The Cherry Creek Arts Festival 2011

I remember attending the very first Cherry Creek Arts Festival when I was in High School.  I was a budding artist and the concept was so cool to me.  Basically, it's a large scale art event situated right in the middle of the Cherry Creek North shopping district.  There is usually a lot of live music, wine & beer gardens, food and even craft stations for the little ones.  Not only is there lots of cool activities, music and artist booths, but visiting the surrounding shops can be fun too.  Now that I'm older, I enjoy heading to the festival but with the family in tow.  My kids all love to draw so I like to think that maybe the art and artists are an inspiration for them now like the festival was for me when I was younger.  It sounded like a great way to spend my birthday this week which is only 3 days after the 4th of July. 

 Here are a few pictures I took at this years' event.

My Curly Braid out

Lots of good food

Just couldn't resist the Smoked Turky Leg

Festive 4th of July bikes

My Protective Hair Styles for Summer

Side Bun

I'm really trying to be patient for APL which has been my hair length goal for a while now.  I'm still an inch away from it which is really frustrating.  I'm guessing it will take another two months before I reach it.  I've decided that in order get to where I want to be, I need to really baby my hair and keep it protected. 

It actually feels good to keep my hair off of my neck on hot days.  I try to wear my hair up in a bun or french braids whenever I can.  Sometimes I also like to throw it up into the occasional puff.  I've even been thinking about wearing some type of half wig or lace front to keep my hair completely under wraps.  That's a new concept for me though so it may be a minute before I jump on that bandwagon.  I wore it down for the 4th of July weekend but now it's back up again.

Side Bun Back view

French Braids

Our Herb Garden

Lavender Flowers in our herb garden

This morning the hubby and I got up to harvest a few herbs from our garden.  Almost everything in it is edible except for a few flower bushes and ground covers.  The soil is dark and rich and most of the plants come back each year which gives us lots of herbs all summer long.  Herbs can really take off once in the ground but we also have some planted in containers.  



Fresh cut lavender ready for drying

Our lavender bushes were the main concern today because the flowers can lose essential oils as the heat sets in later in the afternoon.  We have to cut them in the morning so that they'll be at their best for later use.  Afterwards, we hang them to dry in a cool, dark place and then use the flowers and buds in crafts like lavender sachets or Lavender Vanilla Sugar. 









Potted rosemary

I try to use most of the herbs fresh when I cook during the summer and whatever is left in the fall, we cut and dry for the winter months.  My husband also uses some of the herbs to make his own fruit & herb flavored vinegars which we currently sell in our Etsy store.





 

 

 

 

 

Fresh cut chives

This week we're planning on cooking steaks for the first time on our new grill so the chives we cut today will go great with baked potatoes.  I'm also looking forward to using the mint in drinks this weekend or to top a creamy dessert.



CHECK OUT our Etsy store, MimisCraftPantry for Dave's Herb Flavored Vinegars.



Sage

I use this in chicken dishes
and my homemade cornbread dressing



Peppermint
I love that it grows continuously
throughout the summer

Potted thyme
Adds flavor to soups and sauces

Sale This Week at SamsBeauty.com!

I just found out that the already reasonable shopping on SamsBeauty.com is going to be even better this week with their 4th of July Sale.  Some things are still "Buy 1 Get Free," even though it says Saturday and Sunday only.  I've been browsing through the Synthetic Lace wigs on sale and there is a lot to choose from.  Other items include jewelry, cosmetics, skincare and hair products.  I got the heads up from one of my favorite YouTubers Dezi1016 in a video where she is talking about some of the things that are for sale.  There's even a clearance section.  Check it out!

Click here to see Dezi1016's video

Denver Natural Hair Meet-Up: The Re-Cap

Me and Sabrina Perkins of
SeriouslyNatural.org

I'm winding down and letting my feet rest after all of the days' activities.  There were plenty of things to do today before the meet-up downtown but we managed to pull it off.  The great thing about all of this is that Sabrina (of SeriouslyNatural.org) and I have lots of ideas for the next event.  Getting ready for tonight was like opening up a whole new world of possibilities.  We met lots of great contacts and found support from places we didn't know were there. 

The Rio Grande Mexican Grille served up some excellent strawberry margaritas and mexican dishes.   Thanks to the friendly staff who were also very accomodating, we had an enjoyable evening.  A big thanks to everyone who came out to our first event.  It was really great to get a chance to speak with everyone and share our tips and experiences.


Rio Grande Mexican Grille
in Downtown Denver






Hair talk and good food

 


Me with Shanae Smith and Ayanna Blueford
Loved talking with you ladies

 



 


Goodie bags with free samples

Thanks to all of the businesses that offered items for our gift bags including:  

Kinky Curly

Curlformers

Sephora Shops at Cherry Creek Mall and Northlands



Giveaway Prizes

(Carol's Daughter & Ojon Samples) More Than Curly Salon in Aurora (Ouidad Samples)



We look forward to doing it all again in the future so be sure to email either Sabrina or myself if you would like to receive info on upcoming events.

curlyincolorado@yahoo.com

Seriouslynatural4@gmail.com