Crumpet's 31DC: Inspired by Pinterest

Also known as "My Blog."

I try to be as up front as possible about where my ideas come from, and they are 70% Pinterest ideas, 28% blogs I already read, and about 2% my own.  I'm a word girl, not an art girl.  I do, though, enjoy trying new things, so I'm so thankful for all of the ladies out there who ARE art girls and creative and inspiring.  I also try to always give as much credit as possible where it is due.
So, this post is basically any other post for me :)  I browsed through my nail board and decided to go for a subtle-ish look that I love:

*1 coat Gelous base
*2 coats Essie Lady Like
*3 coats I Am Strong (middle)
*2 coats China Glaze I'm Not Lion
*1 coat Out the Door (2 on I'm Not Lion)

The colors that Anne at Grape Fizz Nails used in the original mani are a bit more muted and a little different in tone, but I like how these went together (and now have hers on my wish list).  While I Am Strong is brighter than I thought it would be, I like how the 3 colors work together.
I'm becoming more and more of a double accent nail fan, so I'm digging this.  I'm also learning to let creams be and NOT add shimmer/glitter/sparkle on top. 

What have you found on Pinterest that I need to see?  (Honestly, what ISN'T on Pinterest that I need to see?!)

Thanksgiving Catch Up

Between school and work, things have gone into overdrive these past couple of weeks!  I have 3 more finals, a final paper, and 9 more days of work before I get a break and time at home!  I canNOT wait!
So, since I got behind and it's now almost Christmas, I'll just do a quick post with the two Thanksgiving looks I wore this year.
This first one is inspired by this look from the Tumblr Sabzii's Nails.  I first saw the mani on Pinterest and fell so in love with the Funky French she did.  Her little feather is amazing and I knew not to even attempt that!  So, I used some of my amazing decals from RLR Creations Nail Art. 

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*OPI DS Opulence
*China Glaze Fairy Dust
*2 coats Out the Door

I tried to find out what polish she used for her mani because it is gorgeous!  I didn't get an answer, though, so I did my best and was really impressed with how close this was!  I used DS Opulence, a pretty, dusty rose with scattered micro particles and dabbed on Fairy Dust for some larger holo pieces on top.  I used two different decal, one on each hand.

Ignore that smudge on my middle finger and look at how awesome those decals are!  They are so easy to use and come out amazing every time I've used them!

My second look was my attempt at this little turkey from All That Is Gorgeous.

I used Essie Mochachino for my base.  Then, I went mainly to my China Glaze Capitol Colors--Mahogany Magic for the body of the turkey and Riveting for the orange feathers/dots.  I used OPI Dane-shiny Red and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Man-go Team! for the other feathers.  His body and head turned out...not as I imagined.  I loved the dots, though!  Overall I'm totally envious of how awesome the turkey was that I worked from, but this wasn't too bad at all.  My little cousins thought he was fun, which is really all that matters :)

Something Lady Like

I've been a bit M.I.A. the last week.  I had the best of intentions for the 31 day challenge, and did a lot better than I thought.  I also was really stoked to do the Flip Flop challenge in February.  Then, I just got very overwhelmed with everything going on in my life.  I needed some time away, some rest, some perspective.  I had a couple of manis that I decided not to photograph and share, even though I really liked my Super Bowl one.  But really, it just wasn't important.  Taking a deep breath was.
I thought I would try to catch up or jump into the Flip Flop challenge, but I think that I am going to keep that for another time.  Instead, I'm going to enjoy my nails a bit more.  When I was changing every day, I didn't get to savor them, and there were some looks I really liked!  I know that is why I started this blog in the first place--to keep track of the manis I did so that I can come back to ones I liked--but it was a little sad to work hard and then wash it all away.  So, I won't be posting daily, but I'm okay with that.  I hope you are too!

*~*~*~*

I have a love-hate relationship with Valentine's Day.  I love love and pink and flowers.  I hate being alone when everyone else has love and pink and flowers galore.  I'm sure you would NEVER understand that... I've been saving up some Valentine mani ideas that I'm excited to try out.  Like I said, I love love and pink...

 

*1 coat Yello-Out
*2 coats Essie Lady Like
*Sinful Colors Snow Me White
*1 coat Out The Door.

This first look comes courtesy of Mixed Mama.  I found this simple but lovely mani on Pinterest a while ago and have been dying to try it out.  This is the reason that I ended up getting Lady Like!

Lady Like is not a polish I would ever say is "me."  It is a cream, dusty mauve of sorts, almost beige.  It's a little old lady-ish.  It applies like a dream--I used 2 coats for a smooth finish, but 1 careful coat is really enough.  A one-coat neutral!  Maybe it's because it's really different from what I wear.  Maybe it's because I've been loving this look for so long.  Maybe I'm just an old lady at heart, but I really like this color!  Sometimes, I think I need something more subtle and soft, and this is both in such a perfect way!

I used a dotting tool to draw on the hearts with Snow Me White.  I tossed this bottle when I was done--it's gotten really thick and makes little strings as soon as it's out of the bottle.  I have a back-up already, too, but just wouldn't get rid of this.  When it messed up this mani, that was the last straw!  I had waited too long to let thick polish get in my way!

I like how simple and quiet these are.  It feels so weird to have no shimmer or glitter on my nails, and I considered adding some iridescent glitter to the hearts, but I'm glad I didn't.  I waited for Valentine's Day-ish to try these, but I think they might be a simple, mostly-neutral go-to look from now on!

New 31DC: Silver

Today and tomorrow are kind of disappointing challenges for me, mainly because I don't have a lot of gold and silver polish and used the ones I do have extensively in my holiday manis (silver, gold and gold here).  Then the Halo Hues I ordered came in the mail, so I got excited again!  Until I unwrapped this silver disaster:

 

Sadness!  On a side note, I ordered these through Crowd Cut, which is kinda shady.  I don't really recommend the program and have had no luck finding out how to track packages or speak with someone about this.  Any advice you have on getting a replacement?  Or is this just a rough lesson?

 

So, onto what I ended up with.  I didn't want to just repeat a silver mani I already posted, and my 2 silvers are pretty sheer, so they don't make for great art.  I decided to try out a new tip I saw on Pinterest instead.

 

*1 coat Hard As Nails Hardener

*3 coats Essie Pink-a-boo

*Silver Sharpie (medium point)

 

Pink-a-boo is just one of the many pretties my momma gave me for Christmas.  It's a really sheer light pink.  I used 3 coats but, if I hadn't just cut my nails, I would have either gone for 4 or layered it over another pink.  It's a really pretty baby pink packed with iridescent/blue shimmer.  The shimmer actually shows up really well on the nail and is a gorgeous, feminine color that is subtle enough to wear any time.
My mom found a pin that talked about using a silver Sharpie marker for accents on nails.  When I found the pin and followed it back to its source, it is actually for something totally different, but I tried it out anyway.  I used the marker to draw on French tips and add polka dots to an accent.  I learned 2 things: 1) this actually works really well.  2) When the nail is TOTALLY dry.

 

Remember how I mentioned being more patient yesterday?  Yeah, well, neither did I.  The polish was dry enough to paint over, but not draw on.  You can see the dents in some dots and on my index and middle fingers.  I tried to smooth them out, and considered not posting this because I really want to up my game this year, but I like girls who are honest about their polish adventures, so I want to be too.  That's part of a challenge, learning lessons.  If I have a stroke of genius and some time tomorrow night I might try another silver look.

Have you found a new technique to try out?   Learned how to do it better the next time?  What other cool tools are there to try like Sharpies, that you don't think of for nails?

 

A little mocha

I wanted something cozy and fall-y, so I pulled out all of my browns and coppers. I decided to give pretty little Essie Mochacino a try. We sell Essie where I work and I saw this come through one day and had to track it down. 

This "greige"--a brown that tends toward gray--is packed with silver shimmer.  It sort of reminds me of hot cocoa as it cools, with that light layer forming on the top. 

The polish is really sheer.  I used 3 coats here and wish I had used a fourth.  You can still see my nail lines, especially on my index finger in the photos.  They were really thin coats that dried quickly, though, so adding one more won't be a big inconvenience in the future to enjoy that shimmer!

   

I wanted to add a little something so I layered 2 coats of Spoiled Jewelry Heist on my ring finger.  This glitter is gorgeous!  There are large hex pieces that are a rose gold color, with smaller iridescent pieces.  It's a really pretty glitter and covers nicely--not much placement needed at all!  It is a little funny on Mochacino, though.  They're slightly different tones, with Mochacino being much cooler than Jewelry Heist, but the rose gold almost looks like iridescent glitter against the brown background. 

Neither of these were quite what I was expecting, but they are both really pretty polishes!  What are you wearing to feel the fall season?  Have you found any cool combos for either of these two?

**On an un-related note, My Lucid Bubble was so sweet and mentioned me in her most recent Blog Love: Sharing is Caring post!  I am so humbled and honored--I love what you do and you are so kind to mention me!

In Memoriam

This has been a rough year for my extended family.  2012 has been filled with too much loss.  We need a good end. 
Last Thursday we lost my uncle.  That sounds so absurd to say, like we misplaced him or can't figure out where he's hiding.  This comes less than three months after we lost my other uncle.  My dad has lost his brother-in-law and brother in the span of a single season.  We can't afford any more of this.  We need time to regroup and heal.  We need to be joyful again.  I know that this will take time, which is what we need as a family.  No more of this. 
My uncles were good men.  They knew the value of hard work, and honest effort.  Mike, who we lost in May, worked in paving, created with his hands.  Chuck, who left us last week, delivered for UPS for more than 3 decades.  He had a perfect driving record, a nearly impossible feat.  They loved their families deeply and fiercely.  They enjoyed simple pleasures: family meals, an afternoon in the sun, a quiet home town.
This week I painted my nails in honor of Chuck.

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard as Nails
*2 coats China Glaze Mahogany Magic
*1 coat Essie As Gold As It Gets
*1 coat Out the Door top coat
I realized after the fact that I also dipped into my Hunger Games polishes for Mike's memorial (Smoke and Ashes).  That seems so grim, but I think it's that these men were strong, inspirations, and the books are comforting.  It is appropriate, I think. 
I realized that Mahogany Magic is almost a perfect UPS brown!  If I had been careful, I could have pretty much gotten away with one reasonably thick coat, but I was patchy in places and opted for two.  The polish is not quite as yellow as it looks here, but there are plenty of swatches out there to look at if you haven't already. 
I don't know that I'm wild about the glitter.  I should have taken a note from my uncle and been comfortable in the simple, known enough is enough.  But I wanted something more for his memory, something big and demanding notice.  So, I added Essie's As Gold As It Gets over the top.  This is so much easier to apply and more uniform than other flaky glitters I own.  It looks much better and natural over Mahogany Magic in the sun.

This is a hard time.  I am torn between staying in grief and moving on, remembering and thinking of other things.  No one knows how to do this well.  For the moment, at least, I look at my hands and feel pride in the man that I call "uncle," the man that my family loves, the man that we were blessed to know.  It reminds me of what it is to live a good, respectable life, to be a person puts family above all and see nothing undignified in hard work.  It reminds me of the kind of person I can only hope to be.