Black Hearts

When one is tired, one should not try and blog.  But, when one wants to make sure one's Valentine Nail Art is published before/on Valentine's Day, one must blog when one is tired.  I blame the two cups of black tea I drank to help the massive headache I woke up with.  You know, really high energy leads to really low energy.

So, this design is for the Nail Art Idea Linkup, which the prompt is Hearts.  I realized, after the fact, that I have done something similar to this. . . twice.  I guess that is why red and black is such a classic combination. . .

The colors used were China Glaze Hey Sailor, Liquid Leather, Julep Beatrix, and Konad Special Black.  I used the Winstonia W102 plate for the hearts.

I really love ombré nails with a pattern stamped over it.  It is easy and always impressive.

I don't know if you can tell it the pictures, but I can tell while I am typing how long my nails have gotten.  I am using multi-vitamins and it is doing wonders for my nails!  I wonder how long the length will last. . .

Well, I hope you like the design!

Tootles!
Fitz

An InLinkz Link-up

Once There Was A Snowman

It's that time again.  You know, the time when I post a nail art design with a theme selected by Challenge Your Nail Art for their 12 Days of Christmas Nail Art Challenge.  What is today's theme you ask?  Snowmen!  Yes, men made of snow. . .

This design was inspired by Janelle from Ellendish // Janelle.  I think I have said before that I love her!

The polishes I used were Julep Dana, Finger Paints Orange You In Love?, China Glaze Hey Sailor, Liquid Leather, and The Outer Edge.  Then I topped everything with Essie Matte About You.

I love TOE!  It is such a cool glitter!  I don't have anything like it and I have never seen another polish like it either.  You really should get some. . .  I also love Dana, however its awesomeness does not come across it the pictures.  It has this subtle blue shimmer that makes the polish glow on the nail.  It is gorgeous!

I wasn't sure if I would like the design as it was intended, matte, so I snapped a couple of shots before I put on the matte tap coat.  I actually prefer the matte.  It makes the design softer.

Don't forget to check out all the other artists.

Tootles!
Fitz

An InLinkz Link-up

Oh Say Can You See!

I live in the United States if America and with my residence comes a Holiday known as Independence Day or The 4th of July.  On this day we are supposed to remember and celebrate the day the Constitution was signed in 1776.  So in honor of this day and as a prompt from Sunday Stamping (I know I am late, I just didn't get pictures taken) I give my 4th of July Manicure.

I really love how this came out!  The design came from ellandish.  I recently found her on Youtube and am loving her designs.  Plus the quality of her videos is excellent!  I did change a few things due to lack of a particular plate, plus I wanted to stamp the red polish in order to use a sparkly white.

I used plates Winstonia W107 and Cheeky CH51.  Now comes the polishes, there are a few. . . OPI Mad As A Hatter, Essie Butler Please, Konad Special White, Special Red, China Glaze Dandy Lyin' Around, Hey Sailor, and Millennium.

I love that this design is stamping and freehand.  I need to do more freehand.  My roots are there and I am getting rusty.

I forget how much I love MAAH!  It is so colorful and sparkly!  I have no idea if you can still find it, but if you do jump on it!

Well my lovelies, I must be going!

Tootles!
Fitz

31 Nail Art Challenge Take Two Day 30: Food

Who doesn't love a good burger and fries?  I certainly do and then if you add onion rings it makes it an even better treat.  I don't really drink soda, but I figured others do, so why not?  If you prefer a veggie or turkey burger, then that is what this is.

I saw this design by Pixiepolish and I thought it was too cute not to pass up, but I also had to add some side dishes.

The list of polishes used is rather long, so I guess I better start now.  OPI Schnapps Out of It, Finger Paints Paper Mâchè, China Glaze Kalahari Kiss, For Audry, Lemon Fizz, Desert Sun, Papaya Punch, Unplugged, Hey Sailor, and Gaga For Green.  Whew!  That is a lot of colors, plus I mixed two colors DS and PM for the highlight on the onion rings and then LF and PP for the shading on the fries. 

My thumb taking its close-up.

I did a much simpler version on my right hand with the burgers as accent nails.

I am really pleased with how this turned out.  I hope you like it too.  Don't forget to check out all the other talented participants!  Their designs are a feast for the eyes!

Tootles!
Fitz

Two nail challenges in one!

Christmas time is here,

Happiness and cheer,

Fun for all that children call,

Their favorite time of year.

Christmas means a lot to me.  Family, religion, traditions; these are a few of the words I associate with this joyful day.  My list of Christmas memories and feelings could fill up this blog, but it is about nail art so I will spare you from that.  One thing though, my first nail art was Christmas themed.  In fact it was Santa hats.  I thought about redoing it and seeing how I have improved, but I saw this design by schmucknaegel and I just had to give it a try.  I figured lets expand my repertoire and keep it close to the original.  Plus, this was I can also use the design for both challenges!

I am thinking I should give up on Santa hats.  I do like this, but I am just not as happy with it as I would like to be.  Ah, well the circle of life isn't always pretty.

I used Finger Paints Paper Mâchè, China Glaze Fast Track, and Hey Sailor.  I love Fast Track!  It is this golden-shimmery nude.  So pretty.  You do get visible nail line even after two coats, but vnl never bothered me.

My thumb close-up came out blurry, which is sad since my thumb looks the best, so you will have to make due with this shot.

I know it wasn't a complete fail, but I still wish it was a bit better.

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown

Tootles!

Fitz

31 Nail Art Challenge Take Two Day 19: Rainbow

I was so excited to do this manicure I have had it in my head since my Cheeky plates arrived and I saw the skull pattern.

I used Wet n' Wild Black Crème China Glaze Hey Sailor, Happy Go Lucky, Grape Pop, Four Leaf Clover, Finger Paints Orange You In Love?, and Essie Mezmerised.  The Cheeky plate was CH49.

My Mom took one look at my nails and said Halloween was over.  As fas a s I am concerned every day is a good day for skulls.

Sorry, I took a lot of pictures. . .

Check out the light reflecting beauty of everyone else's designs!

Tootles!

Fitz

31 Nail Art Challenge Take Two Day 10: Native Plant

I had a really hard time coming up with something for this theme.  There are actually a lot themes I am having trouble with.  Some I have too many ideas and others I have none.  This time I had none.  That is until I was thinking about the Christmases I spent as a kid with my family in the Sierra Nevadas, Strawberry to be exact, at our cabin.  Up there sometimes you would find a Snow Plant or Sarcodes.  They are a bright red fungi that are protected due to their infrequency.

So my inspiration is determined and now I give you my rendition.

They say that they are found in the spring, but I remember seeing them in the snow, so that is why I did it on the white polish.  However I couldn't find a picture of them in the snow.  Oh well.  We will chalk it up to artistic license.

I used Finger Paints Paper Mâchè, China Glaze Brownstone, and Hey Sailor.  I mixed HS and PM for the lightest color.

I hope you like it.  Don't forget to look at the other designers' and let their ideas take root.

Tootles!
Fitz

TIHNAC #8

The theme for today is witches.  I was inspired by two different artists and decided to incorporate both ArcadiaNailArt and Nails In Nippon.  Well, mine did not turn out as well.  First of all, it is a lot harder to draw a silhouette then I thought it would be.  (That is what the ring finger is supposed to be, a silhouette of a witch)  Secondly, China Glaze Mummy May I was not the best choice as the background color.  It made everything too dark.  Oh well, you can win the all.  I did learn a few things and I had fun, that is all that matters, right?  Right?

Dotting tools were my friend though all of this, of and a detail brush.  Besides Mummy May I, I used China Glaze Tree Hugger, Electric Beat, Glitter Goblin, Hey Sailor, Liquid Leather, and of course Finger Paints Paper Mâchè.

The other problem was squeezing in time to take the pictures.  Consequently I am losing daylight supper fast.

All in all, it wasn't an epic fail, I just felt I could have done better if I had the time to do it again.  Maybe next year.



Don't forget to check out all the other participants.  Their talent is awe inspiring!

Tootles!
Fitz

TIHNAC #5

Please sir, may I have some more BRRRAAAAAIIIIIINNNNNNSSSSS!

Finding inspiration for this deign was not easy.  I work at a school for emotionally disturbed children, so I can't do anything too gory or graphic.  I have to lean more on the cute side, which can be said for any design in this challenge.  Zombies, proved a bit more difficult until I found a tutorial from ProfesionalDQ.  I fell in love with this design.  It flirts with the gory, but is so cute that I think it will be okay for work, I hope. . .

Sorry, this will be a bit picture heavy.  I am so proud of the way these turned out, plus I had someone lending a hand behind the camera, so there are a few excellent shots.

I even like the way the right hand turned out.

We found a tree in the neighbor's front yard that was the perfect backdrop.  You will probably be seeing it used again.

I used a fine dotting tool mostly.  I used that for all the detail work and then a larger dotting tool for the blood.

The colors were Finger Paints Paper Mâchè (my go to white), China Glaze Liquid Leather, and Hey Sailor for the details.  The background was the sponge technique.  China Glaze Recycle was the main color and then I sponged over it in sequence China Glaze Peechy Keen and Gaga For Green.


I hope you enjoy these.  Don't forget to check out all the other participants lovely frightening designs!

Tootles!
Fitz

This Is Halloween Nail Art Challenge Day One

So I decided to join a nail art challenge.  I have never done one, but I couldn't resist this one.  It is all centered on Halloween.  I thought it might push me to try designing my own things more.  It is sponsered by this lovely Lacquer Dreams.

Day one is Horror Movies. I am not your typical horror movie fan.  I don't really like gore, but I do love a good ghost story.  I had a roommate introduce me to The Changeling in college and I fell in love.  I have come to learn it is not well known, so you can read up on it if you click on the picture.  I used the ball, the medal, and the mediums paper as inspiration as well as the house on fire.  I hope if you have seen the movie you get it.

I am sad help didn't completely fit on my nail.  I thought about fixing it, but I was lazy.  I used all China Glaze polishes.  I used a yellow for the base of the flames, but I put it away and don't remember which one it was.  I also used Jungle Queen, Recycle, Kalahari Kiss, Midnight Kiss, Hey Sailor,  Brownstone, and Riveting.

 I really like how my thumb turned out with the medal.

On my right hand I did flames.  These look oranger and brighter than they are.  I am not really happy with how they turned out.  I hand drew them and I think there has got to be a better way to do flames.  If anyone has any ideas I would love some advice.

Tootles!
Fitz