DIGIT-AL DOZEN WEEK: Vintage Polka Dots

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Hello lovelies!

TWO POSTS IN ONE DAY! I was so chuffed after my last post that I immediately took to Google and found something else vintage-y to produce for you!

This was inspired by this polka dot pattern I found on DeviantArt. I started with a base of Rue (which took three coats to opacity, and was mysteriously sort of lumpy?), and then did dots with Crescent Heights, Where Did Suzi's Man-Go?, and Blowing Raspberries.

After that, I did two coats of top coat to protect the base, and did the 'watercolour' technique with Chelsea Physic Garden and Moody Blues. I then sealed everything in another coat of top coat. And then bumped my index and thumb badly while opening a bottle of wine. (This is, in a nutshell, everything you need to know about me.)

Polishes used:

Zoya - Rue

American Apparel - Crescent Heights

OPI - Where Did Suzi's Man-Go?

butter LONDON - Blowing Raspberries

nails inc. - Chelsea Physic Garden

piCture pOlish - Moody Blues

Duri - Rejuvacote (base coat)

Glisten & Glow - HK Girl (top coat)

dotting tool

square brush for 'watercolouring'

I like this effect, it's like a kind of verdigris... I look forward to doing it over more complicated patterns, probably using jellies next time for optimal ageing.

AND I FINISHED! AND IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY! I'm so pleased. Thank you, Dionysus, for all that you do.

xo,

J.

CHECK OUT WHAT THE OTHER TALENTED LADIES OF THE DIGIT-AL DOZEN WERE UP TO:

An InLinkz Link-up

DIGIT-AL DOZEN "WEEK": Vintage Flapper Dress

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Hello lovelies!

I wasn't lying when I said that this would take a while. I'm still running on fumes, creatively, but I wanted to at least get this post up for you. I've had this idea kicking around in my head for the past week or so, and finally sat down to do it.

My inspiration was based loosely on the beaded trim of flappers' dresses. There was no specific dress that inspired the pattern; I just made it up. :)

I hope you click on these photos to zoom them in. Not because the detail warrants it, but because the base colour (Contraband) is very subtle and lovely. It's a blue-purple base with purple and pink sparks. It comes across as purple in person and is just a doll of a shade, both the apply and to admire on my fingertips.

The 'beading' was done with white acrylic paint and my tiny detail brush. Here is a direct light shot, to try to show you the complexity of Contraband a bit better:

Polishes used:

I Love Nail Polish - Contraband

Duri - Rejuvacote (base coat)

Glisten & Glow - HK Girl (top coat)

white acrylic paint

tiny detail brush

I start my new job on Monday! I'm really very excited. I hope to finish off this month's "week" this weekend sometime, likely Sunday, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Then I can gear up for the next Digit-al Dozen week-- my promise to myself is to keep doing them until I get my mojo back, at which point I will ramp up and start posting in-between them, as I usually do.

xo,

J.

CHECK OUT WHAT THE OTHER TALENTED LADIES OF THE DIGIT-AL DOZEN WERE UP TO:

An InLinkz Link-up

DIGIT-AL DOZEN WEEK: Vintage Brass Banister

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Hello lovelies.

Remember me? ;) Haha. I haven't given up on Digit-al Dozen Week, though it ended last week. I've been going through some very hard times, and I haven't had the energy for much of anything since last Wednesday. But I have a job now!! I start 3 March. I'm super excited about that. Anyway, enough blather -- onto the nails!

This look was quick and easy to do. It involves only two colours, and used a liner brush and a medium detail brush. 

The base colour is Shirin, and the linework is all Educate. I used a photo of a brass banister I found on Google as my rough guide, and simplified it a bit for the nail. I could have done this with acrylic paint and gone to town on the detail, but I don't mind it like this, either.

Here is a close-up so you can see the little green flecks in Educate (very pretty):

Polishes used:

Mentality - Shirin, Educate

Duri - Rejuvacote (base coat)

Glisten & Glow - HK Girl (top coat)

liner brush

medium detail brush

I found out about my new job on Friday, and had my heart rather broken on Friday, too. Have you ever had that happen to you-- a really good thing and a really awful thing all at once? I'm trying to choose the path of light, to be happy and whole. Everything takes so much time, doesn't it? We're a curious bunch, us humans. :)

xo,

J.

CHECK OUT WHAT THE OTHER TALENTED LADIES OF THE DIGIT-AL DOZEN HAVE DONE:

An InLinkz Link-up

DIGIT-AL DOZEN WEEK: Vintage/Shabby Chic Floral Wallpaper

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Hello lovelies!

Lookit this! An on-time post!

Debbie did a floral wallpaper-type design yesterday, and I had recently seen Katy's invention of this design over at her blog, and I was inspired to give it a shot! It is something of a "second-class" design for me because I didn't invent it myself, but I'm trying to give myself a break this week. :)

For this design, I started with three coats of Don't Bossa Nova Me Around, from the new Brazil collection. It went on pretty smooth, but needed 3 coats for opacity. I then painted the roses with Poco a Poco and the leaves with Crescent Heights (I wanted to use CG's Budding Romance but my bottle won't open and I'm an impatient human being).

I then took my tiniest detail brush and went in with Camelot to do all the lines. In retrospect, I should have used Revlon's Dominate (my go-to dark brown) because it would have added to the vintage feel. I'm kicking myself over it a bit.

Polishes used:

OPI - Don't Bossa Nova Me Around

Rescue Beauty Lounge - Poco a Poco (no longer in production)

American Apparel - Crescent Heights

A England - Camelot

Duri - Rejuvacote (base coat)

Glisten & Glow - HK Girl (top coat)

medium detail brush

tiniest detail brush

Today I was called into the office of the place I'm trying to work for, to meet the other admin assistant who currently works there. It was super nice, she's a total sweetheart. I know they have yet to call my references, and I'm hoping that goes well... but I'm otherwise feeling a bit better about my prospects now. :) Yay!

xo,

J.

CHECK OUT WHAT THE OTHER TALENTED LADIES OF THE DIGIT-AL DOZEN ARE UP TO:

An InLinkz Link-up

DIGIT-AL DOZEN WEEK: Vintage Cutouts

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Hello lovelies.

Oh my goodness. Before we dive in, let me just apologize for my absence. Since I returned from San Francisco, my work situation (by which I mean lack of work situation) has been preoccupying me in the extreme. I'm anxious all of the time, and am sleeping like a sloth because of it. I have little creative energy, and therefore little of myself to apply to nail art.

But it is Digit-al Dozen week this week, and if nothing else, I'm going to try to complete the week as part of my commitment to my fellow ladies, and to you, my lovelies. So, let's do this! This week's theme is vintage.

I decided to start off simple, to avoid committing myself to something overwhelming. I was struck by inspiration while visiting Nory's look for today and saw the leftmost dress here. Cutout necklines! Super cute and vintage-ish.

I used Nail Vinyls for the moons, and actually did these twice, because the first colour I used (a bronze) didn't have enough contrast with my nail bed.

I still think I should have gone darker, for even more contrast, but there was no way I was going to do these a third time! These are also my R for my (abandoned-too-long) Follow the Devil ABC Challenge: reveals!

Polishes used:

OPI - Jade is the New Black

Duri - Rejuvacote (base coat)

Glisten & Glow - HK Girl (top coat)

Nail Vinyls in half-moon

medium detail brush

I have zero idea what I'll be doing for the rest of the week, and I can't promise I'll get them all done on time -- I'm waiting to hear back from an employer in particular with whom I had a third interview last Thursday, and I'm on pins and needles for some resolution. All my emotional energy is going there. But! I will get the week done however I can, bit by bit. :)

And do you like the new nail shape?!

xo,

J.

CHECK OUT WHAT THE OTHER TALENTED LADIES OF THE DIGIT-AL DOZEN ARE UP TO:

An InLinkz Link-up