Sunday, May 14, 2000

MEHNDI and HENNA
I'm all out of henna now. I had about twelve ounces of it a few months ago, but after my cat ate one bag (he stayed outside in case it produced any strong intestinal reactions, which it didn't...), and I practiced incessantly on my hands and feet, I'm down to less than an ounce, just enough to see the color in the bag so I can judge good stuff when I see it.

I buy all my stuff online. Mainly from Ebay and Amazon.com auctions, but I'm thinking of trying some other suppliers based on recommendations. BodyArt Supply comes relatively recommended, and the henna they show (in powder form -- I don't like the premixed paste) looks pretty decent. A few of the suppliers listed on The Hennapage.com aren't working right now, but it's still a decent links list.

And if you need inspiration for design, try checking out this thumbnail gallery of some of the work others have done. Wowza. It's all done with premixed mud stuff, supposedly, too -- which usually is nowhere -near- this dark. Maybe I'll have to re-think this no premixed paste thing.

Sunday, May 14, 2000

ABOUT INDIA...
Okay, so we've already determined that I go through phases of interest. This week, it's Morocco, next week, it might be Peru -- honestly, it's totally random. I see something that sets my mind racing.

After the Mehndi thing (above), I slipped into this love of India. One of these days, I'm going to get there -- probably not until the end of the summer, at least. (I want an iBook more than tickets. A girl's got to have priorities.)

In my web travels, I started looking for resources -- such as this Hindu Bibliography -- a great resource for looking for books that includes links to the corresponding Amazon sites. Or a DirectHit search that yielded so many links that I had to just bookmark the search itself. Hindu.org gets more into the Hindu religion and how it affects culture, etc., and its links list took me here, to The Hindu, an online newspaper of Indian culture and also here, to the gallery of Hindu goddesses. Granted, this small site is only a fragment of the rich pantheon, but it's a good place to start.

Of course, if you're more of the commercial type, you can always just hit Dharma Trading and help capitalize on culture consumerism. (And find some nifty silk scarves. Ahem.)