How to get AWESOME bright colored hair!

Before... See how dark it was, and it actually had a little dark red in it also

After.. With a little extra effort you can get the same results

Believe it or not, looking like a hot pink flamingo and a electric blue parrot is harder than it looks.  Sure, Manic Panic, and other companies sell plenty of semi-permanent dyes that show these beautiful bright colors on the label... but does it usually work like the label... NO!  

I've been playing around dying my hair crazy colors since I was in high school, and I've learned some tricks over the years that will really make the difference between looking bright and beautiful, or faded and funky.  

So, here is the deal.  First off, most of the colored dyes are all semi-permanent, meaning, they are meant to wash out and fade with time.  Luckily, Manic Panic now sells an "Amplified" version of their dyes that they say lasts 30% longer than the original.. score!   http://www.manicpanic.com/amplifiedhaircolor.html

Next, you've got to bite the bullet and first get as much color out of your hair as possible.  Even if you're natural blond, you will not get the results you really want unless you bleach your hair.  Yes, bleaching can be bad, but you've got to sacrifice a little in order to gain a truly great looking wild color.  Manic Panic sells bleaching kits, but unless you're only planning on doing a few streaks, you shouldn't get it, doing your whole head would be super expensive.  Instead, go to Sally's and get powdered lightener http://www.sallybeauty.com/powder-lightener/SLNCAR12,default,pd.html?cgid=Hair05-04 and 30 or 20 volume developer... If you're going from really dark, 30 volume will do the trick... 40 will just fry your hair more and it's unnecessary.   For my length hair we needed 4 of the bleach packets, but they also sell tubs of it if you plan on keeping the style for a long time and will need to keep touching up the roots.  The directions are easy, just mix, apply, and let sit... Start checking and when you think it's done rinse a little bit out of one strand.. you really are looking for a white to very light blond.. If you're trying for a pale color, like baby blue or cotton candy pink you MUST get your hair white.. for brighter colors a little gold is still ok.  When it's ready rinse and towel dry.  

 Now for the fun part the dye.  In my case we started with 4 different colors.  First we mixed Manic Panic Cotton Candy Pink and Hot Hot Pink.  Using foils, we started by sectioning off the front and dying with the mixed pink color.  Next we went to the purple/blues and dyed the rest of my head using the Manic Panic color Ultra violet mixed with Purple Haze.  We let this sit on my hair over an hour, probably closer to 2, then rinsed.  The pink was brilliant, but the Ultra violet/Purple Haze mix was dull and not fully covered..

So here is the trick... do it again!  This time we divided my hair into two layers, top half and bottom half.  The entire top half was dyed using the Pink mixture.. yes, over the purple too.  This was done to brighten the front pinks and cause the Ultra Violet/Purple Haze to turn into a fantastic bright purple.   Finally we redyed the bottom half using the Ultra Violet/Purple Haze mix.  We let this sit for about an hour, and rinsed... and VOILA!! BRIGHT BEAUTIFUL LASTING COLOR!   By layering the colors and mixing colors we were able to reach an awesome bright color that will last far longer than if you only use one application.

The result is great!  You almost get 4 different colors, because the pink over the ultra violet creates these awesome highlights.  

So, if you're thinking of coloring your hair please take your time to put in the extra effort.  Believe me the results will be fantastic!  Don't be afraid to mix colors... Use Manic Panic Amplified, not the regular formula... Dye your hair twice!  Then in order to keep the color looking bright, wash your hair as little as possible and use a great conditioner to keep it soft and shiny.  

Hot Topic carries the Manic Panic Amplified or else you can order it online.  Sally's Beauty only carries the regular formula in their stores, but you can order Amplified from their online store.  

Have Fun!  

The Darker Side of this Delicious City

Here in New Orleans, you don't need an excuse to party.. really, everyday seems like a party.  We revolve through the seasons slightly different from the rest of the world.. no spring, summer, fall nonsense here.  No, here we have Crawfish Season, Festival Season, Football Season, and Mardi Gras Season.. and damn if there isn't about 10 billion reasons during each of our seasons to indulge.  Whether it means scarfing down a delicious bowl of Crawfish Monica at Jazz Fest with an ice cold beer, or attending weekly beer filled crawfish boils around the city throughout Lent, or Mardi Gras... well the indulgence of Mardi Gras has a category all of it's own.  Weeks of non-stop drinking and partying and indulging in King Cake, then the final 5 or 6 day finale where you crawl to a halt on Fat Tuesday.

But we New Orleaneans don't really need a big event to indulge... You've got to sit out on the front porch in the evenings and enjoy a cocktail or two... lazy Sunday Brunches with Bloody Mary's.. gatherings of friends around the BBQ.. or a Dacquiri down by the Fly on a sunny day.

Here the food is delicious.. but oh so very non-healthy.  Fried Shrimp Po-boys...Alligator sausage..Ettoufee...Gumbo...Red Beans... everything with white rice.  The problem is as delicious as NOLA food is, it's generally brown.. no color...(except Crawfish of course)... the food groups are rice, sauce, meat... poor vegetables are reduced to getting a Po-boy dressed.. with a tiny lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes.. or corn and potatoes in your crawfish boil.

I love this city!  I do!  I love the food.. the relaxed attitude most people have.. the yummy beverages and the non-judgemental attitude of people.. but health wise.. this city is a train wreck.

In the 3 years I've live here I've gain....40 pounds!! Holy Shit!  It's insane! Ludicrous! Ridiculous!  Now, I'm not going to just blame New Orleans food, no, for me it has been a multitude of things.  For starters I've been in an incredibly stressful job, teaching inner-city kiddos at a school still trying to figure out what the hell it's doing.  Then I've been dealing with a shoulder injury for the past year and a half that has left me unable to do a lot of regular exercises and forced to take prescription pain killers to sleep through the pain every night.. and lastly.. I've just gotten lazy.  I love partying.. having friends over.. hosting football parties, summer parties, Oktoberfest parties, holiday parties.  This is nothing new.. they didn't call me the "party princess" in high school for nothing, but now the party is starting to catch up to me in a bad bad way.

Well, today marks the beginning of a new venture of mine.  Recently I've decided that I cannot deal with being unhappy and unhealthy anymore, and it's going to take a whole lot of work on my part to change my life... especially here in the Big Easy!  I have to figure out a way to exist in this city and regain my healthy lifestyle as well.  I'd be fooling myself if I made some dumb pact to quit partying and indulging all together, but I'm going to have to figure a way to balance a healthy lifestyle with all the joys living in the Big Easy has to offer.

So first step to this journey was remove the biggest source of stress, my job... and check... I did!  Well, at least I took a big step in the right direction by finding a new school for next year that seems to be much better organized, supportive, and much less stressful.

Next I had to deal with my shoulder, I couldn't live on pain killers forever, and I want to be able to exercise and be active again, so April 20th I finally had the surgery that I've been putting off far too long.  I'm currently about 11 days post surgery, and I'm starting to feel better already.  I truly think that with physical therapy I'll be back to my old self in a month or two.. Hooray!

Then, I had to get back into the swing of things that make me happy.. my garden looks great, I've started making wine, I'm reading, I'm writing, and I'm looking into doing lots more crafts, maybe even some that could bring in some extra income.

Finally, I have to lose the weight... and after a lot of thought.. I decided to get a little help.  I've tried diets in the past, but I just seem to get frustrated with them or give up on them.  So, after seeing two of my best friends have incredible success with weight loss recently, I followed their lead and went to an Aspen Clinic today.  Now, medical weight loss.. I'm sure many people might say it's not healthy or it's cheating or whatever.. and if you think that.. good for you.. but I know myself.. and I know I need a kickstart to get my ass up and running again.  I've got a plan to not just take pills, but change the way I eat, drink, and exercise.. The pills are just a boost, the lifestyle change is the true thing that will give me success.

So, here goes nothing... I've got a lot of work to do.. but I think I'm definitely headed in the right direction.. me and this city can live harmoniously.. I've just got to control the beast that is living Toooooo Easy... in the Big Easy!

Mid City: In the middle of Awesome!

Mid City.. it's more than a neighborhood, it's a way of life.  Yes, the title of this post is stolen from the wonderful folks at Dirty Coast.  I encourage you all to check out the selection of fantastic t-shirts at Dirtycoast.com  and support Mid City pride http://www.dirtycoast.com/store/detail/905/MidCity-In-the-Middle-of-Awesome

But back to the point.. Mid City is a fantastic place to live.  We've lived in New Orleans for three years, and although my husband is a NOLA native and I grew up an hour away, when it came to where exactly to live, I had no clue, but luckily friends of ours already living in the city guided us to the best neighborhood in the city.. if  I do say so myself.  Seriously, if you're thinking of moving to New Orleans, you've got to check out moving to Mid City.  In the three years we've been here it just keeps getting better and better.

First off, the place is convenient to EVERYTHING...seriously, it's called mid city for a reason.. It's so easy getting around the city from here.  Whether you want to hop the Canal St. Streetcar to get downtown, or drive up Carrollton for some Uptown fun, or hop on the interstate to get out of the city, it's all just a hop skip and jump away.  Believe me, you'll be grateful when you're sitting at home enjoying an afternoon cocktail on the front porch while your Uptown friends are stuck in traffic.

Next, we've got to talk about the diversity of Mid City.  I'm a big fan of diversity, always have been, always will be, and mid city has one of the best mixes of folks that this city has to offer. Seriously, young, old, black,  white, latino, hipsters, hippies, rockers, or whatever.. chances are you'll find them here, and not just this block is this, that block is that, but from house to house you have this beautiful mix of different types of folks enjoying one another's company.  When I say I love our neighbors.. I mean it, they're all awesome.. friendly, helpful, and from all types of backgrounds.  It's like the neighborhood found a harmonious balance that many other areas are still struggling to find.

Then, you've got to love the neighborhood bars here... just to name a few

• Finn McCools 
• http://finnmccools.com/
• Bayou Beer Garden
• http://www.bayoubeergarden.com/
• Bank Street Bar
• http://www.banksstreetbar.com/
• The Bulldog MidCity
• http://bulldog-midcity.draftfreak.com/
• The Mid City Yacht Club
• http://midcityyachtclub.com

Now there are TONS more, but these are just a few of my favorites.  You've got plenty of options for an excellent craft beer, friendly bartenders, and a relaxed casual atmosphere.. Whether you want to play a game of Giant Jenga at Finn's, listen to a great band at Bayou Beer Garden or Bank St., or try some delicious Skittles infused vodka at Mid City Yacht Club, there is a ton of fun to be had and the prices are really reasonable too!! Bonus for all us thrifty bar goers out there.  If you're looking for a posh night club, sorry you're out of luck, but if a neighborhood bar is your style.. you'll be pleasantly pleased!  

Along with the bars, the food is great too.  Get the best po-boy in the city at Parkway Bakery!  Enjoy an awesome creole dinner at Mandinas!  A delicious burrito at Juan's Flying Burrito! An out of this world stuffed burger at Juicy Lucy's! Yummy delights at Mona's! A ridiculous Bacon Maple donut at Blue Dot Donuts! The best italian ice cream and treats at Angelo Brocattos!  and the places go on and on.. and they keep opening more an more every month it seems.  Soon, when the new Mid City Markets open, we'll have lots more new restaurant including my current French Quarter favorite... Felipe's Taqueria!! 

Then of course you have the fun of City Park, the Museum of Art, the Bayou, Bayou Boogaloo, Jazz Fest, Voodoo Fest.. and coming back in a year or two Deutcheshaus Oktoberfest... We've got the farmer's market on Thursdays and the Mid City Community Gardens if that's your thing.  It's incredibly dog friendly too for all you pet lovers:)

So.. have I convinced you yet to move?  I sure hope so..  The cost of living is so very reasonable for being right in the city and you just can't beat the feeling of being... In the middle of Awesome!!  

Welcome to Big Easy Dreaming

Welcome to my new blog!  I've always loved travel writing, and I had a wonderful time writing my Peace Corps blog http://micronesiandreaming.blogspot.com/ that detailed life on the small island of Yap in Micronesia.  Now, 4 years later, I'm finally home.  I live and work in New Orleans, I got married, bought a house, have two huskies... all that is missing is the white picket fence and 2.5 kids, haha.  Fortunately, white picket fences aren't my style and the kids will come later, but for now life is all about making the best of this incredible city.  New Orleans, post-Katrina....it's incredible watching the city come back to life day by day, little by little.  In the three years we've lived here, we've witnessed so much growth and positive change.  Sure, as everyone knows, New Orleans is plagued by an incredibly high violent crime rate, but this is far outweighed by the insane amount of culture this unique city has to offer.  From the food, the music, the art, and the people... this place is unlike anywhere else, and I'm happy to be a part of the rebirth of this infamous city.  

I'm also a part of this city's educational experiment.  New Orleans has always had a reputation for having one of the worst public school systems in the country.  The solution to fixing this problem was to create the "Recovery School District" after Hurricane Katrina shut down every school in the city.  Now, the city's schools, all but about 10 district run schools, are being run by multiple charter school companies and organizations.  Each school has its' own ideas about how to "fix" the educational problem, and slowly some schools are helping bring up student achievement and pride in New Orleans education.  I've been part of this experiment for the past three years, teaching in a trailer campus at a charter school in New Orleans East, an area of the city that has come back the least from the devastation of Katrina.  It's been an eye opening experience.  I've seen good and I've seen bad.  I've watched students succeed, and others slip through the cracks.  I have high hopes for the future of education in this city, but I'm here to say we have a long, long way to go before we're anywhere close to fixing this cities educational problems.  But, that's not what this blog is about. 

 Rather, I just thought it important to bring a little background to just who it is that is writing this blog.  I'm not your typical elementary teacher type... yes, that is me in the picture... yes, that is my real hair... no, I don't keep it that color when I'm teaching, just for the summer. I'm a teacher who loves teaching, and helping others, but that's not all I love... believe it or not... contrary to popular student belief...teachers have lives too outside the classroom.   I love piercings and tattoos, I love live music, I love sexy vampires, I love gardening, cooking, and crafting, and I love packing a small bag and exploring the world. So, that's what this blog is about.  I'll be sharing things from the other side of life as a teacher.. the "me time" side.  Recipes, homemade experiments and things, travel info,  life in the city, and lots lots more.  Maybe the occasional teacher based post, but mostly just a conglomeration of all the ridiculousness that makes up my crafty little world.  Hopefully I can share some tips, ideas, or info that others can use... or just a good read.  So please, sit back and enjoy, and then get up and try something.  If I can do it.. so can you!