My lovely weekend

First of all, hello new followers!

So I've added a menu thingy on top here so it's easier to find me on other social networks, like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

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Here's a few names/places I will mention in this post, and I've made a mini Norwegian-English dictionary to begin with!

Volda - Where I live. Tiny place with the most stunning surroundings ever.

Ørsta - A small "town"(10 min from Volda) with a bus stop and a "mall", if you can call it a mall. It's tiny, takes about 5 min to roam the stores and then you're done. Nothing really to do in Ørsta.

Moa - A huge shopping mall, actually three large buildings! It's 1,5hrs by bus from Volda.

Ålesund - The largest city in the area I live in, 2hrs by bus from Volda.

Pinnekjøtt - Not a city! It's a traditional dish made of lamb or mutton. Looks like this.

Okay, we're good to go! This Saturday (26th) was me and my boyfriend's first anniversary. He's been telling me for ages now that we were going to Ørsta to go shopping, and then eat pizza in Volda before we head home again. I've been hoping that we maaaayyybeee were going to Moa, but he's been going on about shopping in Ørsta for weeks now, so that's what I imagined we were doing on our special day. Of couse, I'd be happy with a trip to Ørsta, but I was kinda hoping for Moa. Anyway, I decided to believe him and when we got on the bus I thought we were hopping off in Ørsta.

We arrived in Ørsta, and I said "We're here!". Boyfriend went "No, I don't think so..." and we didn't get off the bus... okay.. maybe we're going to Moa after all!! We drove for an hour or so, and got to the ferry (yeah we actually need to go on a ferry to get to the mainland) and I was getting very curious. Moa is only about 15 min away from the ferry port on the mainland, and I asked if we were going there or not. Then he admitted yes, we're going to Moa.

YAY! Shopping centre HEAVEN! We went in and I got some new underwear, a leopard print cardi, nylon stockings, make up... and even two super cute garter belts. Been wanting one for ages, and finally I found one in my size and it looked pretty nice on as well ;) (I will be doing another blog post on my buys when I've gotten some decent photos taken). When I was about to pay for some stuff in the first store, boyfriend gave me HIS card. Eeeek! I was stunned.

We got some lunch and I had my first Christmas soda! I don't think you guys will know what that is.. it's a red soda which tastes like awesomeness and it's only in stores during Christmas. It was yummy! After lunch, we did some more shopping and then boyfriend suggested we should go back to the bus. We went for the bus, and I saw that it was the Ålesund bus. Wow, we're going to Ålesund as well!!

A few pics of Ålesund. The city burnt down in 1904, and was rebuild in total art noveau style. So many lovely buildings, and the architecture is stunning.

After about 15 minutes we were in Ålesund, and he told me that we had to walk over to where he works, since he'd left his phone charger at work. We headed towards his work and suddenly he turned and walked into a hotel. Seriously?? He had booked us into this super nice hotel for the night. We checked in and when we got to the room I was so happy that I started crying! I couldn't believe it. After a little while chilling in the room (and me emptying my shopping bags out on the bed to look at my new stuff.. I always do this) we headed out again. Now for the ultimate joke of the evening...

We went to an Irish pub (Irish and Irish.. dunno about that) and ordered a beer for himself and a drink for me. No need to write what I had.. (of course rum and Coca Cola!!). Boyfriend said we should go to the pub for a rest before we headed to the place we were going to eat, since my ankle was starting to act up on me and I was in pain. After our drinks, he warned me that we had to walk for about 20 minutes and hopefully my ankle would handle it. It was pouring down outside, and I thought "great.. my hair..". We rushed out and across the street, and when I was about to stop to pull my scarf over my head he opened the door to the most fancy shit restaurant ever. STRAIGHT ACROSS THE STREET! 20 minutes walk, as if!!

The red arrow shows the extremely long way from pub to restaurant....

The restaurant was amazing and we ordered pinnekjøtt. It was awesome and we left an hour later with full bellies and a good mood. We bought some snacks and went back to the hotel to relax and watch TV. It was seriously the best day of my life, and the best first anniversary ever! I've been fooled for such a long time about shopping in Ørsta and pizza, and look what he did for me. I am truly grateful for having him in my life.. best boyfriend ever.

Tomas, I love you more than I love chocolate!

We're now back in Winter wonderland Volda! It's been snowing all day, and it's still falling down. I'm in totally Christmas mood and I'm listening to Brian Setzer's Christmas songs :)

The little road leading to our street, filled with snow :)

I hope you've had a great weekend too!!

xxx

Miss K.

Normal hairdressers vs. Bettie bangs

I bet every single rockabilly girl out there with Bettie bangs have experienced this at some point: Trying to get a "normal" hairdresser to cut your fringe.

When I decided to cut my Bettie bangs I was quite new to the whole rockabilly look, but I knew that the fringe had to be perfect. I knew exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it to look, and after some research I found a hairdresser that kinda understood what I was after. I remember being terribly nervous.

I did something very smart (and I will recommend it), I brought photos of girls with the perfect fringe. I brought many photos showing the fringe from different angles etc, and the hairdresser saw what I wanted. My hard work and research didn't really pay off, because this is what I went home with:

The fringe is okay enough, but it's not really a Bettie fringe.. I was happy with it since it was my first time having a fringe since I was a kid, but I decided that this was probably the last time I would trust a hairdresser to do my fringe. It's actually pretty weird looking at that photo, I had SUPERshort hair, undercuts and it's blonde! I don't look that way anymore!

Only a few days after that photo was taken, I got my scissors and cut them the way I wanted them to be..

This all happened while I still lived in Norway and hairdressers here will easily charge me like £15 for a wee trim. I moved to Belfast and, naturally, my hair kept on growing. I needed my roots done and I found a hairdresser close to my house. Now the most horrible hairdresser experience story begins....

I told them I wanted my roots bleached and my fringe trimmed. First, she didn't understand me. I know I am Norwegian but my English isn't that bad, and she just looked and me and rolled her eyes. She started applying the bleach and the black dye for my fringe, and when she babbled something with her chewing gum-filled mouth I didn't really understand her, since she had the worst Belfast accent EVER, was chewing gum and talked to me whilst blow drying another customer. She then got angry with me for not walking over to the sinks to get the colour washed out. Well, I am sorry, I didn't understand you, you hubba-bubba monster lady.

After the wash which was so rough I wanted to cry (my scalp was sore from hard bleach and her acrylic nails scratching it didn't really do it for me) it was time for her to cut my split ends and trim my fringe. She cut my hair way too short, and my undercuts were cut so short I looked like a lesbian. (I'm sorry lesbian people, but you get the picture!) I told her to cut my fringe in a U-shape and I showed her how I wanted it. She refused to do it! She wanted to give me a straight fringe with some randoms strands of hair here and there, and I said NO, I want a U-shape. Guess what she did.

She went back to the sinks and started talking about ME to her co-workers. Then she friggin' pointed at me and they both laughed! I was so angry and upset. She came back and I told her to just blow dry my hair and leave it. She did, and I paid and left in a rage.

When I came home I started trimming my fringe again, and then I saw that my roots were still very very very THERE. I went back raging and told them that I wanted my money back. I showed her how my hair looked and she went "we can't give you a refund, it's just your fringe that's not dyed, the rest is dead on.. but we'll fix it for you right now". I made up some lame excuse and she offered me her business card. Well, that business card was later posted on my Facebook warning my fellow students not to go there. I felt so bad about myself, they had laughed at me because of how I wanted my hair and they were so not professional with me as a customer. I cried and felt horrible for days!

My awful hair grew and I needed another trim. I randomly googled "rockabilly Belfast" and found Vintage Rocks Hair Parlour in Belfast. Oh dear goodness me, why didn't I see this before?? After one visit to Vintage Rocks I never went to anyone else. It did take me 35 min by bus to get there and it did cost me some money, but I was so happy with the result. They treated me like I was a friend and I always left with the most amazing hair, perfect fringe and some extra confidence.

Ever since, I've cut my fringe and dyed my hair myself. I will never go to another hairdresser (not when I'm living in Norway that is) again, and if I ever go to Belfast again I'm off to Vintage Rocks!

A few tips if you're considering getting a fringe:

- Bring heaps of photos to your hairdresser.

- You can't explain it enough times... It's supposed to look like this, it's not a badly cut fringe.

- Do your research. I didn't and ended up with low self esteem and a lesbian hair cut.

- If you live in Belfast or Northern Ireland in general, go to Vintage Rocks.

- If you're brave enough, just do it yourself. There's heaps of YouTube videos out there showing how to cut your own fringe, and I am planning on doing one on how to trim a already existing Bettie fringe.

- Don't care about other people's opinion, especially not gum-chewing hairdressers. It's your hair, you do whatever you want with it! :)

xxx

Miss K

A little how-to: Bettie bangs

Here's my latest YouTube video! Check out my other videos on my channel right HERE :)

Body Image

How do you feel about yourself?

This is not going to be a sad and "oh I feel so bad, everyone feel sorry for me" post. I just wanna talk a bit about it!

I've never liked my body. Never.

Before I found the rockabilly style I had this idea that I had to be stick skinny and have long blonde hair to be considered attractive and beautiful. How could my mind be that twisted??

After I met my fiancé my body image has changed drastically. He tells me all the time how pretty I am and how nice I look. I still struggle to believe it sometimes, but it's starting to sink it now. He's such a nice guy and him coming into my life has made me feel so much better about myself and my life.

In February it's 5 years ago since I broke my ankle. It snapped straight off, and if I hadn't been wearing high boots when it happened, I wouldn't have a right foot today. It's gross to think about and the awful memories are still in my head from that very day. It's still hard to talk about and I'm not going to go into how it happened, it's just sick and sad. That day I was rushed to hospital and I had surgery done twice. I remembered asking the surgeon if I would be able to walk again, and he said "don't count on it". I was devastated, I had my whole life in front of me and now I wouldn't be able to walk.

I was out of hospital after 16 painful days, and it followed 3 even more painful months using crutches and then another 2-3 months of walking very slowly in pain. It took me ages to recover, but I did! I can walk perfectly fine today and it's not noticeable. What people don't know is that every single step hurts and some days it feels like I've had nails inserted into my ankle joint by a nail gun. If I've been walking a lot one day, I'm not able to walk from the sofa into the bathroom without limping like some Quasimodo and I can't use my ankle joint at all.

Here's my leg after a day with lots of walking. Painful as hell.

The point of telling this story is.. something drastic happened to me, and I've learnt to live with it and make the best out of the situation I'm in. There's not really anything I can do, my ankle will get worse and worse for every year I live, but what can I do? Nothing. What I CAN change is the way I feel about myself. I can eat healthy, I can exercise (no running..obviously) and I can lose weight. I can learn how to think good about myself, and I can change my body into being how I want it to be.

When I see girls my age that are really obese, I feel bad. Sometimes I think "that could have been me". What hurts me the most is when they nag about being obese and how bad they feel... but still they keep pouring down Coca Cola and eating crisps. I'm pretty sure they know that Coke and crisps are only contributing to your problem.. I'd love to help you out in some way, but you need to do something about your lifestyle and eating habits as well. You don't get healthy by doing nothing!

My knowlegde about myself have changed so much since my accident and since I found the rockabilly style. Rockabilly allows curvy women and having that in mind I'm starting to feel proud about not being stick skinny. I still don't love myself, but I know that I can change. I like myself much more now than I did a year ago. Imagine how I'll feel next year, and the year after? I have to learn to let people think what they want about me and how I look, as long as I know that I like myself.

What I do know is...

I'd rather be healthy but curvy, than skinny and unhealthy.

xxx

Miss K

Candy Cool - Cutest stuff there is!

It's here!!

Like I said yesterday, I've modelled for the amazing Dolly Cool. She's my all-time favorite rockabilly jewellery maker chick, and I was thrilled when she asked if I wanted to model for her. Here's a couple of the other photos from my Candy Cool shoot, exclusively for you!

The photos are now up on her website, and I think everyone will find something they love! Not only from the new Candy Cool collection, but from her whole range of amazing stuff.

Check it out!

I now have tons of Dolly Cool stuff, and I might need to get a nice jewellery box soon so I can keep them in an nice place. I'm still thinking about making my own necklace box or something to hang them up on, but I haven't gotten that far yet. If you have any good ideas let me know :) I also have a lot of cool hair ties, bows and clips from DC and they also need a home... I'll add it to my Christmas wish list I think!

That's it for today, but I have a little question for you;

- Any requests for my next video tutorial?

I'm twisting my mind trying to figure out something cool I can show you guys, but I'd like to know what you're interested in seeing?

Leave me a comment here or on Facebook or Twitter! I love your tweets, keep'em coming :)

xxx

Miss K.

Photoshoot for Dolly Cool and Christmas cards

I've been feeling creative lately!

A few days ago I received a packet from Dolly Cool with some necklaces I'm gonna model for. I've been so excited about this, and I decided that today was photoshoot day. I've learnt from previous photoshoots with myself that my make-up doesn't always show nicely in the photos, so today I caked on make-up to make sure it looked good in the final pictures! I mean, they're going to be up on Dolly Cool's website, and they need to be perfect!

I thought I used a lot of make-up, but after the ridiculous amount of concealer and foundation I've had on today... I'm not really using that much! I felt like a Barbie doll with super flawless skin, and I would never leave the house with a layer of make-up like I had today! Haha, but hey! It's for the photo's sake, it's allowed... I like to pretend so anyways... :)

I won't be posting any photos here yet, but I'll let you know when they're up on Dolly Cool's website.

What I can post a photo of on the other hand, is the Christmas cards I made yesterday! I felt super creative and went shopping for some art supplies. It's so expensive it's not even funny, but I really enjoying making things and especially Christmas things! I made 9 cards like this yesterday, and some of them are going abroad! I tweeted that those who wanted a Norwegian Christmas cards should PM me their address (I didn't think anyone would bother) but I got so many PMs!! I made cards for almost 6 hrs yesterday and I think I have to close down my business... I ran out of ribbons and I glued my ruler to the table. Yeah well. I had great fun making them, and I'm gonna make sure it's gonna be a pin up Christmas for everyone this year!

What do you think? I'm quite proud!

xxx

Miss K

How I make my victory rolls

So people, I had a bit of a over-happy day today and decided to make another video tutorial! It's showing how I make victory rolls with my short hair, and I also look like Elvis for a second. Check it out!

How I maintain my red hair

Today I have decided to write about how I maintain my super red hair. I've had red hair for almost a year now, and I've learnt a few tips and tricks along the way that I'd like to share with you guys. Here we go!

Tip nr. 1: Do not wash your hair more than every second or third day if you can

I was addicted to washing my hair before I dyed it red. I could wash my hair every day. That's NOT a good idea when your hair is full of a unatural color like red. So I tried to cut down on the washing to every second day, and by now my hair is getting used to only being washed every third or fourth day. My personal record is not washing it for 5 days, and my hair felt GREAT, no kidding. I actually felt like my hair said "I love you!!". When your hair goes greasy or feels a bit eww hide it in a bandana or wear a hat, it's getting close to winter anyway.

Tip nr. 2: Keep a bottle/jar of Manic Panic/crazy color etc in your shower

I mix my conditioner with some crazy color or Manic Panic when I wash my hair. The color will refresh your color a bit when you shower, which is good because the red color will strip to some extent when your hair is getting washed. My hair stays vibrant red for longer when I do this and you won't have to color your hair that often.

Tip nr. 3: Find a good shampoo and conditioner for colored hair

I use L'Oreal Color Protect shampoo and Original Sources peppermint tea tree oil conditioner. I am very satisfied with both, but you need to find the shampoo/conditioner that works for you. Try a few different brands and see which one your hair loves the most. Do NOT use Head and Shoulders....it strips the color like crazy!! You don't want that, right?

Tip nr. 4: Be nice with your hair

Eat healthy, drink enough water, don't comb your hair when it's wet, try to let it dry naturally instead of using a blow dryer, use a heat protection spray if you use flat irons, curling irons etc, give your hair a day off from products like hair spray, gel, wax etc every once in a while. A good treatment for either colored or dry hair is good too. The color will stay longer in healthy (non bleached) hair! My hair was super bleached before I dyed it red for the first time, and the bleached hair is slowly growing out leaving my roots all nice and natural. I've noticed that the color stays in for longer on my natural hair, but my bleached ends fade very quickly.

Tip nr. 5: Try to dye your hair no more than once a month

I try my very best to dye my hair once every month and not more often. No dye is good for the hair, so I try to leave it for a month or sometimes more in between dyes. It's up to me really, I can always hide the aweful roots by wearing a hat/bandana, but sometimes I can't resist and just have to re-dye it... not good. But no more than once a month (note to self...).

And here's a photo of me with my lovely red hair. And angry face.

This is what I do for my hair. As I mentioned, you need to find out what works for you, but hopefully this gave you some tips and ideas on how to stay red hot rockabilly!! If you have any other questions, leave me a comment or visit my Facebook page. You can also find me on Twitter.

Have a great weekend people, and stay tuned.... another video tutorial is about to be made! ;)

xxx
Miss K.