Sunday, September 19, 2010

New Discoveries- Candy Foil Nails

I have a problem, I think- I'm always looking at things and thinking, "I could use this for something." I have several boxes of craft goodies that I'm holding on to, knowing that I'll use them for something one of these days. Sure, some people call it hoarding- I call it recycling! ;)

Seriously, though, I've had three Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Minis wrappers in my nail art box for several months now. At the time I saved them, my family thought I had totally lost my mind! I wasn't sure what I would use them for, I just knew that I would use them. Then a couple of weeks ago I got an invitation to be part of the BzzCampaign for Elmer's CraftBond adhesives and X-ACTO cutting tools.

I cannot even begin to tell you how quickly I hopped over to sign up. I was giddy, and couldn't wait to see what they would send. Well, I wound up receiving my package yesterday, and boy, was it fun! Included were two pairs of decorative edged scissors, a corner rounder, and various adhesives. But the scissors are what excited me. As I opened the package, I was hit by a moment of inspiration. Suddenly, I knew what I would be doing with those candy wrappers... they were going to become foil strips for my nails!

The first thing I did was smooth out the foil wrapper as smooth as I could. That worked nicely, and I was left with a slightly-crinkled foil that was really pretty. Then I tried to cut the wrapper with the scissors- it didn't do well. It sort of shredded the foil into things that wouldn't be very useful. However...

I remembered that in sewing, sometimes you have to reinforce a delicate fabric with a sturdy paper backing to stitch on it. I figured why not try it for cutting? I got a piece of plain typing paper, cut it slightly larger than the piece of  wrapper I was working with, and tried again to cut. SUCCESS! I had perfect cuts, making small slivers of foil I could then apply to my nails! I was excited and cut a lot of strips from half of a wrapper.

I also cut a few wider ones with one straight edge and one wavy edge. I applied one to a false nail with a thin thin coat of base coat, then used a small piece of plastic bag to smooth it down. This way I didn't get polish on my fingertips! The foil tended to slip a lot, so it might be better to wait for the base coat to get tacky.

Once it was tacked down nicely, I used an emery board to remove the edges of the foil by gently filing downward, cutting through the foil and leaving a smooth edge. I don't know how you could achieve the same look on natural nails, unfortunately.

Finally, I put a single coat of Seche Vite over it, and within 10 minutes or so I had a beautifully smooth nail with a gold foil applique. If you attempt this, be sure to wrap the tips, so that your foil won't try and peel up. I didn't have that problem, but better safe than sorry, right?

So there you have it- Candy Nails! I love the look, and will be putting some foil strips on my own nails soon enough. Currently, the strips are stored in small ziplock bags, with scraps in a separate bag. I think it could be fun to patch together tiny pieces of foil to make a fully-foil-covered nail! Besides, how many nail art techniques let you eat chocolate as part of it? Remember, if you try this, send me a picture, I wanna see it!

     ♥ Laynie

Elmer's CraftBond adhesives and X-ACTO cutting tools image provided by BzzAgent.com.

8 comments:

  1. Awesomeblossom!!! I am totally going to try this, it's the perfect excuse to go buy candy!!

    Anita

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  2. again, i am blown away by our creativity!

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  3. I probably wouldn't think of this, in like, 30 years. xD
    Time to recycle!

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  4. Great way to recycle! Very creative. Bravo! x

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  5. Anita- I know! Gorgeous nails AND candy? How awesome does it get? Also, the wrappers can be cut with plain straight scissors, or hole punched as well... :D

    jbrobeck- Aww, thanks! I think it's just that I have such a multidiscipline background, it helps me look at things a bit differently. I'm ALWAYS doing that... I love wandering different shops and thinking about what I could make with various things.

    Then again, it's kind of difficult when I go shopping knowing what I'm looking for, but not what it's called. Many times I've gone to Home Depot or Lowe's asking the sales floor guys, "Hey, do you happen to have something that is thin, flexible, and sort of does this thing?" (Making weird hand movements.) Then they ask me what I'm fixing, and things get REALLY weird!

    Kellie- thank you, ma'am!

    AnnKiin'♥- Awww, I'm just weird that way! If it's thin enough, it's gonna get used on my nails!!

    Stylishly Yours- Thank you!

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  6. I was just looking at a package of silver candy wrappers at the cake decorating store in my town. They are thin and pliable enough that you could do some great nail art with it.

    I am happy that they are easy to cut with normal scissors and decorative scissors.

    Thanks for commenting on my post about the thick nail art things.... I did look into it and you are right = they are for inlaying in the acrylic nails....

    Also - your monster mani is adorable - i saved the photos to my desk top and hope i can do as good of a job as you did , those are adorable.

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  7. Deez Nails- Thanks so much, I had a LOT of fun working on the monsters, and am kicking around some more ideas even now. I'm glad you figured out what was up with the thick nail bits, you still may be able to use them though. Sounds like I might want to go to the cake decorating store!

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