Questions, questions...

I've always been weird. I know this for a fact, I've always looked at things as what they might be, instead of what they are. So while I can love all the new nail polish shades, the nail art goodies, etc, I also look at other things and think, "What if I put this on there instead..."

Do you do this? Do you stick to nail polish only, or do you look around at things on totally different departments and think, "Hey, I could use that for texture!" or "That would look AWESOME on my nails!" Do you look at the various bits and bobs to see what can be cross-purposed as nail bits?

For example, the rhinestones on my nails in the 4th July manicure aren't from a nail art kit. They're pre-glued rhinestones from a cell phone/laptop/planner decoration kit. However, when you compare them to the rhinestones I got in a different nail art kit, the only difference is the color and the glue. Plus, I got them on MAJOR sale... 30 cents at Office Depot. I didn't know what I would use them for, but they were too pretty to pass up!

I also use acrylic paints on my nails often. I've heard of/seen people using fabric paints, various glitters, labels from various candies, etc. I'm always looking at things, wondering if I could use them in a different way than they were intended to be used.

So tell me- what's the strangest thing you've put on your nails? Is there anything you wouldn't use?

Also- go check out the Hungry Asian's giveaway, it is a CRAZY amount of polishes! 17 polishes and a pack of artificial nails! But first, leave me a comment about what you do... I'm hoping I'm not the only one who sees the world as a variety of art materials just waiting to be used!

OMG, I Can't WAIT to Finish These!

I couldn't wait, I had to share these. I'm in progress on another set of nails, and I am in LOVE!!! I have had this bottle of glitter in my cabinet for literally 15 years. I bought it on a whim to wear as body glitter to Mardi Gras one year, and haven't done a thing with it since.

I can't think of anything better to use it for than these nails, can you? Can you see the fire in the blurred images? Ohhh, I am in LOVE!

However- note to self. Next time use a paper mixing cup for the glitter. My poor bowl/palette is glittered madly, and there isn't enough packing tape to pick it all up. It's also too contaminated with loose polish to actually dump back into the bottle, so I ended up having to dump a mixture of water & white glue in to catch all the loose glitter so that it won't go everywhere. At least it will contain the glitter and not make a huge mess, but man, I wish I'd thought of this earlier. The paper mixing cup could be glued or taped shut and tossed without a second thought.

Ah well. I'll know for next time.

Petites - Dare

Some days are just too good to be true. I've been lemming for a blue flaky polish for absolute AGES now, and whining to my husband about it sadly. Right now, I'm not able to send off for any of the Nfu-Oh polishes, no matter how much I'd love to. So until then, I've been dreaming wistfully, and drooling over pictures online.

Until last night. We'd gone for a walk at our local WalMart and decided to wander through the clearance department. I'm *SO* glad we did, because there in a small box of clearance cosmetics, mixed in among the off shades of MaryKate and Ashley blushes and who-knows-how-old lip glosses was a bottle of Petites polish in Dare.

It was such a pretty shade of blue, and with the Fourth of July coming up so quickly, I decided to carry it with me through the store while we walked, considering if I really wanted to buy it. Yea, it was on clearance, and it's not terribly expensive to begin with, but I've found that carrying something with me for a while lets me decide if I really want to buy it, or if it's just one of those spur-of-the-moment purchases.

But the more I looked at it and saw how glittery and perfect the color was, the more I realized I wanted to bring this little polish home with me. It was perfect for a patriotic manicure, and it was totally the right price. But once I got home and started to apply it I started looking more closely at it. Could it be, I wondered? Are those really little flakies?!

It IS! Beautiful little flakes of glitter, mixed in with a mix of tiny microglitters in shades of silver, teal, and pink, of all colors, float in a gorgeous sheer blue that builds to opacity in three coats. I can't stop looking at it. And most of all, I am loving the fact that I almost put this little gem back on the shelf!

Every now and then I make a good decision! ;)

That prompted today's mani. I wanted something patriotic, but not too over-the-top. I wanted to use the ZOMG gorgeous blue, along with my favorite red glitter polish.. Actually, I pulled out something like 10 bottles, trying to figure out what to use.

I settled on Petites Dare for the blue, Heaven Nail Lacquer for the red, my Art Deco white striper, and an unnamed Sally Hansen Salon silver that came in a 5-pack of minis that I got on sale. The silver did an awesome job of covering the red and white stripes in one coat... talk about fantastic!

Finally I added a single rhinestone (albeit a rather large one!) onto each nail, mainly to cover up the white dot I screwed up on the tip of my left hand. You would know I messed up the one I could paint easily! But whatever... it worked out. :D

Wow, what a giveaway!

I know, I'm posting a lot of giveaways. But really, I wanna share the fun, and who wouldn't want to win this selection of goodies? Susie of Susie's Home and Hobbies is giving away a super collection of goodies- nail polishes, a stamping set, nail polish remover pads, and a 27 piece Elf makeup kit!

Not bad, and it's for a good cause. She's trying to help get her son's band a chance to open for KISS! Heck, I'd be excited for that chance! So go on, help her out and get a chance to win this sweet haul! The giveaway ends when the voting ends, which as far as I can tell is July 30 or 31. You've got a month, but don't put it off...





<3, Laynie

A zebra of a different color...

Well, I am SO EXCITED! I have finished my first set of artificial nails, and I do think I'm in love with them! Not only are they rainbow... no, they are rainbow zebra!! These nails aren't for wallflowers, or for people who like to blend in with the crowd.

I painted these using acrylic paints, mixing colors to get just what I wanted. They're a bright rainbow, starting with a bright purple at the cuticle, shifting to cyan, lime green, bright yellow, hot orange and finishing with magenta at the tips. Black stripes overlay the rainbow, and they're topped off with a deep gloss that makes me absolutely giddy. I modeled the photos by using a bit of poster putty to hold the nails on, so that they can be worn for real after I snapped a few photos. Such a shame, my poor pudgy hands aren't the best models for these babies! :D

The neurotic thing? I didn't do 10 of these. No, I made these hoping they'd be perfect for someone else, although I'm not sure who that'd be. But since I don't know who this person is, I decided to be generous and do a full set of 20 nails. That's 2 nails each in sizes 0-9. Yea, I was going a bit cross-eyed at the end, there, but I'd hate to have someone end up with nails that didn't fit!

So, these will go back into my box of nail goodies until I've built up a few more sets. Then I'll figure out if I should try eBay or etsy or what. Any suggestions?

In the meantime, I've got more nails in progress. I've got another rainbow set that I'm still deciding what to top them with. I'm considering a cheetah print (filling the spots with white), or maybe another zebra set. It's fun to hand paint! I've also got a set of gradient nails, but... that's another post entirely!!

Here's hoping your day is filled with love, laughter, and great nails!

Holy Moly, munchkinland!

Wow. Kellie Gonzo over at Also Known As is having one of the biggest giveaways I've seen yet! Ok, so I've only been looking for a little while, but still! This is a huge honkin' pile of stuff!! Just look at it!

I mean, seriously, who wouldn't want to win that? I know I would! So quick, time is running out. Go enter!! Run!

Disembodied Nails on Sticks...

Sometimes I worry about myself...

I'm finally finishing up my first set of artificial nails. They're a really fun pattern, and I love love love them. But as I was putting the final coat of topcoat on, I realized that as they were all drying that they reminded me of when tyrants in the dark ages would line the streets with disembodied heads on pikes, warning anyone coming into town that crime would be dealt with swiftly and harshly.



So tell me, wonderful readers (all three of you!! Hi!!) ... just what would a row of disembodied rainbow zebra-striped nails on bamboo sticks warn people of? Because for the life of me, I simply don't know!