It's All in The Details

    Pinterest.com is a great website. Especially for crafty people like me who previously had to bookmark or save a picture of every single web page on the Internet that created a spark of inspiration. It's simple to sort into categories and view all your pins easily, plus being able to see what everyone else is pinning is also a great source of new ideas you might not otherwise find.

    One thing that I didn't know was popular on the Internet until I started using pinterest was nail polish and nail art. There are entire pin boards of fingernails decorated in different designs and styles. They are all so lovely and it made me want to try some of them instead of my regular solid color or French manicure. I stole this picture from Google, sadly my own attempts at the swirl patterned nails didn't go so well. With written instructions on blogs and even video demonstrations on YouTube, I'm still not sure where I went wrong.

    This afternoon I was painting my fingers just a plain neon green when my boyfriend came home from work with a bronze metallic Sharpie in his hand. I haven't a clue as to why he had this Sharpie with him but when he saw I was painting my nails he decided to draw on one that I hadn't done yet. Hmm, using a fine tip permanent marker to draw on my fingernails? This could be interesting.

    I ended up just messing around with dots for fun, but the sky is the limit. I've always had trouble making designs on my nails with a nail polish brush, but small details became so much more achievable with a fine tip, plus sharpies come in almost every color these days so I might get more adventurous next time. The steps I took to make this design was as follows:

1. Base coat of neon green

2. Blue dots made by dipping a pin head in a puddle of nail polish

3. Clear top coat to add a shine to the nail polish colors

4. Bronze dots made with a Sharpie, off center of the blue dots

5. Fine bronze tip drawn drawn carefully with Sharpie

    In case you decide to give this a whirl I would suggest doing a base coat of nail polish before using a Sharpie directly on your fingernail because it will smudge off pretty easily so the nail polish gives it something to stick to. Also, if you want to do a design with both nail polish and Sharpie and you want to put a top coat on your nail polish, then do it in this order: base coat > nail polish design > top coat > Sharpie design. Painting a clear coat over top of the Sharpie can sometimes smear your design and that would be sad.

    If you do give this a try I would love to see pictures of what you come up with because there is never too much nail art inspiration on the internet. And let me know what you think of my nails!

Comments/Criticisms welcome :)

Accordion Addiction

    It's been a while since I posted anything but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything. In fact, quite a few things have happened around here lately. Between that last post and now I've gotten my own sewing machine(!), I've been trying to get serious about my Etsy shop, and I'm also starting to plan a trip to Canada for early July to visit my family and friends back home. So many things to be happy about :)

    Back in April I gave Napkitten's accordion wallet pattern my first try(check it out here), and wrote up a review of it(here). For that initial attempt I followed the pattern as closely as I could and it turned out great, Nikki and I both loved it! Since then I have made three more using the pattern but I've changed a few minor things.

    Behind the card slots there is a thin pocket that is the perfect depth for paper currency. This alteration came about accidentally when I folded the material for the card slots in the reverse order from the pattern(I think) and ended up with extra fabric at the top. I really like it for bills because it's slightly more secure than the accordion pockets. 

    Another thing I changed was the idea of the loop on the side to allow a wristlet strap to be attached. First off, I could not find little D-rings the right size no matter how hard I looked, so I just left them out. Fabric loops work just as well and they tuck into the accordion folds so nicely when they aren't in use that they are barely noticeable. I also put a loop on both sides of the wallet. This means the wristlet strap can be worn two ways or a continuous strap can be attached on both loops to turn the wallet into a little purse.

    I do a few more things my own way but they are just in the construction and are mainly to make things a little easier or a little quicker for me while sewing. I'm also getting closer to mastering the art of making my own bias tape! If you want to make your own bias tape for this wallet, I recommend using the tutorial on Coletterie.com but the square needs to be 11"x11" (I've tried 10", 15", and 12" so trust me) and the lines need to be 2" apart instead of 1".

    Thanks for looking, and all three of these wallets are available in my Etsy shop. I'd love to hear what you think and any suggestions for additional changes I could add in the future. So far I've been told to try adding a zipper pocket on the back exterior and to add something extra on the front such as a bow or fabric flower.

Comments/Criticisms welcome :)