Some of My Favorite Things - Gold and Black, Dogs and Chevrons

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge is to mix animal prints with chevrons.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do at first, but I really like the mix of gold flakies and black chevrons, with my favorite animal print - dog paws!

Rott'n Stamping

 Hello, Fireflies!

This month's NCC challenge is Animals! So much to choose from, but I knew one of my manis had to use this new plate I got from Marianne Nails (06) just for one particular stamp...

Sunday Stamping - Based On My Phone Case

Hello, Fireflies!

Today's stamping challenge was to stamp a mani based on your phone case.  My phone case is a custom that my brother had made for me with 3 of my pups on it - Banjo, the Rottie/Boxer cross, when he was a young pup, enjoying his first rawhide; Goliath the Rottweiler, my heart dog (who passed away a few years ago from Lymphoma) wearing my husband's tie (and a bad photoshop job on his eyes! lol;) and then Lena, the Italian Greyhound mix who looks like she's talking on the phone, too.  Really, we caught her right before foot-eating time.

As they are all dogs with some variation of black and tan, I wanted to play off that with a gorgeous holo I can't get enough of  - KBShimmer Run, It's the Coppers!

I used three different stamping plates for this mani.  The paw prints came from QA4, which also has Transformers on it.  How random is that?  The puppy face is on Mash 27.  The dog collage is on DRK-C.  I used Revlon Spirit and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme for the stamps.

I miss Goliath a lot, and it's comforting to have his picture so close at hand.  I wish I could have pix of all my dogs, past and present, on my phone case!

Puppies!

Bottle shot:  KBShimmer Run, It's the Coppers!, Revlon Spirit, and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.

I also have one other phone case from Julep that says, "Keep Calm and Paint Your Nails."  What do you have on your phone case?

Matchy Monday - Brown Spots and a Dog

Hello, Fireflies!

Time for another Matchy Monday Mani.

I'm so glad that its at least seasonally appropriate to break out all the fall polish colors.  I love rich, warm browns and jewel tones.  This golden brown beauty is Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics ISherwood (say it out loud. - I Sure Would!)

That gold shimmer just slays me.  Yum.

When my husband saw this pix, he thought I was making Domino nails.  Hmm. Well, we're not done!  These were made with a dotting tool and OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls.

Then, I added dots with Orly Enchanted Forest. As I'm typing this, I realized that I used polishes named iSHERWOOD and enchanted FOREST.  I subconsciously made a Robin Hood mani!

I did make a few more dots with Isherwood to add a little more depth and cover some mistakes.  Then, the topcoat makes it all nice and pretty.

This dress has a simple black top, and the skirt is this camo-type pattern of dots.  I thought my nails looked a lot like it!

Bodie couldn't resist trying to figure out what was going on, and I couldn't resist showing you my curious, cute puppy dog.  He is the sweetest love sponge of a dog!

If you do any manis inspired by an outfit, I hope you'll post them on my FB wall - I'd love to see them!

Dog and Butterfly

This was my submission to Berry Polished Black and White contest.  I used three polishes for this look - the base is Seche Blanc, the black is Sinful Colors Black on Black, and the white is Sally Hansen White Tip. - Update:  I didn't win. :( to see all the entries, check out: Berry Polished

It's my homage to Heart's classic song, Dog and Butterfly.

I submitted the glossy version to the contest, but I wanted to try it mattified.  I like it. 

Puppy-inspired manis

The Skylar mani inspired me to think of ways to pay homage to my other pups on my nails...

First up was Lena.  Lena is about 30 lbs of SomekindofItalianGreyhound mix.  She's neurotic, sweet, and is totally in love with my husband.  Every time he comes home from work, she acts as if it's the 2nd coming of Christ.

I started with 3 coats of China Glaze Golden Spurs.  I don't usually wear gold polishes, as they wash me out.  I thought this one would be good, but... well, it still isn't my color.  I think it'll be relegated to an accent color.

When Lena is freshly bathed, her coat shimmers with red and orange hi-lights that are so beautiful.  I wanted to try to capture that with a flakie topcoat of Up Colors Flocado (Viagem a 2!)

It was my first time using a flakie polish - and I'm hooked!  I couldn't stop looking at my nails, turning them to catch the light and different colors in the flakes.

Of course, my nails aren't as beautiful as my little Tiny Girl, but I think it matches her fur quite nicely, and captures the fire in her coat. 

Next, I wanted to figure out how to capture the black and tan love of my life, the Rottweiler.  We've owned 4 over the years, and still have two of them:  Paksennarion (aka Pax), and Banjo.  They are both adopted, and likely mixed with something else.  Pax is our old lady, and a lot of her tan is now grey and white.  Banjo is 90 lbs of puppy - a ball-obsessed brute with the squiggliest butt ever.

For this mani, I was inspired by a tape mani I saw on Chloe's nails.  I cut strips of tape and put them on my nails in this spray pattern, and then painted the nails with OPI Black Onyx.  It's important to make sure the tape is on securely, and that the polish goes everywhere the tape isn't, and not under the tape.  Also, remove the tape while the polish is still wet, or the polish will stick to the tape.

My husband thought they kinda looked like claws, so appropriate for a puppy-inspired mani..  I like how you can still see the flakies and shimmer, but it's just a dramatic splash.

I woke poor Pax up to take this pix.  Her tongue wasn't awake yet.  I love how the brown stripe on my nail matches the brown stripe on her nose. Aww.

 

Banjo came running when he heard the treat jar!  His coat is very short and glossy, and the tan is rich and bold - just like my nails. ;)  

I wonder if any others have tried matching their nails to their pets?

Spotted Skylar

I couldn't leave Skylar just plain on the nail for long.  I am learning to use some nail art tools, and I have to say that the dotting tool is the easiest so far.  Especially for someone like me who is clumsy doing art with my left hand.  I saw a version of this on Pinterest with purples, but no link to the originator, so I can't give credit for the original idea. 

Dots: Zoya Cynthia, Orly Snowcone, Sally Hansen White Tip, and OPI Yoga-ta get this Blue!

I love this mani.  I'm proud of myself! 

See, clumsy left hand.  And the white got a little stringy.  I was a little slow.  Gotta get more practice!

Beloved Skylar

Zoya's Skylar is a beautiful polish, but I have to admit that wasn't why I was attracted to it.  It's a beautiful dusty blue/grey shimmer.  Muted, understated, with a hint of something even prettier.

No, I bought it because it reminded me of my sweet Skylar Mora, our beloved bald mastiff, who we had for only a short time, but is always in my heart.  Mora means 'blueberry' and I named her that because of her grey/blue skin.  She came to us with severe mange, and her fur never grew back.  She was the ugliest beautiful dog ever... and it was like Zoya made this color for her.  Perfect.