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new years nails: glitter and pink

yeah i know. what else is new? pink and glitter...glitter and pink. i come back to them every time. these nails aren't new or original by any means. i saw the idea on Pinterest here, and wanted them for myself. the black chevron might be my favorite part, and these Salon Perfect polishes are not disappointing :)

aaannnnd in case you wanted to create the same look, i included a Silhouette file for download with this exact chevron pattern, along with the original nail files i shared from this post. happy new year!!





the colors:
• salon perfect: tickled pink (#511)
• salon perfect: silver sparkler (#603)
• pure ice: beware
• new york color: french tip white (#134)
• new york color: extra shiny top coat (#271)


nail art: polkadots + some sparkle

my nails from the weekend. i did them Saturday before heading out to our ward Christmas party (which was a hit by the way-and went SO much better than i could have hoped for!...i was stressing forever about it, because i was in charge of decorating...)! but back to the nails. i wanted polkadots for festive fun, and sparkle for a little bit more glam.



the colors:
• salon perfect: silver sparkler (#603)
• pure ice: beware (i used 2 thin coats of this to cover the bottom of the nail, then put the "silver sparkler" on top because it had the large chunky glitter i liked)
• new york color: french white tip (#134)
• new york color: sidewalkers (#270)
• new york color: extra shiny top coat (#271)

for the dots: i cut off one end of a Q-tip, smoothed it down a little with a nail file, and dipped it into the "sidewalkers" polish.




what's a photoshoot without a cute babe tongue hangin' out right? haha. i finished taking pics of these nails, just in time to have little miss T climbing up on me. she is climbing up to errrrrything and can even stand for a few seconds by herself already! i am NOT ready for this! sheesh girly (she's 8 months-almost 9).

game day style: Denver Broncos

we are nearing the end of football season, and are only a few games away from the playoffs. if you're like me and have a husband who's a football fanatic (yes, he does do fantasy football), then you might not see a lot of your man on Sunday's...or any time there's a game on. OR maybe you are a pretty terrific wife and watch the games with him. to that i say good for you! i'm not gonna lie: i can sit and watch a quarter or two but tend to get bored easily. don't get me wrong! i love sports, and watching them, i just prefer to do it live. you know?

we are Bronco fans (like i'm sure you already know from this post earlier this week), and by "we" i mean my husband of course. i am a fan by marriage-which is cool too-and means i get to hear details and facts about the players, or plays, or coaches, of whatever game is on. i will say that i have always loved Payton Manning because of his ethics and mad quarterback skills. shopping for game day outfits is definitely more my thing any day over football, so of course I would jump at the chance to style an NFL jersey! when I saw the white Manning jersey (found here) i was pretty stoked.

i've never been to a live NFL game (and can only imagine how insanely awesome it would be!) but here are my style pics for if i were to go to a game this winter:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

my favorite pieces? 1. the jersey, because Kevin is always saying i need to get one, and how cute he thinks i'd look in one (awe, who says the romance dies after marriage? hah!). 2. the combat boots, because hello, don't they just look sweet? plus comfy. that's a huge factor. 3. the orange skinny jeans. yeah orange can be a scary color to style, but here i think it works nicely with the white jersey and coat. and 4. the nail polish...which is a given if you know me.

*what NFL fan are you?

*check out how i would do my nails for a Broncos game here!

nail art: let's go Broncos!

when it comes to the NFL i'm a Broncos fan by marriage, which is kind of handy because i happened to grow up in Boise and am also a Boise Broncos fan. win-win right? that's at least what i thought when i was doing these nails! i meant to have these nails done in time for the Sunday game (they won by the way-hurrah!), but of course didn't get to them until now. i actually did these today during naptime, aaaaannnd is it embarrassing to admit i'm excited to show my hubby when he gets home? haha. okay okay you're right. i already texted him a pic. it's the little things people!





colors used:

• new york color: brownstone (#207)
• recollections glitter: pumpkin
• orly: orange punch
• new york color: extra shiny top coat (#271)
• new york color: french white tip (#134)




*what is your fave NFL team?

*click HERE to find out how i started creating my own vinyl nail decals!

*have you finished your Christmas shopping?? i have NOT (and may be freaking out a little!)

freebie: christmas iphone wallpapers

well it's about dang time i gifted you a freebie. i've been wanting to play around in Photoshop to do these...forever now, and i finally made time last night (yay!). today's iphone wallpapers are to get you in the holiday mood, and i hope they do just that. plus make your screen look cute. i specifically designed these 4, for your lock screen, and have some ideas for doing wallpaper on the home screen, BUT i have a really hard time finding a subtle print/design/idea i like. anyways, enjoy and have a great week! i'm off to change diapers, and wrestle a toddler, maybe start potty-training (hah. who am i kidding?), wipe runny noses, and recieve big slobbery kisses.


*for personal use only, thank you!

TO DOWNLOAD:
» if viewing from your phone, simply click the image you want and save it
» if viewing from your desktop, simply click the image, then right click and "save as". then transfer to mobile device. (i have found the fastest/easiest way to do this is through Dropbox)
» TIP: there have been some issues with the sizing of images/wallpapers in iOS-7. to fix it so your wallpapers can be viewed properly, simply go to SETTINGS>GENERAL>ACCESSIBILITY>REDUCE MOTION (turn ON). then you'll be good to go! and here is the article i found out how to do this, if you'd like to read it yourself :)


iphone:


*want more freebies, like cute wallpaper and printables? then go HERE!

nail art: put a bow on it





 i love bows. i think they are so feminine and pretty. do you remember these cute rings i fell in love with a couple years ago? yes still love them and wear them. cutting these out with my Silhouette was a no-brainer, especially when i grabbed my Salon Perfect glitter polish. glitter and bows for the holiday? yes please!

the colors i used:
• salon perfect: silver sparkler (#603)
• pure ice: beware (i used 2 thin coats of this because it covered better/more fully, and then put one thin coat of the large "silver sparkler" glitter on top)
• new york color: french white tip (#134)
• orly: goth
• new york color: matte me crazy (top coat)

Hello December



i had my hubby make this shelf for me (update: diy tutorial found here!!), and even though he was a little grump about it (i know he secretly loved doing it-he loves building things. hah!), i'm so glad he did because now i have another little spot to decorate!





you might recognize this board from THIS project. yep, i flipped it over, stained the back, and made this with my Silhouette machine. again, i'm happy with how this turned out, because i wanted something big in the main living room, to remind us of the true meaning for the season.

my Christmas decor may have been busted out mid November when we had our first snowfall. don't judge. the fluffy magical stuff just kept falling down all weekend long. i couldn't help myself! now that it's December 1st (meeep!) i figure i can show it off :)

aaaand it's snowing as i type this-such a great way to welcome in my favorite holiday month!


*don't forget about the Cyber Monday Sale going on in my Etsy shop! today only premade templates are 30% off! use code: CYBERSALE30 at checkout!

* visit the shop HERE!

cyber monday sale: 30% OFF ALL PREMADE TEMPLATES!


gogogo! all premade templates in the shop are 30% off! just remember to use code: CYBERSALE30 at checkout! 

go to the shop >>HERE!<<
have fun shopping, and happy Monday! :)

premade template: fashionably late



here it is! Fashionably Late is the newest template in my shop, and i couldn't be happier with how it turned out! from the black and white pattern up top to the fun instagram widget below, i wanted this template to feel very trendy yet classic. bold yet subtle. there are share links at the bottom of each post (facebook, twitter, pinterest), customized popular posts, link lists, and label gadgets, as well as a sticky navbar (the navbar stays at the top of the page as  you scroll, making it easily accessible for your readers to view your info as they please), and i even added a top-top scrolling icon. booyeah. those things are so handy (am i right or am i right?)!

one more cool little thing i added?? if you click on the pages up top in the navbar (ie: "about" "contact"...), you'll find that there are no comment boxes or share links in the footer, or even a sidebar. i coded the pages linked to your blog to be "blank" just for you. i think this looks much more professional and clean! so you can add all your info and images here and have your viewers just looking at just that! i hope you love it as much as i do, and more importantly: i hope it's the revamp you are looking for!

*purchase it here!

*see the demo here!

*all photography images: my Pinterest board

*view all my premade templates here or here! 

premade template: simply pretty



I've been trying to do some clean-up around my Etsy shop lately, and since Simply Pretty was one of the very first templates i created and released, i decided to give it some updates and a fresh touch. the hello blurb got an update, the footer got cleaned up, there are share buttons at the bottom of each post (facebook, twitter, pinterest), and the posts in general are centered and not left-aligned anymore. oh! and i also included some instructions for adding your own "recent pins" gadget to your sidebar! overall a much needed change that i'm very happy with.

*purchase it here!

*see the demo here!

*all photography images: Photography by Brooke

*view all my premade templates here or here! 

nail art: white + gold + black triangles

i know. i am the worst blogger ever. and i have no excuse for not writing EXCEPT that i have been wanting to spend every second with my babes and hubby lately. it's this holiday mood i tell ya (or in my case, this spring/summer/fall mood.ha). i just LOVE THEM and know that these early years are so important and impressionable on them, and the last thing i want is for them to remember me as a mom sitting on her computer all day. no thank you. that being said, i do, however, have a billion draft posts in the works, and hope to sit down one of these nights finish them. and create more freebies! you guys. i also have a list a mile long (okay i lie-i have a cute pink polka-dot mini notepad) of ideas i want to make and share! oh! and i diiiid just release a new template in my shop last week, so head over here to see it (more about that later)!


on to the good stuff. these nails were a happy accident. i usually have a pretty clear idea of what i want on my nails when i sit down at night to do them, but this time i just started grabbing polish and...! 


i'm really digging the triangle prints right now, and am glad they ended up on my pinkys! i tried making a stencil with my silhouette for this, and then layed it over the white, and painted the triangles black. it kind of backfired. i had to do it twice on one side because the vinyl was too sticky and pulled up my coat of white! so not the greatest idea. next time i will either use a tiny brush or simply cut small black triangles out of black vinyl (the latter sounds easier so...), and the white triangle/arrow on my middle finger is just white vinyl i cut with my Silhouette. Here are the colors:


• new york color: extra shiny top coat, 271
• new york color: french white tip, 134
orly: (#LAB4402 <<sorry i can't find a name on my bottle!)
• orly: goth, 40637 

hashtag i'm finally on instagram

and really, the title should read hashtag i'm finally on instagram for good. because i made an account a while ago and then never really did anything with it...so yeah. i broke down and decided to jump on the bandwagon. and you know what? i hate it. i hate it because i love it already and wish i had been posting there forever! man i am #notwiththetimes. hah.

now go follow me! especially if that's your favorite social media outlet - you'll most likely see sneak peaks of my designs and projects before i get them posted here! you can click on the image below or the icon in the sidebar to the right over there>>


nail art: pink + gold dots

first, i have to say i'm sorry for the quality of this pic. i know it's terrible, and i don't remember what i took it with (i'm a little mad about that because i really loved this look)! second, i know what you're going to say: MORE polka dots? MORE pink? haha. and i say YES! i can't help it. i just gravitate towards the pinks.


DIY: family rules board

i was at Walmart a few weeks ago when i saw a cute canvas with some family rules listed on it (i pinned it here so you can go take a look). i loved it so much that i wanted to make one for myself, but bigger, and more customized. so i got to work.


i bought a 4'x4' piece of wood, 1/4" thick, at Lowes (the flatter the better-you don't want it all crooked and warped!). then i went and had my dad help me cut it on his table saw. i didn't have a specific measurement in mind-just what i thought looked good-so we ended up with 2 pieces that were 20 and 1/4" x 32", plus i had some leftover that i can use for other projects :)


i took it home and stained it to match our kitchen cabinets, and then the real work began: cutting out and placing the vinyl. this took a week to do, because i did it here and there, during naps or at night when my hubby played basketball. i was soooo happy when i was done with that part!


that would be Nashville that i've been watching during naptime, and starburst wrappers on the side. i used a piece of masking tape as my guide for keeping things straight.


we hung it here, and if you look closely in that image above, you can see the two nail holes we placed to hold it (because my board wasn't totally flat). i'm sure if you had a better/flatter board you could get away with just 1 nail at the top. i am so excited about how it turned out!

now some great news for you: i saved my Silhouette Studio files for cutting this project out, and am sharing them with you so that you can make your own (or make it as a gift-i'm doing that too!). you just need to own or have access to a Silhouette machine to use them.

here are the fonts (in order/top to bottom on the board. most are free if you don't have them, but a few i did buy/have on hand. if you don't want to buy them you can simply use another font):

ck caralyn (fuller - the only one NOT on the template, because you will need to write your own last name!)
arial unicode ms (family rules)
courier new (keep your promises)
cooper black (share)
dasha (think of others before yourself)
minion pro (say i love you)
times new roman (listen to your parents)
gill sans mt (do your best)
halo handletter (say please and thank you)
lato:regular (always tell the truth)
angsana new (laugh at yourself)
budmo (hug often)
ld text me (use kind words)
jacques and gilles (love one another)

the Silhouette Studio files:

nail art: it's beginning to feel like fall


like a lot of people, i am a lover of fall. i love chunky sweaters and the smell of apple cider (currently on my candle warmer), and i definitely love to change up my polish for the season. this is what i put on my nails last week when we had a rainy day.


• new york color: french white tip (#134)
• sally hansen: hard as nails xtreme wear, mellow yellow (not pictured above, because it replaced the white on my other hand)
• orly:  Goth (#40637)
• essie: sand tropez
 new york color: long wearing nail enamel, Extra Shiny Top Coat (#271)
• white nail tape

nail art: simple and chic halloween



happy halloween! i'm sooo excited and can't wait to dress up the littles and go see grandparents in a bit! but i wanted to drop by here and show you what my nails have been looking like this week. pretty simple, but fun. i used my Silhouette to cut out the decals, and some nail tape for the stripes.