Henna floral medallion #henna #floral #medallion #mehndi #drawing #art #ink #tattoos #tattoo #design #ypsilanti #kellycaroline
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Triangle bit.. #triangles #drawing #henna #art #kellycaroline #ypsilanti #geometric #hennaart #tattoos #tattoo
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Henna drawing with an "under the sea" feel #henna #michigan #drawing #art #mehndi #floral #flowers #octopus #tattoos #ink #kellycaroline
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Swirly feathery doodles .. #henna #art #feathers #tattoo #design #drawing #vines #swirls #doodles #drawing #kellycaroline
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Morning mandala drawing … #mandala #henna #drawing #art #ypsilanti #kellycaroline #floral #ink #tattoodesign
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Henna for wedding #henna #kellycaroline
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Henna Drawing
Lately I’ve been wanting to draw on ol’ fashion paper with a marker so this is what I came up with! Of course, its a henna drawing.
I love to practice henna designs on paper.
I think this design would be so sexy on the back between the shoulder blades or for a baby belly design.
Check out more designs for more inspiration.
flower henna drawing
Henna Tattoo on the Back
I always get the question :
How long does henna last?
My answer is that it really depends on the area you have it done. The stain takes a little longer to develop fully on softer areas of the body, like the back. Usually though, henna lasts 10-15 days with the hands and feet lasting the longest.
Five days ago I did this henna tattoo on the back design . Today I got a chance to capture a picture of it. The stain came out so dark ! The dark brown color should last about 1 week and then gradually fade. Check out my newest henna tattoo on the back . This is day 5 for her henna design.
I love to do big, trailing flower designs on the back.
henna tattoo on the back
Henna Party Pictures
As promised, here are the henna party pictures from the 2-day event for a great bride. I really enjoyed meeting all her family – traveling from all over the world from San Francisco, CA to Brooklyn, NY to Frankfort, Denmark ! The second day’s event was held at the lovely Dearborn Inn in Dearborn, Michigan.
It’s not often I am around to see the bridal henna stain the next day but since I was, I made sure to get a picture of her henna 24 hours after it was applied.
Day 1 – henna application
bridal henna designs with flowers
Day 2 – 24 hours later . It still has darkening to do over the next 12 hours.
bridal henna design stain the next day
Here are the henna party pictures from the two days of mehndi parties .
oh! I loved the beading on her beautiful dress!
mehndi party henna ideas
mehndi ceremony henna designs
mehndi ceremony for fusion wedding
bridal henna on hands and feet
Ann Arbor Mehndi Party
Today was a great Mehndi party here in Ann Arbor with great Indian food ! I will have more pictures up soon but here is just a taste .
I love fun groups for a mehndi party – it’s great to be a part of big wedding celebrations.
henna party in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Henna Horse Tattoo Design
More and more nowadays people are coming into the salon to try out a tattoo design in henna before they have it done permanently – which I think is a great idea. I can tell you first hand, trying out a tattoo with henna first has helped guide many of my clients in their decision. I’ll even meet with the same client, multiple times to try the same tattoo design in different spots and sizes.
Today I did a henna horse tattoo design trial for a client.
She picked out the horse tattoo from Pinterest and I replicated it in henna.
henna horse tattoo design
She really liked it and plans on having it done permanently .
Need more henna inspiration? Watch my Henna Video
Henna Crown Designs
Henna crown designs are henna designs applied to a shaved head – usually due to hair loss from chemotherapy treatments. Henna crown designs are a great way to celebrate life and adorn yourself with art – in the midst of a hard situation. My most recent henna crown design was for a great girl, who was on her way to the 7th annual stupid cancer OMG2014 Summit for Young Adults .
And for the record, cancer IS stupid .
You can check out the video for the last year’s conference here :
OMG2013 Sizzle Reel from Stupid Cancer on Vimeo.
Note * Is henna safe when you have cancer ? My answer is to check with your doctor before having henna applied because every medical situation is unique. I have never had a client being treated chemotherapy have any negative reaction to henna. That being said, check with your doctor first. Before you have henna applied, you should ALWAYS check the ingredients with the artist to ensure the henna paste only has henna leaves, pure essential oils (ex: tea tree, lavender or eucalyptus ) , sugar, & water. This is true for anyone having henna done, but ESPECIALLY true for people who have cancer or extremely sensitive skin . Never (without exception) let anyone use “black” henna on your skin.
As for her henna crown designs , she brought in a few ideas with flowers and leaves and paisleys so I just combined them all together for one great look .
She was really thrilled with the results.
henna crown design – side view
henna crown design with flowers
Henna Belly Designs
What a fun day! Two henna belly designs at the salon today. Two friends who just happened to become pregnant around the same time decided it would be fun to get their bellies henna-ed together in celebration . They chose a matching design they found online- from Blue Lotus Henna, I believe. I really enjoyed doing the design that twice in a row was a-okay for me. Henna belly designs are some of my favorite henna designs to do.
This henna design for the belly is a pretty flower mandala – a design I really like because flowers make me happy .
Here are the pictures of the two matching designs – enjoy!
matching henna baby belly designs
baby belly henna design flower
flower henna baby belly design
prenatal henna designs for the belly
Phoenix Henna Tattoo
Today a great client, one of my regulars, came by the salon today. She always has fun & different design ideas to work with. Today she had the idea to do a phoenix henna tattoo design. She came in today to have this design done to test out making it permanent.
The phoenix represents rising up from the ashes to be reborn – I think many of us have related to a phoenix at one time in our lives.
We went bold with a big phoenix henna tattoo on her back and she loved it.
phoenix henna tattoo on the back
Henna Tattoo Design
Seeing that as of 2013, 45 MILLION Americans have at least one tattoo, I am often asked to do a henna tattoo design around or in collaboration with an existing, permanent tattoo – which is something I find fun and challenging because I don’t have full freedom with the skin. I have to study what the first artist did to see the style of the piece which is also a clue into what the client likes (obviously) . I have tremendous respect for tattoo artists. I feel so much pressure for bridal henna that I practice the designs over and over because this will be on their skin for their wedding . I can’t imagine the pressure I would feel if it was permanent .
Henna is so fun for people because you can really play with different looks.
Here is a piece I did recently around an existing unicorn shoulder tattoo – the client really loved it
shoulder henna tattoo
This henna tattoo I did in the fall for a great client who had the most intriguing tattoos. I really loved the beautiful bee tattoo here on her forearm .
henna tattoo cuff design
Fun Floral Henna Tattoos on the Back
Spring is officially here on the calendar .. but here in Ypsilanti, Michigan I still see a hefty coverage of brown, dirty snow still.
(snow, I love ya baby.. but you just gotta go)
I am feeling Spring – with my seedlings going strong, I felt inspired by flowers and seeds & came up with fun floral henna tattoos on the back of my dear friend. I love how the only space I had to work with on her back was the perfectly sweet little teardrop . I really like having a CREATIVE space to work with . Plus, this sweet girl just got back from a 3 week exploration trip in New Zealand & Australia so she has a nice glow to her skin. (She has such a pretty face, too)
I have been itching to do some creative henna tattoos on the back & in other sexy places. I have a creative leg henna design in mind, I just need the right gams to pull it off… coming soon.
Without further adieu, here is the sexy henna tattoos on the back that will have my friend’s lab coworkers curious . . .
see more designs here
Henna tattoos for the back
Henna Tattoos for a Party
Tis the season for baby bellies ! I had a great opportunity to do a fun baby belly design and henna tattoos for a party at the same time here in Ann Arbor at the Bead Gallery . The mommy-to-be was having a boy so she wanted a sun for her son , but still some flowers so I did a “son-flower” (sunflower) design with floral elements around it.
We also did henna tattoos on both her hands to compliment her baby belly design :: see more baby belly designs here
baby belly henna design with a sunflower
paisley henna design
A fun floral mehndi design from the finger to the wrist .
mehndi design henna tattoo for the hand
One henna tattoo design for the top of the hand and one for the palm – complimentary designs of paisley and florals
henna tattoos on the palm and top of hands
And the last impromptu design, which I found to be the most fun to be creative with ! I rarely will apply henna to the face, but she wanted it SO badly – and I think it looked super cute 🙂 xoxo
henna tattoo design on face
need more henna inspiration? Check out our HENNA VIDEO
Henna Tattoo
Here’s a new henna tattoo design I did for the lower forearm . It’s a simple flower with just a few vines & swirls – very feminine and I just love how it came out .
Click here to VIEW MORE
henna tattoo flower
Need more henna inspiration? Watch my Henna Video
Safari Party – DIY Food & Decorations
Safari Party – DIY Food & Decorations
My son turned 4 this January – I can hardly believe a year has past since his last birthday party ! Last year we did a Lego themed birthday party. This year he wanted to have a Safari Party (with Lego Ninja Turtles as the accent theme hah ) . With our friends at the Ann Arbor Creature Conservancy , we planned an interactive animal presentation for the kids & adults with food, cake & presents to boot . We had a blast ! Our animal guests were the three-banded armadillos, a sloth, the boa constrictor, a giant tortoise & a skunk . Anyone who lives in or around the Ann Arbor area, I would highly suggest hosting an event at the Creature Conservancy – they are a great non-profit that works with rescue animals and they help you host a great party.
For the food, I wanted the Safari party theme to be apparent so I enlisted my talented sister-in-law & went with all fruit and vegetables since Judah is a vegetarian anyway. Our guests gobbled up most of the food, but the left over fruit and veggies we left and donated to the animals to eat – and they were happy to have it, too.
Here are the pictures we have of the safari party food & event space, food table design, food ideas & easy decorations I set up .
I love throwing fun, kid parties – little people have the best taste xo
food table set up for safari party
safari party food ideas – fruit lagoon
vegetarian kid party food ideas
Snake sandwich – roasted red pepper, mushroom, pesto & mozzarella sandwich – What a hit! Everyone loved that one. The kids had an option of a almond butter and grape jelly sandwich on gluten free bread that we used an elephant sandwich cutter to cut them out which was so helpful because you can get two elephants per sandwich.. brilliant!
snake sandwich and elephant sandwiches
snake sandwich – safari party food
Fun monkey head we made with a cantaloupe , oranges, sliced strawberry and blueberry eyes
Monkey head made of cantaloupe and oranges – safari party decoration
Gorilla grape kabobs with ants on a log with animal crackers
gorilla grape kabobs
The juice bar for the kids . I love those monkey cups !
safari party juice bar
All the kids LOVED the explorer safari hats they received as a party favor .
kids table for safari party and party favors
And of course, it’s so helpful to let them just color all over the table so cover it with a big roll of paper – they are having fun, giving mom & dad a breather & decorating – a win win win.
kids party activity
My cute sister in law and her adorable safari party outfit showing her food labels she made with animal stickers .
safari party outfit
His Lego Ninja Turtle cake made by my cake girl and safari cupcakes with plastic animals on each
Lego Ninja Turtle Cake
Lego Ninja Turtle Cake
We had a great time. I hope this helps you throw your own fun safari party for a birthday party.
*Kelly*
Shit From Pinterest
Have you noticed that Pinterest is filled with things? I bet you have.
Have you ever actually gotten to the bottom of a Pinterest page, where it doesn’t refresh anymore pictures for your to ogle over?
Have you gotten off of Pinterest only to feel like your lazy and uncreative because the only things you did that day involved unglamorous tasks, not just sugar, glitter and paint?
Have you ever noticed that Pinterest is filled with a perfect blend of the most saccharin-sweet treats that cause you to drool on yourself and a super buff woman that looks like she’s carved from marble which makes you hate on yourself?
Have you realized it’s a perfect balance to keep the vicious cycle continuing ? (I made that and ate it, now I have to work out, but then I get to reward myself….)
Well if you’ve said “yes” to any of those questions, then YOU will appreciate this “Shit From Pinterest” poster I made. This was more of a cathartic approach to feeling “lazy” or “unproductive” or to squelch the desire to buy EVERY pretty thing I see.
Hope you can appreciate this, too <3
remember : you are creative & lovely just as you are – Pinterest is just fun to look at, don’t get too caught up xoxo
Floral Longboard Design
I am happy to announce that I have really been enjoying designing for Zazzle.com . It has given me the opportunity to get creative in the digital world, too. I’m constantly adding to the store, but you can check it out here: Kelly Caroline Design on Zazzle
A product I’d like to feature today is the Floral Longboard Design . Lately here in Ypsi, I’ve been noticing quite a few female longboarders. I thought about how many will be coming out of hibernation come April and it lead me to design this.
Here’s looking to Spring!
Floral Longboard – purple and teal
Mixed Media Watercolor
I have been bitten by the creative bug ! Creative ideas have really been pouring out of me. Also this year I have begun to really embrace mixed media watercolor and other art. Today was the last day for my flowers in my vase. I like to capture a photo or two of flowers that are in my house at one time or another. These green chrysanthemums lasted a long time as cut flowers . What started as just an experiment turned into this mixed media watercolor art piece .
The fun of it – that’s why I do art .
Mixed media watercolor chrysanthemum
Bleach Pen Dress – Henna Design DIY
Bleach Pen Dress – Henna Design
Hello All!
I got this simple navy blue cotton dress for $0.80 from the thrift store! It was a great buy, but a little plain for my taste. I saw some tutorials for bleach pen decorating, so I went out and got a few Clorox Bleach Pens at the supermarket.
The bleach comes out as a paste and since I’m a henna artist, it easily translated into a medium I am already comfortable working with.. 🙂
I did one side at a time. I put a piece of cardboard between the two layers of the dress as I carefully squeezed the bleach onto the dress. I just free-handed the design. no planning involved here.
I let the bleach sit on the fabric for 5 minutes then immediately washed it with cold water in the tub. Then I ran it in my washer on a quick spin so it came out slightly damp, but not dripping wet.. and repeated the process until it was all done!
I just feel like the design I did made it into a permanent piece of henna art!
and here are the pics of the bleach pen dress ! c&c welcome!!
That’s the front
bleach pen decorating designs – henna style
And the back of the dress
the back of the bleach pen dress
detail of one flower to show that you can get shading especially if you leave the paste on for different amounts of time.
bleach pen decorating detail
and it on.
henna style bleach pen dress
Pregnant Baby Belly Henna Designs
Have I mentioned how much I love to do baby belly henna designs ? ? Why.. yes, I have. This past week I have had three baby belly henna designs to do. Here are photos from my most recent client who came to the salon. She is at that perfect time to have henna designs on your belly – that 30 – 37 week mark. Just in time to have her photoshoot session, too. She and and her friend who drove her were lovely. Plus, her friend got in on some henna action, too .
For the baby belly design, she wanted it to be less of a circular, mandalla design and more flowing henna design with flowers including a henna peacock . This is what I came up with. I think she really liked it.
It makes me so happy to see others happy from my art : )
Here are the pictures of the baby belly henna designs
baby belly henna designs with flowers and peacocks
floral henna and vines
henna flower design trailing up a hand
flower and peacock henna belly design
Henna Instruction Video
Henna Instruction Video
Henna Instruction Video
Are you searching for some basic henna know-how ? How to mix henna paste ? Henna DIY ? How to start your henna career ? How to develop your own henna design ? Need festival design ideas ? How about an overview on the history of henna ? All of this and more is included in our special Henna Instruction Video : Modern Mehndi . With over 2 hours of henna how – to footage, examples and photo slideshow, this Henna instruction video is the one for you. Watch Modern Mehndi on Amazon or order the DVD.