We've Been Up to Things

Beastie has been baking up a storm this summer! She takes great care decorating her fruity tarts.  They are filled with vanilla pudding and topped with berries and then some thinned out berry jam. Then she tops them with a sprig of mint from the front garden. 

I got to do my Auntie J's nails this week!!! She's here from clear across the country. Couldn't love her more!!!

These are her tiny nails before we put her extensions on. So wee and delicate. 

I really could not have achieved this C curve without using Nail Innovationz formz and products. Not to mention their schooling....... Love this product more than I can tell you.

And they Nail Nerdz support network that comes with their training.

I've made heaps more nail bags for the Salon this week too!

We've formulated our very own Cute-A-Kell's oil!!!

It contains more than six nourishing oils including cocoa, sunflower, coconut and vitamin E!

There is a vial in every bag.

I also included a new nail brush and two files along with our oil and some cotton buds for easy application.

Added some crisp white extensions to these beautiful hard working fingers.

These tiny treasures are as cute as a bug!

Wild bitsy foxes and flowers on these tiny nails. These girls sat so calmly! Wonderful time decorating them!

My nails got did this week too!

I finally put some mini stiletto nails back on.

Couldn't resist a bit of glitter either. I used STAEDTLER iridescent. and Martha Stewart clear glitters. The plain nails have some white striping tape inside. I may have to play with these a bit more when I find a second or two.

Pre-Opening Salon Tour

Here is a wee bit of a Salon tour. We're not open yet.... Close.... But not quite yet.

How we managed.....

I Thought Retirement Would Be More Restful?

 I imagined that when I finally got to stay at home to "work" I'd have HEAPS of time to relax and just putter around.... I may have been a wee bit optimistic. I can say that being home has been lovely. I'm not in pain constantly. I can go up and down stairs without muttering obscenities, and I've been really considering going for walks! So the results have been fantastic for my health. I've been under the gun to get the Salon up and functioning, get my schooling going and I've also been plugging away at commissions. So puttering hasn't really been an option.   I've managed a few pics to share.... Ohhhhhh! And a video with ingredients on nail art. 

I mixed some Shiny Shades together to make this turquoise. I raided my art supply stash to decorate them... Definitely my favorite colour of all time! 

Here's how I did it!

Momma got some natural tip french nails with sparkly butterflies. She wanted gel french extensions with nail polish nail art so she could change them if she wanted on her own between appointments. Her extensions last about a month before she needs a fill and she LOVES to polish her own nails. So I think this process will work out best for her. Lovely natural looking extensions that she can customize on a daily basis if she feels like it.

Grandpa Jimmy had a lovely Pappa's Day! He was spoiled by Beastie and Momma Beast. Nammy got him this fantastic hammock to relax in, and his Pa and Ma came for a visit. It was an all around fantastic weekend.

Momma Beast and Beastie have been having great results with their garden so far this year. The beans are growing strong! They have beets and lettuces, herbs and tomatoes too!

Beastie's Fairy garden is also looking fantastic! Momma tucked it in under a bush in the corner of the backyard. Can't wait until the moss and ground covers start to spread out. Love this idea. Great fun!

I've moved my work space out on the front porch. I love that this is an option. I'm out there almost all day enjoying the squirrels and birds. There's great lighting for photographing project step outs too. Wish this were an option all year!

Well.... enough prattling on.....

I'd better get back at it!

Building the Perfect Polish Shelves

We spent about $40.00 on these nail polish shelves. They were so very easy to make and they look fantastic! Thought I'd share how we did it with you. They'd be great for holding all sorts of things. Picture frames, greeting cards, thread? Great display storage.

Here are the finished shelves. The trim came in 8ft lengths, so to keep things simple I made my shelves 4ft long.

This is the trim we purchased. We go two of each. I think I may need to go get more for the other wall..... We layered the two trims one on top of the other. First I drilled and screwed the flat trim to the wall. Then I used finishing nails t attach the curvy trim. Flat side up and flush with the top pf the plain trim.Easy peasy!

Holds the polish perfectly!

I've been having loads of fun looking for the perfect glitter mix. This one has possibilities....

I started experimenting with nail art plates and jelly stampers too....

I'm having so much fun!!!

Teeny Tiny STAEDTLER Fimo Nail Art Roses

Here are some more mini roses for nail art inclusions. I originally made them here. But have decided it needed a tiny tutorial video and some other colour examples. 

Thanks to STAEDTLER for the unlimited colour selections available.

Hope this is useful.

I'll be posting some pics of the roses once they are inside a set of nails.

Stay tuned!

Happy Places

Thought we'd share some of this week's happy places with you.

My most favorite happy place was at the dining room table with this plum pie. We had it with vanilla ice cream and tea. So yummy! The local plums are so tart, almost like rhubarb.

We've been experimenting with some new video editors. I'm liking the one included on my phone. I think it's an instagram thing. I love it! So many cool ways to share the things we enjoy. I have a terrible fear of forgetting things. These little videos help me remember happy cozy times.

Hope your week is fantastic!

New Mr. Jimmy Shirt and A Work Break

My oldest and her intended are home from the big city for a bit so I got a few days off work to spend just with them. It's been heaven.

We made some blueberry Mojitos 

Seriously delicious!

The sewing room has had some improvements. I added some pattern love to the walls.

I took the kids to KRUG'S Meats. I think they liked it. 

They have a really spectacular selection of smoked meats.

George has been supervising some recent makes.

The new sewing table is big enough for him to take up residence on a corner and I still have room to work. I think it's his new favorite spot to rest.

Made Mr. Jimmy this swank new button up. I'm in love with the cowboy pattern and pocket flaps. He'll be so handsome in this!

We used Simplicity 4760 again. It's our go to Mr. Jimmy shirt. Do you have a favorite pattern? Sure would like to hear about it.

Here's a snippit from yesterday's breakfast. We made french toast form a stale baguette, had some smoked bacon from KRUG'S  and did a quick process on some extra ripe local peaches.

Hope it doesn't make you too hungry!

Happy Sunday Folks!

How to Paint 3D Roses Using Super Softened STAEDTLER Fimo

Excited to share the video on Painting 3D Roses with Super Softened STAEDTLER Fimo.

It's a nail technician's technique, applied to polymer clay.

I love that this Fimo version of the rose allows me time to play with the shapes. The acrylic powder and liquid that I use to create 3D nail art has a very fast cure time and I always feel rushed. 

This really is a very versatile way to make delicate blossoms. 

Can't wait to hear what you think of it.

Super Softened STAEDTLER Fimo: Filling a Textured Surface

I've been playing with a heap of new ideas the last little while and am excited to share what I've learned. I use super softened STAEDTLER fimo for a load if techniques and am pleased a punch at the results. This tutorial for filling a textured surface is the first of many tutorials using this  ultra soft clay mix. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Here's a video showing how I make the softened clay. It's not long and I'd love to hear your thoughts. I know the miniature food creators out there use softened clay to make whipped cream toppings and sauces for their teeny delectable. I use mine as a dimensional paint.

I've also been using it to fill textured surfaces. It gives a nice detailed pattern with a smooth as silk finished surface.

Video Tutorial for Stampendous Nails

Video Tutorial of Tile Necklace Construction

For those of you who would rather watch a video tutorial, 

I've linked to the new tutorial on my Youtube page.

So..... would you rather a video?

Or do pictorial tutorials do it for you?

Which do you prefer?

Mini Stiletto Nails With A Rose Cane

I'll post the Rose Cane tutorial this week.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!

* I have temporarily disabled comments on this post because of SPAM.

If you want to ask a question about this topic, please comment on my contact page and I'll respond right away.*

Day of the Dead Skulls for Nail Art.... Part Two.

The second and final part of the Skull Cane Tutorial made with STAEDTLER Fimo is up on my youtube page.

Day of the Dead Skull Nail Art Canes with STAEDTLER Fimo

I recorded a video of how I make my Day Of the Dead skull canes for nail art. I sped the time up so you wouldn't have to sit there for six hours and wait for me to finish. This is only part one of the video tutorial. Part two is coming soon!

I used STAEDTLER Fimo in black and night glow to create these canes. I also added a wee bit of embellishment in the form of a previously made rose cane in glitter red Fimo on the sides of the cane.

Cool Huh?
I love glowie stuff!

Here is the skull drawing I was working off. You can use it too if it will help. Print it out so it's about 8cm across.



Here are some examples of how I use these skull canes in my acrylic and gel nail art.

Spotty Nail Fill Tutorial With Fimo Canes

Happy New Year!!!

I have been working away on adding some new videos to my youtube page. I'll be sharing them as I load them. Here, as requested, is a video tutorial on how I do quick decorative fills using STAEDTLER Fimo nail canes. It also shows how I made the actual cane!

Hope this answers some of your questions.

These are very simple little canes. Very fast to produce and they can be made in any colour or many more or less layers than I have used here.

I'm a huge sucker for Turkish evil eyes. Can you tell?

I really enjoy these fast fills. I don't always have the time to commit to changing out my nail art completely. This technique gets another couple weeks from a set of nails just by covering the grown out smile line with some Fimo cane slices. Creating your own slices is quick and easy and gives you way more colour choice than purchasing pre-made slices.

Here is a link to the full video.

enjoy!