Well THAT was a long hiatus!

I walked away from blogging almost 3 years ago, but I'm ready to slowly step back into it.  I'm sure all 4 of you are pretty excited about that!

All kidding aside - I started getting into nail polish, and subsequently blogging, because of the death of my mother.  I had lost my father 24 years prior, so my mother was the anchor left in our family.  When she passed, that tie was severed and left me feeling...nothing. Everything.  Alone. Unpurposed. Unfocused.  Lost. 

I had no family of my own and very strained relationships with my siblings.  My perspective changed in the blink of an eye, and I needed something - anything - that would give me a routine.  Something to focus on, even briefly, that was so removed from my usual and familiar existence that it would give me some respite from dealing with the task of reorganizing my life to include no more family.  Well, at least the biological kind. 

And slowly I did that.  And I stopped blogging. But I took a turn somewhere, or more accurately, a lot of wrong turns that have put me somewhere I don't want to be anymore.  I'm working on fixing that.  But I'm not in the same headspace I was 6 years ago when my mother died.  And I'm coming back to blogging not for the distraction; I just miss it.  I still have a LOT of polish that needs to be shared. And purged.  Seriously, if I changed my polish every day, I could go years - yes, YEARS - without wearing the same shade twice. 

But I think I might want to add...more to my blog this time.  Some random posts. Like this one.  Just pieces of reality - my reality - put to paper (so to speak) to calm the inevitable turmoil that builds up.  I'm working on ideas and deciding on a structure for this new incarnation.  Hell, maybe even a name change.  Or just a rebooted 2.0 version.

Lots of choices to make, but I'm kind of excited to make them.  And even through the rain, thunder & lightning that is going on as I write this, I'm smiling. Why? Because I see some clear skies and sunshine in the future. Oh, and some swamp-ass temperatures too.  This is late-August Chicago after all.

See you all soon! 😘
Liz

40 GREAT NAIL ART IDEAS - TEAL

Week 2 of the challenge, and it's a color prompt.  This challenge is a bit unique from other challenges I've done, and it's mostly why I chose to join.  It alternates week by week between nail art and color-specific manicures.  And to prevent a whole lot of the same manicures showing up on the color weeks, there are specific patterns we are assigned that we have to incorporate into the design.  This week, my pattern is waterfall.

40 GREAT NAIL ART IDEAS - HOBBIES

Week #1

PUZZLE BOOKS

I've signed up for a new challenge!  Yay!  This is week one and the theme (as my post title shows) is hobbies.  I don't know why I struggled with this one...I think because I knew my stamper is, well, shit.  I have another one coming in the mail and **hope** it will be here soon.

There were so many I could have chosen, but ultimately decided puzzle books.  In colder weather - like we have suddenly gotten here in Chicago - I like to curl up and either read a book or do these.  Word puzzles and mazes in a book, with a good old No. 7 pencil.  Kinda old school, but when I was growing up these kinds of books were just EVERYWHERE.  Working on them makes me a little nostalgic.

NOTD for 8/4/2015: Cupcake Polish

I've got another polish here from the gift I received from my friend Natalie (find her <<HERE>> on Instagram), and this one is definitely a change from my last NOTD!  It's Cupcake Polish Leaf Me Alone. 

It's pretty cloudy today, so the holo didn't really come out to play too much, but still.  Look at that color!  Gorgeous grassy green.

NOTD for 8/3/2015: KBShimmer

Hello again!  This is a NOTD, but it isn't today's unfortunately.  I've been a bit lazy - this year - with blogging, and I figured that since I just took this mani off, maybe I should get this post published.  Sigh...


I haven't really bought any crellies lately; my shimmer obsession has kicked into overdrive, and that is the target of my polish buying.  But I had this one on my wishlist, and my friend Natalie at Over the Top Coat (but you'll have better luck finding her on Instagram at @vashtiaa) sent me an AWESOME random gift package with a LOT of pretties in it, and this KBShimmer was in there.


I LOVE it!  It's a really good nude shade for my skin tone, and the glitter keeps it from giving me mannequin hands.  The Crows Toes I used for the accent was another of the gifts from Natalie, and it matched the glitter really, really well.

NOTD for 7/12/2015: Pahlish. And please don't hate me...

Yes, I am still alive.  Over 7 months since my last blog post.  Yikes!!  I realized I have too many pretties and not enough people to share them with, so I'm going to try this blogging thing again.  But it will be shorty posts.  I promise.

So here's my NOTD for today.  It isn't exactly what I was shooting for; I wanted some clean lines using striping tape, but the humidity here all summer has been so high.  It feels like it's raining every day, and my nails just wouldn't dry.  So I improvised a bit with an almost steady hand and a dotting tool.

NOTD for 11/30/2014: Alchemy Lacquers Allspice

Sunshine has been so scarce here lately, so I had to rush to try to get photos when the sun finally decided to peek through the clouds today.  This beauty is Alchemy Lacquers Allspice.  Oh. My. Gosh!!  I just got this in the mail on Friday, and I just had to put it on.  We've already had snow here three times, and I'm fighting against winter tooth and nail.  For me, this is a perfect fall polish.

Two coats with topcoat

AIS - Adventures in Stamping November 2nd Challenge

ADVENTURES IN STAMPING - WILDLIFE NAILS

NOVEMBER 9, 2014

Another stamping challenge from the AIS group.  I have a Cheeky plate I've been wanting to play with, and this week was perfect!  I took some liberty with the colors underneath the animal print because I've been wanting to use the collection, but who needs realistic?

AIS - Adventures in Stamping November 2nd Challenge

ADVENTURES IN STAMPING - GOLD & WHITE

NOVEMBER 2, 2014

Hi everyone!  So as I commented a bit in my last post, I have some major, major virus/malware that got on my system, and I am more than a little pissed about it.  I am religious in taking care of my laptop, and in 5 years I've had it, I have never had a problem.  The ONE time I get on the wifi at school because my USB wasn't picking up a signal, and this bug wormed its way into my system, passed Norton, Windows Security, and undetectable by MalwareBytes.

Anyway, I have a quickie post.  Adventures in Stamping is a group I am in on Facebook, and it's all about...wait for it...stamping.  First off, I am not good at it.  Nope, no, not at all.  But I am working on it.  Every week there is a vote for the Sunday challenge, and this Sunday, November 2nd, was white and gold. 

Crumpet's 52 week challenge - Week #5

Week #5 - 80's and/or 3 dark colors

I'm back with a short post.  This past week has been just awful, and I barely have time to breathe, let alone do a manicure.  I somehow managed to get this done before 8pm, which meant something last week, but not this week.  More on that in a minute.

I decided to do the 80's portion this time.  I like to combine the prompts, but there is no way dark colors and 80's can be said in the same sentence.

TNCC - October 2014 Stripes #3

Time for another challenge mani for October...this is my 3rd striped mani for the month, and I'm not so sure I like it.  It's probably because I liked the base of this so much, I hated covering it up.

Crumpet's 52 week challenge - Week #4

Week #4 - 70's and/or grey + color

I'm back, and this is a week I've been dreading.  I didn't want to do the grey & color theme, because that would be easy.  I decided at the beginning that I was going to do the 70's, but how do I do it without it looking like...the 70's?  Avocado green, mustard yellow, rust, shag carpet...if you were alive and cognizant in that decade, you know what I'm talking about.

I ended up searching for some images, and came across 3 that I incorporated into this week's challenge, and I gotta say, I'm pleasantly surprised.  This works as an OK fall mani.  Yay me!

TNCC - October 2014 Stripes #2

I've got another Nail Challenge Collaborative post for the October 2014 theme of Stripes.  I went monochromatic this week, and I think it looks pretty cool.

Crumpet's 52 week challenge - Week #3

Week #3:  60's and/or Matte or Texture finish

We're up to week #3 already...actually we are close to week 4, but I'm posting this right under the wire.  I have one more final tomorrow, and then I have some breathing room for a couple of weeks.  So this one is another quickie post.  

TNCC - October 2014 Stripes #1

Back with another challenge mani, this time for The Nail Challenge Collaborative.  Every month a new theme is voted on, and October is stripes.  I've had this one on for a few days, because there has been no sunshine here for about a week.  This is day 6...it's been touched up though, so don't think it looks like this after almost a whole week.

Crumpet's 52 week challenge - Week #2

Week #2:  Gradient and/or Pink

Week #2 - here we are.  And I'm caught up.  Yes, I was behind already...don't judge me.

This is going to be another quickie post, so shall we?

Crumpet's 52 week challenge - Kick Off week #1

Week #1:  Gradient and/or Teal

Here we are again...hello everyone!  Long time no blog.  Things have been a little spastic this year, and I stepped away from blogging to try to get some things finished before I graduate and move on to the second and last career of my life.  I'm not exactly finished, but I'm close; and I miss blogging. 

So to start back up, I've joined in a couple of weekly challenges, the first of which is this baby right here. 

It's 52 weeks long, and it's gonna be fun.  It's got some flexibility built into it, which will let me take it easy on the weeks I need to.  Let's get to it, shall we?

Polish Addict toppers and final GIVEAWAY!! reminder

Whew!  The last post!  Seriously, how do you ladies who review do this?

So here it is, the last post for the prize package I contributed to the giveaway at Over The Top Coat.  Head over and enter - you've only got a couple more days before it's all over!!

I decided to do these last two polishes in one post, since it would be easier and we are so close to the giveaway being over.  So read on for Polish Addict Holo Top Coat and Polish Addict 80's Baby.

Polish Addict Neon Moon and GIVEAWAY!! reminder

Here it is folks - the last of the colors in the prize pack I contributed to the giveaway going on at Over The Top Coat.  Giveaway ends on July 29th, so you still have a bit of time to enter.  Hurry over and get in on the fun!

I have a sneaking suspicion that this one may be the favorite color of the ones I've shown.  It is a deep blue jelly, with a generous amount of micro glitter that flashes oh so brightly when this baby is top coated...I give you Polish Addict Neon Moon.

Polish Addict Bikini Bottom and GIVEAWAY!! reminder

I've got another polish for you today...Polish Addict Bikini Bottom.  I love the name of  this one!  This is part of the prize pack I donated in the big giveaway that Natalie has got going on at Over The Top Coat.   There's still plenty of time, so head on over and enter!!

Sunshine was abundant today in Chicago, and what better than to wear a nice bright yellow?