Who hasn't seen or applied this henna design yet?

Finally a tutorial by yours truly! There are several variations of this design floating around the webs, but I took a my copy from @hudabeauty on instagram. I'd like to give credit to @hennabydivya who I was told is the original designer of this pattern, it was lots of fun to apply and has been insanely popular with my customers. I've altered this design slightly a few times on some of my clients, it has a very "gulfy" look and feel to it.

Henna Fusion

When I was a child I wanted to grow up to be an illustrator. In one way that dream did come true, I mean henna is an illustration, isn't it? A few years ago I started drafting ebooks with henna patterns. My first books were awful, but my skills have improved since then and has become another creative outlet. 

For the past few months I've worked hard to complete an upcoming ebook release. I sketched, tested, re sketched, and then drafted in ink many designs. Some designs didn't make the final cut, yes I'm a little obsessive about my ebooks lol. 

Fusion henna designs have become my new passion. Fusion happens when I combine several different styles of henna into one design. The design pictured below is a mixture of Moroccan (the shape/outline), Indian (fillers), and Arabic (bold lines and accents). I've now decided to do an ebook just on fusion designs alone, but this is a great start. 

What do you think? What are your favorite styles of henna to mix? Join me on Pinterest, where I'll start previewing my fusion designs.

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Iftar for those in need

For the past couple of years I've belonged to a group of Muslimahs (muslim women), who raise money for various charities. We usually pick an individual or organization and use our talents (baking, cooking, henna, selling goods, ect) to raise money. During this Ramadhan we're raising money for families in India and Sri Lanka. To do so we're selling sweets and finger foods from around the world that are handcrafted locally. If you're local (Portland OR) and wish to support a good cause please stop by. If you're not local, you can still donate at theoneummah.org

Henna Party Floral Design

I know how much you love tutorials. Here's another video with a design perfect for henna parties. This design looks really cute embellished with glitter and rhinestones (after the henna paste has been removed).

As always, thanks for watching. If you haven't done so please subscribe to my youtube channel. If I reach 14,000 subscribers by the end of July I'll host a massive giveaway.

All content copyright 2013 Free Hand Mehndi

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Fabulous Florals getting a jump start on holiday henna

Before releasing ebooks I like to make sure all of the designs can be replicated using henna. Believe it or not, not everything looks good in henna. To prevent my pattern books from being filled with impossible designs I do a little test run.

Today I started testing out patterns for "Fabulous Florals". An ebook full of floral hand designs and motifs. This ebook is set to release just in time for the Eid ul fitr holiday in early August. 

The floral patterns look great with beautiful Eid attire and are beginner to intermediate in difficulty, allowing easy application for artists of all levels. 

Oh and that fab orange is "Courtney Orange" by Sinful Colors. About 90% of my polish collection is sinful colors. I can only describe this color as tangerine satin. Sinful Colors is super affordable and available at drugstores {1.99}.

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Mandalas sacred symbols in henna

Mandala is Sanskrit for circle, and has a sacred and deeply spiritual meaning for many. This henna season one can find mandalas just about anywhere from palms, tops of the feet, even on shoulder blades.

It is said that mandalas have a calming property, allowing the mind to focus and filter out the stress of the day. Even if this isn't a part of your belief system, you can't help but get lost in the intricate patterns that complete a mandala. 

After being sick all week and on the road to recovery I decided to henna myself. The mandala was a natural choice and allowed me to filter out the icky that was making its way out, and focusing on an upcoming exciting weekend. 

Thank you for stopping by. Health and wellness in your future.  Peace and blessings be upon you. 

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Faryal Makhdoom's Bridal Mehndi

Does her name not ring a bell? Ding ding! She's the wife of boxer Amir Khan. Until I saw their wedding album in the June 10th issue of Hello! magazine I'd never heard of either of them.

What a beautiful couple. Of course I had to thumb through the magazine to see all of lovely wedding pictures, and of course I was looking for pics of the mehndi. 

Her hands were simple mandalas with finger accents. The palms and feet were not shown. I'll soon post pictures of my attempt at Faryal's bridal mehndi but I thought I'd share a few bits of their special day. 

Congrats Amir and Faryal! 

A little something tribal

While stuck in bed feeling bleh I decided to get creative. This hand design is adapted from a foot design I've done many times in the past year. It's giving me an ethnic tribal vibe. What do you say?

Adding a little beauty twist to this post I popped on one of my fav nail polishes. It's almost a neon lavender which looks great on tan or darker skin tones. The color is "Fairytale" from the JulieG line manufactured by Jessie's Girl Cosmetics. I love the colors and quality in this line. The first coat is a little streaky so I always do two. It's long lasting and doesn't chip. 

Mehndi Mandala Festival or Party Henna Design

This month I was invited to apply henna for wedding guests at the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara temple. Inspired by the artwork and name of the temple, a lot of mandalas were applied. I decided to recreate one of my favorite manadalas applied that day. This manadala is really easy to apply and is perfect for henna parties or festivals.

Thank you to bride Alicia and groom Triratna for having me be a part of your special day.

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