July 11, 2003

• It's been so drab and gray the past few days.  Not real conducive to going to the beach and doing mehndi for tips, as were our plans.  Jenny and I spent the day in Madison yesterday making contacts, networking, and getting our art out.  I stopped at the ASN and spoke with them about offering our services, as volunteers, so we could get some more practice and feedback.  The peeps at ASN were delighted with the idea and asked us to do 2 charity events for them.  We agreed.  So now we have the AIDS Walk to do and the AIDS RIDE.  This is all volunteer work however, and we would really like to start making some cash.

  
  

  We did sit on State St. for about an hour and a half yesterday and work for tips.  We had our very first and only customer, and that was a very pleasant experience.  She was delighted with her mehndi and left us a $2.00 tip.  WOO HOO!  Yesterday was the same weather as today though, so......I am sure we would have more interest if it were warmer and busier, and we will.

  
  

  I AM feeling so blessed to be able to share this experience with Jenny.  She is like a daughter to me, but more than that she is a true friend, who's love for me helped me out of the darkest of days.  It's just like old times now, when I would spend the summer babysitting her and we would get into mischief together.  I'm so enjoying the time I spend with her, and of course, creating different meals out of cheese.

  
  

  We have also came up with a name, a logo, and a few gimicks. 
  
  

  JOJENA HENNA
   
  I am the QUEEN of ideas and marketing tricks, and just make up things as I go along, NO RULES!  However, all this creative energy tends to keep my brain working overtime and I find it hard to sleep or to put my mind on anything else.  It's HENNA all the time!  My latest idea is to handcraft each and every business card.  I have yards and yards of unprimed canvas which I cut into odd shaped, business card sized squares, dyed them in a henna-water solution, and dried them in the oven.  Then we simply decorate them as we see fit, using henna or magic marker.  The results are beautiful.  Our cards look like and feel like an old piece of leather, that has been in the elements too long.  They are durable, foldable, and each one unique.  They also allow us a creative use for using up old henna, as well as practicing and displaying our individual art.
  
  

  So....the business cards were yesterdays brainstorm, I wonder what today has in store?  I'm off to do some mehndi and let the creative juices flow.  Perhaps the sun will be out later so we can take my giant, hand chair to the beach and make a little $$$.

  
  

  BE WELL.

  • 9:57 am
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