it after that and it works wonderfully."

Stay Warm!
Jody

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Jamila Henna Powder at Beachcombers!


That's right, due to popular request, we now carry Jamila body art henna powder!

Jamila henna powder is the preferred henna of professional henna artists and we've been getting requests for it. You know us...we are all about requests! I can't accommodate every request, but I do what I can.

We currently have the latest body art quality Jamila henna (the highest available quality) Summer Crop 2008 in 100 gram packages. As always we store our henna properly cooled and protected from moisture.

I'll be doing some testing over the next few weeks and I'll let you know of my results, but I didn't want to delay the availability of the Jamila henna since so many of you already use it.

Pros and cons of our standard henna powder and the Jamila henna powder.

Jamila is the preferred henna for professional henna artists. It leaves great color and is packaged properly from the manufacturer giving it a very long shelf life (Summer 2008 crop has an expiration date of May 2011). It is also the finest sifted powder available. For the most part you won't need to sift or strain your henna if you are using Jamila henna powder.

Jamila henna powder is more suited to professionals that use a larger amount of henna. It is vacuum sealed in an opaque mylar 100 gram bag inside the box, so it's not as convenient as the small 20 gram bags our standard henna comes in. I also find that the dye takes more time to release with the Jamila henna and it is more sensitive to temperature. I suggest letting the henna sit overnight after mixing and if it's cold (less than 70 degrees in your house), let it sit at least 24 hours. Jamila henna is well suited to the more advanced henna mixes.

The pictures you see on the web of henna that is nearly black...those likely used Jamila henna, an advanced mix, and used a wrap and sealer.

Our standard henna powder is a bit more forgiving and releases dye quicker. If you are doing henna just for fun and on a small number of people, the 20 gram bags can't be beat for convenience. It is also packaged properly in opaque mylar bags and can be stored for 2-3 years (if stored properly). Our standard powder henna can yield some fantastic results as you've seen on our henna help site, http://www.shophenna.com/, but overall the Jamila henna is capable of darker color.

I'll keep you updated on my Jamila fun!

Our henna powders can be found and compared here.


Jody

Monday, November 10, 2008

Jazz Fest was great!

College Park's Jazz Fest on Saturday was wonderful! Great music, great people, great fun!

Nadia did a wonderful job with the henna. She does the prettiest dainty traditional designs, and is great company. I finally got henna on my always naked right hand! Thanks, Nadia!

A special thanks to Diane and the YOU Health Center as well. Not only did I get the most relaxing and energizing massage (at the same time...who knew?), but it was good times having Diane and her husband with us. Sharon the owner of the YOU Health Center (and Diane's daughter) also stopped by for some Ethnic Sandals, bringing her happy energy to the shop.

Forever Young Floral designs had lovely double rose bouquets for only $4. If you are looking for holiday flowers, Beav just received a huge amount of fun new product. Stop in and place an order, before he is completely booked, lol!

We all indulged in some hot apple cider as the evening grew chilly.

Looking forward to Holiday On the Drive, December 6th!
See you!
Jody

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

College Park JazzFest this Saturday!

This Saturday is the annual FREE JazzFest in downtown College Park!

Featuring...
Orlando Sanchez with Akangana: Ethnic Percussion
The Steve Luciano Quartet with Leon Kennington
Local business events and specials

Join Beachcombers between 5pm-10pm this Saturday for...

  • Special "Jazz" Deals
  • Henna Tattoos with Nadia
  • $1 a Minute Massage with Diane
  • and more!
Bring a picnic dinner and lawn chairs or get food at the festival. Alcoholic beverages are permitted for those 21 and over, so don't forget yoru bottle of wine. This is a very fun social event so bring friends and be prepared to meet new friends.

Saturday, November 8, 2008
6pm to 10pm
Edgewater Dr between Smith and Rugby

It's free, it's fun, and you'll be supporting your local community just by being there!

See you Saturday!
Jody