Going for the gold!

Hi Everyone!  Today's theme for the Adventures In Stamping challenge is gold-either as a base or stamping with it.  I'm still on my matte kick and my "wifey" Lori went out of her way to get me the Pure Ice's I didn't have yet and Crushed was one of them.  Holy Hannah this is one gorgeous color!  I keep saying how can a $2 polish be this lovely??  Because my nails are long right now the 1st Bundle Monster set is challenging for me.  I like the full nail images on it but they just don't fit.  I got creative with BM21 though

I stamped just the tips with a design from BM21 and then used my black striping polish.  I thought about using my black shatter with it somehow BUT it's pretty dried up.  Time for some thinner for my beloved Shatter.

I remember when mattes first came out and I thought, "what a dumb idea"  and that was ages ago--YEARS ago, and here I am finally on the bandwagon.  Who knows maybe years from now I'll finally like jellies and glitter sandwiches too LOL!

I learned the hard way with mattes and stamping you have to put a clear coat on first THEN the matte.  If you try to do a matte topcoat over your stamped image it will smear.

This is how the design looked all shined up with Seche Vite

Still lovely, BUT there is just something about the matte I loved more.

How about you?  Which do you prefer?

I'm only working 6 hours today instead of 12 woot!!! AND my sweet, sweet, sweet friend Kara sent me a surprise package yesterday.  I had wanted to buy a lot of the James Bond's but my assignment ended where I had been working much earlier than anticipated so I just couldn't justify spending that much on myself when I didn't know if/when I would be working again.  I had planned on snagging a few with all this overtime I'm working but low and behold a package with To Live And Let Die (my favorite Bond movie), Casino Royale, and Tomorrow Never Dies was in mailbox yesterday.  A lovely "surprise, I hope these put a smile on your face" note was instead too.  Kara is just the sweetest!  I definitely plan on playing with them for sure!!!

The Packers play tonight and we're trying to decide if we're doing sloppy joes or garlic chicken.  Right now it's a toss up.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  We got that really wet snow last night and none of it stuck, hopefully there is more on the way and will be around for Christmas.

Never Surrender!

Hi Everyone!! Happy Saturday!  I have been SO busy at work and haven't had much time for anything BUT had some time to work on a mani the other night.   In keeping with my "where what I have already instead of buying more polish" I decided to haul out my OPI Rising Star and Take the Stage and do a gradient with them.  I didn't love it, I just liked it

 I thought it would be much more vibrant and much darker.

  
It is pretty blingy though and quite lovely.  I decided to stamp over (duh like when don't I say that?)

Again I liked it but I didn't love it

I left it like this, went out and looked at it for a few hours and decided I could do better

Yep much, MUCH better!!!

My nails are getting pretty long, almost too long for the Bundle Monster plates as I had to "fake" it on the bottom with my swear finger.  But if you're not
really staring at it, it's hard to pic out

I do so love it when I can save a mani.  It doesn't matter I had to regradient over an existing stamping lol!

And check out what I noticed about both Rising Star and Take The Stage, they look pretty dang amazing in the shade too!

I still really love the second design better than the first!

I'm going to be working 7 days a week from now until Christmas Eve! Yep 7 days a week 7am until 7pm  hopefully not that long on the weekends.  I'm trying to think of some cool but quick mani ideas to come up with to tide us all over!

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Rain or shine!?!

Hi Everyone!  Hope everyone is having a great week so far!  Mine has been pretty busy.  Recently I got several of the Pure Ice Velvets/Velours whatever you want to call them, but to me I just call them suedes, has made me want to drag out my OPI's.  I know go figure I get 10 new polishes but decide to pull out the old stuff lol!  Well it's a good thing I did because I have OPI Ink suede and have never worn it!  It is super lovely!  It's one of those colors you think is blue then you get it on and go, no wait maybe it's purple!  Truly a blurple if there ever was one.  And OPI does blurple's great.  Ink reminds me of Glamour.

My friend Marissa showed me her cool mani the other day where she stamped using the 3rd Bundle Monster cloud plate over her Zoya Storm.  I totally copied that idea over my Ink suede!

I've found the best way to stamp with matte's is to first put on Seche Vite and then apply a matte top coat.  If you try the matte top coat over the stamped image it smears.

It looks quite lovely all shined up though!  I love the buried hidden shimmer in  a suede and it just comes to life with a shiny top coat!

Here it is matted though, really cool!

I love to run my fingers over my suedes when I have them on.  They feel so smooth!

I have an idea for a suede gradient again too--hopefully it will work out!

Thanks for stopping by!!! I hope you all have a great day!

No time for nail art??? How about a magnetic?!

Hi Everyone!  Here I am still hanging in there working ungodly hours.  The group of gals I work with is great though and even though we are all super busy we are having fun!

I decided to pull out some of my magnetics so I could have some nail art without really doing nail art!  Crackle and Magnetics are great for this!  I think we all know by now I'm addicted to magnetics and crackle--and foils lol!

This is a Nabi I have simply called Dark Purple.  I love how the magnet pulls in dark lines as well as the light ones for this color

I'm not a huge fan of the star design because it's hard for me to center it AND I appear to be anal because if they aren't all in the same spot on my nail it bugs me LOL!

I had some issues with my thumb.  When you have super curved nails sometimes the magnets don't wrap around.  Still this is a zillion times better than just purple on my finger nails!

I know not everyone loves magnetics but really how can you not love something this cool????!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Sometimes you feel like a nut

Hi Everyone!  Happy Monday!  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  I worked AND got to see a Packer win so it was indeed a good weekend.  It's even better when I get to wear a lovely polish given to me by a sweet friend of mine--the sweet Jen of Sweet Tip Nails.  Jen had a vision to make some sweet treat polishes and she sent me two she made, Dr Pepper and Mounds.  Both are super lovely and brown!!! Before I really got into polish brown was my favorite color aka problem color.  

And speaking of brown I decided to gradient with a couple gorgeous browns from OPI--Wooden Shoe Like To Know and Germanicure.

I do really love how this turned out

The polish Jen made is a glorious mix of dark brown and copper multi sized hex glitters, white bar glitters (for the coconut!!!!) and then teeny tiny golden shimmers.  It is SO delicious!

Look at how lovely it looks over my gradient

She's currently in production trying to get more out.  When I have more info I'll definitely let you know!

I just have to say how much I love the name Mounds it's an absolutely perfect name for this polish!

I think it made my gradient even more spectacular!

When I have polishes this lovely I don't need stamping!  

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Christmas Ribbon!

Hi Everyone!!!  Today's theme in AIS is Winter Theme.  Well to be honest it's not really winterish here!  No kidding!  Here I am in Wisconsin and would you believe we have almost 60 degree weather???!! IT'S INSANE!  And for this very reason I just can't get into the whole snowflake, snowmen Wintery theme.  I decided to think outside the box and I came up with a mani that I absolutely love!

It did not hurt AT ALL that my base was the most glorious, most delicious, most gorgeous red ever, and by that I mean--yes you guessed it

This is by far my most favorite red on the planet!

I decided to gradient with an untried--NYX Red Bean Slush.  I really cannot believe how great the two compliment each other!

I do so love tone on tone gradienting!

The stamping I chose to go over it really reminds me of Christmas ribbon!

I really loved how this turned it--I'm not a summery or spring colors type gal and these deep dark reds are right up my alley.  I'm super happy with how this turned out!

Here's a picture of the polishes I used, OPI's Vampire State Building and NYX Red Bean Slush 

I used Konad M63 to stamp with--one of my favorite Konad plates!

What do you think?  Does this look Christmas Ribbony to you?

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you all have a fantastic day!

New life to this day old mani!

Hi Everyone!! Happy weekend!  Today starts my 7 days a week work week for the next month.  I'm not too worried about working so much as I have the camera man at home to cook, clean and take care of the animals while I'm not there.  I am worried about not getting stuck with the same mani on for more than a day.  I know most people don't do their nails everyday but I have been doing mine daily for ages!  My super smart friend Kara recommended I put fish net on over my mani from yesterday and you'll see why I say she's super smart!

 I think this fishnet stamp is the perfect addition!

You can still see all the beauty of my Midnight's Master franken and fishnet is always sexy!

I really like the 3rd Bundle Monster set--no matter what it seems like Bundle Monster is always my go to set.  This fishnet image is from BM310.  I'm sure i'll be using it again.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!! Thanks for stopping by!