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Gitter Toes!

You already know about my obsession with fingernails,

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but I also love painting my toes!
Who cares if it's still boot weather?
I still like to feel cute when those socks come off at the end of the day!

One style in particular that I LOVE is called glitter toes.
Freaking cute.
And sparkly!
Last summer I wanted to be able to do it myself and not pay the $25-$35 each time to have them done,
so I went and got the stuff myself.

- glitter {Michaels, Recollections brand pack of 30, originally $30 but I used a coupon and got it for $17}

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- UV lamp {Sally's, $20, mine is the small one-there is a big one for $60}
- IBD Intense Seal {Sally's, $17, yea this stuff is expensive-but it's what cures under the UV lamp and makes your nails stay chip-free for longer!}

Before I began the process I watched a lot of youtube videos.
Here are two of the better videos that I found and followed.
The first one has a lot of talking in the beginning, so jump to 2:25 to watch the process.





Now here's my process:

After cleaning my nails I
1. paint my toes the same color as my chosen glitter
and
2. pour glitter over wet nail polish {you've got to be fast or the glitter won't stick!}

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As you can see I chose pinks for upcoming Valentine's Day.

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Then I
3. lightly tap glitter to stay in place and wipe excess off

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4. I put a coat of Intense Seal over the top
and
5. let it cure under the UV lamp for 2-3 minutes

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{see how small mine is? i'm gonna get the big one someday....}
And then:

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Tadaa!
You've got some fashionable feet to show off.
The best part is that it usually lasts up to 5 weeks and doesn't chip.
I changed mine almost monthly last year because I love all the fun colors!

Vinyl and Frames

Remember when I did this project?
Well this week I did something similar.
When Kevin and I were over visiting my family,
I came into posession of some old frames and mirrors.


Now,
brown and gold are not my cup of tea - so I decided to do something about it.


Thank goodness for spray paint!

This is what I did with the large black frame:

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After I cut the vinyl out with my Silhouette,
I used masking tape to help me place the words on straight.


And because I didn't like the shadow on the walls from the letters....
{as seen above}

I spray painted the back of the glass white:

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I've always loved this qoute,
and am now glad I can see it everyday in my kitchen.

You'll have to stay tuned to see what I'm doing with the other frame and mirrors...
muahaha!
{but it's gonna be cute...and it might involve the baby!!}

Nail Art

I wish I had gone to cosmetology school.
Why?
Because I love doing my hair and nails,
and because I think that it would be a fun proffesion to do working from anywhere.

A week or so after Christmas,
my sister-in-law and I went to the mall to use up some gift cards and coupons.
While we were there we came across a kiosk called Belle Pier.
And that's when our new obbsession began,
or as Lins's husband calls it:
"It's the gift that keeps on giving."
{husbands really don't like those kinds....}

Now,
for all you nail-lovers out there...
let me introduce you to the Konad nail art stamper:

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Here's how it works:
{if you can't figure it out just from looking at it...}

You buy whatever plates you want,
paint your polish on the design you want to use,
scrape off the excess with the blade,
and use the stamper,
to transfer the design from the plate to your nail!
Whoever thought of this was a genius.
{and Kevin is ticked that he: "didn't think of something stupid like this to make me a lot of money."!}

It's the best thing ever,
because now I can do whatever cute design I want,
without going to a salon or spending booko bucks for it.
Win-win!

Here's a look at what we've {Lins, my sisters, and me} done to our nails lately:

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Pretty stinking cute right?
Now,
let me tell you about a little secret that I wish I would have thought of earlier.
I spent about $28 at the mall kiosk for 3 nail image plates{they are $7 each} and a stamper + scraper.
Don't you go and do that too.
Instead,
go to Amazon.com and search for "nail art image plates".
Wooola,
there you can find whole bundles of plates for the price I paid.
Seriously a wayyyyy better deal!
I was sad when I looked later and found this out - but now you know where I'll be buying them from!

A Chalk Board

It's been forever,
yes.
But for a good reason!
Kevin and I are expecting our first baby July 29th.
I. AM. SO. EXCITED.

With this being a VERY new experience for me,
I really wanted to find a cute way to document my growing belly.
Without fail I turned to Pinterest,
and saw this idea that I imediately loved:



So yesterday I set about to making my own chalkboard.

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I grabbed a good-looking peice of 1/4" plywood from my "stash",
went to BMC to have it cut in half {man i wish i had a table saw!},
sanded it,
and started painting.

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The Krylon Chalkboard paint is just from Walmart for like $3.39.
And as you can see I have our little heater outside as well.
It's January and in Rexburg that means it's COLD.
The ideal temp. conditions for the spray paint is 50-85 degrees.
It was 30.
Thus the heater - and it worked amazingly.
It said it only needs two coats,
but me being the paranoid person I am did probably 5.
For good measure.
And because the wood was so thin I knew a nail wasn't going to go threw it,
so I super-glued the bracket on instead.

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Works like a charm.
Here's the finished result:

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I love it!
Now I just need to make a cute frame for it....