A Little Free-hand Flair

Hi ladies,

I really really really wish I wasn't artistically challenged. If I could, I would paint tiny little murals on my nails.  I would write names, dates and fancy symbols. I would paint the world on each nail using every color known to man.  But, that's still just a dream for me.  Despite my cruel disability (called skillessness), I tried my hand at a manicure using no tape, stamps or vinyls. I think it's not so bad.  Monet, I am not.  Van Gogh, I will never become (I like my ears, both of them). But I can still use my kindergarten artistic skills to create something fun.  You Go Girl!  Hi five!

Ciao Bellas!

Bright Colors With A Chevron Pattern

Hello friends,

A few months ago I bought chevron patterned tape just to try it out.  I'm not fond of the pattern, but the whole chevron thing is pretty popular right now. I used a few bright colors since fall is soon upon us and I want to hold onto the warm weather just a little longer.  I'm a July baby, so me + hot weather = happiness and bliss.
Ciao for now!

Blue Stamping Over A Deep Gold Base

Hi friends,

I enjoyed my nature walk last week. Or rather, a walk to the CVS.  There were leaves, trees, and foliage along the way, so does that count?  In any case, it did the trick.

I'll tell you what inspired this manicure. No, there's no deep philosophical meaning behind it.  I just wanted to see how blue stamped over a dark metallic color would look.  Yup, that's it. So now I know.  There is a philosophical meaning behind the beautiful little bird, though. Just kidding, I had nature on my mind, that's all.

Maybe next week I'll ponder something philosophical and post a mind blowing revelation.  I doubt it, but it could happen.

Ciao for now!

Getting A Little Personal

Hi friends,
Today's post has nothing to do with manicures or nail polish at all. In fact, if you want details about this manicure leave me a comment and I'll tell you anything you want to know.

Today I want to talk about my personal life, which I usually avoid doing online.  But, against my better judgment, I'm going to do it anyway.

I have really good friends who love me and my kids and want nothing less than the best for us. I love them too and sometimes wonder how I could make it without them. They simply want me to be happy and fulfilled. Of course, so do I. But sometimes their idea of happy and fulfilled and my idea of happy and fulfilled are not the same.

I feel content and satisfied with my life, but many of my well-meaning friends think that I can't possibly be happy until they find me a date. Ok, it's been almost 2 years since my husband passed, and they tell me it's time to get back out there and jump back into the dating pool and catch myself a fish.

But here's the thing, I'm doing great.  I don't want to jump in a pool, toss out a line and go fishing. A fish will not enhance my life. And quite frankly, my kids have already expressed their intent to kick any fish down the stairs.  I'm not making this up guys.

Well, that's not something they need to worry about.  I have them, my friends and family, and their friends too (since they're always around). Adding a fish to the pot would only make it boil over. And who wants to clean up smelly fish water?  Ok, enough with the fish analogies. Mohinder Suresh (my beta fish) wouldn't take too kindly to that).

Well-meaning friends say my boys won't be with me forever and I'll become lonely. But I have to laugh at that.  What I wouldn't give for my kids to be all grown up and living good, productive lives that don't include coming home every night to my house. Trust me, I already have plans for their rooms.

So, dear friends and loved ones, I am quite happy and fulfilled as I am. I don't have time to date anyway, and I like things just the way they are. Now, if you want to hook me up with concert tickets, great.  But if you want to hook me up with a date, I know a lovely young lady down the street that would give her right arm for one and I'll gladly give you her number. Your matchmaking efforts won't go to waste.


Please excuse (or ignore) my personal rant.  My next post will include nail polish talk. I promise.  Thanks for reading. 
Till next time,
Ciao Bellas!

New Collection by Little Black Dress Nail Lacquer is...Dazzling

Hi Ladies,
I have a terrific new collection to show you by Little Black Dress Nail Lacquer.  The collection is called Dazzlers, a collection of eight super glitter polishes. Perfect for the pretty princess in you. The polishes in the photo above are (from left to right),

Shimmering Silver White
Exciting Gold
Tantalizing Tangerine
Captivating Crimson
Smashing Grape
Alluring Azure
Tranquil Teal
Enticing Emerald

Try them out.
Ciao Bellas!

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!

"B" For Bored

Today's manicure is brought to you by the letter "B"
...for boring.

Ladies, you know that I love glitter, rhinestones and all things sparkly. If it's overdone, I love it.  If it's outrageous or gaudy, then I'm probably wearing it.  If it's just on the side of ugly, I might like it (especially shoes, there's no limit with shoes).  But today, I went outside of myself. I channeled simplicity and went for a sedate manicure.  Ok, it's a little laid back for me.  However, I'm proud of myself for overcoming my fear of plain.

Since I've achieved my goal of plain and simple, I can at least show a few pairs of not-so-simple shoes that I like, and would wear if I weren't already a million feet tall. Ok, here we go.

I say YES! to these!

And I say NO! to this.

I admit that I have a whole lot of NO'S and too few of YES!  But, If I weren't a trillion miles tall (wait, just a second ago I was a million feet tall. What happened?) I would wear 6" stacked heels and destroy my feet before I turned 50.  I can make up for that, though, in makeup, jewelry and nail art.

What fashion do you go all out for? Nails, hair, accesories, shoes, makeup, purses...Leave me a comment and we can share our obsessions.
Ciao Bellas!

Private Unreleased Transcripts From An Undisclosed Locaion

Warning:

Participants in what you are about read are in no way liable to scrutiny. Any comments will not hold in a court of law.  Any (mean) comments you leave can and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent and be erased. So be nice.

Dark Days

Where: My house
When: this moring
Who: me and teen


Son:  Ma, Im sick. I can't go to school today.



Mother:  What's wrong?



(Son steps into mother's room to reveal slightly puffy eyes.)



Son: Look.



(Mother peers at son's face.)



Mother: Uh hu, so what's wrong?



Son: I'm sick.  Look at my eyes.



Mother: Ok. So what's wrong?



Son: Ma, come on. You can't make me go to school today.



Mother: Why not? What's wrong?



(Son becomes agitated.)



Son: Ma!  Really? You're going to make me go to school like this? (pointing at face) My nose is clogged up. I can't breath, and my eyes are running!



Mother: Take your allergy medicine, get your clothes on, let's get ready to go. Your eyes are not red or runny, your nose needs to be blown, and then your breathing will be fine. Now brush your teeth, wash your face and make sure your brother's up.



Son: Ma! that's not right! You can't make me go to school!



Mother:  Ok, so, you want to stay home because you have tryouts after school and you don't want to go.



Son: That's not it. Look at me, I'm sick!



Mother: ...and you don't think you should have to try out because tryout's are a formality for you because you're already first string varsity.  Plus you don't have school tomorrow and you want to have a two-day mini-vacation.



(Son looks blank and has nothing to say because he's been caught.)



Mother: Now get your clothes on and get ready. You have 25 minutes. Don't waste time. Let's go.



As previously stated, participants are not liable to scrutiny. Any (mean) comments you make regarding the mother in the above transcripts being mean, unfair, wrong, cruel, unjust, evil, insane, or needs to be flogged, inprisoned, or should be reported to social services, will be removed.



These are dark days people. If we let this teen trickery go by, when will it end? When will we stand up as one and put a stop to this behavior?! Are we going to wait until it's too late, and we're faced with lies regarding doing homework, getting off the computer when told, or eating vegetables!  I say we have to do just what this mother in these transcripts did. We have to stand our ground! Catch the untruths and bring them to light.


Now who's with me?


...anybody?....hello....am I in this by myself?

Happy Friday, Let's Party!

Hello friends,
It's Friday and I'm ready to let my hair down.  It's been a busy week, and I'm ready for some R & R.  But first, before I get my snooze on, I want to spend a little time at my new hangout, celebrating the end of the work week with friends. So I went for a festive look, to start my weekend, stamping party-like curly designs over a gold base.

I love the ovelaping stamped design here. It adds depth and vibrancy to the manicure.

What are your plans for this weekend? Will you do a little celebrating, or R&R, or both?

Until next week, ciao for now!

Peach And Teal Yin Yang

Hello friends,
Great day today. I'm in a peachy mood, so I went for peach mani with my beloved glitter.  I had to free-hand the yin yang thingy. I think those remedial kindergarten art classes are paying off. I advanced to squiggly lines pretty fast.

Ciao for now!

My Borgia Finale

Hello friends,
Today I have the last of my Borgia inspired manicures. My fascination with the family and the era led me to read one of the several books written about the family. When I said in my first post that the Showtime TV series was loosely based on the Borgia family, I didn't realize how loose. Let's just say that the names match up, but not much else. Not only does the show grossly distort what's truly known about the Borgias, but most of what is actually known is speculative at best. So, my curiosity is now sated, my obsession is over, but although I finished the book, I haven't finished watching the series. What will I watch after the Borgias?  The Tudors of course! Just kidding. I'm going to leave the 15th century in the 15th century.

Till next time, ciao Bellas!

Rodrigo Borgia Was The Pope of Rome...Go Figure

Buongiorno, bonjour, hola and hello friends,
With all due respect, I'm halfway through the Borgias Showtime series and with all the blood, gore, torture, poisoning and murder, I tend to forget that this isn't the Sopranos. It's the Pope of Rome. And the show is based (however loosly) on a real family and real events. I really have to get a book and read up on these notorious people. I think the Sopranos might have learned a thing or two from this family.
Now I bid you adieu, adios, and ciao Bellas!

Still On My Mind: The Infamous Borgias

Buongiorno, bonjour, Hola and hello friends,
I've been getting a history lesson watching The Borgias. I think I want to take an art class studying 15th century Roman Renaissance art and culture. I might want to sign up for a remedial art class as well. One where they start you off with the basics. You know, circles, squares and straight lines. I think there's a prerequisite for that one. It's called kindergarten, there might be age restrictions for that though.

In any case, I can still dream and I can still do nail art (no drawing required). Today I have part two of my Borgias segments. I'll go ahead and make this a mini series because I have one or two more ideas floating in my head.
Ciao Bellas!

A Borgia Inspired Manicure

Hi friends,
I've been watching the Showtime series the Borgias. The imagery, scenery and costumes are striking and leave an impression in my subconscious. That might be why I came upon this manicure. I stamped the intricate scroll design over a glittery beige/gold base.  For the ring finger, I reversed the design and stamped neutral scrolls over a black base.

While the series is stuck in my head, I might consider another Borgia inspired manicure.
Till next time, Ciao Bellas!

Spoiled Pampered Princess Kitty

Hi friends, today I chose to do a manicure for Coco Kitty. She's a special little girl who I adopted so that I wouldn't be the only female in my house (no, really, that's why). We balance out the testosterone driven boys in our house with our feminine girliness. We're two peas in a pod. She watches me put on my makeup in the morning, I let her play with my hair, and yes, she has her own space to sleep at the foot of my bed. I've learned not to accidentally kick her off...ever. Don't go 'eeewww', you know your furry fuzzy friends have the run of the house too. Coco Kitty takes advantage of her status. So, this morning when I had to make my bed 'around' her, I had to take a picture. I don't put my princess on the floor, nor do I shoo her away. I don't want to inconvenience her. Instead, I work around her. When she's bored of my blogging and lays across my, keyboard, I stop and let her stretch out on it. And when it's dinner time, she gets her meal before everybody.

See, no collar, it annoys her.

Are you ridiculous with your pets. What lengths do you go to for your precious friends. I need to know that I'm not alone in this. How do you spoil your pets?
Ciao Bellas!

Inspired by a Gold And Black Floral Fabric

Hello friends,
My mani for today was inspired by a beautiful embroidered floral fabric. If I'm not mistaken, this is a Chinese design.  I used a dark greenish polish as the base instead of black, but the resemblance is there.

Ciao for now.

It's a New Year, Who Says You Can't Mix Metals?

Well, my friends,
Today is the 30th of December, and we're facing a new year. We've come to the end of an epic era. No, I'm exaggerating a little. It's just the end of 2015. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the new year. 2015 was a challenging year for my family, beginning with the loss of my husband/best friend. Challenging is a nice way of saying traumatic. But, with time, love, and support comes healing. And in one year, my boys and I have come a long long way. My little guy is doing very well in school again, and has returned to playing sports. My big guy is looking forward to taking the S.A.T. next month, and is at this very moment a couple hundred miles away from home playing in a tournament with his school team. As for me, much healing has come from starting this blog and interacting with other blogger friends and readers. Without knowing it, you've been more helpful to me and a bigger blessing than I can express. So, to any of you who have left me a comment, responded to my comments, returned my emails, given me advice and guidance, sent me polish to review, or just been with me through this journey, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Big hugs from me to you!
Without further ado, here is my last post for the year.

You guys know that I'm a glitterholic. Of course, I couldn't end the year without donning the fun shiny stuff. Glitter was a given, but the choice of polish had me in a quandary. Silver or gold? I decided not to choose at all, but use both? Less might be more, but more is better.

For this mani, I used a silver multi-glitter topper over a black gold flakie jelly polish. I think I'm all set to bring in 2016. How are your nails bringing in the new year?

Till next year, Ciao Bellas! and Have a Happy New Year.

Crazy Holiday Office Parties

Hi there friends,
Did you attend a Holiday office party in the past few weeks? Were you the one who ended up with copies of your bottom side printed on the copier? Or did you surprise your boss with a drunken table dance? If you did any of those things...well, I just hope you still have a job. They're hard to come by these days. My experiences have been from boring to lack luster, to 'meh'. I have yet experienced that crazy Christmas party where people return to work with regrets. Is that even a thing, or is it just in movies and on TV? If you have a crazy office party story I want to hear it.

Well, to keep with the easy party flow, I did a simple, glitter mani for my office. No designs or stamping, just flakies and gold glitter in a red jelly polish. An ugly Christmas Sweater is all this manicure needs.
Ciao for now, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Getting in the Mood for Holiday Cheer

Hi Friends,
I'm sooo excited! No, it's not a new polish or collection, not a new nail product, art stencils or cuticle oil.  So don't get too excited. It's just that a brand new Starbucks opened right across the street! You all know how much I love that wonderfully addictive brew. Yes, I'm a Starbucks junkie. So, I'm here soaking in the new environment, listening to live jazz Christmas music. Ohh boy, I'm feelin' the holiday cheer. Don't be jealous, Starbucks coffee +live music, what's not to be jealous of?

Since it's time to get into the spirit, I did a little holiday mani. Christmas green and snowflakes. How holiday-ish is that?

Ciao bellas!

Navy and Neutral Manicure With a Splash of Gold

Hello friends,
I so love the weekends. So much to do, so many opportunities to relax, work on a hobby, run errands, housework...etc. Today, I have two basketball games to attend, and tomorrow I might catch a movie with my little guy. I wanted to wear a fun manicure this weekend, and with any luck, I won't be inclined to change it until Monday. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Enjoy your weekend!
Ciao Bellas