M-I-C-K-E-Y

Why? Because we like you!!  M-O-U-S-E!!!

Did you know that yesterday was the birthday of Mickey Mouse?  His first debut was in 1928 in Steamboat Willie, so he turned 86 yesterday!  Looks pretty good for that age! :P

I have a die-hard Disney fan friend that informed me of his birthday yesterday and asked if I had a special design for the occasion.  Truth be told, I did not, because I didn't even know about Mickey's birthday - but I came up with one last night to show you today :)  So, here is my Happy (Belated) Birthday, Mickey design!

I used the traditional black, red, and white colors I've always associated with Mickey, and added a blue sparkly nail as a nod to Fantasia - my favorite Mickey Mouse movie to date :)  These were fun to create!  Now I am inspired to do an entire design around Fantasia :D

I hope you all have a great Wednesday!!  See you soon <3

Birthday Mani!

You know what I really can't stand out here, besides the disgusting heat of the Monsoon season?  Scorpions.  I hate them.  Last year, when we first moved down here, my husband was working back in Seattle for 3 weeks at a time and would be home for 1 week.  The first time he left, that very night I found a baby scorpion.  I lost it, freaking out because I did not realize scorpions could be THAT SMALL.  So as a mother, my mind instantly went to, "Oh my gosh, what if they are in the kids' beds in their sheets?  Or hiding in their toys?"  It pretty much drove me crazy, and I didn't really sleep much that night.  Luckily, my parents knew a great pest company who sent someone out to spray the inside and outside of my house.  Didn't really have any issues inside anymore, but I kept finding them in my backyard along the stone walls that surround it.

So I squished them with a rubber mallet.

Scorpions are nocturnal, and when under a black light, they glow green.  So I took my black light out back at night with my mallet and every time I found one on the walls or in the rocks, I squished it.  My total count by the end of the season (which lasts 2-3 months) was in the high 70's.  I frequently posted my adventures on facebook and apparently garnered a small following, because I had several people ask me how my "Scorpion Wars" were going, and referred to me as the Scorpion Hunter.

I was really hoping this year that I wouldn't have to deal with them again, since I've taken more precautions this year in preparing for them.  However last night, I found a juvenile one in the kitchen on the floor.  Not sure if it was in the house for a while, or if one of my dogs brought it in on their fur.  I went outside last night and found (and killed) 6 more.  I'm hoping it's just outside - I can handle them outside.  I just hate the thought of them inside my house.

Anywho, on to less spine-tingling subjects.

My birthday was this last Saturday the 28th!  Originally we were going to go to a lake and my dad and I were going to scuba dive, but due to a miss-communication, there wasn't any gear available to rent.  So, my mom and I had a girly day instead ^_^  Went to breakfast at our favorite French-themed restaurant, then a quick shopping trip at Penney's followed by our traditional birthday pedicures.  My mother never used to like the idea of someone touching her feet, but after I persuaded her to at least try a pedicure, she has been hooked ever since, and now for every birthday and mother's day, we go :D  I'm so proud <3

That evening I had more family over for a potluck styled dinner and some cake (duh).  It was a lovely birthday!  And of course, I did a special manicure for the day :D  I wanted to do something that reflected a part of me.  So I decided to try a scale pattern, because I not only love fish, I also love mermaids (and secretly long to be one).  Now most scale patterns I've seen on nails are painted over a gradient or solid color.  I did it differently, because I not only lacked a teeny tiny paint brush, I also lacked the ability to paint smooth, even scales.  I instead used my dotting tool and did individual dots (yes, it took me a very long time).  I think it looks pretty good for a first attempt, and a little more detailed!  Check them out:

Outdoors in direct sunlight

Outside in the shade

Light Box

Macro

I used Model City's "Fairy Godmother" for the base color, You Polish's "Rowena" for the dark blue, Colors by Llarowe's "Surf My Wave" for the medium blue, and a specially made light blue from Above the Curve.  All the colors went very well together, as you can see.

Like I said, not too shabby for a first attempt!  I was happy :)  And I didn't want to cover each nail completely, I wanted to be a little unconventional and do "patches" of scales on the other nails.  I got quite a few complements on them, too!  Hooray for progress!!  Next step is to try doing it the way I always see it done - by painting the scales on.  I better start looking for a teeny tiny paint brush!

I hope you all survive your Monday!! I'll have another new post for you tomorrow morning!

Feelin' a little Jaded

I am at the beginning of recovery from this past week and weekend. I don't think I've ever been that busy in my entire life.  All last week I was power cleaning the house, running errands, and cleaning up the front and back yards (which mostly entailed vacuuming up leaves and laughing maniacally because my leaf sucker is a recently acquired luxury that replaced the damn rake).  I was doing all this in preparation for the Hubs' parents arriving and in preparation for my youngest son's birthday party on Saturday.  I had 10 extra people in my house, so I was a bit nervous at the idea of playing hostess to so many.

The whole shindig went really well, thankfully :)  Everyone got along great, the weather here was beautiful and not too hot, so most everyone stayed outside, playing Baggo and socializing.  Somewhere in the day, though, right before everyone ate food, we misplaced the box of plasticware I got for the party, so people were pillaging my silverware >.<  I can only hope none of it ended up in the trash... Oh, and we found the damn plasticware after everyone was done eating -_-  Go figure.

Yesterday was Mother's Day and it was wonderful!! I hope everyone else enjoyed the day as well, whether as a mother or celebrating with mom, or celebrating her memory <3  I got to have a very nice breakfast with my mom in law, and a lovely afternoon with my mom getting pedicures and shopping!  While I do enjoy doing my own nails, I prefer someone else do my feetsies, mostly because I have a mom belly to work around, and it's easier for someone else to reach my feet :P  No shame.  That's life ;)

After a jam-packed week and weekend, I'm feeling quite Jaded, but more in the "tired" sense than "bored."  Looking forward to a semi-relaxing week with the in-laws, taking advantage of the free babysitting so I can get some chores done and miscellaneous projects (which I may very well be posting here later).

Speaking of Jaded, thought I'd insert another little nail design/review of this really neat nail polish I found on www.Llarowe.com  The brand name is Jade, and they have a number of different types of nail polishes.  Recently, I've been looking to expand my holographic collection, and have been unable to find any good ones in stores.  Llarowe is a hub for tons of indie-made polishes and other polishes that are hard to find in stores, like Color Club.  I found 3 polishes by the Jade brand that were pretty holographics with good ratings, so I did my first order with them, and shortly thereafter my polish arrived!  I will mention that when/if you order from Llarowe, since they are more indie, they don't ship out super quickly, which isn't a huge issue if you know that ahead of time.  Otherwise, you'll be tapping your foot wondering what's taking so long.  They still ship out pretty quickly considering the amount of traffic they receive on a daily basis!

Back to the polish, I had ordered the colors "Deja Vu" (fuchsia pink), "Psicoldelica" (silvery/white), and "Hypnose" (like a peacock light blue).  The polish went on really easily and dried quickly, too, which is a very desirable quality in a polish when you're the mother of two small children who have a knack for needing you for something right after you apply your polish.  The holographic effect didn't stand out too much unless I was in direct sunlight, then rainbows shot off my fingertips!  The colors themselves though are beautiful and look lovely indoors, as well. I took a few pictures outside and inside so you can see the difference:

 (In direct sunlight)

(In the shade outside)

 I think it's a good brand of polish, and good for those who like a more subtle holographic color.  I, on the other hand, need something just a bit more bold :)  The polish also stayed on really well, and lasted about 3 days before it started to wear at the tips, and chip (but keep in mind, I'm also a mom and am cleaning dishes, changing diapers, opening stuff, all day long. For this polish to withstand that kind of wear is pretty impressive).

I suppose I should stop blabbering for now and get something productive done around the house - maybe something crafty ^_^  Hope you all survive your Monday!