A Side of Sweet

How to Chalk Your Hair

Big thanks for today’s post on how to chalk your hair goes out to the talented Anna Lutzke from Be Inspired Salon and the amazing Kinsey of Kinsey Mhire Photography for styling and photo credits! Thanks ladies!

You may have noticed something weird about my hair in all my wedding photos that I’ve been sharing lately. My hair is purple…and pink…and blue.

Hair chalking is an easy way to temporarily add some sass to your look. I absolutely love all of the beautiful shades of pink and purple that tastemakers are sporting on le internets these day, however given my day job, a full purple dye job is not in my future. In addition, I hate what colored hair looks like as it as it fades and grows out. Yech.

DIY Hair Chalking

Art Pastels – I used this set, which is only $10 on Amazon and has free shipping!
Spray bottle (optional)

Start with dry, combed hair. Doing one small section at a time, moisten the ends. You can be fancy and use a spray bottle, but I just dipped my fingers under the faucet and patted the water into my hair. Take the pastel chalk color of your choice and gently rub it on the damp section of hair.

I found it works best to hold the very tip and rub the chalk away from my head. Then I place the entire section I want chalked in my palm and give it another good rub to get the very tips. Continue with as many sections as you desire. The final step is to heat seal with a straight iron or curling iron. You can see photos illustrating the process below!

Things to consider:

Especially in light hair, this will probably not completely come out in one shower. The pink really likes to hang around – in me it’s about 90% faded after 4 washes. That final 10% takes about 2 weeks to really disappear. If you are worried about this you can skip wetting your hair. Here’s some chalking I did myself the first day and then after a shower:

Hair chalking does work on brown hair. It’s more subtle, but still really pretty! You can see an example here.
Don’t blow dry or use styling products on your hair after it’s chalked as it can cause the color to come off or make a mess.
Once it’s heat set, I haven’t had any problem getting it on my clothes but it’s probably not the best night to bust out that new white silk shirt you’ve been dying to wear!

If you try this look, I’d love to see a photo!

See more of our wedding photos & DIYs:

DIY Hanging Twine Balls
First Look Wedding Photos, Part I
First Look Wedding Photos, Part II
Wedding Dance Party Photos
Wedding Details – Dessert Table & Table Decorations
Wedding Updo – How to Chalk Your Hair
Wedding Ceremony Pictures
Wedding Getting Ready Pictures
Vintage Drawer Pulls as Placecard Holders DIY
DIY Wedding Photobooth Setup with Printable
DIY Gilded Upcycled Plastic Cups
DIY Glitter Upcycled Silverware
DIY Honey Jar Wedding Favors
Rustic Wedding Cake Frosting Technique
Stuffed S’mores Cupcakes Recipe
DIY Glitter Swizzle Sticks
DIY Embossed Envelopes
Engagement Photos, Part I
Engagement Photos, Part II

Camping Oatmeal Recipe

Gluten Free Vegetarian

Figuring out what to eat while camping often takes advance planning and requires a special trip to the grocery store. Because we don’t always have a lot of time leading up to our vacations, Pat and I have created this camping oatmeal recipe made from things you probably have around the house to take with us while camping or hiking. I’m going to share a rough recipe for it as a guide, but really it is a “scoop of this” and a “spoonful of that” and not based on strict measurements!

This recipe is great because it’s healthy, balanced, portable and non-perishable. It’s basically the perfect camping recipes! You can also make it gluten-free if you buy gluten-free oatmeal. … Read More »

Chocolate Chai Ice Cream

This chocolate chai ice cream recipe is a home run. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, perfectly rich and the blend of chai spices is deliciously complex. It almost reminded me of a brownie batter with chai spices. Yum.

Arguably, you could make this with premixed chai tea but whole spices elevate this ice cream to the next level. I used saigon cinnamon that was sent to me by Cinnamon Hill. It’s hot and sweet and really packs a punch. It’s my first time cooking with gourmet cinnamon and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the spice! The cinnamon came individually wrapped and the box was stamped with the date it was harvested – only a month before! I also used their cinnamon grater to dust the ice cream with a bit more cinnamon before serving. I don’t think I can go back to the supermarket stuff.

Chocolate Chai Ice Cream Recipe

Thanks so much for reading A Side of Sweet! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, or Twitter, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts (see sidebar).

Camping in Big Sur

Pat and I recently spent four days in Big Sur and Los Padres National Forest. It was so nice to get out of San Francisco and spend some time in nature camping in Big Sur! Quick stop in Seaside, California

Of course we took Maddie with us. We stopped in Seaside for a wee break for her. She loves running through the sand! We incidentally spotted two whales playing right off the beach. It’s my first time seeing whales in the wild. It was quite something to see them come out of the water – such massive and amazing creatures. Quick stop in Seaside, California Gorgeous Ocean View on Highway 1, California

We also stopped at the Cannery Row Antique Mall in Monterey on the way down. Talk about absolute heaven! Definitely pricier than an outdoor flea market but so many beautiful pieces everywhere! Pat had to drag me away so we could get to Big Sur in time to find a campsite.

Cannery Row Antique Mall in Monterey California

Our ‘last meal’ before hiking in to find a camping spot was this gorgeous salad with mixed greens, blue cheese and edamame. Camping Salad - Big Sur Camping Trip

We spent most of our nights camping in Los Padres National Forest. We love national forests for several reasons – camping is free on national forest land and usually the sites are much more scenic and peaceful than a campground that is full of RV’s and noisy travelers.

Camping in Big Sur and Los Padres National Forest

The only downside to camping in California is that there is poison oak everywhere. Make sure you know what it looks like before doing any hiking in northern California! Camping in Big Sur and Los Padres National Forest - Mill Creek Trail

Maddie had an absolute blast. With so many bugs to chance and sticks to chew on she would alternate being completely tuckered out. Camping in Big Sur and Los Padres National Forest - Dog Heaven

These gorgeous snaps are from our final campsite at Kirk Creek Campground. This place is a definite gem. It’s quiet, clean and right on the ocean. There is a path that you can walk down the cliffs to the ocean to a majestic rocky beach.

Camping in Big Sur and Los Padres National Forest - Kirk Creek Campground

It was also a great place to catch the sunset. I’m just crazy about the lighting in these photos. Camping in Big Sur and Los Padres National Forest - Kirk Creek Campground

And a few more gratuitous doggie photos to wrap up the trip! Camping in Big Sur and Los Padres National Forest - Doggie Paradise!

Like this post on Big Sur? Here are a few more:

More camping in Big Sur + Camping Curry Recipe
A Weekend in Big Sur
Recipe for Camping Oatmeal
Big Sur & The Trust for Public Land

Wedding :: The Ceremony

Our ceremony was short and sweet. We were married in Olin Park in Madison, WI surrounded by 35 of the people that we hold nearest and dearest.

Both of Pat’s parents walked him down the aisle. Such incredible people that have raised the incredible man that is now my husband.

Our Wedding Photos - Olin Park Ceremony - Kinsey Mhire Photography

My lovely bridesmaids were all Pat’s sisters. I told them I wanted them to wear a short blue dress and left the rest up to them. I know weddings can become expensive not just for the bride and groom, but for the wedding party as well and I didn’t want them to spend hundreds of dollars on a dress they would only wear for a day. I thought this way, they could wear something they already had or at least have a shot at getting something they can use again!

Our Wedding Photos - Blue Bridesmaids Dresses - Kinsey Mhire Photography

My dad walked me down the aisle and gave me away to Pat. Our Wedding Photos - Here Comes the Bride - Kinsey Mhire Photography

Pat made the archway out of fallen trees in a park near our house. He surprised me and carved our initials over our heads. So sweet.

Our Wedding Photos - Small Ceremony in Olin Park - Kinsey Mhire Photography

A friend did a reading of a poem that I love by Pablo Neruda:

Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda

I don’t love you as if you were the salt-rose, topaz
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as certain dark things are loved,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom and carries
hidden within itself the light of those flowers,
and thanks to your love, darkly in my body
lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride:
I love you in this way because I don’t know any other way of loving

but this, in which there is no I or you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.

Our Wedding Photos - Madison, WI Wedding - Kinsey Mhire Photography

A friend got ordained online to marry us. He did a wonderful job and it made the ceremony so much more personal. Pat and I exchanged vows we had written ourselves. Much to my dismay, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I ugly-cried. In solidarity, Pat did too. Our Wedding Photos - Madison, WI Wedding - Kinsey Mhire Photography

There weren’t too many dry eyes in the house! Our Wedding Photos - Madison, WI Wedding - Kinsey Mhire Photography Our Wedding Photos - Kinsey Mhire Photography Our Wedding Photos - Exchanging Rings - Kinsey Mhire Photography Our Wedding Photos - Married! - Kinsey Mhire Photography

In a little over 15 minutes, it was all over and done. Boom. Married! Our Wedding Photos - Chalked Hair - Kinsey Mhire Photography Our Wedding Photos - Married! - Kinsey Mhire Photography

Vendors:

Hair: Anna Lutzke, Be Inspired Salon
Make up: Erin Helley
Dress: Custom
Shoes: Kate Spade
Jewelry: Kate Spade
Flowers: Fontaine
Photography: Kinsey Mhire Photography

See more of our wedding photos & DIYs:

Peach Swirl Buttermilk Ice Cream

Is anyone else obsessed with Orange is the New Black? I should say I was obsessed because I watched all twelve episodes of the first season in the course of three days when I was on vacation a few weeks ago.