Lucy's Lounge at Tutti Chic

A lot of lucyness & a smashed car....

Have you ever had a few weeks where absolutely everything goes wrong & the more you try to think positive the worse it gets?!LOL!! I always try to find the humor in most every situation because it seems to carry me thru the bumps in life. Two weeks ago I had the insane idea that maybe I should go BLONDE instead of my usual dark hair with highlights. I came home & loved it & was delighted that my husband loved it too! He's the one I'm trying to look good for right? The kids wanted my dark hair back & the grandkids said "I looked creepy!" I'm pretty Italian looking so just imagine my coloring with a head of blond locks!! What was I thinking??!! I don't even have a photo of me with the blonde. My mom said absolutely nothing when she saw me & you know how that goes...I  knew she hated it! Anyway, after torturing people with "should I go back to the darker me?" The consensus was "you are not a blond~your dark hair is your crowning glory" (a direct quote from a dear friend.) Tuesday was a bad day for me. Just one of those days where  everything seems to go wrong, so it fit right in with the past few weeks. I'm rather impulsive (wasn't lucy that way too?) I drove to a local beauty supply place & grabbed a bottle of dark medium brown thinking this will do the trick until I get to my hairdresser next week. I was afraid she would talk me out of it so I stupidly did it myself! Two words...BIG MISTAKE!!! Of course I put it all over my head & got busy with housework so it cooked for a good hour 1/2. I washed it & almost fainted when I looked in the mirror! I looked like this...........Jet Black!

Called my hairdresser & begged her not to be mad at me for doing this after she spent so long perfecting a pretty shade of blonde a few weeks ago on me. This was after I talked HER into turning me blond. UGHHH! Went today & got back my highlights after a lot of   teasing from everyone in the salon. So I'm a happy camper when I leave & totally back to normal (okay I'm never normal!) I get into my car that is less than a year old & SMASH right into the phone pole in the back(couldn't see it!) The whole trunk of my car is smashed in. I was nauseous it looked so bad! I debated lying to hubby about it but decided to come clean & tell him I didn't get hit, that I did this to myself! He was as he always is calm & practical in a tense situation. He is the calm to my storm always. We go out & meet my daughter for dinner  & are laughing about how I could possibly do the same thing I did 6 months ago again! (Yup, I backed into a car 6 months ago in our driveway & it was my daughters!) I leave early to take my grandaughter home & what do I do on the way out? I run over a giant rock hiding on the side of my car. I send gabby out to check on it & her eyes widen. "Grandpa is going to kill you this time!" she blurts out. How does one smash up both sides of a car in less than 3 hours I ask you???  How does one go from blonde to jet black in a few short weeks without her hair falling out??? I'm going to try & forget these past few weeks & watch a Lucy episode where I'll be in good company! Have I ever mentioned that my nickname around here is "LUCY?!" Hope all of you had a more sane couple of weeks than I had!LOL!!! xo

Before....

 After...

 I'm dreaming of a better next week! LOL! :)

Blissful Reading....

Just got my copy of "BLOGGING FOR BLISS" by the very talented Tara Frey & it truly is a "must have" for anyone interested in starting a blog or making theirs better! I am so guilty of torturing my dear friend Tara with questions all the time about blogging & now I have my very own reference manual with tons of photos of absolutley fabulous blogs & how-to's on virtually any question I  will ever have! So well written, easy to follow & so so many beautiful photos of fellow bloggers gorgeous blogs~I'm in awe & it's Tara's first book! Well done my dear friend & Congrats to you on your very first book! :)

Also Kari from Artsy Mama is hosting an online Blog Book Party on August 4th, click here here for more info. 

Hydrangea Heaven....

This beautiful snap is compliments of flickr

It's that time of the year here in the Northeast when one of my favorite bushes is in bloom! Hydrangeas are soooo heavenly here. The closer you get to the ocean the more vivid the blooms it seems. I've done some good research on how to change the color of  hydrangea blooms & thought I would share with all of you~Enjoy the photos of the summer's prettiest blossoms! xo

 

 

Here are some tips for changing the color of  these scrumptious blossoms~:)

Changing Blooms To Pink~

For hydrangea blooms to be pink, the plants must not take up aluminum from the soil. If the soil naturally contains aluminum, one must try to keep it away from the hydrangea's system. Following are a few tricks that might work:

• Add dolomitic lime several times a year. This will help to raise the pH. Shoot for a pH of about 6.0 to 6.2 (If it goes above 6.4 hydrangeas may experience an iron deficiency). Since hydrangeas take up aluminum best at lower pH levels, raising the pH will help to keep the bluing effect of aluminum out of the hydrangea's system.
  
  
• Use a fertilizer with high levels of phosphorus. Phosphorus helps to prevent aluminum from creeping into the system of the hydrangea. Choose a fertilizer close to the ratio of 25/10/10 (Phosphorus is the middle number).
  
  
• In areas that naturally produce blue hydrangeas (soils with aluminum), consider growing pink hydrangeas in large pots. If hydrangeas are grown in pots, it would be best to use soil-less mixtures, since these mixes would probably not have aluminum in them. In a pot, it will be much easier to control the requirements for growing pink hydrangeas.

Changing Blooms To Blue~

To obtain a blue hydrangea, aluminum must be present in the soil. To ensure that aluminum is present, aluminum sulfate may be added to the soil around the hydrangeas.

Authorities recommend that a solution of 1/2 oz (1 Tbsp) aluminum sulfate per gallon of water be applied to plants (which are at least 2-3 years old) throughout the growing season. Important: Water plants well in advance of application and put solution on cautiously, as too much can burn the roots.

To make the aluminum available to the plant, the pH of the soil should be low (5.2-5.5). Adding aluminum sulfate will tend to lower the pH of the soil. Another method for lowering the pH is to add organic matter to the soil such as coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peels, grass clippings etc.

If the soil naturally contains aluminum and is acid (low pH) the color of the hydrangea will automatically tend toward shades of blue and/or purple.

The choice of fertilzer will also affect the color change. A fertilizer low in phosphorus and high in potassium is helpful in producing a good blue color(25/5/30 is good. Potassium is the last number). Superphosphates and bone meal should be avoided when trying to produce blue.

After stating this with much certainty, I hasten to add that it is virtually impossible to turn a hydrangea blue for any length of time if it is planted in soil with no aluminum and that is highly alkaline (chalky). One would have to be very diligent in keeping the soil properly conditioned as stated above.

Perhaps the best idea for growing blue hydrangeas in an area with alkaline soil would be to grow them in very large pots using lots of compost to bring the pH down. The above suggestions for bluing would also work for a potted plant. Reduce the strength of the Aluminum sulfate to 1/4 oz per gallon of water. In a pot, it will be much easier to control the requirements for bluing.

Have fun with your hydrangeas my friends! xo

***HAPPY 4TH DEAR FRIENDS***

 

Have a safe & wonderful 4th of July~See you next week! xo