Become a Model

 I am a 35 year old mother of 3 beautiful daughters, and supporting women throughout their transitions in life is a passion of mine. Henna is a safe and sacred process dedicated to honor pregnancy.  It is my goal for you to feel pampered and relaxed through out the process, a special time for you and a necessary element to my artistic creation.  

In my own journey to pregnancy I am creating this book (Blessed Belly book), a collection of many of my passions; henna, photography (I'm still learning) and birth.  This project involves my decorating many beautiful pregnant women (yes you) with safe natural henna and then photographing them.

If you are interested; below is the process to get involved.  If you are interested, use the contact form on the site to get in touch.

Being a model involves:
  1. Scheduling an appointment If you live in the Boulder (Colorado) area I will come to your home to paint you with henna. If you live out of Boulder County, I ask that you drive to my home to be painted. Take a shower beforehand, because after you are painted you want to keep the tattoo area dry (except for edible oils) for 12 to 48 hours.

2. Receiving a Henna Tattoo
Henna is made from the henna plant, lemon juice, eucalyptis oil, sugar and black tea. Please let me know if you are allergic to any of these things. (I've yet to meet someone who was, though very rarely some people say they tattooed area gets red and feels itchy for 30 min after I painted, they were fine afterwards).
Either you can have a regular henna tattoo or a two-tone henna tattoo. Two-tone henna gives two shades of henna and requires two painting days, one right after the other, each 60 to 90 minuets in length. Find a place you will be comfortable sitting or laying down for 60 to 90 minuets.
What kind of design should you pick? I ask that you pick something out that calls to you, or tell me about a special symbol you have. Do you want guardian angels? Flowers and butterflies? A mandala? I have hundreds of designs to choose from, and you can pick 2 or 3 or 4 and combine the parts you like. You can simply tell me about your idea, or show me a picture you've printed out. If you are open to me choosing the design, that's fine too, I have some designs that I'm learning by painting variations of them. You can think and plan ahead of time about your design or simply decide when I arrive.
What part of your body do you want painted? Pregnant women usually want their bellies painted, but I can also/instead paint your hands, feet, arms, breasts, etc.  Whatever I paint I will want to take a picture of, and potentially publish in the book. If you choose to be nude or partially nude for your photos I can make you anonymous if you wish.


3. Read and sign the photo release (download here)


4. Be photographed two days after your henna painting We will arrange a time and place that works for both of us. If the weather is good, we may meet at a park. This process takes about an hour, and may involve a short hike to get to some scenic spots. Let me know if you have any issues walking.

5. Your photos and thoughts  A week or so after your photo shoot, I will email you some of the best photos to share with your family and friends. I will also invite you to contribute some words to the book, such as what you love about pregnancy, motherhood, henna, etc. I may also record a casual interview during the painting time. A few words, a few sentences, a few paragraphs - whatever you are comfortable with sharing, I would love to hear from you. This book is in honor of pregnancy and motherhood, so adding your wisdom, your experiences, your perspective is important - though it is not required.

6. Your part in the book As this book comes together I imagine it will go through many forms. I have never attempted anything this big so I don't know exactly how it will go! As I explore it, and create pages for the book, I will share these with you in my Blessed Belly Henna Blog, which will only be viewed by my family and the families of the participants. After you  go through the process of becoming a model, I will give you the password for the blog.