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.

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.

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!

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.  

Mish Mash Challenge #10: Triangle BIG. FAT. FAIL.

Yea, late again.  Sigh....This week was a big fat fail, as I stated in the title.  I wanted to do something different than what I figured everyone else was doing, and I had some problems.  With each attempt, I got more and more frustrated, and less forgiving.  I settled on stamping, and well, NOT the best effort.  I am pretty sure that some of the problem is because my stamper, well, sucks, but my attention span wasn't the best. Who would have thought the challenge of 'triangle' would best me??

Tri-Polish Challenge: August #3

Crumpet's Nail Tarts Tri-Polish Challenge for August 2013 - colors are Red, Yellow and Green.  This is my #3 manicure for this month, and with the oppressive heat outside, and only a small portable A/C unit in the house, I opted for something light...and fast. Plus, I want to work on my stamping, and this week is perfect for it.

Tri-Polish Challenge: August #1

AUGUST 2013 colors:  Red, Yellow, and Green.  Oy!

Crumpet's Nail Tarts has a challenge every month, called the Tri-Polish Challenge.  What is it, you ask?  Well, it's 4 manis using...you guessed it, three different color polishes.  The colors are given for each month, and you have to use the same 3 for all 4 manicures.  Simple, right? 

Well...the colors for August are:  Red, Yellow, and Green.  Can I just say O.M.G.  The only thing that popped into my head once I read those colors is a stoplight.  Can't get that image out.  So to say this is a challenge is an understatement.  I like yellow, but not on me.  And green and red?  Screams Christmas, at least to me.  Add in yellow?  There's the stoplight again.  So...yea.  I'm working on it.

Mish Mash Challenge #3: Metallic & Giveaway Winner Info!

So, do I do my challenge manicure first, or do I do giveaway info?  Hmmm,  I think I will do the manicure first.  This week is Metallic, and I have some Kleankolor metallic polishes that are just perfect.  They really do need to do a collaboration with a company that sells gas masks, cause these are just freakin' awful smelling!! 

I got a little delayed in getting this manicure done because my cat, who has been sick for some time, is tearing through the house in hyperactive mode.  All she wants to do is play, and she hasn't been like this for a few months.  I finally finished, but cleaning up from the technique I used is really drying out my fingers, so I gotta take a break.  If you see some tinges of color or sparkle on my cuticles, just disregard it.

ABC Challenge - "I" is for OPI's I Don't Give a Rotterdam!

Here we are again for the letter I.  Bad, bad day.  I tried 4 different manicures for this letter - I got them done, hated them, and started all over.  Pretty much wasted my Sunday on it.  So, the title of one of the polishes I used pretty much sums up my attitude by the end of the night.

I'm not really happy with this, but I am guessing that even if I had the perfect manicure I wouldn't like it right now either.  So, onward...

I used:

OPI - I Have a Herring Problem (left, greener of the two) and OPI - I Don't Give a Rotterdam! (right, bluer of the two).  Both from the Holland collection, and both are very close in color.  Photo does show the difference.  I do really like these polishes though; muted colors and multi-color shimmer. 

What I did:  full coat on the nail with the bluer of the two, I Don't Give a Rotterdam!.  I did a tip gradient with the greener one, I Have a Herring Problem.  The idea was to put a stamp near the gradient line with silver.  For that, I used Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Hi Ho Silver.  The problem?  The stamps I used were so delicate, they are not translating into the photos.  It's there IRL, but not as...bold?...as I would like it.  Poor choice of polish to stamp with too (I found out).

I tried to blur the pictures a little to show the stamps...






Oh, and FYI - this manicure wasn't even 10 hours hold, and there is already tip wear...overnight.  I'm guessing these OPI's don't like Seche Vite.  Another "good to know" thing.                  

So, here is a little darker and blurrier photo, but the stamps show up a little better.

Glad this week is done.  Not exactly a "fail" because I've got polish on my fingers, but far from a success. Oh well, I'm already moving on to J...

Give everyone else a look-see that is involved with this challenge, hosted by Kimber of Kimber's Lacquer Korner.  Want to join?  Visit her website and drop her a message - all are welcome.  (Isn't that a line from Poltergeist?).

Until next week!

ABC Challenge - "F" is for Flower

Another week is here...can't believe they are going so fast.  Are these posts getting longer?  They feel like they are...maybe because I am only doing this once a week, I don't know.  Feel free to tell me - I won't be offended.  Really.

I had another choice for "F" this week - flames.  What I wanted to do would have taken me a while, and I may still do it later in the challenge, but I ran out of time and this was my fall back. 

Flower is a new line of cosmetics by Drew Barrymore, and it turns out it is being sold exclusively through Walmart.  The new line is pretty small, since it is just starting.  The colors in the nail polish are not my usual - I think there are about 15 colors, and only 3 of them are my favorite darks.  The vast majority are in the pinkish range, and many are soft and pale.  Since I couldn't do my other choice, I got lazy and picked some up to try.

I ended up buying two colors.  Most of the polishes are cremes, but they did have one that looked like it might be a duochrome, and these two that I picked up were shimmers.  I desperately need practice with my stamping, and with Valentine's day coming up, I thought I would use that as the theme.

I found a plate from Cheeky - CH15 - that had 4 different heart designs, with a bonus cluster of hearts.  Perfect.   Sorry for the photo being so bright, but I wanted to get a close-up of the designs, and this was the best photo I got that didn't completely glare back the flash.

So here are the colors I used:



SPOILED Shuffle the Deck (glitter)
FLOWER Budding Romance (red)
FLOWER That's Just Dan-De-Lion (nude)

I tried to capture the shimmer on the nude color - it isn't just a glass shimmer, it is multicolored, which was unexpected.  You can't see the colors from the swatch stick, but I think you do get a hint of the shimmer. 

So, the stamping is...meh.  Not too bad, but nothing to write home about.  Considering it is my 2nd time stamping, I gotta say it's not THAT shabby.  The nude color is DEFINITELY not anything close to a go-to color for me.  Not with my skin tone; but the photos really wash me out and make me look even paler than I am.  That being said, I kind of like this mani.  I don't think I'll be doing another light one anytime soon, but it doesn't hurt to change things up a bit. Oh, and FYI - still no decent camera, and no decent weather for any natural light photos. 

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by, and while you looking, be sure to check out all the other ladies in the challenge hosted by Kimber's Lacquer Korner below.

Until next week ladies!

ABC Challenge - "E" is for Egyptian inspired.

First off, I wanted to comment on something that was brought up on the Facebook page.  I just wanted all the great ladies involved in this challenge to know - I know I don't reply to any of the posts made on my page, but with my limited time, I would much rather spend it looking at what you all have come up with and commenting on your pages than replying to comments on mine.   Be assured, I read every single one (and not just because the "Publish" option forces me to).  I really, really appreciate all the comments and words of encouragement that you leave every week.  Now, on to the mani...

My mother was a huge fan of anything Egyptian.  I don't know why, but she was.  I wish I had taken her to some of the exhibits that made their way through Chicago, but she had issues going in to the city, among other things.  So when "E" came up, I thought I would do something related to it.  My inspiration picture is this:

Not just for the picture, but for the colors.  Gold, coral, and turquoise seem as if they are a primary part of all the images I was looking at.  I also thought it would be a good example to see if I had any of the images in this photo on any stamping plates I have.  Well, that didn't pan out really well, but I did have a couple.

Next, the polishes I used:  I decided to go with drugstore brands.  Partly because I couldn't find a coral and turquoise in my collection (Sinful Colors had them both), and partly because I was anxious to try something from the Wet 'n Wild Fergie collection.  I had tried Wet 'n Wild before - it was disappointing.  But new marketing, new packaging...why not give it a try?

The colors are:  Sinful Boogie Nights (coral), Sinful Mint Apple, and Wet 'n Wild Gold Album.  The gold?  1 coat = full coverage.  Very happy with this polish for $3.99 a bottle.  There are a few other colors in the collection that I wouldn't mind getting.  If they all apply like this, I'm going to watch the new Wet 'n Wild a little more. 

I know I am VERY long winded this week, but this made me think of my mom...anyway, here's the mani.  Again, night pictures.  I had intended to take them during the day, but the last two days have been cold, wet, windy, dark, snowy, wet, cold...you get the idea.  I don't think I was able to go 10 minutes without having to put lotion on my hands, it has been so bad.  Plus, moving files and handling paperwork all day for the last two days were VERY hard on my hands.  Three days in, and it still doesn't look too bad, if I do say so myself.

I had a choice of doing something more time period authentic, or have a little fun with it.  I decided to have a little fun.  I didn't have patience for authentic...  Oh, I almost forgot to mention - this is the first time I ever tried stamping...EVER.  Although these were just single images, I totally see myself doing this a LOT more.

So, there you have it.  One more week down - time is really flying with this!  Thanks again for the look see, and be sure to see all the other ladies' take on the letter "E" below!!

Until next week!