DecapitateHer Cakes



that's me in the white helmet



When I played derby, my name was DecapitateHer and in those days having props was still cool. Now, derby has evolved rather quickly into a ‘no shit’ competitive sport with sponsors, championships, and regional and national tournaments; so props are kind of amateur-ish. By the way, Western Regionals is happening right now in Sacramento. Anyway, this isn’t about derby, I just wanted to say that since my name is DecapitateHer (in white helmet), in the beginning, I had this mannequin head and sickle and I’d skate around as if I just lopped it off. I had it strapped to a derby helmet and everything, it was freakin awesome…anywaaaay.

So I have this thing sitting around but I totally forgot about it because it was hiding under all my hats! It’s perfect to show off my earrings! Nice! I guess cosmetology school and my knack for holding on to things that “I’ll use someday” has paid off. The funny thing is I have the head in a light box so when I open my garage to get the sunlight, people see me taking pictures of a head in a box, nice!

In other news, I made this cake for my friend’s birthday. It’s my second cake “boss” style and it was fun and quicker than the Thomas one. I used waaaaay too much butter cream frosting though. I didn’t realize how thick it went on so it kinda ruined the cake. It was way too sugary to enjoy. Blah! Practice makes perfect.

Peace

I found the Best Hemp on the Planet!

Ecolution Hemp

One word, Ecolution. This is the creme de la creme of hemp twine and yarn. Hell, even their natural processing had me sunk! Their website offers information and pictures on their processing technique as well as how they use natural dyes from plants. They are so earth freindly that I would never have to wonder if the product I am selling is pure. But anyway, enough about how I want to leave my family and go work for Ecolution, let's talk about the product.



hemp twine



If you are a hemper, whether you knot or knit, Ecolution has what you need. The twine used for knotting has long fibers so it's less sctratchy (if scratchy at all) and the product won't fray easily.  If you hate those little stray fibers that stick out and poke you or that make your jewelry look like shit, this hemp is your answer.





current project



hemp yarn



The hemp yarn is love!!!! A while back I picked up a denim colored spool from my favorite store, Shipwreck Beads. Can you believe I only live 20 minutes from there?! Anyway, so I brought this hemp home and I instantly fell in love with it's charm. Soft to the touch, easy on the eyes (and fingers) and greatest of all, I could tat this yarn so much easier than twine. This is where I started tatting hemp into jewelry. I've been interested in tatting for a while, but I'll save that story for another blog post.

The catch with Ecolution is that you can't just go on their site and order a spool from their store. You have to find a retailer, blah! While I get mine from Shipwreck, you can find and order from the retailer of your choice.

This is it! Ecolution is the Best Hemp on the Planet.



Denim Hemp from Ecolution



Betty Rocker

So I got a little obsessed with cake shows. Cake Boss, Duff, Food Network Challenge, etc. I had to try it. It looked so awesome and they make it seem so easy! I planned for 2 months and made my son's 2nd birthday cake and must say it turned out to be a complete success despite a couple cosmetic issues, but it was a solid cake...right on!

As a matter of fact, I don't think i can enjoy cake without fondant on it. Well, thats a lie, I would probably eat any kind of cake. But you get the idea. If you haven't tried cake with marshmallow fondant on it, you need to. YUM!

You see those trees? He played with those trees forever. My son loves trees by the way. I plan to make him another bling cake for his next birthday. Maybe he'll be into something cool like Batman or some other comic. That would be rad.

I'm making a 6" round cake for my friend's birthday this weekend. I'll blog about it most likely.

Ciao!

The Quest Continues

Hempmania – On one of my early morning searches for quality hemp, I stumbled upon Hempmania; a site that has been up and running since 1997. They offer quality hemp products and adhere to fair trade practices (sweet!). Ok, I’ll bite. So I ordered 4 spools of hemp yarn; blue, purple, forest green, and natural. I have only used the natural so far and was impressed with the finished look. There is a slight shine to it which really brings life to what is otherwise just fibrous cord. This is encouraging to use the other colors and see how polished they might look. What I’m not a huge fan of is that their yarn is SO fine, that I felt like I had giant hands palming the yarn because there wasn’t much to grip, lol! With hemp this fine, the fibers fray and fuzz if they get overworked. Overall, getting hemp supplies from Hempmania is worth it. However, I’m not ready to call it the Best Hemp on the Planet.

Next stop on my mission to find the best hemp on the planet is Ecolution. I have a feeling this is a major contender for the title. Everything from the way their product is harvested and processed to the end user results is enticing. Til next time, happy hemping!

WTB The Best Hemp on the Planet

Finding quality hemp is time consuming but worth it.


Why use hemp? For one …it’s natural! Hemp does not use pesticides. It can grow organically without using harsh chemicals that harm the earth, people, or animals. Besides the cord and twine that I use to make jewelry, hemp can be used to make more durable clothing, paper, oil, building materials, moisturizers and lotion, bags and carriers, the list goes on. Check out my treasury featuring some creative ways of using hemp.

Since I started knotting hemp into jewelry, I have used the basic natural hemp roll sold at your average Michael’s, A.C. Moore, or Jo-Anne’s. It has served me well but I have grown tired of the scratchy smelly hemp that is harvested who knows where. Now that I am back into it, I want to track down quality hemp that is grown, harvested, and processed in an eco friendly way. I want to know the origins of the hemp I use, for various reasons. For one I want to support those who are trying to create a positive impact to our planet and not support those whose main drive is money and greed. For another, quality hemp that is harvested and processed right will offer the most comfort, which is important to people who choose hemp clothes and jewelry.

Below is the start of a list of the companies I am checking out on my quest to find the best hemp on the planet. After this initial blog, I will be adding update blogs as I try out different vendors and hemp providers. Know of a great place to get hemp? Please let me know in the comments or in a message and I will be sure to give them a try and include them in an upcoming blog.

Let’s start off on a positive foot…

carnation pink results

NearSea - has quality stuff. I mean top of the line hemp. I have only tried their hemp yarn in licorice and there is hardly a flaw in their product. Their yarn seams to stay pretty consistent throughout which is invaluable when you are trying to make two things the same size. As I recall their hemp came from a reputable place and cleared my eco radar. Unfortunately, my last order from them didn’t leave me pleased. It arrived beautifully and was in great shape when it got here. It even had a beautiful twist. But once I removed the packaging, the ends started getting lost among all the rest until it was knotting and tangling and…well, I ended up salvaging what I could. High quality product, not user friendly. UPDATE! After I sent an email sayng pretty much the same thing I said in this post, Near Sea has given me a complete refund including the shipping costs. wow! Customer loyalty has always rang true with this girl.

NearSea yarn in licorice

Next company to evaluate is Hempmania! I have recently ordered 4 small rolls of hemp in different colors. Let's see what they have to offer!

star designer

I did it! I designed my very own hemp necklace. Usually hemp jewelry is pretty much set in stone. Yes you can use variations to give your stuff a different or unique look but basically, it's all been knotted before. Which can be a discouraging thing when every other hemper or hemptress has the similar products. Since I've started tatting, I have been able to use hemp in a different way to still make jewelry.

But yesterday, what started out as an earring quickly became my inspiration jump off point. After I realized I wouldn't have enough hemp left to make two earrings, I stopped my work and was left with the main part of my necklace. This has happened before, but I never followed through with completing anything from it. Not wanting to waste this prescious ( and more expensive) hemp yarn, I acted fast before my attention was taken by something else..ooh shiny! I got some beads, some findings, and set my design into motion. Granted this wasn't some crazy wake me out of my dreams idea, but for someone who gets creativity in streaks and free time in the DAYtime seldomly, I was pretty excited. I took pictures almost immediately and will be posting it to my Etsy store sometime this morning =]. Check it out!

Hemp Lace Necklace