TPTjan1: red with orange and yellow stripes

Right off, don't know if I will be doing four TPT a month. I am also interested in GOT, but won't be doing that weekly, either. That just leaves no time for anything else in the nail art department. I think I will do two of each in alternating weeks. I love Crumpie's challenge ideas and want to take part as much as I feel like it - how's that for commitment!!!

TPT = tri polish Tuesdays (and... GOT = golden oldie Thursday). Each month has three (tri) selected colours and you are to do different manis with the colours through the month. January is red, orange and yellow. At least one of the manis has to include all three colours (rules are a bit nicer this year!), I decided to start with the three today as I may only do one more of this particular tpt.

I started with one and half coats of China Glaze Sunshine Pop (the half was on the top half of the nail) and a coat of Orly Holla. I don't like Sunshine Pop much. It has that 70s shimmer to it and looks cheap on me. Must have too much blue tones or something. My (mini) bottle of Holla got a nice big squirt of Seche Restore. Imagine that, new polish! I really don't like it but it is a great orange and the only other ones I have are either very pastel or neon. I top coated this before moving on.

baby george and the tri polish

Used nail tape to section off a stripe in both the yellow and orange areas. This was covered with one generous coat of Zoya Sooki. I only used one coat but did have to make sure it covered the yellow thoroughly. I did two nails at a time but let them sit a bit before top coating. I like Sooki, it is a nice tomato red. A good summer red. The true colour is somewhere between pic one and two way above. Late afternoon lighting, sun had just come out after the rain.

right hand

I like the colours of this mani but don't enjoy the mani. This is usually true with any tape manis. I just feel that my nails are so heavy with polish. You know how sometimes you paint your nails and they feel light yet sturdy. Today, my nails now feel heavy with polish.

Above my super bonus Georgie shot. George is our new kitten, he is just shy of seven weeks. Very cute, very loud, very lethal (in regard to arm scratches). He started out as all black but I notice a bit of white creeping in! Big brother Harvey cat is still pretty unimpressed, though he does occasionally say hi.
I am not alone in my TPT challenge days, so check out the girls below, too!

Shatter green on green

I really should wear my shatter polishes more often. What I *need* is a silver or white based shatter. Like OPI Solitaire but in shatter. Only have two, black and this one: a dark green teal shatter from OPI's SpiderMan collection.

I started with two coats of China Glaze Unpredictable. They call this a turquoise duochrome but I think it is lighter, and has elements of teal and light green. I thought it would be a soft and similar undercoat to the shatter.

Now, I should have top coated this before moving on. I totally forgot. If you top coat before adding the shatter then the shatter doesn't "pull" your undercoat away. The Mr and I started watching some lame movie (World's End) and I just didn't pay attention! So, in case you are (re-) learning this, first top coat before shatter. Then you apply just one simple coat of shatter. Don't be tempted to go back over, try and do it right the first time with one or two strokes. I like this shatter. it has some frost glitter in it (like lizard scales) and is a dark deep teal green

right hand

Today is Sunday and so far nothing has happened at my café. The last two days were super busy and to make me even happier, I sold two pairs of earrings!! But today, the cars just race by. It also doesn't help that the place across the road bad mouths us and tells its customers that we are never open. They are mean and greedy and want all the business for themselves. Honestly, how can you be fuller than full? But, big corporate from overseas. They think differently. I hold my little fort and hope for some nice people to stop in for a wonderful coffee and breakfast - and maybe some jewelry!
On another totally different note! Just one more follower then I am up to 50!!!!

Sunburst gradient with Nostalgic Lacquer Athlete

Happy 2014! I started the year with a bright sunny gradient, inspired by one of my new Nostalgic Lacquer glitters. Erin sent me four beautiful glitter to review, along with the two I ordered from her. So I am currently the proud owner of six new NL glitter polishes!! Here I am using the Athlete from the Saturday Detention collection, a groovy orange, yellow and white glitter.

I started with two coats of OPI Goldeneye then gradiented China Glaze Orange Knockout (neon orange - finally a good use for it!) and Mariah's OPI Sprung over that. I didn't bother top coating that and just went ahead and applied the glitter.

The Athlete is a clear base with orange, yellow and white glitter. It has large white square glitter mixed with very small pinpoint white specks, and that would be the only drawback for me. I like the white idea, but the white bits are big and "loud". I would rather they be smaller. And, I have to admit, one rolled upwards and I had to pick it off after it dried.
What I really like are the orange and yellow bits with the white. A very summery glitter, and over my gradient or a solid metallic it looks great!

I had to fish and dab a bit to disperse the white around. But I only did that on the first coat. The second coat of glitter I applied normally and that seemed to fill in any spaces. I can also imagine some jewelry ideas with the glitter.

right hand

So... we started the new year with a kitten, six weeks old. The Mr wanted a kitten, but he will not admit that. He thought Harvey needed a mate. It does make sense, though. Two person household, two cats. And why not? They eat basically nothing so care is minimum and if we go away, taking care of two cats isn't much more difficult than one. Right now we are calling him George – king for a day! – but that will most likely change soon as his personality comes out. Behold, the tiny tot.

Happy Year End 2013!!!

Hi girls and lovely friends and followers! This, my last post of 2013, wishes you all the very best for 2014 – may only good things and good experiences visit your doorstep. For my year-end mani I chose simple elegance: a-england's Avalon from her Mythicals collection. A true royal purple (two coats of it!). This was then topped with a coat of Orly Can't be Tamed (a purple and black glitter), and a nice heaping of OPI's 18K Man with the Golden Gun. Let's end the year in style, eh???

Looking back at all of mine and other posts this last year I am so proud and surprised at what I have personally accomplished, but also at what I have seen others create. Of course there is much room for improvement and growth, the path, though, is a strong one. I have put together some of my favourite manis and blog posts on this page (page here). My nail polish collection has grown, I now have a studio area to work and play in, and I have meet many kindred spirits in the nail art community.

stash 31 dec 2013

This year is ending differently than I imagined. The future of my wee café is very much uncertain. Decisions about this have caused many sleepless nights and much dilemma. I think the weeks may be counted, certainly the months. It makes me very sad to perhaps see it go as I put all my love and thought and ideas and life and money into it. Windows close, doors open.

my wee café

Towards the end of the year I decided to go online with my jewelry – perhaps an open window. I had been making earrings, rings and pendants and selling at the café. In my little PANZ group here in NZ, some girls started doing jewelry, and I noticed they went online. A gf suggested selling online as well, so I started wee shops. I have one on felt.co.nz (nz based handmade craft faire) and on etsy (a global handmade marketplace).

my shop on felt

my shop on etsy

So, my friends, I close now for a glass – or two or three – of bubbles (even the good stuff of Moet!), some cheese and baguette, pizza, perhaps a movie with the Mr and a feeling of love. Even if the last weeks have been strained, I live the life I love and love the life I live. Focus on the beautiful positive. Peace and cheers my friends!