Lesson No. 8: A little dottty/ditty about nails

Ok. I've decided to jump on the bandwagon that is N.O.T.D. Although truely this is more like NailS of the Day as I've decided to roll two nail 'designs' into one post.

I truely believed I was a failure when it comes to nail art. Please refer to my Valentines Day venture.
My hands shake.
I sweat a little.
I forget to give adequate time to drying.
You get the picture.

On Friday, inspired by musings on various blogs, I felt a stab of bravery. The result of this dart of creative energy and the adopting of a more carefree attitude towards the trial that is nail art (hence a steadier hand) is the following:

Barry M Mushroom

Speckled with this Model's Own Beauty

Having serious issues with camera so using Mobile phone camera. Results aren't so hot with this either though

I can't lie. And in general I'm not prone to boasting. But god was I proud of these.

And imagine my delight when I was shopping in Awear on Saturday and the girl behind the counter noticed them and complimented them. And ACTUALLY said 'did you really do them yourself?'. Well I nearly fainted with happiness.

So time finally took it's toll on these beauties today. Dare I try it again.....Could it be repeated twice in one week????

This is the result of tonight's efforts:

The reliable Model's Own grren shade again

Dotted with Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Polish in the Charcoal Grey

***In case you're wondering what I used to do the dots/spots, I discovered that a wooden cuticle stick with a pointed end acted as the perfect tool for the job.

*** Oh and  I put out a pool of the polish that I was using for the dots on to a piece of paper before I started!!! This helped me to better judge the amount of polish I had for each dot. Alot less messier than when I initially was probing the bottle of polish and its hidden depths with the cuticle stick.

Mission Accomplished ladies. Who knew such a small achievement could bring such pride!!!!

Lesson No.7: How to set the Fruit loose

Let me start by saying Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom.......(can be translated into: Yummy Yummy Yummy and is used in the context of describing food).

Fruit is not my friend.

It could be something to do with my childhood.

As a child/teen I adorned myself with that oh so fashionable teen accessory which were a set of traintracks (ahem).

Anyone who has had to suffer this will know not only does one have trouble with one's appearance, particularly in photographs, but also the inconvenience of food getting lodged behind the wires.



It was at this time in my life that my relationship with the Granny Smith apple came to an end.

(I must add this was coupled with a fear of choking on a giant apple piece, presumably influenced by some medical drama scene).

Eating a banana whole has also been known to make me gag......(I know what you're thinking ladies and take your minds out of the gutters ;) )

 

Once, I ate a plum which also was double jobbing as a home to a worm as well as its day job of being a source of nutrients and vitamins. There ended another 'fruitful' relationship....(excuse the pun).

Bearing all this in mind, it will come as no surprise to you that I've never, yes never, had a fruit smoothie; unless you count a sip out of one about 6 years ago.

Imagine my own astonishment when as I walked past the juice bar in the shopping centre on Tuesday I found myself gravitating towards it. Shock Horror.

I am guessing that the staff never saw someone peruse their menu for quite so long!!

Finally I settled on a Raspberry Rush....a mix of raspberries, oranges, banana, and low fat natural yogurt.

I can safely say that here begins a new chapter in my relationship with fruit.



The lesson here ladies and gentlemen is to squash / blitz / blend / liquidise or whatever it takes to pulverise the fruit into submission until it resembles this DELICIOUS 'treat'. If I can be converted, anyone can.

Lesson No. 6: Just Say No!

I am an addict.......

My addiction began approximately 10 years ago.....

There is no therapy which has succeeded in curing me.....

I attend regular sessions of exposure therapy........

But it has yet to work.....

My mother has coached me.....she says the solution is simple....Just say no....to myself......

I must be strong in the face of temptation......

But how can a girl survive..... in a world of such allures....

I am addicted to jewellery.....

Beads, jewels, feathers, stones....you name it....whoever said "All that glitters is not gold" (that would be Shakespeare) was completely wrong. In the metaphorical sense all that glitters is very much gold to my soul.

In no way am I a jewellery snob. My collection ranges from the jewels of Penneys (Primark) to Newbridge to Guess to the craft stalls of the various markets in my city.

I have photographed some of my earrings for this piece to show you the range of quality and material.

Courtesy of Penneys

Courtesy of Oasis

Courtesy of Magpie and Button
http://www.etsy.com/shop/magpieandbutton

Courtesy of Silverwood

Couldn't resist including my watch....I wear it everyday and is the mainstay of my Jewellery Collection

I should say as a rule and  admittedly it is one that I don't always abide to : Bigger is Better.

Storage is becoming an issue however. And money is not always as freeflowing as one would like. As a result, because I am one of those adults who resides with their parents still, I have been reduced to smuggling my goods into the house.


I need to learn how to say no...... I am a magpie. But I think the first step is to acknowledge the problem and move forward.... Who am I kidding - I could be addicted to worse things.

Happy St. Patrick's Day !!

It's nice to actually celebrate your Irishness with all the doom and gloom lately in our country!!!!

Choosing my shade of greenery for the day!



Nails courtesy of Claire's Accessories

My city post-parade

My nails up close

Went for this shade in the end...which actually looks far more like teal in this photo...hmmmm

Lesson No. 5: Look up!!!!

Last Summer, I did a summer course about the local history of my city and how to impart this knowledge to others. One of the key things I learned from this course was to Look Up!!!!! Most of the time, when most of us negotiate our city and towns we are hell bent on getting to the nearest Penney's or New Look or Topshop, or whatever you're having yourself!!! And in our hurry we miss lots of the things that make our cities unique.

However, this particular week, this new blogger, opened her eyes to one of the hidden treasures of her city that as it transpires has been there for 16 years.

Raven Stamps, Ireland.

http://www.ravenstamps.com/

Let me explain the significance.


One of my long time hobbies has been gathering postcards. It started as a child when my Granny gave me her collection of postcards which she had collected over the years.... What made these cards special was the fact that these cards all had messages on the back of them, many of them dated. The inner historical nerd in me loved being transported back 2, 5, 10 years to a moment in time when my uncle was experiencing the first tastes of life in Australia as an emigrant or the feelings of a long time pilgrim as she soaked up more spirituality in Lourdes.

In August 2010 I went to a military re-enactment show....where I met memorabila collectors. Suddenly I was propelled into the world of the realllll collectors. And became the proud owner of my oldest postcards yet, as far back as 1902.



These are 2 of the postcards I picked up last Summer. Look at the dates and see if you can read what these writers have to say for themselves!!! Really intriguing.

This brings me back to Raven Stamps. For 4 years I trudged the road to college past this shop. Not alone did I not realise that this was a cavern of stamps and coins, they also held an Aladdin's cave of postcards (well... a few boxes anyway). I am so excited......

This could be dangerous but I am so glad I looked up!!!!!!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!!

Happy Valentines Day my lovelies....

I know some people hate it and some people love it......I fall somewhere in between!!

I love the novelty event. I love all the silly gifts ....like some that I saw in Tesco this morning!!! Heart ramekins, mini heart shaped frying pans, heart shaped lights, fleecy red blankets, you get the idea. And all very cheap and cheerful.

I treated myself to these two purchases:

Heart-shaped lights (Tesco)

Barry M Red Glitter (Boots)  http://www.barrym.com/glitter-nail-paint

 Without any doubt I see the argument that it is an over commercialised meaningless day and that if you truely love each other then everyday should be a day when you display your love to your other half.

But.....

No one is asking you to splash the cash, to my mind it's the small gestures that count!!! Take this day for what it is...a bit of fun and opportunity to be creative and tell your other half (or even yourself) that you love them (because we don't always remember to!!!

P.S. Finally..I made one last stab at the Valentines Day Nails - courtesy of Broadway nails and 'Kiss' 3D stone stickers. Pardon the dodgy glue job. I was in a rush...

Lots of love, 





Lesson No. 4: Introducing colour into my life

The quest to improve the appearance of my nails continues......


This week I attempted 2 different ventures:

• 1= Tried to introduce the element of colour onto my nails
• 2= Embarked on personalising my nails for Valentines Day.

One: 

To emphasise to you how reluctant I am to invest in the "brighter shades" of nail colour, let me tell you it took 2 whole weeks to make a decision to buy this colour. This, my friends, is not down to being 'cheap' or 'tight' with money but sheer reluctance when it comes to the idea of putting colour on my nails. It may come back to the fact that I am utterly obsessional about colour co-ordination and therefore have a fear of my nails clashing with my clothes. How sad.....

Either way such was my deliberation over this particular shade by the time I had decided to actually take the plunge, didn't my friend present me with a bottle of it on my birthday 2 days later and I ended up with 2 bloody bottles of the stuff!!!!!!!!!

So here's the much mentioned "colour". As you'll see it's not exactly luminous....ahem....but a big step for me nonetheless.

I give to you : Models Own Jade Stone....

http://www.modelsownit.com/nails/nail-polish/green-nail-polishes.html

As you'll know from previous blogs, my nails have been stunted of late. So I fear I'm not doing the varnish much justice.

Two:

Inspired by a post on http://www.beaut.ie/  I decided to go one step further..... I was ready to enter into the world of nail art. With Valentines Day just around the corner I had my perfect opportunity.

First of all let me point you in the direction of what I was actually trying to achieve.
http://beaut.ie/blog/2011/beaut-ie-how-to-wear-your-heart-on-your-nails-for-valos-day/



*******This work is most certainly by Lynnie of http://www.beaut.ie/

You can compare this to what I tried to do....It's sure to give you a laugh!!!!

You may laugh, I certainly am.....in the last one it looks like I attacked my nail with a bottle of Tippex.


Well.....practice makes perfect or so they say.....