Fun and Mental Changes

Oh how I missed you!  This is a mani I haven't done in quite some time and I JUST realized that it NEVER got posted on my blog the first time I did it.  I can't believe it!  It's one of my favorites... and NOT just because it's a Halloween mani (mostly, but not entirely).  I like it because of all the Konad image plates I get to use to create this wonderful Halloween collage on my nails!  So here it is for the first time here on FunandmentalChanges.com!!!  And check out my thumb.... My thumb is sort of an exception to the rest of the manicure because the scary jack-o-lantern is off of a "fauxnad" plate, but the rest of the Konad images plates are M3, M17, M18, C01, C04 and C05.  Wow.... that really IS a lot of plates!!! So my base coat is Nail Aid's Pink Growth Therapy, then one coat of Orly's Mirror Mirror and then the various images stamped in Konad's special black and white polishes.  I LOVE THIS ONE!!!  The inspiration for this ...

Alright.... just a quick one today since I'm in the Halloween spirit, I thought I'd do my nails using one of my favorite past Konadicures.  Some of you may remember this one from a couple of Halloween's ago and it just so happened to be my first run at a Halloween manicure!!!  So to recap, I just simply used a base coat of Nail Aid's Instant Wrap so that my nails had a nice strong base.  Then I polished just the tips using OPI's Tangerine Scene and topped it off with a coat of Seche Vite Quick dry top coat for a fast dry.  Once dry, I stamped the lace image from Konad image plate M69 using the Konad gold-black special polish.  Finally, I stamped the spider from image plate M1 using Konad's special polish in black and applied another top coat of Seche Vite.  That was it... couldn't have been easier.  This is probably one of the easiest manicures, but sure does pack a creepy yet gorgeous punch!!!  This was the perfect mani to keep me from miss...

Ok, so yesterday was Labor Day and thankfully my Shellac Tropix manicure made it through the BBQing festivities!!!  Today begins another test!!!  What you see here is CND's Shellac Rubble!!!  THIS TIME I'm shooting for a full 14 day wear.  I picked up some lovely (and quite stylish I might add) rubber cleaning gloves.... I intend to wear these babies whenever I'm working with my hands.... for dishes, yardwork, etc.  I also strategically placed Konad nail art from image plate M36 on only ONE nail to see if the Rubble darkens like the Tropix darkened.  We shall see how long this manicure is going to last me.  Wouldn't that be great if I got MORE than 14 days of wear simply by making this one little change??? Hmmmmmmmm.... this might turn out to be quite an economical experiment!!!  I'll let ya know! :)

Welp.... it has been 8 days EXACTLY!!!!  CND Shellac is supposed to wear for 14 days, but for me, it only makes it to day 8.  And that is fine for me!  Honestly, NOTHING else wears that long or that beautifully... check out that shine (click on pic to enlarge)!!! So the pic above is the exact same Shellac manicure that I wore for the past 8 days.  Day one features a white Konad nail art design (Click HERE for deets).  Day four features a black Konad nail art design from image plate M70 and day 8 is shown with all nail art removed using a non-acetone nail polish remover.  There are a few things to mention: 1)  The Shellac color DID darken over 8 days.  The color variations in the pictures is not a lighting effect.  I don't know why this occurred.  My first thought was it was just because the darker nail art on day 4 was just making the color appear darker.  But once I removed all the nail art on the final day, I did notice the...

Yep.... I am in manicure HEAVEN!!!  I got my nails "Shellaced" yesterday with CND's Tropix Shellac and I LOVE IT!!!  Now I've had Shellac manicures before, but I didn't realize how WONDERFUL this product was until I grabbed my Konad nail art, messed it up, then removed the nail art entirely with non-acetone nail polish remover, reapplied the nail art and NEVER ONCE messed up the nail base Shellac color or lost an ounce of shine!!!  Honestly folks.... isn't that INCREDIBLE????  Now I do want to add for those of you who tune in here on my blog and for those who have not tried a Shellac manicure, this product does not wear the full two weeks (as advertised by the company) on me.  I typically get about 8 good days of wear with Shellac and then it peels and my edges chip a little.  But for me, THAT IS OK!!!  My nails look FABULOUS for 8 solid days and because Shellac has sort of a rubbery feel to it (being a hybrid of polish AND gel), it is very comforta...

So I know that I haven't posted in quite some time.  Actually, I've been a wee bit busy with my husband who sustained an injury at work (he's a police officer and for those of you even thinking of being with a police officer.... MAKE SURE you know EXACTLY what you're getting into.  I would NEVER EVER want any other husband and if I knew then what I know now I would DEFINITELY do it again, but I also know that I'm not the typical girl.  I'm a red head with a lot of "spunk" and was being "groomed" to marry this man long before I met him.  It is because of this man that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a God and he loves me.  Ok, I'm done with the gush!  That was quite a long gush.  I think I may have achieved some kind of world record for the use of these parenthesis....hahahahaha) and has been recovering after corrective surgery.  It has been a long road for him and here we are working to get him "back".  Back to a...

Feelin a little animal!!!  It seems as if being laid up with back pain has it's perks!!!  RAWR!  This fun nail art was inspired by my upcoming Fun With Alcohol Ink Class on March 3rd at Craft Fusion (class starts at 1 p.m.), check out what we'll be making: In fact... if you loved the nail art above, you might want to consider signing up for this class [hint, hint].  For this class we'll be creating this ADORABLE notebook using various alcohol inks.  You're not going to want to miss this!  Along with learning how to assemble our own notebook using The Cinch and Zutter products, we will also be using alcohol inks to customize our project.  Join us and learn how to color stamped images using alcohol ink markers giving your projects depth and dimension.  Please bring your basic tool kit and alcohol ink markers (any brand) for this instruction.  There are markers to rent, but rental markers are limited so the sets will be available on a first c...

Ok... wow!  It's been a while since I've done my nails.  Judging by how short they are, you can probably guess why.  Another reason is the HUGE scar I now wear on my middle finger from when Martha Stewart tried to kill me!  Click HERE for the gory details.  But, with Valentines right around the corner, I couldn't help but do a little Konadicure for the occasion.  Well, that and I did a Konadicure for the Super Bowl (so sorry I didn't get pics before completely trashing my nails at the party... GREAT PARTY by the way!!!) that REALLY needed to go.  A girl can only go so long with all of her nails looking like tiny footballs.  Yah, kinda regretting not posting them.  So that I don't make the same mistake again... here are some cuties. So for my base coat I used Nail Aid's Pink Natural Growth Therapy followed by two coats of OPI's Got a Date To-Knight and then a coat of Seche Vite for a quick dry.  Then I went to Walmart and picked up my ...

You missed the nail art didn't you?!?  It's been awhile my lovelies!  Mainly because I had a biting relapse, and I don't mean the brooding vampire kind!!!  Luckily I stopped the biting with the help of some TLC and my beloved Nail Aid, now I'm back on track and dippin into the Konad.  With Twilight on the mind since the release of the trailer (click HERE for the vampy/wolfy goodness) for Breaking Dawn, well, you know, it's all I can think about!  So my nails get a little mani with Twilight in mind! Base coat is Nail Aid Peeling Nail Therapy, 1 coat of China Glaze Innocence (kinda fitting here), 1 coat of Seche Vite for quick dry, and Konad image plate M64 with Konad Special Polish in black.  I finished this off by adding some red bling before sealing the whole thing with another coat of Seche Vite. So I'm LOVING this mani!!!  The pink is creamy and ever so subtle making that red bling pop out on top of the black background. ...

Yes, Yes... I'm terribly late... I know!  I was supposed to announce on April 1st that I'm having ANOTHER Favorite Things Birthday Give Away.  Well, here I am.... 7 days late, I'm here with the announcement.  BUT FIRST:  Let's check out some of the prize goodies!!! So pictured above is nail treatments from my ALL-TIME-FAVORITE nail treatment company... Nail Aid .  I LOVE their products, I LOVE their company and I LOVE their service.  And this year they GENEROUSLY donated another HAUL of their new products available at Walmart (check your local store for availability as I'm finding that not all of them carry it... which is NUTS!).  They are just so generous... THAT'S FIVE PRODUCTS!!!  Now I've never tried these products... being that they are new, but I personally use MANY of their products and I love them.  So be sure to check out their website by clicking the link above.  And just so you know which ones are my favorites, I...

OMG... isn't this one CUTE!?! And I gotta say, it TOTALLY matched the outfit that I wore to my sister's bridal shower! That really is just so fun to do! You can do it too!!! Just use discount code "FITTERTWIT" over at OC Nail Art and receive a free image disc with a $30 purchase on top of free shipping!!! Be sure to choose your free image disc at checkout! :) So for this Konadicure, I used my Nail Aid Pink Growth as a base, 2 coats of OPI's Decades of Shades, Konad image plates M57, M61 and M69 using China Glaze's GR8 from their OMG line, one coat of Northern Lights sparkly topcoat and then one final coat of Seche Vite. AWESOME!!! Click on the pic to enlarge. That is all today gang! Happy Sunday!

Ok. So here's a quick mani featuring my ALL-TIME-FAVORITE black polish. Color Club's Black goes on SO smooth and dries perfectly. This is by far the best black nail polish to own. I mean, let's face it, black is hard to get on, but to have one that glides off the brush makes application a breeze. Honestly, I could go on and on about this polish.... but I won't! I'll get on to the fun Konad stuff!!! So I stamped the spider from Konad's image disc M28 using China Glaze's OMG holo nail polish. I love the holographic polishes, but this line is my favorite among them all. Unfortunately folks, I think this line is discontinued which really is unfortunate, because all of these holos work AMAZINGLY with the Konad system... and I'm not sure why! :) Anyway, I applied a mini red stone that photographed orange (weird), but it's red and makes this mani rock. I only stamped my ring finger on both hands, so with my Martha Stewart wound and the fact that ...

So, today is overcast and dreery (SO WONDERFUL) and I pulled out Young Frankenstein, a Halloween classic, to pop it into the dvd player and couldn't help but be struck by the urge to do another Halloween mani! You know you love them!!! hahahahahaha. So with the movie put on hold, I went in search of the PERFECT image plates! Here's what I did. Base Coat: Nail Aid's Rapid Growth 2 Coats: OPI's Gargantuan Green Grape Image Plates: M7 and M19 (for french tip) Images Stamped: in black Konad special nail polish Top Coat: Seche Vite for quick dry I'd say these babies are perfect for the Young Frankenstein viewing.... don't you agree? Gotta run folks! Time to pop popcorn and press "play"! :) Don't forget... visit O.C. Nail Art and use code FITTERTWIT at checkout to receive free images along with your free shipping on orders over $30!

ONLY 10 MORE DAYS!?! I can't believe Halloween's almost here!!! I'm so excited! So I'm going to try to fit in as many Halloween Konadicures as I can between now and then. Today's is a simple orange and black "quickie" using Nail Aid's Pink Growth as a base coat, then two coats of OPI's Tangerine Scene, nail stamp from image plate M15 using Konad special nail polish in black and then a top coat of the beloved Seche Vite! THIS IS SO GOTH!!! I love it! I'm going to do this again in red and black... stay tuned for that!!! I went ahead and covered the ghastly-gash-al-a-Martha Stewart so that I could show you the entire mani. Please forgive the nasty cuticles... ever since the Martha Stewart attack , I just haven't really cared for them while waiting to heal. But at least you all get to see this awesome mani!!! Get yourselves ready.... Halloween's almost here!!! For a GREAT deal on Konad Nail Stamping, check out OC Nail Art ! Code "FITT...

Ok, so here's another Halloween mani.... well, sort of. I wish I could show you all my nails like I usually do, but Martha Stewart ruined it!!! You all know I'm a scrapper and said "scrapping" needs tools.... sometimes manly tools I might add. From pliers to drills, this crafting hobby COULD look like a mechanics garage in some circles. Well... there are RULES in those circles! First Rule: blades ALWAYS have safety caps that PULL off!!! Freakin Martha Stewart and her special craft knives with the lids that slide to the side to remove!!! Who would know you had to read instructions TO REMOVE A FREAKIN SAFETY CAP!?! Whatever! You can kind of guess where this is going.... I sliced my finger open trying to remove a safety cap from a Martha Stewart cutter thingy (that's the technical term BTW)! And of course I sliced the very middle finger on my left hand which is the hand I ALWAYS photograph for these blog pics of my nail art.... well, cuz I'm right handed. This mo...

So for today's post, I am featuring this place card over at The Bug Bytes . Be sure to click on the link to check out the deets for this project. The Bug Bytes is THE PLACE to go for ANYTHING Cricut!!! Also, I wanted to remind everyone that I will be announcing the winner of the blog candy on October 15th... there's still time to enter. Click HERE if you'd like to win the October 31st Cricut cartridge. AND, I've also got the Halloween challenge going until Halloween night for a chance to win THREE Tickled Pink Stamps... and my faves at that! Click HERE for details to enter your "Crazy Halloween" project for the challenge. Have a great one folks... hope you enjoyed this super simple project!

Ok, so I FINALLY found the site where I first discovered THE COOLEST Halloween Konadicures! I want to send out a special "Thanx" to Konaddict with my apologies for not remembering what an AMAZING resource for nail designs your site is!!!! There were SO MANY image plates used for this mani. Please excuse the smeared bats and cuticle oil...hahahahahahaha! SEE GANG, you don't have to be a professional to use this nail stamping system!!! I'm SO not a professional, LOL! I will post my OC Nail Art code below so that everyone can get some free goodies. For the "Boo" on my thumb, I used image plates M17 and M18 stamped in white. I then did both white and black for the remainder of the images (image plates M3, C1, C4 and C5). I think this turned out super cute and will be better the second time around. Note to self... the lighter color should ALWAYS be stamped first! The black bat bled through the white bat that I put on top making one of my nails look a little...

Ok, so last Halloween I found the GREATEST Konadicure I have ever seen but did not have the image plates to do it, so I saved the image and FORGOT to include the name of the person who did this nail design. So for the record, I am NOT taking credit for this design, however I am taking credit for how good it turned out!!! I made only a couple of mistakes, but they are livable! This is STILL an amazing mani!!!! I have been growing out my nails specifically for this Konadicure. This mani is the reason I quit gnawing on my nails!!! What's a Konadicure? Konad is a REUSABLE nail STAMPING system and if you read this blog, then you have an "in". Head over to O.C. Nail Art (click HERE ), spend $30 or more and receive free images when you use the code FITTERTWIT (choose free image plate of your choice). Add to that free shipping to the US and I'd say that's a pretty screamin deal!!! And not only is this nail art system reusable, you can use any color you want to create gorg...

You all remember the awesomely awesome nail art that I am so crazy about!?! And everyone remembers the good ol' days when visiting this blog got you an incredible discount on REUSABLE nail art to create gorgeous nails and for gift giving!?! Well if you don't, I posted a pic for you to see what I'm talking about. I did the mani shown here myself! Those are my nails that were simply stamped using Konad nail stamping products I got from Kathleen over at OC Nail Art . Well, I just got word that the "FREEZE" from the manufacturer just got lifted and we are getting our discount again!!! WOO HOO!!! PARTAY!!! So coming soon, look for our special discount code to use at http://store.ocnailart.com/ (pssst.... I think it's gonna be "FITTERTWIT"). OC Nail Art was the very first sponsor here at Fun And Mental Changes! I cannot thank Kathleen enough for everything she has done for all of my readers and I'm so thrilled that we are going to be able to shout it ...

A little while ago I had some heartbreak, as we sometimes go through in life, and reverted back to NAIL BITING.... DANG IT! I honestly thought I was past that horrible habit that turned my hands from pretty and feminine to tacky and gnarled! I grew up biting my nails only stopping when I had acrylic nails applied as an adult. Then, after the economy took a turn and I couldn't afford professional nail services, I had the gel nails removed (I switched from acrylic to gel because gel ROCKS) and began caring for my own nails. WHAT FUN!!! I grew my natural nails very easily and LOVED nail art.... I REALLY loves me the nail art. So what happened? Why can't I stop biting now?!? I did probably the hardest mani yesterday on the tiniest nubs I've seen in a LONG time!!! I know that darker colors on shorter nails looks awesome, but dark colors on nubs does not simply because the application is IMPOSSIBLE. Hopefully my Nail Aid Ultra Rapid Growth will actually stay on my nails to allow ...