follow the trail of breadcrumbs…

If you would like to know where I am now, how I am creating and what I am thinking about… find me HERE.  This new website is a more complete composite sketch of my art, music, writing and publishing in addition to the work I do with hair.  I also own one of the trendiest bohemian salons in Chattanooga, and you can find more about that HERE.  Thanks for visiting and I hope to inspire you now and connect with you soon!  -Sarah Jay

Fashion At Fourteen (And Twelve…And Eleven): {Fashion Friday}

In honor of our gradually cooling temperatures, I wanted to offer a fresh feature for relevant, trendy, age-appropriate fashion options for adolescents!  

Here are some outfits that my girls put together themselves 🙂
The key to keeping it funky is in the details: layered accessories, plaids paired with florals and dynamic color punches.
(…actually, this is true at any age 🙂

Emilie has a very retro/indie hipster vibe, so the sheer floral combines with the leather moccasins seamlessly!
The freedom to express personality in fashion is key to keeping teenagers aligned with the expectations of parents.

Larken is a no-nonsense kind of girl, so built-in textures and simple color schemes make more sense for her.
The lace skirt and heart-y tights communicate, “yes, I’m a girl” while the rugged boots simultaneously say, “but I’ll still beat you to the swings!”

Ms. Alayna Kate is the most organized, professional 11-year-old you’ll ever meet, so her style tends to be more matchy-matchy than her kitschy sisters.
She likes to coordinate in a more controlled and predictable way, so her colors are consistent and her accessories are kept minimal.

This is my fashion inspiration for you (and your daughters) this week!  

  Have a great day and remember that someone needs a ray of light today that only you can shine.
Make time for inspiration, be yourself without apology and always light your world with goodness!

The Classy Mohawk

Style: The Classy Mohawk
Skill To Learn: Crossed Bobbies + Diffusion + Hairspray
Difficulty: Moderate
Time Commitment: 20 Minutes
What You Need: Gel/Mousse, Hairspray, Diffuser, a Bunch of Bobbies (optional clear elastics)

My newest funky style is a curly faux-hauk of sorts.  It’s really pretty easy if you have a couple extra minutes in the morning.  

Gardens, Graduations & Personal Growth

Okay, I know it’s been a *hot* minute since I’ve posted, but here is what you missed:

Our doxies had pups…   we planted a garden…   mommy spent time with Oliver…. we got ducks!

Then Jeremy graduated with his Masters…  I graduated cosmetology school…

 

We vacationed in the mountains…    and Oliver turned one…

Most recently, we decided to make an expansion at the house…  I’m thinking of blue!

So that’s news for now.  I’m going to try to get back to crafting, creating and writing; I’ve missed it!

  Have a great day and remember that someone needs a ray of light today that only you can shine.
Make time for inspiration, be yourself without apology and always light your world with goodness!

Three Fresh Ways to Do Color

Studying cosmetology and having three daughters provides the perfect opportunity to try out all of my new ideas, and lately, I have been working on color placement.  I have been working out how to break out of the classic subtle highlights and make a little bolder, fashion-forward statement.  I also wanted to play with cuts that would specifically compliment and accentuate the color.  Here is what I came up with:

LARKEN

Larken wanted a low-maintenance look that would maintain her length, but create manageability for her athletic lifestyle.  To compliment her natural wave, I scissor-cut concave layers, and then razor texturized her hair to create space and movement.  I accented the cut with a diagonal weave of highlights transitioning from a heavier weave in the crown to a lighter, blended weave in the middle, leaving her natural color as a base in the exterior and hiding any regrowth under a veil of her natural brown.  (before, shown left)

Day 30: The Twisted Braid {30 Days, 30 Ways}

Day Thirty: The Twisted Braid
Skill To Learn: Twisted Sister + French Braiding
Difficulty: Moderate to Complex
Time Commitment: 25 Minutes
What You Need: Gel, Comb, a Bunch of Bobbies

For Day Thirty of 30 Days, 30 Ways, I want to teach you the Twisted Braid!  We are going to combine the concept of  Twisted Princess with the skills of French Braiding and Knotties).  This updo is fancy and fabulous and fitting for a prom or wedding, in my opinion!  But you can learn the skills to do it at home (probably on someone else) and then just transfer the skill to styling on yourself!

Day 29: French Knotties {30 Days, 30 Ways}

Day Twenty-Nine: French Knotties
Skill To Learn: Knotties Coiled In Horizontal Slices
Difficulty: Moderate
Time Commitment: 20 Minutes
What You Need: Gel, Comb, a Bunch of Bobbies

 For Day Twenty-Nine of 30 Days, 30 Ways, we’re going to apply the horizontal slicing you learned in French Braiding with the fancy coils you learned in Knotties, which I am dubbing French Knotties.   I am not going to break this hairstyle down into incremental pictures, because you have already learned everything you need to know in other hairstyles! 

Day 28: Funky Knotties {30 Days, 30 Ways}

Day Twenty-Eight : Funky Knotties
Skill To Learn: Full Head of Coiled Knots
Difficulty: Moderate
Time Commitment: 20 Minutes
What You Need: Gel, Comb, A Bunch of Bobbies

For Day Twenty-Eight of 30 Days, 30 Ways, I’m going to offer you a funky version of the knotties we learned on Day Fifteen.   This look won’t be for everyone or everyday, I know, but I wanted to throw it in the mix anyway, because sometimes there are days or events where the funky knotties are just the thing! 

Day 27: Another Combination Updo {30 Days, 30 Ways}

Day Twenty-Seven: Another Combination Updo
Skill To Learn: Planned Partings + Twisted Ends + Messy Bun
Difficulty: Moderate
Time Commitment: 15 Minutes
What You Need: Gel, Comb, 1 Fat Elastic

 

For Day Twenty-Seven of 30 Days, 30 Ways, I’m going to teach you how to plan a more advanced combination updo, because it is all about the planning!  We are going to combine the Center Parting with the skills learned in Twisted Princess and pull it all together with a bun (you can do the Flippy Bun, Twisted Bun, Messy Bun, Braided Bun or Knotties).  

Day 26: Partial Knotties {30 Days, 30 Ways}

Day Twenty-Six: Partial Knotties
Skill To Learn: Coiled Knots Anchored With Hidden Crossed Bobbies
Difficulty: Moderate
Time Commitment: 20 Minutes
What You Need: Gel, Comb, 1 Fat Elastic, A Bunch of Bobbies

 For Day Twenty-Six of 30 Days, 30 Ways, let’s use the skills you learned on Day Fifteen: Knotties and make it a partial upstyle.  This is a lovely way to wear your hair that will easily transition from the workplace to your evening plans!