Game Day!

Hi Everyone!! It's game day here in Packer country and while this would normally be a day full of fun it's also the 15th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks. It's a somber day mixed in with the fun.  But this is also how the world works. For every day of joy is someone's day of sorrow.  I wanted to support my team today but also show my patriotism and reflect on the sorrow on 9/11

I used Zoya Song and Giovanni for my blue and green and OPI Wocka Wocka for my red. Some Dashica SdP and FUN stamping along with my custom Packer plate with Mundo White and Yellow

Not sure if anyone is watching the Packer Jaguars game is pretty intense!  My sister and brother in law are in Florida for the game I'm sure they are having a great time

Sort of missing my square nails today so you could see all of the Go Pack Go down at the tip but I'll live with it LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you all have a great day!

As close to tropical as I get

Hey Everyone!  Happy Saturday to you!  I spent my entire morning running around grocery shopping a little over 3 hours 3 stores and my freaking pedometer decided on me!  The jerk!  After all that time walking and loading up the cart and unloading the cart it said I walked 113 steps WHAT IN THE WORLD?!  Clearly I need something better than my cheap ass free pedometer LOL

But that's all behind me now.  I am taking it easy for the rest of the day.  I walked all week last week and will probably take a walk later in the early evening but for now I'm relaxing and reading.  I found a new to me author I just love so I'm spending the day reading a couple of her books. Elle Casey is her name and even though she writes in the dreaded 1st person I just adore her books!

This is the mani I'm sporting today.  I got a lot of compliments on at all 3 grocery stores. I'm not sure by the kid at DQ might have been checking them out too.  I had to indulge in a small iced coffee after all that shopping!

I tried out all of my new Girly Bits stamping polishes on this mani  Ker-Minty Frog Here, Pardon My Periwinkle, Coral Reef and Silly Daffodilly

I stamped with one of my MoYou Tropical plates over my base of OPI's How Great Is Your Dane

A good brown creme is SO underrated!!! I just love this OPI it's so smooth and yummy

I know I keep saying I'm going to get better lighting set up at my new apartment but really one of these days I am going to get better lighting!

I really love these Girly Bits stamping colors they are going to be great for some summer stamping for sure!

I hope you guys are having a great Saturday!  Thanks for stopping by!

Hang In There!

Hi Everyone!  Happy Monday!  So I've decided do something about my health and my weight. The years between my sister's terminal cancer diagnosis and the year after she died I gained over 120lbs.  Sad by true.  I've always had problems with my weight and have successfully lost almost 100lbs twice in my life and here I am working on lucky number 3.  Before Lisa died I was doing low carb for about 2 years and had gotten down from 280 to 200 and then we found out her cancer had again returned and was terminal.  Between that year--2009 and 2010 I gained all that I had lost and more.  I'm a depressive eater and believe you me no one says salad makes them happy.  Mashed potatoes and gravy, chicken & dumplings, tapioca pudding, mac n cheese those are the things that make me happy.  So that's what I ate and ate and ate and ate and soon here I was heavier than I had ever been at over 300lbs.  For the longest time I didn't care.  I didn't care it happened to me again, I didn't care I knew better and shouldn't have let it happen.  But then slowly things in my life started to level out and I realized how lucky I am at my age--53 and my size 323lbs I didn't have diabetes like my father had or like his mother my grandmother had.  I was lucky I still had my gall bladder.  I was lucky I didn't have high blood pressure.  And honestly how long was that going to last??? I am like a ticking time bomb for some serious health issues to hit.  So I could either just give up and be old and fat or I could do something again about my weight.

So I started back on low carb.  Which as a blood type of 0- works really well.  It's actually not difficult for me at all to do low carb even though all my comfort foods are high carb foods.  In February I started following a low carb lifestyle again and in April I started walking.  Walking is hard for someone who is large like me and it hurt like hell.  I started by simply walking around my office once every hour.  Then I started going into our huge warehouse and walking that every hour.  Then I started going in early in the mornings so I could walk around the warehouse twice.  I graduated to walking around the warehouse several times on lunch and on Saturday I did my first 4k walk in forever.  I wanted to do it very badly and even though I had only been able to go for 35 mins at one time I was successful on Saturday.  I did the whole 4k AND I didn't come in last!  I had A LOT of support from my family and friends.  Even though I was pretty wiped out on Saturday I walked a mile on Sunday and today for lunch I walked two miles.  It's hard and it's hot and it's sweaty as hell which is so gross but I'm doing it.

I'm doing it because I have to.

I'm doing it because I need to.

I'm down 29 lbs I still have a long way to go.  I'd like to only weigh 200 lbs for my niece's wedding June 2017.  If I don't make it, I don't make it but it's not going to stop me from trying.

I have to give myself these little pep talks so last night I decided to do this really cute little "Hang In There" mani

How cute is this??  Born Pretty Store BP-59 over OPI Susi Says Feng Shui and Kiko 655

I topcoated my Kiko because I need to have glitter in my textured polish LOL!

Even though all I've been doing isn't easy I keep saying to myself "just hang in there" I can do it I just need to stay focused.

To anyone fighting the fight against obesity and working on getting healthy--HANG IN THERE!

The Digit-al Dozen Does Gradient--Yellow And Blue Make Green!

Hi Everyone!  I am posting this late today and I am so dang tired!  One of my chinchillas was up at 3 freaking am this morning rearranging his cage.  I don't know what his deal is but dude thinks he's some of sort of Feng Shui Master and does this a few times a month. I should have just taken him out and put him in the little cage aka jail but nope I kept hoping hushing him and scolding him was going to work but NOPE.  So I basically had about 4 hours of sleep last night. I am dragging my butt right now like nobodies business.

Luckily I was able to get a mani done last night to post today AND it turned out great!  I'm pretty sure I am going to bed and the ripe old time of 6pm tonight though so tomorrow's isn't going to be done until way late lol

For today I decided to do gradient stamping. I'd like to say I just mixed good old Mundo Yellow and Turquoise on the stamping plate and it made green but no I used Avocado which I just adore and DRK B for today's mani. My stamping is over the base of OPI DS Fantasy another polish I just adore

I love this line effect don't you?

This is a great image for showing off some gradient stamping but also allowing the base color to show through

I've got my mani station all set up now too and added two desk lamps and I am much happier with my pictures.  I might decrease my bulb wattage though as it might be a smidge too bright

I think this type of image is totally "me" unlike yesterday's dainty--lacey stamping

My girls have been totally nailing it this week!  Vic's animal print was spot on and you know you have to see some animal print from her but everything she does is awesome. Carmina and Cathy both have been showing off some flawless gradients with bright colors--I just love them!  Ashley is killing it with her faux water marble and she is NAILING the stamping which trust me is big for her.  Michaela did a fabulous mermaid mani as did Amber--I mean really Amber is kicking ass this week with ideas and colors.  Jacki's been doing AHmazing stuff with drugstore polish!  Yes you heard me drugstore polish which means it's available to anyone and everyone and look at what you can do with it!!! Rose Lynn and Marisa both doing some super cool stuff with such bright colors. Amanda is coming up with some cool double stamping. Shelly is nailing with some radials and watermarble AND video to boot and Tammy and Serene are just my long time stamping heroes I mean really everything they do I adore.  This group is full of special women who are just lovely inside and out

An InLinkz Link-up

The Digit-al Dozen Does Gradient--Lacey Does It!

Hi Everyone!! Happy Wednesday!!  When I look at today's mani I feel like I can hear Monty Python in the background saying "And now for something completely different"  today's mani is night and day from my spiked mani of yesterday and it's also 100% not my style.  I really wanted to do a lace manicure though especially after seeing the one Jacki from Adventures In Acetone did--Jacki is SO DANG COOL but mine just did not come up cool at all.  Nor did they come out looking like a fairy tale wedding dream which is what I was picturing when I did them.  Instead they are just meh, and pretty colorless and boring.

I'm pretty sure I am just WAY TOO PALE for this look

Or my nails might be too long to pull off this look

I did a subtle gradient with OPI Bubble Bath and Alpine Snow and then stamped over it with Girly Bits White Wedding and Marianne n68 which is a lovely all lace image plate

I showed this to my niece Alex who is getting married next year and told her I wasn't a huge fan of it but to keep it in the back of her head for a wedding mani and bless her heart she said she thought it needed some sparkle!  Girl after my own heart LOL

Alas this did not stay on long enough for any added sparkle hopefully I'll remember it when I do the nails for the wedding LOL

This week has still been pretty amazing. My partners in crime have been doing an AHmazing job as always.  That dang Copycat Claws is KILLING it.  I wish I was her or rather that I lived next door to her so she could do my nails everyday LOLOLOL. She's Canadian though aka too cold for me ahaha.  Really though it's too cold in Canada and since I live in Wisconsin that is saying a lot.

Prepare to be wowed and check out what everyone else has done today!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Digit-al Dozen Does New & Improved--Blobbicure!

Hi Everyone! Long time no see!  The short condensed version of my story is I had to move in November and we did it during a huge snowstorm! While the move is great and I'm now so much closer to work and really loving my new apartment and new city, I lost 2 of my sweet chinchillas in the move.  The stress of the move was too much for my Abigail and Herman and they died the day after we got here :(  To make it even sadder a month later my old man Leonard crossed the bridge.  So my once hopping herd of 10 is now down to 4. Very sad for me.

If that wasn't bad enough a month ago I got into a car accident! Yep my first accident ever and my lovely paid for car was totaled.  Good news is I'm okay, better news is no one at all was hurt.  Even better news I upgraded from a pretty small but sporty 2005 Dodge Neon to a 2013 Nissan Sentra.  I was pretty nervous car shopping as I've never had to do it without my dad at my side.  Thankfully my brother in law came with me and seriously it was only the 2nd care I looked at and drove home in.  

I worked my long hours again in December as I went back to the bakery to help them during their mail order season.  Moving just before Thanksgiving and then starting 90 hours a week all of December meant not too much unpacking got done LOL.  Truth be told my manicure area is still not set up.  

But this week is new and improved for the Digit-al Dozen and I didn't want to miss out even if I can't promise anything spectacular.  We've got some new gals in with us too so even more reason to get my rear in gear and get something on my ding dang nails!

I'm trying to live with what it is me shorties and it's not easy LOL!  My boss was SO sweet for Christmas he got me nail polish!  Yup he got me a little OPI mani set so I decided to pull a couple of these babies out and do a pretty new to me technique with them The Blobbicure.  I sort of like it, I don't love it but as a technique it's easy and it looks different than dotting.

This is OPI's Malaga Wine with blobs of Tickle My France-y on it

So the other thing about moving is not having the same over the stove light to take all my pics with either!  I'm going to have to play around with things here until I find best lighting

Or I might finally have to cave in and set up a light box!

Do you see how short my nails are??!! That's what moving and winter weather will do to you UG

I always feel like I have snausage fingers with short nails LOL!

So yes here it is my first post in a long time and it's not real earth shattering but it's something and it definitely means I'm back in the game!

Speaking of the game we've got some lovely new gals in the Digit-al Dozen!  Please make sure you check out everyone's link today so you can visit them!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Digit-al Dozen Does Food--Pizza Night Out!

Hi Everyone!  I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you that when a Digit-al Dozen week  is coming up many of us share our ideas and even give sneak peeks to our mani's.  You just knew there was going to be more than one of us doing pizza this week LOL!  So we decided to post together on the same day and have a pizza party!  Unfortunately this might be the only way we'll all be together somewhere for pizza.  Ah if I could only dream that we could all be together eating pizza--no pepoeroni for me please!

Today Jacki from Adventures In Acetone, Sheila from Pointless Cafe , Ashley from Ashley Is Polish Addicted and Victoria from Vic And Her Nails and me of course were all eating pizza!!!

I decided to just go classic and do some black, white and red for my mani today.  I used the new Messy Mansion MM61 plate which is a must for pizza lovers and one of my fave striped images from FUN 17.  My red is one of my fave reds ever OPI's Wocka! Wocka!

It's definitely a step away from all the yummy looking pizza everyone else  posted--this has a more vintage look and feel to it

I love my chef up at the top on my thumb!  He's putting the pizza in!

ooooh stone hearth pizze sooooo yummy!

I am very lucky to live in Racine, WI where we have authentic Italian pizza at the ready with a quick dial on the phone!  Hot delicious pizza! I like mine with cheese, sausage, mushrooms and onion--how about you?

Here's a look at the pizza plate from Messy Mansion--it's available in the shop now!

It's a must have plate if you love pizza!!

I'm heading over to see what everyone else has on their plate--hahah get it??!!! Food----on their plate! Ha I KILL me!!!

An InLinkz Link-up

What's new with you?

Hi Everyone!  

Oh my gosh I'm so sorry I've been so absent lately!  I recently got a job! Yep a real job too! No more working my butt off for someone who's not going to hire me because I don't have a degree agency job for me.  Which is excellent and I really enjoy it and have great coworkers to boot.  The downside is oh my gosh when I get home I'm tired and then I stress out between doing my nails and reading.  If you know me you know I love to read.  Truth is if I had to pick between doing my nails and reading, reading is going to win.  So I've been sort of lacking in the doing my nails area which sucks!  But last night I decided to haul out my favorite polish of all time  OPI's Vampire State Building and try to do something I could wear this time of year with the lovely vampy red.

And I found it!  I did some easy gradient access nail tribal stamping to give this a summer feel even though it's a dark Fall color!

Here's the gorgey town Vampire State Building.  It's my favorite polish EVAH!

Others have come close to it but they just aren't quite there with the exact color

That's okay because I have 2 bottles of this baby and I try to only wear her a couple times a year.

I love my little kokopelli guy too!  Check him out banging away on his drum!

I have a crack on the side of my pinkie right in the meat! OH MY LANTA!  I had to try to save him which is why I'm sporting the glue wart for awhile.  I don't know about you but all I can see is a ginormous pinkie!

I believe I took some images from Mariannes, Shany and Mash to come up with my hot southwestern look

I hope to post more often but just in case I don't, fear not it's just me having to wear a  mani for a few days like everyone else in the real world LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you all have an excellent day!

The Digit-al Dozen Does Geometric--Circle Girl In A Square World

Hi Everyone!! Happy Wednesday!  Whew I'm a bit frazzled today!  I didn't get home until after 8 pm last night so just no time to do my nails.  I really wanted to read and then I got stuck reading WAY too late.  I did a nice gradient today on my lunch hour and then just popped home and stamped up real quick.  Thankfully I had help from Elevation Polish, OPI and Emily de Molly!

My gradient is Elevation Polish Grand Teton Sunset, OPI Do You Have This Color In Stock-holm and I stamped with Mundo de Unas Lilac and Emily de Molly EDM03

This turned out to be a pretty cool funky geometric mani!

Even the dots are stamping! Woot!

All purplicious too!

I might have even made it under the 30 minute mark with this baby but since I had to split up my time I have no way of knowing LOL!

An InLinkz Link-up

Cool Colors Tribal

Hi Everyone!!  Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I did.  I really enjoy spending time with my family.  I think I'm very lucky that we all live close together and despite  many sadnesses in our family we are still very close.   

 I am playing a Tag! You're It! game with a few people in the Advanced Nail Stamping facebook group.   Basically someone tags you and gives you a technique and theme idea to do.  The challenge I got was cool colors tribal.  Which is right up my alley!!! I love tribal mani's so much.

I decided to do a yellow/green colors gradient with all OPI's Live Gave Me Lemons, Mermaid Tears and Amazon . . . Amazoff.  I stamped with Marianne n13 and I think this turned out really great

I really like how nicely all these colors came together

I don't know if I mentioned how happy I am someone discovered using liquid latex around their skin to make for easy clean up of gradients, stamping and water marbling either but man am I ever thankful they shared the tip with the nail polish world!

It really makes cleaning up after a gradient and stamping a breeze!

How do you feel about tribal nail art?? I am a HUGE fan and think I could wear something tribal every single day!

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you all have a fantastic day!