Gnarly Gnails: Challenge: 30/31 Day Challenge

30/31 Day Challenge: Day 31 - Recreate a Mani

Monday, October 01, 2012
By Missy
7 Comments

I did it! I made it through the Challenge and I didn't call in sick once!

So - Happy Halloween Month - this mani should kick off the spookiest month of the year with a bang!
Also - TODAY I hit 100k views on this blog - thank you guys so much for showing any interest in my blog - it means the world to me!

Today we are recreating someone else's manicure. For todays I chose to mimick a design by Astrowifey - an amazing nail artist. I'm recreating her Skull & Bones Manicure.

While her manicure is done on black, I did mine on Kleancolor Metallic Black with some sponged on Metallic Navy.

These 2mm silver studs were sent to me to review by Born Pretty Store, and as you can see, they are what I used on my thumb. They retail for $5.73 - but at the time of this post they are currently on sale for $4.58! AND if you use my code MG10L91 you can save another 7% OFF of your order!

I love these studs - I now have them in gold and silver of this size and larger gold ones too - they go with so many things! They are the perfect size for any nail, silver metal with hollow backs and they lay really nice and flat!

So for the pinky (far left) I put on all kinds of silver stones in varying sizes and shapes over a silver metallic polish (Essie No Place Like Chrome)

My thumb has the Born Pretty Silver Square Studs along with silver caviar microbeads I picked up from Michaels crafts store some time ago.

My index finger was done similarly to my pinky, only over a blue base and only on the top half of the nail.

My ring finger has silver hex glitter gradating from full nail to half the nail. Then my middle finger has a skull I stamped on and then I added the crossbones with a striper polish and a dotting tool, then I added little silver rhinestones to his eyes!

So this Challenge was a blast (mostly) - I'm glad I got through the entire thing without missing any days, thats a big deal for me.
For the last time, I emplore you to go visit some of these awesome ladies who did the challenge alongside me:

Brand: Catrice

30/31 Day Challenge: Day 30 - A Tutorial

Sunday, September 30, 2012
By Missy
16 Comments

Challenge: 30/31 Day Challenge

30/31 Day Challenge: Day 29 - Supernatural

Saturday, September 29, 2012
By Missy
10 Comments

Challenge: 30/31 Day Challenge

30/31 Day Challenge: Day 28 - Flag

Friday, September 28, 2012
By Missy
22 Comments

(edit)When I wrote this post, it was meant in a lighthearted manner - for the purpose of nail art. We are all entitled to our opinion as well as our beliefs and our freedoms. I cannot help how one person may feel about a symbol or the act or history behind it. This post is merely an expression of art and nothing more. Take it as you will but it is not meant to offend. I see this flag as nothing more than a symbol of southern (pop) culture, and that was the spirit this post was written in. Now on with the show.

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Hahaha....do not take this post the wrong way.
I know in some parts of this country, and possibly the world, this flag might seem racist, but I assure you, it's just gotten a bad rap. I thought hard about what to do for today's prompt, and I wanted to go with my standard love for the Union Jack/British Flag. Then I realized I had a really cool (looking) flag right here at home!
Granted, Georgia and the South are just my transplanted home, as I'm a west coaster for over 30 years of my life! The Georgia state flag is based on this flag.

Here is some background on this misunderstood piece of history:

The display of the Confederate flag remains a highly controversial and emotional topic, generally because of disagreement over its symbolism.

Supporters of the flag view it as a symbol of southern heritage and the independence of the distinct cultural tradition of the South from the North. Some groups use the Southern Cross as one of the symbolsassociated with their organizations, including racist groups such as the Neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan,^[24] whose own Nazi-inspired symbology is largely banned in modern Germany. The flag is also sometimes used by separatist organizations such as the Aryan Nations. The Aryan Nation also uses the U.S. flag as well as the Christian flag displayed in some Protestant churches.^{[citation needed]}

The flag is also used to represent states' rights, or even citizen's resistance against the overbearing authority of a centralized federal government.^{[citation needed]}

Some southerners claim that they see the flag as merely a symbol of southern culture without any political or racial connotation.^{[citation needed]} An example of this would be the Bocephus Rebel Flag often sold at concerts performed by country music star Hank Williams, Jr or Kevin Fowler, heavy metal band Pantera, and southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. For some, the flag represents only a past era of southern sovereignty.^[25] Some historical societies such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy also use the flag as part of their symbols. Some rockabilly fans hold the Confederate flag as their emblem as well.^[26] The flag is a regular cultural meme, often appearing in association with a character intended to represent a stereotypical Southerner.^{[citation needed]}

As a result of these varying perceptions, there have been a number of political controversies surrounding the use of the Confederate flag in Southern state flags, at sporting events, at Southern universities, and on public buildings. According to Civil War historian and native Southerner Shelby Foote, the flag traditionally represented the South's resistance to Northern political dominance; it became racially charged during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, when fighting against desegregation suddenly became the focal point of that resistance.^{[citation needed]}

Symbols of the Confederacy remain a contentious issue across the United States and their civic placement has been debated vigorously in many Southern state legislatures since the 1990s.^{[citation needed]}Due to its ban in some schools and universities that have viewed it as a racist symbol, display of the flag in these contexts, has been considered an exercise of free speech.^{[27] - WIkipedia}

Now - here is my most best attempt at these Confederate Flag nails - I did this mani three times, and this was the best of the bunch!

I started off this mani with The Balms Hot Ticket Polish in Better Off Red. Then I taped out triangles and painted on NYC Pier 17. Freehanded in white lines to outline the center X with a white striper polish.