All Red-y

Hi friends,
I finally pulled it together and did a real manicure. Not just plain red, but red and RED. Gotta have sparkle! These two polishes are by Little Black Dress Nail Lacquer. Browse through the shop to see more great colors.  The first red is called The Apple and it's from the Creation Collection.  The red glitter polish is Captivating Crimson, a super glitter from another collection called Dazzlers. There are several more colors in each collection so choose wisely, or just buy an entire collection at a fantastic discounted price.

I don't know where the inspiration came from for this manicure. I ditched my yoga class and forced myself to come up with something. I had to make the hour count. And voila!

I hope I don't have to miss another class for my next manicure. I'll have to work on finding my muse.

Until next time,
Ciao for now!

Birthday Luxe

Hi friends,
I admit I've been neglecting my nails lately. Too busy for proper grooming. I'm wearing plain polish (no glitter, sequins, holo, or adornment), my cuticles could use a deep moisturizing treatment, and the claws need trimming. In spite of my gross neglect, I still had to dig deep through my archives for a photo or two of manicures that didn't make the cut.  Honestly, it's better than revealing my failing phalanges.

My birthday is fast approaching and I find it interesting that I would post this particular manicure today. I'm not a designer brand driven type of girl. Don't get me wrong, Designer accessories and clothing are great, but if I can't afford the ones I really want, then I'd rather do without. And the fake ones are out of the question. Nothing wrong with them, but I'm just not interested enough to be sure I have a good enough knock-off. So, by choosing this manicure today, does that mean I have latent desires for designer wear? A therapist might analyze that a simple Chanel bag or a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes might satisfy a need I didn't know I had. So, If you guys want to put together a few birthday bucks and buy me a designer accessory, I would greatly appreciate it. In retrospect, I knew I shouldn't have been so stingy with the kids allowances.

Ciao Bellas!

Back To Fashion For Inspiration...Where's My Muse?

Hi friends,
It's been a super busy summer for me.  I can't tell you how many times I've tried to sit down and prepare a post just to find out (at the last minute) that my oldest has a basketball game/practice , or my youngest needs a ride across town to hang out with his friends.  And when I finally get settled in to do a manicure, I run into painters block. Color minus the creativity. Let's face it, that's probably not what you're here to see. I can't even decide on a simple stamp to use.  I've got nothing ladies. I'm drawing a blank here. Zero, nada, nani mo, nichego, niente, rien. Or in the words of my childhood friends,  not a doggone thing. So what do you do when your brain and all your creative energies have gone on vacation?  I pull inspiration from any place I can, that's what I do.  After a recent shopping trip (much needed retail therapy), I used colors from a new outfit for my muse.  Peach is a popular color this year, so I pulled out a peachy polish, a coordinating plum and a splash of gold. The design didn't come out quite like I planned, so I threw on a clear holographic topcoat because nothing solves a problem like holo or glitter (or both in this case).  And voila! A light, summery peachy mani.

Either I keep shopping for clothes and bust my budget, or I do what I did last year and flip through magazines and surf the net for drool-worthy furniture and room decor that I can't afford.  Now that's inspiration! So you might be in store for a few upholstery recreations. Odd, I know. But it works. Go with it.

Help me out. Tell me what you want to see.  Drop me a comment below. Until next time,
Ciao for now!

Hot Floral For Hot July

Hi friends,
It's July, (my birth month) and the heat has finally hit hard. Some days I think I'll melt before I make it to my car. Despite the heat, I'm at my uptown office (Starbucks) sipping a hot Venti dark roast in the middle of the day. I'm always relaxed when I come to my uptown office. It's where I do my best work. Too bad I can't do nail art here. Maybe I could talk to the manager... No, I'd have a better chance getting free coffee than setting up a table to polish my nails. Perhaps I'll go for the free coffee then.

Today I have a hot floral design, well suited for summery flowers and sweltering heat. I used the reverse stamping technique. But if you're a regular reader, you knew that already, because you're familiar with my artistic handicap. I can barely draw a straight line, so flowers are out - abstract or otherwise. Im still trying to sign up for pre-K art classes, but the schools here are age biased and I haven't found one that will let me sign up. I'm a little older than 5 which seems to be one of the main requirements - silly rule I think. I'm not giving up though. I don't quit that easily!

Until next time,
Ciao for now.

To My Jackson/Caldwell Family

I'm jumping up and down, waving my hands frantically in the air, hoping my family will catch this post. AUNTIES, UNCLES, COUSINS, THIS IS FOR YOU.
It's been a long, long, long, looooong...long long time since I've seen you guys, (holding my head down in shame).  But, if all goes as planned, I'll see you soon.

My boys and I are traveling to my family reunion next month and I simply can't wait!  It's probably been more than 5 years since I've seen them (yeah, shame isn't it?), and soooo much changes in 5 years.  I'm looking forward to catching up and making plans to stay in touch. Hopefully, I can convince them to hold the next reunion closer my way (hint hint).

Today I chose to do an orange (our color this year) and green family tree design

We'll have a great time and then I'm going to write about it. You've been warned.
Ciao for now.

Family Reunion Orange