August 31, 2011

DIY French Manicure with Post-Its

I've been looking for a nice, simple way to do an at-home French manicure that would look great and prevent me from having to buy anything. I never find success with those little white stickers they sell with the manicure supplies to keep your edges clean; they're always too sticky and, ahem, not free. What was free to me was a pile of Post-Its that I've had lying around. Hey - they're also sticky, but not too sticky and they're easy to work with! This might be the start of a beautiful friendship...


First, I started with Post-Its, scissors, NYC polish in Love Letters, Ultra Pro polish in Fuchsia Rage and Wet n' Wild clear top coat. I then creased about 5 Post-Its just under their sticky strip. This makes it easier to cut off the sticky portion, as it can be hard to see it since it's the same color as the rest of the sheet.


Next, I cut strips from the sticky section (about 4 per Post-It) until I had 10 total, or one for each nail.

Then I applied one strip to each nail, making sure to stick it securely and crease it around the edges of my nail to help it stay longer. I made them long enough to wrap around my fingertip, but making them just the width of the nail would work too. Paint each nail tip in the color of your choice (I chose pink over the traditional white) and allow to dry. Apply a second coat if needed.


Next, carefully peel each Post-It off when polish is dry. Coat each nail in the Love Letters polish. Apply top coat when dry.

Enjoy your at-home DIY Post-It manicure!


August 28, 2011

ROUNDUP: Weekly Links 8/28/11

This week I've found so many awesome things that I want to share with you! Laughs, food, craft and more - dive in to see what I'm rounding up this week:


DIY Mason Jar Sewing Kit via Momtastic
This adorable and functional sewing kit would make an awesome gift (hint, hint) or an awesome addition to your crafting collection. Anything with mason jars gets my heart fluttering!


What Claudia Wore: Damn England, What Happened?
If you're not reading this blog you're missing out. Chronicling the full-of-flair wardrobe (glitter socks in gym class - who does that?!) of the Baby-Sitter Club's Claudia Kishi, this blog is not only a welcome blast from the past - it's a total chuckle inducer. This post shares various foreign covers of BSC classics with hilarious results (even beyond the creep fest that is Claudia's teacher/bod inspector above). 


Homes From Shipping Containers

Who knew you could live inside a metal container without being dead or homeless? Apparently this concept is now even considered high class. They're refurnished, stacked, painted and more before becoming one lucky homeowner's quirky, eco-friendly abode.


Sew Sweet Stitches: Nutella Cannolis
I love Nutella. I love cannolis. Do I really need to tell you anything more than Nutella Cannolis? CLICK THIS LINK!!!


Lisa Frank Biopic via Upright Citizens Brigade
Any girl who had papers to organize in the early 90s undoubtedly held a glossy Lisa Frank folder between her grubby little fingers. In a world where unicorns roam free and panda bears wear overalls, Lisa Frank reigns supreme and this comedic "biopic" showcases her story from hapless art student to school supply savant. Sharpen those Hollywood Bear pencils, everyone - this will be a film to write home about!



August 25, 2011

Cooking Farm Fresh Home Fries

Mmmm, who doesn’t love home fries? Even the movie was adorable (hi, Drew!). Typically breakfast for me means a crumbly oat granola bar, but on the weekends I like to go the extra mile, especially when I have yummy ingredients to use up. My brother works on a local farm and I am lucky enough to snag farm fresh produce from time to time. These fingerling potatoes and onions were just screaming to become home fries, so who was I to protest? This recipe is so simple it can become a go-to for even the novice chef.



Ingredients
Fingerling potatoes, chopped (any potato will do though - adding in sweet potato is also awesome. I didn’t measure these but about the equivalent of one full size potato per person is a good place to start)
1-2 medium onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced (or as much or little as you like - I’m a garlic fiend)
Vegetable or Olive Oil (enough to coat your pan about a 1/4 inch thick)
Sea salt and fresh black pepper

  1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add garlic and stir around pan about 1 minute until fragrant.
  3. Add potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, turning as needed.
  4. Add onions to the pan and continue cooking, turning the mixture every few minutes or so to fry evenly, for about 10-15 more minutes or until potatoes are crispy on the outside and easily pierced with a fork. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
  5. Enjoy!

We had this with a feta and farm fresh green pepper omelet and toast made from Milton’s bread (my favorite!) with Earth Balance. Super simple and pretty quick. Plus, I got to see this adorable tiny potato:


Eeeek! So cute! [side note: strawberry nail tutorial might be coming soon if anyone wants it]
What’s your favorite breakfast?


August 23, 2011

OOTD Purple Tights & Strawberry Nails

This is one of those outfits that came together from the bottom up. I got these heels during a recent highly successful thrifting trip at Savers. I happen to have a total crush on colored tights worn with heels - it totally makes me feel like a grown up toddler in the best way possible. It’s the same feeling as wearing lace trim socks and heels; more often than not I notice my fashion instincts haven’t changed all that much from my kindergarten days. I’m ok with that.


Shoes: Isaac Mizrahi for Target ($6 thrifted!!)
Tights: Target
Dress: Target
Black Shirt: Old Navy
Lace Tank Top: Flexees
Belt: Dots
Heart Locket: Target
Houndstooth Bag: Target
Rhinestone Knuckle Ring: DIY by me (Tutorial Here)
Awkward Smile: Model’s Own

Close up of the shoes:


Close up of the necklace & lace detail:


DIY knuckle ring:



P.S. I just realized I’m basically a walking Target advertisement pretty much 24/7. Please tell me I’m not the only one with mad lust for the big red bullseye?

August 21, 2011

DIY: Glitter Nail Polish



I recently realized that I haven’t owned any glitter nail polish in waaaaaay too long, which is basically an outright betrayal to my eighth grade self. I think the last one I had was made by Revlon Street Wear (does anyone else remember this late 90s relic?!), if that gives you any idea of how long its been. Determined not to leave sparkly digits to just the junior high set, I scoured stores for the best, densest, almost blinding glitter polish I could lay my hands on. I settled with Sally Hansen’s Pink-y Ring. This sparkly shade of pink packed a powerful punch, but ended up chipping  off almost immediately because I had to layer it on super thick to achieve a full coverage sparkle. Since I haven’t been able to find a polish that's packed densely enough, and because I NEED this level of sparkle in my life, I decided to try my hand at DIY glitter nail polish. It was easier and more successful than I’d anticipated, and I created an easy-to-follow tutorial (if you can even call it that - we’re talking 3 steps here!) for you to try for yourself:


Supplies:
+ Glitter (I used fine glitter, but it depends on how chunky you want the look)
+ Clear nail polish (I used Wet n’ Wild FastDry top coat)
+ Small funnel or piece of small paper fashioned into a cone shape

DIY: Glitter Nail Polish Tutorial


Step One: Using a very small funnel or paper cone (Post-Its are a good size), pour about one teaspoon of glitter into the clear polish bottle.


Step Two: Place the polish cap back on and gently shake the bottle to distribute glitter. You can also roll the bottle between your hands (like you would to make a clay snake) to work it through. Add more glitter about one teaspoon at a time until you’ve reached the desired level of sparkle.

Step Three: Apply 1-2 coats to nails, letting polish dry thoroughly between coats, and seal with a top coat. [Note: you can also put a layer of regular polish in a shade that matches your glitter underneath first for a fuller look]

Step Four: Blind others with your outrageous level of sparkle (optional).

Alternative method: For the purple nails I wanted to try something a little different to see which tactic I liked better. First, I put down a coat of purple polish. Next I added a clear top coat and slowly poured purple glitter on top. After shaking off the excess onto a piece of paper (you can easily add it back to your tube that way) I added another layer of clear top coat to seal in the glitter. 


For all nails you'll need to clean up the excess glitter on your fingers (and probably everywhere else in your workspace!). Both methods created a great end result, but I'd say the second method was a little easier but also much messier. Close up of glitter:


I got a six pack of fine glitter from JoAnn Fabrics for about $4.00 and clear polish for $1.00 each so this is totally affordable and totally addicting. Let me know how it goes if you try it out!
Who else is bringing back glitter nails?



Nice to Meet You!

Hello! I find myself documenting a lot of the things I do for my own use and I figured it’s about time to create a space to record and share it. I’ll be posting about everything from DIY projects to fashion to cooking to beauty to crafting - basically everything I love. Look for OOTD posts, tutorials, recipes and more. My posts will be organized into these categories:
  • DIY [projects, tutorials, make it for less]
  • Style [OOTD, wish lists, seasonal must haves]
  • Cooking [recipes, vegetarian lifestyle, inspiration]
  • Beauty [makeup, hair]
  • Etc. [everything else]
  • OBSESSED [what I’m obsessed with right now]
  • Roundup [Cool things & posts I want to share]
Anything else you’d like to see? Talk to you soon!
xoxo,
Michelle
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...