X Marks the Spot!

YARRRRRR!!!! `Tis finally here! Today be one o' th' wee days durin' this 365 tide journey that I be havin' actually had th' art planned ou'. (an' in this case, I`ve had 't planned since th' beginnin' o' th' voyage) I LOVE International Talk Like a Swashbuckler Tide!! Today I decided t' do a shipmate`s booty map fer th' daily nail design.

And... to translate into non-pirate speak:

Hey! It's finally here! Today is one of the few days during this 365 day journey that I have actually had the art planned out. (and in this case, I've had it planned since the beginning of the year) I LOVE International Talk Like a Pirate Day!! Today I decided to do a pirate's treasure map for the daily nail design.

I used American Apparel California Trooper as a base, with China Glaze Classic Camel sponged over it in spots, then I sponged a mixture of China Glaze Classic Camel and MAC Rich, Dark, Delicious over those spots, then I sponged MAC Rich, Dark, Delicious on the tips and some of the edges. For the map's ink, I used a mixture of MAC Rich, Dark, Delicious, and American Apparel Hassid. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Now that be my kind o' nail ARRRRRRRRRRRR-t! ;) Where's me rum?!

Quiet in the Peanut Gallery!

Yesterday's cookies got me thinking about other cookies... namely, Nutter Butters. Then, thinking about Nutter Butters (besides getting me hungry) made me think of actual peanuts... which, in turn, got me thinking, hey- that might be a fun nail design! So, I bring you- peanut nails! :-D Don't mind the shimmer, apparently nail polish manufacturers can't seem to make a simple golden/tan/beige creme with no shimmer. (or I just don't know about one yet- so if you know of one that is similar to Classic Camel without shimmer, LET ME KNOW!

I used China Glaze Classic Camel as a base, then mixed with MAC Rich, Dark, Delicious for the darker lines, and with American Apparel California Trooper to highlight. Topped everything off with Essie Matte About You.

My left eye is twitching, that can't be good, right?

Not So Double Stuffed

Dunno, I've never liked Double Stuf Oreos. I could never get behind the ratio of sugary filling to chocolate cookie. It's an unbalanced scale, and will never win a place in my heart. I know, I'm probably one of the few that hates them, but what's new, I'm the odd one in the group...nothing wrong with that! :-D However, I DO love regular OREOs. Seriously, I swear they're the cure for insomnia, for hunger, for a sweet tooth, for everything. The bad thing is, once I start eating OREOs, I find it hard to stop, and before I know it, 1/3 of the package is gone. :) Oops. (They're SO GOOD) Today's manicure idea was a suggestion of Chris'. (apparently the OREO commercial was on at his house when I texted, contemplating what to do for today's nails) I did the OREO logo on my thumb, and close-ups of the printed side of the cookie on the index, middle, and pinky, with a stack of OREOs on the ring finger. Nom Nom Nom. (you know I did 'research' for this manicure)

I used MAC Rich, Dark, Delicious as a base for the cookie nails, mixed with American Apparel California Trooper to make the design/highlight, and mixed MAC Rich, Dark, Delicious with American Apparel Hassid to shade. On the ring finger, I used Essie Bone Chilling White as a base, with the same colors as above for the cookie parts. For the logo nail, I used ALDO Sea You in Ibiza as a base, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the logo, and China Glaze Flyin' High for the teal outline. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

I think I'm going to go bite my nails. :-9

Meep! Meep!

Guess whose birthday it is today?! I'll give you a hint... one of them preferred ACME brand products! :) If you guessed Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner, You're correct! Today marks their 61st birthday! :) The first time they aired was September 16, 1949 with a cartoon named Fast and Furry-ous. :) Today's manicure is dedicated to those silly characters that make us laugh!

I used OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base, with OPI Ginger Bells for the landscape, mixed with American Apparel Palm Springs to highlight, and then I used Essie Alligator Purse to shade, then used L.A. Girl Army Green for the cacti. For Wile E. Coyote, I used American Apparel California Trooper as a base, then Barielle Unraveled Rust for his fur, then outlined with American Apparel Hassid. For Road Runner, I used Orly Snowcone as a base, with ALDO Sea You in Ibiza for the wings, and head feathers, and Sally Hanson Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in 06 Sun Kissed for the beak and legs. For the eyes I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud, with American Apparel Hassid for the pupils and to outline. For the sign, I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud, Barielle Unraveled Rust for the post, and A Beautiful Life Poison for the words. The crate was a combination of Barielle Unraveled Rust, American Apparel California Trooper and American Apparel Palm Springs, then the same combination with more Barielle Unraveled Rust to shade, American Apparel Hassid to outline and for the ACME stencil, Nubar Sexy Red for the rocket, and A Beautiful Life Poison for the dynamite. Topped everything off with two coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Meep! Meep! (Fun fact: It's actually Beep! Beep!, it just sounds like Meep! Meep!)

I'm Afraid That's Classifieds

Day 338

A long, long time ago, in a land far away from Las Vegas, there was a redheaded girl who worked at a newspaper. She was young, just having finished her first year of college, and for her summer job, she got the chance to work for the Arenac County Independent. What did she do, you might ask? Well, she typed. A LOT. She also laid out the classifieds line by line with only an X-acto knife and waxing machine to aid her in her weekly adventure. She also had tons of fun with her two partners in crime there at the news office, Jennifer (affectionately known as Jenny- pronounced- GINNY) and Kipp. They had tons of fun, and ate wet burritos at the Granton Inn. It was a jolly time. :-D This girl was affectionately referred to as...Melanie. Was this her name? Not so much, it was still Melissa, her given name, but in an effort to not confuse Kipp any further than he already was...she allowed herself to be referred to as Melanie. (not that she had much choice in the matter) Fast forward to present...sadly the building we all shared laughs in has burned down, and we are all in our own parts of the world, doing our own thing...and Kipp is MUCH older. (but not Melanie or Jenny, they have retained their youthful good looks and charming personalities...as most women do) In honor of that superfun summer at The Independent, where proofreading produced the words 'doe snot' more often than the correct 'does not', I give you the newspaper nails! I have to admit, I can't completely take credit for the effect, I saw the idea at the ORLY booth at CosmoProf, and loved it. To make it even more special- I used the classifieds...

I used Butter LONDON Billy No Mates as a base, with newsprint transferred via alcohol. Topped it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Now that's MY kind of recycling.

What's Your Function?

There isn't a single kid that grew up in the 80s or 90s that hasn't seen or at least heard of Schoolhouse Rock! We all know and love such hits as 'Conjunction Junction', 'Unpack Your Adjectives', and 'I'm Just a Bill'. They're a part of our youth, our memories, and they're, quite frankly, AWESOME. (or AWE5OME?) Anyway, today I decided to do Schoolhouse Rock! themed nail art! From the thumb: Lolly, Inc. sign from 'Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here', the 'hairy', 'scary' bear from 'Unpack Your Adjectives', Bill from 'I'm Just a Bill', the conductor from 'Conjunction Junction', and the grass with speech bubble saying 'Rufus' from 'Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla' (pronouns).

I used:

Thumb: Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here

Essie Bone Chilling White as a base, with Nubar Sexy Red for the Lolly logo, and American Apparel Hassid for the sign edge, and posts.

Index: Unpack Your Adjectives

Essie Bone Chilling White as a base, with Barielle Unraveled Rust painted so you can still see the brush strokes (like the video), Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the claws, American Apparel Hassid for the outlines, nose, and eyes.

Middle: I'm Just a Bill

Essie Bone Chilling White as a base, with American Apparel Hassid to draw Bill, Nubar Sexy Red for the red, and ALDO Sea Me in Ibiza for the blue.

Ring: Conjunction Junction

Essie Bone Chilling White as a base, with OPI What's With the Cattitude? for the hat and coveralls, Nubar Sexy Red for the neckerchief, American Apparel Palm Springs for the face, and American Apparel Hassid to outline/stripes/details.

Pinky: OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base, with Pure Ice Wild Thing and L.A. Girl Army Green for the grass/leaves, Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the speech bubble, and American Apparel Hassid for outlining, and the word 'Rufus'.

Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

What's YOUR function?

Blood in the Water

A while back, I did a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds', and new reader Carol P. suggested that I do a Psycho themed manicure. Of course I thought this was a great idea- so I did it!! :) 2010 marks 50 years since the release of this iconic movie, so it's a great time to do it- plus, since it's not too long until Halloween, so what better time? Fun fact: The 'blood' that goes down the drain in the shower scene is actually chocolate syrup! Should I have used brown polish instead of red?! :-D

I used Essie Bone Chilling White as a base, with China Glaze Millennium for the drain, and American Apparel Hassid for the hole in the drain. For the blood, I used A Beautiful Life Poison to marble over the white. :) Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

REE! REE! REE! REE! REE! REE!