Saturday, June 30, 2012

52 week challenge

I am doing this!  I have gone back and forth for weeks since I finished my 31 day challenge trying to decide if I wanted to do my own.  In the meantime I have been doing challenges for Adventures in Stamping and Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge and I have truly enjoyed it.  Problem is, I am a bit of a control freak and a schedule whore.  So, that means I want to be in charge and I need a good list of what I am doing.  So, I came up with one of my own that I am going to adventure into over the next year.  I will do a manicure every 4 days (I can't handle doing my nails only once a week). I will be doing stamping, marbling, taping, free hand, sponging, and any other new techniques I learn along the way. Oh, and I start tomorrow! Short notice I know.  But I would love if people would join in.  You don't have to do them all, but if you want to share with me some of your manis that fit each theme I would love to see them!! Here is the schedule for the next year 







You will notice that some of the events are personal to me.  For example, I am a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan therefore there are (hopefully) two days that I will be doing Steelers nails.  The second will be only if they make it to the Superbowl.  Also, I will be doing my nails for my children's birthdays...Holly and Jack.  I don't know yet what those themes will be.

I hope you chose to join me in this adventure!  If you do, let me know and I will add links to my blog to your page.  Thanks!!
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Friday, June 29, 2012

Blue Bayou

For today's Summer Challenge it was supposed to be Summer Water Marble.  I failed. I have done water marble and have done just fine.  But I could not get it right tonight.  I tried twice.  No go.  So in order to get to my Lost episodes waiting on Netflix I threw some things together and they turned out perfect.  I love them.  The base color is Blue Bayou and I topped it with a coat at the tips of Milani Gems Teal.  There is very little to say, just look at the color :)











Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoy

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Campfire Dreams


Today's Summer Challenge was Under the Stars. I call it Campfire Dreams because it reminds me of camping when I was a kid.  My parents would take us to this place called Letchworth State Park in upstate NY and I always remember how bright the stars were because we were so far away from the city. Although I was in love with this moon on the stamp, I don't love the execution.  I wouldn't call this a complete fail, but I don't love it. I do love the color (I am realizing that that is my favorite part of this). I had just bought this beautiful blue from Milani and it was perfect for imitating the night sky.  
Base coat is Milani Sail Away
I used a silver Kiss nail striper for the lines
Star Stamp is m34 and the moon is BM 316 using Spoiled Correction Tape

I like the right hand best :)

I originally had planned to do galaxy nails, but I had already done that.  I do love these nails though so I thought I would share

Hope you enjoy, and as always, check out the other ladies who participate in the challenge


List of girls taking part in Summer Challenge - maybe not every day, but definitely participating

Debbie @ The Crumpet - http://thecrumpet.blogspot.co.uk/
Alyssa at Fancy Phalanges - http://fancyphalanges.blogspot.com/
Lucie @ Lucy's Stash www.lucysstash.com
Vic @ Glowstars http://glowstars.net
Rychelle @ Colorsplash Nails- http://colorsplashnails.blogspot.com/
Missy the Manicured Maniac @ http://melissahenderson95.blogspot.com/
Nayade @ Toxic Vanity http://www.toxicvanity.com
Noniq @ Noniq Diary http://noniq.blogspot.com







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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

3 Years together

Today is my 3 year anniversary so I HAD to do some nails :)  My husband Stu is pretty freakin awesome.  He is so awesome that he chose to marry me.  And that made us team awesome.  It's funny to think that it has only been three years and we have only known each other for 5 because I hardly remember a time without him. Not to say I don't remember all of the relationships that taught me what I didn't want in a man and that led me to him.  But I guess I just can't imagine life without him.  My mother always said if you sing at the dinner table you will marry a crazy person.  So I sang.  Who knew that my husband did it too :-P Now our daughter does it.  I hope she is as lucky as me someday.  
It's all about the love


Base colors are Wet n Wild Dreamy poppy and NYC Taxi Yellow Creme
Stamped with Spoiled Correction Tape
Pinkie-Also used Sinful Colors Pinky Glitter
Stamp is m38
I also added gold dots with Loreal Amazon's Flash
Ring Finger- Stamp is BM 311
Middle Finger-Stamp is BM 317
I also added some glitter dots using the Loreal Amazon's Flash
Pointer Finger-Stamp is BM 11
Thumb-Stamp is BM 303




and here is a picture from our wedding day three years ago :)



a
and here we are on our wedding day with our daughter....who was 14 mos old at the time
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Monday, June 25, 2012

Oh, you're fancy, huh?


So, I planned on keeping my owl nails for a while, but my nails started to split. So I needed to do some repair and decided to use more of my bundle monster plates.  I truly love these plates! I love these colors too!  Unfortunately the pink did not show up very well on the blue.  I need a good stamping pink. Any suggestions ladies?  This blue is my cheap answer to the Zoya of the same shade.  I love Zoya, but gosh darnit its expensive.  Blah blah blah, look at my nails
Base colors:  Teal is Essence Choose Me, and pink is Sinful Colors Oasis
I stamped with both colors as well as Milani Black Swift
Stamps: Both patchworks are plate BM 310 and the bow is BM 317
The pinkie and and pointer finger are stamped with BM310 in pink but it didn't show up very well







I added some rhinestones to my thumb


Right Hand


Another rhinestone


This is my first real fancy manicure.  I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but I do. What do you think? I promise I will keep these ones for a while.  Unless you beg :-P
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Sunday, June 24, 2012

Owl love you forever

My Bundle Monster third set came yesterday!! WOOHOO! Or should I say WHOO WHOO.  I couldn't wait til they came so I could use the adorable owl designs.  And they turned out soooo cute!  So cute that I may actually keep them on for a few days.  Crazy, I know.  I also got to use my new essence color which I originally planned on making zombie nails with as it looks a bit like zombie flesh in the bottle.  It looks so pretty on the nails.  So I did a gradient for the base and stamped in white.  My mother is going to love these :)


Base Essence High Spirits
Gradient with Nina Ultra Bronze
Stamp BM 309 using Spoiled Correction Tape

Of course I can't do a manicure without doing some kind of damage....so the pinkie finger owl has a broken wing 




 
I hope you like these as much as I do!  
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Gothic inspired

Another group that my nail alias belongs to is called Adventures in Stamping.  This group does Sunday challenges that the members vote on weekly.  This Sunday's challenge was Goth nails.  I think most people think only black and skulls when they think of goth, but to me I thought of Victorian gothic.  Things like lace, delicate patterns, dark colors, and apparently fairies :-)  I actually chose the fairy because June 24th is international fairy day!!  My daughter and I love fairies.  So, I chose dark purple and black and one of my stamps that looks like fish net stockings as well as a fairy stamp.  So here they are


Base color is Sinful Colors Let's Talk
I stamped in Milani Black Swift
I drew in the scallops on the thumb with my striping Kiss nail art brush
The lace stamp is BM209
The fairy stamp is m35


I love my little fairy, I call her Lola


Gothic ladies wear fishnet stockings right?




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Saturday, June 23, 2012

Picnic Nails

Todays summer challenge is picnic nails. I originally wanted to just do red checkered picnic blankets with ants, but it seemed so cliche. So then I decided to add the hot dogs. Not my best by far but I think they are cutesy. I truly like the hot dogs :)  I learned another lesson today with the stamping though....using a cheap stamp and cheap nail polish is not a good idea.  As I say, stamp and learn. Since I'm not crazy about these I don't have a lot to say.  So here it is...
my ants look a little freaky


I hope you like mustard and relish on your dogs :-)



If you are interested in seeing some other gorgeous manicures check out some of the blogs of the other ladies who are participating in the summer challenge.  There is so much talent out there!


List of girls taking part in Summer Challenge - maybe not every day, but definitely participating

Debbie @ The Crumpet - http://thecrumpet.blogspot.co.uk/
Alyssa at Fancy Phalanges - http://fancyphalanges.blogspot.com/
Lucie @ Lucy's Stash www.lucysstash.com
Vic @ Glowstars http://glowstars.net
Rychelle @ Colorsplash Nails- http://colorsplashnails.blogspot.com/
Missy the Manicured Maniac @ http://melissahenderson95.blogspot.com/
Nayade @ Toxic Vanity http://www.toxicvanity.com




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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Jungle/Parrot Manicure

In my search for greatness and to share my nail art with other crazy nail ladies like myself I joined a group on facebook called Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge.  The lovely ladies who run this group have almost daily challenges for those of us brave enough to try.  Each day it is something new that is left up to interpretation by the artist.  What I like about this group is that for each season the calendar of challenges is given to you in advance.  Being a little OCD, this helps me plan out my week, since I also do some on my own as well as with another group I belong to (more to come on Sunday about that group).  So today's challenge was Jungle/Parrot.  I was super excited about this since some new plates came today and one of them contained a little frog that made me think of some tree frog hopping around in the jungle.  PLUS, one of my colors is actually called Rain Forest! How perfect :-)  I also chose colors that reminded me of a parrots feathers although I'm a little afraid that the colors look more Jamaican than anything....but hey, there are forests in Jamaica.  So without further ado here they are

 I call these nails "Coqui"  for the tiny little tree frog from Puerto Rico that says coqui all day long.
The pinkie, middle, and pointer fingers are done with three colors as a base coat.  The red is I Tripped on the Carpet by Spoiled, the yellow is Lightening by Sally Hansen and the green is Exotic Green by Sinful Colors.  I then stamped with a green called Rain Forest by Revlon using the BM19 plate.  

The ring finger is The Rain Forest green by Revlon and stamped with Lickety Split Lime by Sally Hansen using the m30 plate.  Don't you just love him!!!


The thumb is Exotic Green by Sinful Colors and stamped with the Rain Forest green using the m21 plate.  If you can't tell, those are vines.  I almost wish I had gone with the rain forest as the base and the lickety split lime for the vines just like i did with the frog.  But alas, live and learn.  Or should I say stamp and learn?  


My little Holly also asked for a mini manicure today.  She is finally at the age where she will sit still long enough that I can do it.  And she loves it when I put designs on her toes.  I paint her fingers sometimes, but she bites her nails so bad there is not much I can do.  But her tootsies work just fine.  So I polished them and found a tiny little flower to stamp on them.  She was overjoyed!  Don't mind the boo boo on her big toe...she is a 4 year old after all.  


Well, I will see you all tomorrow....i believe I am doing a picnic inspired mani.  I see ants in my future :-P
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