I have loved nail polish and nail art for as long as I can remember. I vividly recall the excitement (and jealousy) the manicures in Earth Girls Are Easy incited in me, and how much I wished I could create art like that on my own hands.
However, while I have creative ideas and a steady polishing hand, I was never going to become a great freehand nail artist (at least not with my left hand)!
But then at the start of 2016, I had a hysterectomy to end a decade-long battle with the uterine fibroids that were severely impacting my quality of life. My doctor required a completely inactive recovery period that would have been torturous, had I not decided to spend the time figuring out how to start doing my own nail art.
The trick was to figure out a way to do it affordably and without professional weekly manicures … My days of paying someone else to do my nails every week had ended when I moved in with my more fiscally-responsible fiancée whose early retirement dreams became ones I also shared so we could do things together in our married life. Plus I was looking for a new artistic outlet and hobby I could do at home.
Hours of internet research done from our bed taught me about nail stamping and the amazing number of nail-art doors it could open for me. I spent time reading and watching videos to learn what stamping plates, what stampers, and what polishes to order. Then there were all the tips for how to actually stamp. Finally towards the end of my recovery I was ready to actually try nail stamping for the first time armed with my arsenal of Amazon-ordered products.
I went into my first attempt so confident it would be easy since I had read and watched so much about it. In reality, it was hard as hell! After hours of attempts and multiple re-polishes of my base color, I finally had nail art that was passable only because I still wasn’t leaving the house much.
In the year since then I have kept it up. Trying different techniques, different polishes, different stampers, etc. I’m amazed at how much improvement is still possible but have finally reached the point where, with the support and encouragement of my amazing fiancée and friends, I feel like I can launch this nail blog. I hope people enjoy what I come up each week with and that I inspire others to try their hand at something they once thought impossible for them like I did.
Just a little bit about me: I’m 38 and live on the outskirts of Chicago with my fiancée (who happens to be the amazing photographer of all the final manicure pictures you’ll see on my blog) and my 3-legged doggie Pippin (after the hobbit in Lord of the Rings). I have a degree in Public Relations/Event Planning and later in life went back to school for Graphic Design, I currently work as a Presentation Designer. I love fashion and makeup, reading, and have become an avid touring cyclist (after finally learning how to ride a bike at the age of 35)!