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The Nail Epic

So, as some may or may not know, I am working on trying to master caring for my own nails after my economic situation has required me to cancel my standing nail appointment with the "Amazing Alison". I have realized just how hard a job it is! My nails were in dreadful shape after having fake nails for so many years. I have battled brittle nails, peeling nails, polishing issues....you name it, and I suffer with it.

The first was the peeling of the nail layers right after the fake nails were first removed. I attempted to "strengthen" them with nail strengthening products such as OPI's Nail Envy. I found out that strength was not what I was needing because that led to my nails being so "strong", they would break with the slightest pressure since the Nail Envy did nothing to help with the nail's flexibility to give without breaking. I then ordered Nail Aid which I STILL use as a basecoat (this product is still my number one!).

The polish issues, more specifically BUBBLING, are still present. I haven't figured out how to polish my nails to the mirror finish like I always got when I visited the Amazing Alison, so I call her. She informed me that my nails need to be clean and the brush cannot be too dry nor too coated when applying the polish. Also, she said that the polish needs to be set up between coats and that natural nails take longer to dry. She said that they will NOT be completely dry for 24 hours. I now polish my nails first thing in the morning, and find that, for me, splitting up my coats gives me better end results. I have split it up between two days (I wish I could do it all in one day, but I just can't without seeing bubbles). The first day I do the first two coats, the second day the last two to three depending on what color I've chosen.
So there you have it! My progress so far. I have a VERY long way to go in mastering this, but I've also learned that after fake nails, the only thing that fixes your nails is time (and in the case of polish....lots and lots of practice). There is no miracle product to fix the problem, but there are some pretty good tips and products to help mask it. Good luck to everyone out there and if you have any tips to pass along....PLEASE do!

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Past 7 Days....

Burton-weenie Release Day 2

Today is day 2 of the Burton-weenie release for Simply Betty Stamps.  I'm kind of slackin today as I didn't create a card to show, but you DON'T want to miss the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G work the rest of the Dolls made!!!  I'm serious!  This stuff on day two blew me away!!!! So head over to The Burtonesque Dolls and show some love.... you'll be glad you did!  They ROCKED day 2.  Tune in tomorrow for day 3 of the Burton-weenie release, that one's pretty good too.  Psssst... I made a really cute one!  LOL!  ;) **As I said yesterday, all of the images from this line will be available for sale at Simply Betty Stamps on Friday, but feel free to check out all the other COOL stuff by clicking HERE .

It's A Great Day For A White Wedding

It has been sooooo long since I've designed with the wonderful ladies of Paper Vineyard's design team!  Getting back on the designing wagon has suddenly come so easy to me over the past couple of days or so... I've been designing up a storm.  Part of the reason for the sudden burst of creativity came from this little gem pictured below!  Just a little warning here... this post is VERY pic heavy!!!  Yep!  It's the DCWV Immortal Love stack I told you all about the other day (inspired by the Twilight Saga movies).  So with Breaking Dawn coming out later this year, the Wedding theme for today's challenge over at Paper Vineyard was SUPER easy.  I can clearly imagine what wedding goodies Edward and Bella would put together, what their wedding colors would be, etc.  Well, now you can see how this one just sort of made itself!  hahahahahahha! So my creation is the CD jacket for a wedding photo compilation; the template is...

Gorgous Leaves Bundle Revisited

Yestday's Freebie Friday on a Monday projects were so fun and this set is SO BEAUTIFUL in it's simplicity!  It reminds me of a long-retired stamp set from Stampin Up!.  I was inspired to re-create the projects that I made with it once upon a time.  So here we go.... SIMPLE projects when you need a quick "hello" or an even quicker heartfelt sympathy card: I was DEFINITELY on a Bumblebee and Cajun Craze kick yesterday!  I can't stop/won't stop!  LOL!  To be fair... I had extra leaves die cut and didn't want anything to go to waste!  A quick speckle backdrop in Bumblebee then a quick "hello" greeting from the Biggest Wish in Cajun Craze with the Cajun Craze leaf popped up on a Basic White cardbase.  PERFECTION! Okay, as with yesterday's projects, the sentiment is from the recently retired SAB Delicate Dahlia's set, but you could use ANY sympathy sentiment you have in your stash.  Unlike in the past when I had to mask off the center rectangle...