Summer Challenge Day 55 - Surfin USA

I had real fun doing this one. 

I thought Surfin... I thought surfboards... I thought bikini's.  Right?

I will have to give credit to JulieG713 and her youtube video on Summer Bikini nails tutorial here for the bikini designs.  This is where I saw them and got the idea from.  I thought about adding a surfboard accent nail since the theme was 'surfin' in the USA.

Hope you like it :)

I used a lot of colours for this. The base are OPI Did You'Ear About Van Gogh? and on my ring finger is OPI No Room For the Blues

For my bikini's from Thumb to Pinky:  China Glaze Happy Go Lucky, OPI Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI?, OPI Kiss Me on The Tulips and China Glaze Man Hunt.  I used white acrylic paint for the surfboard and black arcrylic to draw on the string bikini's.

Yep, I had heaps of fun doing this.  I thought it looked very cute.  And i was pleaseantly happy with my attempt at recreating JulieG's bikini design :)

xx Karen

Next...

Day 57 - Orange + Green

Summer Challenge Day 54 - Bumblebee

Hello Lovelies.  I admit I struggled with this one.  As easy and straight forward as the theme was... I was feeling very low on the motivational scale.  Then I see what the other girls and come up with for this theme and I feel just hanging my head in shame.  They're so much more creative than me.

I didn't have any hexi shapes and used this from Bundlemonster plate BM223 on an angle and left room for a little bee in the top left corner.  I got this from the Winnie Pooh plate OB3

I used Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty for the base colour.  I just recently bought a brighter Yellow from China Glaze, Happy Go Lucky, but didn't have that when I made this design.

Here is the Winnie Pooh Plate OB3 I got from here

I had a bit more fun with the next one.  Less stamping more free hand painting :)

Thanks for stopping by and having a look.  See you next time.

xx Karen

Next...

Day 55 - Surfin USA

Summer Challenge Day 53 - Fruit Salad

I've done a similar manicure to this before in the past.  But thought I'd try give it different spin.  Have a look what I came up with (the older version is below for comparison)

First I started out with OPI Done Out In Deco (this has to be one of my OPI FAVOURITE's)

Applied some dots with image plate OB12 from FabUrNails blog sale

then added the fruits from Bundle Monster BM05 (Strawberry & Grapes).  The cherries came from an unknown image plate M73.  I used it recently for my A Day At the Seaside Summer Challenge.

Here is my similar previous design (without the dots or cherries)

  

Thanks for stopping by!

xx Karen

Next...

Day 54 - BumbleBee

(hmm... I wonder what colour it's going to bee??)

Summer Challenge Day 52 - Sun Flowers

Ok may need to stretch your imagination a bit with this one...

I don't have a sunflower stamp :( so had to improvise.

I started off with half moon with OPI Hot & Spicy. Added some cute bows (to hide the uneven line :P) 

I bet you recognise the bow stamp, right? Yes it's the same but it's not Konad, and it's slightly smaller than the other one.  I found this great plate with both sizes, the original size of the konad and a smaller version, i thought it was cute.  I had in mind using the smaller one for my pinky, but i like this use of it too.  I got this plate from Fab Ur Nails blog sale.  They have their own facebook website with an online shop and there's heaps more there.

Then added this sun/flower i found on Bundle Monster Image Plate BM01

I kept going with the sun/flowers on the rest of the nails but it became 'a bit much' so I'll leave you with this, just an accent nail.

See you next time!

xx Karen

Next...

Day 53 - Fruit Salad (yum!)

Summer Challenge Day 51 - Summer Needle Drag

So it's summer and it's all about summer love, right?

So here are some cute hearts I made using the needle drag technique.  I have mention

Miss80Million, one of her designs inspired me for my end design.  So I thank her for this. And she's a really awesome nail art blogger and YouTuber.  She has a really good video tutorial on dry marbling nail art technique.  I'm giving her free advertising here :P

So the colours I used were OPI Mod About You for the base and OPI Kiss Me on The Tulips for the dots/hearts.  I just used a regular larger dotting tool for the dots then turned it around the other end has much smaller ball, and used that end to drag through.

It took me a few attempts, and you can still see (with my ring finger) I still didn't get it completely right.  But what I did find is that dragging just on the surface, don't go right down to the nail.

If you have any other tips you'd like to share about needle dragging, please comment below! I could use some tips

xx Karen

Next...

Day 52 - SunFlowers

Summer Challenge Day 50 - Summer in the Hamptons

I have no idea where or what the Hampton's are.  I think I've heard of them before, I think I have a vague idea that this is where the rich and famous chill out in the summer.  So had to look up some pictures on the interwebs to get an idea.  And I kept seeing beautiful old style houses with white picket fences or details white verandas.

So I've taken an interpretation with that.  I've used a soft shade of pink (OPI Puerto Vallarta Violeta) and stamped using Bundle Monster BM-316

Please tell me if i got the right feel for this challenges theme.

xx Karen

Next...

Day 51 - Summer Needle Drag

Summer Challenge Day 49 - A Day at the Seaside

Hello Loverlies,  I have a treat today, because when I think of the seaside I think of walks barefoot along the beach front.  So this is what I've tried to recreate in this design.  Hope you like it.

xx Karen

Here's my gradient work.

I used Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty (Sand) and  OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui! (Water)

Followed by the image plate I used.

Next...

Day 50 - Summer at the Hampton's

Summer Challenge Day 48 - Cocktails - LL&B

One of my favourite summer drinks is Lemon Lime & Bitters!

Yeah I know it's not really alcoholic, but it can be quite refreshing on a hot summers day. 

Here's what I came up with. Hope you like it.

I made the gradient using OPI's Barre My Soul and OPI Chop-Sticking to My Story.

I used Bundle Monster Image Plate BM-04 for my "Lemon" and "Lime" :D

I don't have a very bright yellow and I also find when i stamp over darker colours the stamp on top really disappears, so I sometimes I stamp with white first then try my best to stamp over the top with the desired colours.  Sorry for stamping outside the lines.

Hope you like it. I was a bit sad to take this off afterwards, was pretty proud of this little number

See you next time!

xxKaren

Next...

Day 49 - A Day at the Seaside

Summer Challenge Day 47 - Torquise

First of all I had to look up what colour Torquise was... see examples below
This is my final design I was happy with.  I used OPI's No Room for the Blues and stamped with OPI's You Don't Know Jacques followed by OPI's I Brake For Manicures, using Konad Image Plate m70.

OK I Got it!

Then I thought this might be a perfect opportunity to try my New OPI Black  Spotted!

What do you think!?!?

Next....

Day 48 - Cocktails (yum!)

Summer Challenge Day 46 - DeckChairs

First of all my apologies for being away so long.  I went on a ski holiday (couldn't take my polishes), and then I got sick, been staying over at the boyfriends a lot so haven't had my nail supplies with me... all these add up to not having much time to play with my polishes.  So thank you lovies for hanging around. I've also been really stressed at work, and I once was a chronic nail biter.  So I apologise for any unsightly bitten cuticles. Oh I also forgot to mention I lost a nail or two so I wend back to short nails and this is the longest they've been in a long while. So please forgive me 

xx Karen

Now I've missed quite a few Summer Challenges, but I'm not going to kid myself, I don't have a bank of many either.  So I'm trying to take one week at a time. 

Here are my deck chairs.  I love the bright coloured clothes deck chairs are made out of and had that in mind, so I was hoping the colours would be brighter than they turned out.  In hindsight, I think I should have used the colours as the base and the white as my stamping colour.  I have a wooden stamp on accent nail, I guess to signify the wood deck chairs are made out of.

Stamping Colours Used:

Thumb: Konad White

Pointer: OPI Mermaids Tears

Middle:  OPI No Room For the Blues

Ring:  OPI I Brake For Manicures

Pinky:  OPI On The Same Paige

Image Plates:

Bundle Monster BM-214 and BM-304 (ring finger only)

Base Colours:

Thumb - Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty

Pointer, Middle, Pinky - OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls

Ring - OPI San Tan-tonio

Next...

Day 47 - Torquise, Aqua or Blue

Summer Challenge Day 32 - Pink + Purple Mani

 I love this mani, it was simple and i think that's why I really like it

I started off with a base coat of OPI Kiss Me On The Tulips. Then using sticky tape on the diagonal I left the bottom half of my nail uncovered and painted on OPI Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI?

Across the diagonal join I covered it with Bundle Monster Stamp Image from plate BM01

I absolutely love this OPI purple.  It's a really rich, deep purple with a gorgeous gold shimmer through it.  I thought it really made the pink creme pop!

Hope ya like :)

xxKaren

Next...

Day 33 - Sea Shells

Summer Challenge Day 31 - Beach Towels

Today I bring you my interpretation of a colourful Beach Towel. I hope you like it

I started with a base coat of OPI Mod About You, which is a gorgeous baby pink.  I always think of pink marshmellows whenever I put it on :)

Then I applied the dots, alternating in colour

The colours I used in this design included:

OPI Mod About You (Base)

OPI No Room for the Blues

OPI Dating a Royal

OPI A Grape Fit!

OPI Alpine Snow

Let me know what you think.

xxKaren

Next...

Day 32 - Pink + Purple Mani