I made this!

[alonewiththemoon]

I got my henna kit!
Not perfect, but pretty good for a first try, I think.  I modified a design I found online (this was freehand, no stencil) in a collection of Arabic henna designs, which is why it doesn't look much like an Indian design.  You will have to take my word for it that my left foot more or less matches my right.  Also pardon the bandaid.




This holiday season, I participated in a holiday gift swap organized by kambriel .  My swap partner liked things Victorian, bats and the color purple, so...
I'd had the Victorian bat lady fabric piece for a few years but never quite known what to do with it, until I got my swap partner's info.  It doesn't show up that clearly in the photo, but the lady has bat wings and there are a couple of bats flitting about.  The purse was lined with black and silver brocade. I pretty much made it up as I went along; one of these days I should try using a pattern and see where that gets me...

Comments

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I bet Libby absolutely loved it! I can see her using it all the time :)

It's fun that you're getting into henna work ~ I'll have to email you a design I found years ago that you'll adore.

[rojagato.livejournal.com]

I had the opportunity in Marrakesh to get henna'd, outside of a castle [1], but a lot of schoolgirls were ahead of me and we didn't have a lot of time, so I didn't. What I saw that the girls came away with looked a lot like that, but also a lot of Eye of Fatima work as well.
_________________________________
[1] This was a castle with grounds and buildings that no one knew the true dimensions of until the Great War. This was the queens' castle, which also harbored the caliphs' graveyard. It wasn't huge, but it was substantial, but so much of it ran hither and thither along common walls and such that no one really knew (or was saying) it was there until the British got planes and shared their surveying with the French. This was the place that I visited in a freezing January, and inside the walls it was warm. The lemon trees were bearing fruit, the rosemary hedges were blooming, and every step you took through the garden burst in thyme and sage.

There were storks building their nests on the parapets, which fascinated me. Our guide, a young woman who had studied at Cambridge, saw me noticing them and told me that they meant "the same thing here", too.

[shnells.livejournal.com]

we should have our henna party when the weather gets hot :) i could get my mum involved and also my friend aparna (the dance teacher) now she's back from india. this could be really fun!

[pyrric.livejournal.com]

This sounds awesome!

[mistresshellena.livejournal.com]

Seriously...but hanging out with you three ladies before then also sounds awesome.

[pyrric.livejournal.com]

Agreed! We should make a plan.

[alonewiththemoon]

I third the agreement! Currently I have the last two Saturdays in February open, along with most Friday evenings...

[pyrric.livejournal.com]

How about Friday the 9th?

[alonewiththemoon]

That looks good to me--we should send email to these other fine ladies :-)

[alonewiththemoon]

Yes, definitely! I did realize a little too late last night that henna-ing one's feet when the apartment floor is freezing is not exactly smart :-)