Hello!

Hello polishaholics!

I'd like to say I'm sorry I haven't been around much but hell, I haven't been around long enough to be missed.  I can accept that.

I've been busy as all get out.

First off after a long medical leave from work I returned to work April 30th.  That alone has kept me extremely busy.  Add in I've being doing a ton of travel for work as well.  I'm typically gone 3-4 nights a week.  That sucks but it is much better than driving 1000+ miles a week.  Plus the travel frequently puts me in close proximity to my grandson, family and friends.

The other thing that has kept me busy is that some of my babies, my pets, have decided to have babies.

These beauties hatched on July 3rd and July 6th, 2013.  They stayed with the parents for the first six weeks (nearly) and have been travelling with me since.

Here is a picture of them just taken today.

Yes, they grow so fast.  They are beautiful!  They are 4th generation hybrid macaws that I am calling "Paleo" macaws as homage to some history of natives of the Americas and their pure bred ancestors.  I know, silly but it is my choice, thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

I have been painting my nails but due to time constraints I'm lucky if I can get a decent mani done.  While my nails are painted pretty at the moment it is just a plain polish job and i desperately need to do a full mani and pamper my cuticles a bit.

The babies are almost weaned which means I'm almost done hand-feeding them.  Once that wraps up I'll have more time on my hands.  So to speak of course.

I am officially on furlough right now thanks to the American governments inability to function.  While the not working has free'd up some time, I'm using that time to get caught up on work around my house that has been put off because of the travelling.

Ugh!

Eventually things will once again normalize and I'll be back to my favorite "ME" activity.

Victorian Flowers

So I'm cruising around Google images looking for inspiration when I came across this photo. Isn't it pretty?  Being spring and a lover of lilacs I have found my inspiration.

This photo kinda reminded me of a newspaper nail/pink rose tutorial by Robin Moses which I promptly checked out so shout out to Robin for some of the inspiration of this manicure.

I painted the pallet last night.  That is the base for this design.  Two coats of a noname white polish then a frankenpolish mix of browns and golds to give  the white an antique look.  Other than the base, all the rest of the painting was done with acrylics.

I did do the newspaper deal to the nails but with all the painting I did you really can't see.  

I started by painting brownish stems for the roses and greenish stems for the lilacs.  A couple of color coordinated leaves where painted in too.

Some of the newsprint is visible on this nail.

The roses were painted with pinks and the lilacs with purples.  Duh.  Job finished with a clear coat to seal in the design.

I am just tickled pink over this mani.  I can't get over just how gorgeous it looks in person.

Notice my cuticles are not yet fully recovered from the massacre.  :-(

Nail Splits

Been busy as all get out lately.  I just love it when the weather warms up!

So I have a couple of things to say about this photo.  First being - See the damage I did to my cuticles by doing my nails when I was half asleep?  Yup I'm an idiot.  On the upside though they will heal.

Secondly notice the vertical split on each nail?  I have no idea how I managed that.  I'm using some glue over the splits for a bit of strength hoping that I can grow them out without any major breakage.  

The cuticle butchering was done the same evening I did my acetone experiment.  I'm definitely going back to regular use of my acetone/coconut mix.  I can't remember the last time my nails looked so dry.  Yuk!

The Big Box of Bling

As I was putting away my acrylic paints I pulled out my big box of bling for a photo.

Just a simple stacking 6.2 quart plastic container with a snap on lid.  At approximately 2.5 inches deep it is perfect for my larger bottles of glitter.

Sorry but I'm not dumping it out for photo purposes, there is too much in there.

Contents include;

Various shapes, sizes, colors of microglitter.

Micro beads and multiple colors.

Chipped shells (mother of pearl) in various colors.

Glequins in various shapes, sizes and colors.

Mylar confetti in various colors.

Pearls in various colors, shapes and sizes.

Rhinestones in various colors, shapes and sizes.

Gold metal findings of various designs (palm trees, playboy bunnies, etc).

A stray pack of striping tape.

Everyone of the carousels are filled with the pearls, rhinestones and microbeads.  There are several "pill minders" that also hold a little bit of everything.

As we all know, with some of these products a little goes a long way.  I've had some of this stuff for a long time and newer stuff was acquired because of a good sale or the results of an opportunistic buy.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

Crocus Inspired Concrete Nails

Crocus, concrete?  crocus, concrete?  crocus, concrete?  Um yup!

Originally I was thinking Spring when I saw the crocus in bloom next to my front porch.  But I wanted to use the sand again because I really like the way the texture feels.  I know, it is the damnedest thing since I'm such a buff for a simple creme colored mani.  Anywho I decided "to hell with it" and just rolled with it.

Enough of the jabber, here's a list of the supplies used;

Base Coat
White Polish
Acrylic Paints
White Crafting Sand
The Best Glue Ever
Top Coat

Follow the jump for more....

Hot Tip!! aka "Dumb Assed Moment"

Just a hot tip.

This evening I was carelessly using some Gorilla Glue and got some on my hand.  Okay so it was all over two fingers and nails front and back.  Don't ask me how I managed that!

Immediately wiped my hands off on a dish towel and when the towel stuck that is when I realized what I did.   Damn!  So begins my trying to get it off, damn that is one tough glue!!

Step 1 - Try hard to wipe it off.  No luck.

Step 2 - Pour acetone on my hand and try to rub it off.  No luck.

Step 3 - Pour dishsoap on my hand and try to wash it off.  No luck.

Step 4 - Repeat steps 2, 3 then 2, 3 and 4.  No luck.

Step 5 - Read label for words of wisdom.  "Avoid contact with skin", um no duh!  "Wipe off with a towel or use paint thinner."

Step 6 - OMG what are the odds of having the polish thinner on my kitchen counter because I was lazy and didn't put it in the basket?  (Silence of the Lamb moment here).

Step 7 - Use some nail polish thinner.  BaDaBing!!!!!  I'm golden!

Just glad I hadn't bothered to paint my nails since my acetone experiment earlier this evening.

OK you may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.....

My Mani Basket of Goodies

OK so we all have different ways of organizing and storing our supplies.  I thought I'd start a series on how I organize and store my supplies.

What better way to start than with my basic manicure supplies?

Behold my basket of awesomeness...

 

I picked this basket up at the local Goodwill store for $1.00.  I think its intended use is for silverware.  Pffffft I have a drawer for that!  What better way to repurpose this than for a mani basket I ask???

In this basket is everything that I might need for a standard manicure.  Polishes I pick as needed.  If I'm in need of a nail repair I've got a different little basket for that.  Actually several depending on the type of repair.  (Did I mention that I'm a nail junkie?????)

If you have any questions on what's in the basket, ask away.  

You see that wooden framed tray?  That is my workspace.  Usually I'm sitting on the couch when working on my nails.  Whether polishing, painting or cleaning my cuticles, my supplies are on this tray.  For one, if I have to get up I just have to set one thing on the coffee table.  No worries about anything damaging my furniture.  

When not being used for my nails it occasionally has one of my laptops on it, can be used for breakfast in bed (it does have folding legs underneath it) or whatever else a nice large tray comes in handy for.  

It's just my thing and my way of keeping things together.