Nail Art

I go through phases where I really enjoy decorating my nails. Sometimes, I'll do my nails, take a picture then take it off immediately. People often ask me how often I do my nails and I really don't have an answer for that.  It just depends... sometimes I'll do them once a week and other times, I'll go 3 or 4 weeks without touching them.

Here's are some designs I've done this year.  Hope you enjoy :O)

Glittery French

Simple Valentine Message

Cute "Corset"

Simple Nude with Black

Cherry Blossoms (purple, yeah I know)

Cute Pink and Black flower design

Nude with White Lines accented with Gold

Black and Gold Marble design with Zebra accents

Zig-Zag Red, White and Blue

Simple Marble Watermelon design

Cute and easy Halloween design

Black and Silver with White Zebra stripe accents

Fun and simple Dice design

Red, Gray and Gold design using the tape method

on the ring finger

Thanks for visiting! :O)

I Am a Hallo-Weenie!

Could it be because my parents lacked the holiday spirit that I too have little spirit when it comes to Halloween? I do remember being little, wishing I could dress up and wishing I could go trick-or-treating... but I don't remember going on very many outings for Halloween, or carving a pumpkin, or putting up decorations.

I've tried to do things different for my kids.  Since they were little, I went over and beyond on birthday parties and holidays.  I tried to buy all the spooky decor and all the orange and purple lights and decorate our home, inside and out but my boys weren't really interested.  And as they grow older, the interest in the mess of carving a pumpkin has reduced... the interest helping decorate has reduced... and so has the interest in dressing up.  Does it bother me?.............nah... not too much.  I can tell you that I have NO problem not throwing down $40+ on a Halloween costume that they'll wear for only 2 - 4 hours or breaking my back over a sewing machine for a week sewing up intricate costumes.

With that said, what I do enjoy about this month is the drop in temperature and the smell of apples and cinnamon.  Then it's NOVEMBER!  That means it's baking time!  Thanksgiving feast with loved ones! And taking a moment to be thankful for all that I have in my life!  Then it's DECEMBER!  Shopping!  Christmas trees! Going to the craft stores and looking at all the amazing new Christmas decorations! (possibly buying a few more too! LOL)  And of course Christmas day... Watching my sons with my husband and being so thankful that he has made it possible for us to provide our children with so much more than we ever had.  Not only gifts but heaping amounts of LOVE that we show them everyday!

I guess you could say that the month of October and Halloween are just a "warmer-uppers" for what's to come!

We get very little change in color in AZ until January usually.

One of my favorites... Cold M&M's!

"Jack" From Nightmare Before Christmas

My Halloween costume that I wore to a contest at a nearby

Grill and Cantina....... I won second place!! $50!

Fun Nail art that I did on myself :O)

NAIL ART: Watermelon Marbling

Nail art is just another way for me to express my creativity.  I have been a licensed nail technician for 17 years now.  I've only worked in a salon for 6 months, (and will never go back!)... LOL! but I stay current with my license because I have continued to do my own nails throughout the years, as well as family and friends.



This type of nail art is called Marbling.  It's a bit of a process and a bit time consuming but it's fun because you don't ever know what kind of design you'll end up with!!

WHAT YOU NEED:

 

Small plastic container filled with water, toothpicks or orange stick,

tape, paper towel, nail polishes, nail polish remover.

STEP ONE:

 Polish your nails a base color.  I only did one coat. When it's

done, place tape around your nail for easy clean up.

STEP TWO:

Choose your nail polish colors and place one drop at a time

in whatever pattern you want the colors to be. You must

work quickly because the polish starts to dry.  Also, you will

have to experiment a bit because not all colors work!  These

are the colors I wanted to use originally but the white was

drying out too fast, not allowing me to make my design.

You will see in the next photo that I had to use different colors.

STEP THREE:

With a toothpick, manipulate the colors to create a design.

Here I just pulled the polish to the center. Usually it's much

neater than this but I was on a caffeine high and empty stomach!

Steady hands are KEY!!

As you can see I replaced the white polish with the green one.

These are the polishes that I used:

STEP FOUR:

 Carefully dip your finger into an area of the design that you like best.

While your finger is still dipped in the water, use a toothpick

or orange stick to remove the excess polish that is still floating in the

water.  Once you've scooped it all out with your toothpick

or orange stick, slowly pull your finger out and see your design!

May take several tries! This was my third try! I

recommend that you use fresh water every time! ;o)

Carefully remove the tape around your finger and clean up

any extra polish that may have gotten on your skin.

STEP FIVE:

 

I added a few watermelon seeds (Again, sorry for the shakey

hands!) Add a top coat and your done!  I'm a bit

disappointed that the photo does not show how vibrant

the colors really are.  But this gives you a general idea of

how it turns out.

Here is another design I did using the marbling technique, black polish

and gold polish, and I added a few zebra stripes at the bottom.

(You can dip two fingers in at a time if you'd like!)

Have you ever tried this technique? If so, what did you do different to make it easier?