Bi-annual Blog Post

At the risk of overwhelming my devoted readers, I have cut back to twice-yearly posts. This both keeps my readers giddy with anticipation and allows them some breathing room between readings.

In all seriousness though, how is it that I have not blogged in 6 months time?! I was searching for a recipe, which I thought I had recalled posting on this blog some time ago (and I had - 5 YEARS ago, to be more precise), and I realize that for a while there I was posting with some sort of regularity, and I miss having that documentation of my kids' lives. They're not really getting it anywhere else, except maybe in loads of digital pictures stored on the computer (because I haven't gotten around to making their scrapbooks, like I have always planned to do).

Today's post serves dual purposes: it gets something out there so as to not let this blog go completely stagnant (I will bring it back! I will!), and is perhaps the start of a new category - gel manicures. I have been using gel polish on my nails for the past couple of years, and I'm sure I could do a series of posts about that journey. I have become somewhat passionate about this product, as frivolous as it may be, and I think putting the pics of my nails will help me remember which looks I loved and what products I used to achieve them. So this is more for my own brain than anything else, as I have lost much of my recall and multi-tasking ability with the birth of my children.

So here is my first picture for the topic of what I will deem "The Nail File." The picture quality is severely lacking, as I took this with my iPhone, with bad lighting. But it is the only copy I have, and so there you have it. If I do actually end up posting regularly, and add more nail pics, I may try to up my photography skills for the viewing audience's benefit. We shall see.

This was my 4th of July manicure. For this look I used 2 coats of Gelish Sheek White, then a coat of Gelish Vegas Nights for sparkle. Then I used one coat of Gelish Top it Off top coat, cleaned it off, and stamped the stars using Mash plate #49, and alternated with Sally Hansen Laquer Shine Dazzling (the red one) and Spoiled Your Fly's Down (the blue one). Both of these colors stamped just okay, but I did have to take a toothpick and add a little more color here and there. Then I added another layer of Gelish Top it Off, and there you have it. Just overlook the blurriness of the photo, the unmoisturized cuticles, and the floor pads in the background.