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.

I won a giveaway from DaintyDarlingDigits! Who knew?

Giveaways- we all know them, and lots of us participate in them. But does anyone really win the shiny packages of happy we see referenced on these blogs? Well, thanks to the Going Green giveaway at Dainty Darling Digits, I can honestly say that Yes!! People win!! I won!!

Opening this box was so incredibly exciting. I don't think I've been this giddy in ages! Each little bit was carefully wrapped, so it was like unwrapping Christmas presents! There was entirely too much squeeing and giggling, and my husband just shook his head and laughed at me. It was a lot of fun!

Also, if you look carefully, you'll notice there's quite a few more items in this picture than there are in the photos in the giveaway entry. That's because of all the extra goodies the blog mistress put in!

There are travel-sized bottles of Cetaphil cleanser, Avojuice lotion, and Burt's Bees shampoo and conditioner. I haven't tested those out yet, but I have used the EcoTools hand cream. This stuff smells phenomenal! It's got a very clean scent, and it absorbs into my hands like a dream. I'm really happy with it!

I was a bit concerned about the hand cream. I'm really sensitive to smells, and lots of lotions and hand creams get passed on to friends or just not used because of their scents. This one is really refreshing, though, so I'm a happy Laynie!

Then there are the polishes! Holy WOW, the polishes! All of the colors in this box suit my skin tone as if they'd been picked out for me! I really enjoy the selection of neutral colors. There's a nude, a beige/tan, a plummy brown that's absolutely gorgeous, and a mushroomy taupe that's got just a hint of violet to it. GORGEOUS!! Then the pinks... oh my goodness, the pinks. The two Maybelline pinks are insanely shimmery-glittery, and are sheer enough to go over deep colors as well! That's quite a show-stopper, honestly. I put a coat of Maybelline Golden Plum (the deeper pink of the two) over a coat of OPI Suzi Loves Sydney, and the result is simply stunning. Who knew?

Finally, the canes. I haven't been brave enough to slice them up, even though I was a polymer clay freak years ago. I was even tempted to make canes for sale to nail people once upon a time! Isn't it interesting how things cycle around...

Anyway, these canes are so adorable. I really like the purple hibiscus, it's so cute and graphic! The lavender flower is sweet as well. Now, if only I can use them well enough to not feel like I'm wasting them!

So that's what was in the box of goodies! Isn't it fun? So remember- keep entering the giveaways. You might be the next one with the giant box of nail mail, just waiting for you to open it and squee like a child!

Until next time, my lovelies!