Where in the World Challenge - Sweden

Today we're off to Sweden

I went with the colours of the flag rather than the actual flag because the flag is very much like the Denmark flag just different colours.

Unfortunately, I can't say I know anything about Sweden. So I'm just posting the pic.

33 Day Challenge Day 5 - Mexican

Viva Mexico!!!!!

This one was a little bit tough to figure out for me. Some Mexican art can be considered tribal and I did not want to do another tribal.

Now the multi coloured poncho, thought a South American thing, screams Mexican. Think I've seen it in many movies, so I went with that.

Its not my best at all. Wish I had time to do it over. I only noticed that the lines weren't straight when I was done - no when I took out the photo. Oh well......

Probably should have used tape. Maybe next time.

Where in the World Challenge - Denmark

Hi all

Today on our travels around world, we stop at Denmark.

I have the flag on three fingers, and on my pointer finger I painted a mix of five colours to represent Legoland in Denmark.

The red of the flag represents strength and courage and the white cross is for Christianity as well as truth and peace.

Now, Lego Land is the most famous amusement park in Denmark and I thought I'd pay it homage.

I used white acrylic paint for the cross and when I put my top coat, it just went right through the red.

Couldn't help it. Sorry Denmark if I ruined your flag.

See you on the next flight to Sweden

33 Day Challenge Day 4 - Tribal

Hey Guys

Today we're going tribal.

I have never done tribal nails so this is really a challenge.

I did not know where to start with this one at all. My design was inspired by noting and no one. I googled tribal patterns to have an idea of what it should look like and then I just picked up a couple of polishes and brushes and said lets see what we come up with. I was planning the design while I was doing it. Had no pattern in mind.

All in all I think for my first time it's not to bad. At least it looks tribal.

My husband did not know what I was doing and he ask me if I'm doing tribal nails. I was like how did you know and so I figure I must be on the right track.

Where in the World Challenge - USA

Hi Hi

When I started this blog it was to help me commit to things I start. I started the Where In The World Challenge with some cool gals and stopped at No. 5. Now there are 25 countries to depict. Five out of 25 hmmmmmm na I have to finish.

So today I am continuing. I don't get the impression that many people have continued and I see a few are still at it so kudos to them. When I was doing it months ago I really enjoyed it and it was also a history lesson because I learnt quite a bit about the country which I was doing the design about.

No. 6 is the U S A.

The rose is the national flower of the United States and that's what I went with for the challenge. The rose was chosen to be the country's national floral symbol because, according to president Regan, (in summary) it the flower which is given the most and is the most loved. Which is true all over the world.

Now I have tried drawing a rose before and failed and since I did not have a stamp of one to save me, I had to try again. I discovered this cool tutorial from The Nailasaurus and was saved. Her's looks a million times better of course.  

Thanks for checking me out. Check out the other gals.

33 Day Challenge Day 3 - Tape Mani

Hi again

Its day three of the challenge.
The tape mani. hmmmmmmmmmmm

I tend to have a love hate relationship with the technique. I really like how its looks but doing it is such a task though. The trick is to remove the tape as soon as you apply the polish. If it stays for even a few seconds, you most likely will end up with a smudged design.

I was taking out the tape one at a time and fighting to get it off my other hand and in the mean time the polish was drying. So I took out all (not at the same time) and then worked on getting it off the other had and that made it less stressful. (Not sure if this is clear)

So for this mani I simply used my Kleancolor Cobalt. I've wanted to use this for so long and finally got the chance.

My mani was inspired by The Nailasaurus but it's not exactly the same.

All in all I think I'm somewhat satisfied.

Somewhat.

Thanks for checking me out.

Check out the rest

33 Day Challenge Day 1 - Dots

Hi Hi

Crumpet Nails Tarts (Facebook Group) has a new challenge called the 33 Day Challenge and although I'm late, I thought I'd join cuz I really love challenges. They keep me committed to this blog.

Day 1 - Dots. Probably the easiest thing to do in Nail art, with anything from a dotting tool, tooth pick, Pencil eraser, bottom of an eye pencil etc. However,  I'm stamping. I thought it was a good technique to start with though.

I found out about the challenge on Tuesday evening and did the mani but then my camera was not functioning and I had to use another on Wednesday so the mani is stale and the photo is poor :(.

I used my a stamping plate from Cheeky's summer 2012 collection #48. My base colour, Avon's Speed Dry+ Lime Splatter. I also filled in some of the dots with the lime splatter but I think it was better without the green dots but no time to do over.

Battle Nail Polish - Battle #2

Batttle No. 2 - Black vs White

When I think about black and white first thing I thought of was Zebra. Then I thought many might think the same. Then I remembered I have this cow print stamping design that I've wanted to use for so long but never had the opportunity.

This challenge seems to me to be the perfect opportunity. I used Avon Nail Experts French Manicure (the white) as my base and stamped with the black from Santee. My top coat kinda streaked a bit. I have the konad top coat which is perfect for stamping but I'm pinching it because ordering it is a hassle and money

I am actually satisfied with this one. It did not send me bonkers. lol

Check out the other gals.

Nail Polish Anon

http://nailpolishanon.blogspot.com.au

Mateja Mateja

http://mateji.blogspot.com.au

Simran Sekhon

http://lacqueredtips.blogspot.com

Zoe

http://wondrous-marvellous-obession.blogspot.co.uk

Nathalsie

http://cats-n-nails.blogspot.com.au

Gosia

http://www.colorfulcrack.com

Natalia

http://polished-polyglot.blogspot.com/

Annie Suzie

http://pinterest.com/annniesuzie/the-battle-nail-polish-challenge/

Where In the World Challenge - Poland

So we are now at Poland.

Poland is known for quite a few inventions including, the mine detector and vodka.

They also have some really cool or weird building ideas. There are upside down houses, crooked houses and more. My inspiration comes from the coloured buildings. Some of the towns have cool colored buildings and this just spoke to me. Some have bright colours and some not so bright. I thought I'd mix it up.

Here in Dominica the government started a project to colour the town. Some buildings or more likely homes have been painted in bright colours. They actually look cool. They are not however at this level yet.

Here's the mani

Thanks for stopping by. 

Where in the world challenge - Israel

Hi Guys

Gosh I've had this save in drafts for soooo long. Though this challenge has no set dates. I really think I'm way to behind. Commitment, commitment. Hmmmmm

So we have arrived in Israel. Well I have any way some others have been and gone. Lol. Boy did I have to dig for this one. I was going for the Bahi Gardens but then decided not to.

So I came across Kibbutz Lothan. A small community in the dessert of Israel. I'm putting a link here because I'm not sure I'd do it justice by explaining it.

The inspiration for the design came from one of the houses. It has a spiral effect which I thought was pretty cool.

Thanks for stopping by

Battle Nail Polish Challenge Battle #1 and My Flag

Hey Guys

The Battle Nail Polish Challenge started yesterday. I have been meaning to do this post since day before but was busy and tired. This challenge was created by Citygirl907 of Beautiful Living. I'm going to give it a try. Let's see what I come up with this time.

Battle No. 1 is Blue vs Green

I did a mani which included both colour. My inspiration came from our lovely mountains again the blue sky. Everywhere I look around me I see the lush green mountain against the bright blue sky. This is what I came up with.

I actually wanted to shape the mountain with the green polish but time did not permit. I also wish I had a more sky blue polish but this was the best I had, Santee's Blue Pearl.

Now, the reason for the flag on my index finger is because as part of our Independence celebrations, Wednesday was observed as Flag Day. On Flag day we display our beautiful Flag proudly. On vehicles, buildings, in our offices, etc. I choose to where mine on my nails. I drew the flag on the index finger. I had the rest of my nails designed with a sponging effect of all the colours but I did not like it very much. Here's what the colours of our flag represent;

Dark Green: The Rich Forest
Yellow:The sunshine, main crops (citrus and banana) as well as our first inhabitants the Caribs and Arawaks
Black: Rich black soil and African Heritage
White: clear rivers and waterfalls and

The Stripes in the shape of a cross represents the Trinity of God. There should be a Parrot and ten stars in the red circle which represents our national bird and the 10 Parishes of Dominica.

I have some photos below of our mountains and hills again the sky.

My Beautiful Flag

Thank you for stopping by

Please check out the other fabulous bloggers participating in this challenge!

Nail Polish Anon

http://nailpolishanon.blogspot.com.au

Mateja Mateja

http://mateji.blogspot.com.au

Simran Sekhon

http://lacqueredtips.blogspot.com

Zoe

http://wondrous-marvellous-obession.blogspot.co.uk

Nathalsie

http://cats-n-nails.blogspot.com.au

Gosia

http://www.colorfulcrack.com

Natalia

http://polished-polyglot.blogspot.com/

Annie Suzie

http://pinterest.com/annniesuzie/the-battle-nail-polish-challenge/

Four Elements Challenge - Earth

This is the final task in the Four Elements Challenge. I must say this challenge was a bit tougher than anticipated. I was more excited about this one than the last three, mostly because I liked the idea/inspiration for this one best.

However, when I started to do the actual designing, I realized this was not going to be as easy as I thought.

My inspiration for the earth challenge came from an image of the cross section of the Earth. From the sky down to the very core.

The first image is my final attempt at this task because I did it a week ago and was not satisfied and tried again. I'm not jumping up and down about it though

This image is of my first attempt. I was not very satisfied with it which is why I did it over. But, I think the red in this one kinds of makes a huge difference. This might actually be the better of the two.

I hope the concept came across though.

Thank you for checking out my attempts at this challenge. I enjoyed it though it really put my skills to the test but I guess that's why its called a challenge.

Take care now

Where in the World Challenge - Spain

On our world tour as I like to call it, we are  making a  stop in Spain. This country is known for so many things. It's music, bullfighting, lovely beaches, Art and just so much more. It's quite a lively place to be. No I haven't been but sometimes when we watch tv and read about places it's like we've been there.

Today my mani for Spain is  inspired by the Chupa Chups Lollipop. I must say I did not know it originated from Spain. I'm learning so much with this challenge. The company was founded in 1958 by Enric Bernat. He got the idea after witnessing an angry cursing mom whose child's hands were dirty from melting sweets. These candies on a stick can be found around many cash registers around the world. Though the company is now owned by a Dutch-Italian Corporation, it's roots are from Spain.


I used an orange based from an un named polish. Well it's not in English so I don't know the name. I used various colors for the lollipop and white acrylic paint for the sticks and dots.
  

See you on our next stop. Maybe I'll be passing your way.

Four Elements Challenge - Air

The third task in the Four Elements Challenge is Air. I'm really not so very happy about this mani. I wanted to do the sky with clouds which I think I succeeded at but then I wanted to add butterflies because butterflies fly in the air.

I attempted to stamp a different butterfly on each nail but the clouds and sky got covered in the process. I was not happy with it but just could did not feel like starting over. I'm not so over the hills about it so I'm not going to say much.

Where in the World Challenge - Canada

The second stop we're making on this great journey is to Canada. Today, my mani is inspired by two Canadian Inventions.

Basketball was invented by a Canadian. James Naismith invented the sport in the US while he taught at a training school in Massachusetts. He had  to come up with an in door game and long story short, he came up with Basketball. They used a peach basket rather than a net then. 

I stamped a single basket ball on my index finger.

Reginald Fessenden also a Canadian, was the first person to broadcast words and music over radio waves. He is the inventor of radio telephony.

In this regard, I decided to stamp a little radio on my remaining fingers. I used a white background with red tips as these are the colors of the Canadian Flag.

I like this pic because of how the orange, which is from Colour Club Nail Art, seem to glow in the dark.

Where in the World Challenge - Australia

Hi Guys

I have joined yet another Challenge. Why? I just love them so. I hate neglecting my nails and I've been doing so and these challenges keep me more dedicated to them. It also keeps me more dedicated to this blog which if you've ever read my welcome post will see that I started it to help me to be more committed and finish things I start. Doing challenges helps a lot.

Anywayyyy. I joined the Where in the World Challenge (pretty awesome I must say) which was started by Jin of Superficially Colorful and Gosia from Life in Color.

The first country we shall be visiting is Australia. For this challenge, I decided to do Australia's national flower. It a pretty yellow flower called the Golden Wattle. It grows in many parts of Australia. September 1 is celebrated as National Wattle day in Australia.

 I used acylic paint to draw the flowers and stems and a light brown with a bit of shimmer to it from The Color Workshop

Till next time xx

Four Elements Challenge - Water

Hi Guys So we're back with this week's task for the Four Elements Challenge. Water.

I really wanted to do a water marble mani but the polishes just weren't cooperating. I was so disappointed. I have no idea what I was doing wrong this time. These are the same polished I used before and I even bought some more just for this cause and I had no success. I had to come up with something else. I was stumped then it hit me. Hey you live in the land of rivers and waterfalls. In Dominica as the Nature Island of the Caribbean we proudly boast three hundred and sixty five rivers/streams. For a tiny island, that's incredible. We also have an abundance of water falls, the 2nd Largest Boiling lake in the world, beautiful beaches and non stop rain. So we're blessed with water all around.

I decided to attempt a Waterfall nail art. I got my inspiration from our Highest Waterfall, the Trafalgar falls which I have posted an image of. I've only been to this fall once about four or five years ago. Huge rocks to climb but it was worth it.

Me at the Trafalgar Falls

I can't say I'm jumping up and down over this mani but at least I tried. We are a green island so the green represents the trees which surround the Trafalgar Falls and at the tip I created a pool. The brown dots are supposed to represent rock because each pool of water has an arch of rocks at the end to help maintain the pool. I remember growing up as a girl actually putting rocks in place to create deep pools in the river where we'd spend our summer days. I wish I could come up with something better but that's all the brain would allow.

UPDATE

I drafted this post on Sunday and it is Tuesday and I've decided to give the water marble one last attempt.  This is what I came up with. Both colours represent water. We have some real green pools here such as our emerald pool and the blue sky usually makes water appear blue.





Four Elements Challenge - Fire

I came across this new challenge on Nail Crazy's blog but it was really created by Taya. It's not to much and quite doable so I thought why not.

The challenge may be done with either nail art or make up under the theme - The Four Elements (Fire, Water, Air, Earth). I'm not much of a make up chick so I'm not even going to go there but will tackle the nail art, my passion.

The First Challenge is Fire. I joined the challenge late but I still have time.

I just got these stamping plate from Cheeky's Summer Collection so I thought I'd be the perfect design for this challenge. CH52.

I though of a flame for example from a candle or the stove. It usually has a blue base then red and yellow/orange. Soooo, I incorporated all theses colours. For the base, I sponged on (did I say this right) the yellow and blue. Then, I used two colors, the orange (which is actually a neon orange from Color Club-Art Club). I did not have any other orange so I had to use another brush in the bottle since the nail art one is so thin and the red is Konad's Princess Special Polish Cool Red.

See you on October 11, for the water challenge.

xxx