October 6th 215 - Blood splatter nails

October 6th 2015 - Blood splater nails

To go along with my nurses outfit for halloween I wanted to have blood splatter nails as I think they will look good.  I looked on ebay and the false ones are all really long and as I don't do nails and girly very often they will drive me mad.  I then looked at the sticker options and again say look better on long nails (mine are fairly short).

This left me the option of nail varnish.  I looked at various tutorials and they all said about using a straw and blowing it - well I tried that option and managed to get it on paper not my nails!  So I tried to just tap the brush over my nails without touching them - it worked but its not easy to do on yourself.

However my hubby had a go for me and it's worked out ok.  So on Halloween (or the day before) the hubby will become my own nail technichian once I have done the base and white coats.  I think I my use 2 different reds so it gives a look of some fresh and some not.

Here is the result of the trial run today:

October 2nd 2015 - Nail varnish uses

Ocotber 2nd 2015 - Nail varnish uses

Nail varnish is a wonderful thing and has many uses.  I would guess that 95% of what I use it for is not what it was made for! LOL!  It is especially great as the £1 shops sell it in loads of colours.  I have loads of bottles scattered about and they get used for various things.

1. putting on your finger and toe nails - this is very obvious because of what it is called.  I only ever use nail varnish if I am going to a wedding, christening or party.

2. To cover a hole in tights - clear nail varnish works on all colours of tights.  If you have a small snag or tiny hole cover it with nail varnish and it will stop it spreading or getting bigger.

3. High heel touch up - if you get a scrape down the back of your heels, find a nail varnish of the same colour and touch up your shoes.

4. Solar lights - place clear nail varnish over the solar panel of the lights and it helps keep them working for longer.

5. as a varnish - I have used nail varnish as a varnish or rocks/stones, glass, wood and plastic.

6.paint - yes I have used nail varnish as a paint, not  to make a full picture but to do small lines and dots and decorations, mainly when I have made rock houses and halloween potion bottles to cover the bottles and lids.

7. On the Paddling pool - it wasn't a permanant fix but it held the small hole for 24hrs until we were able to get puncture repair kit.

8. labels - place clear nail varnish over hand written labels and they do not smudge.  I have used various colours when making my halloween potion bottles.

9.on children - hand write your phone number when on a day out and cover with clear nail varnish, it stops the number coming off.

10. colour glass bottles - pour small amounts of nail varnish of 2 or 3 different colours into a clear glass bottle and gently move the bottle so that the colours mix slightly and cover the sides.  leave the lid of so that it can dry and coat the bottle.  this is ok as long as you dont put anything in it.

11. Sealing envelopes - over licked an envelope and dont have another or tape - small amount of clear nail varnish works.

12. colour coding - this works on plugs and keys (and probably many other things!) mark the top of the plug or the key (and maybe the lock) so that you know what it is for.

13. costume jewellery - cheap jewellery that leaves green marks on your skin - coat the inside of it with clear nail varnish it stops it happening.

14. Screws and nails - my Hubby laughed at me when I said about putting nail varnish into the hole that the screw was loose in on the stair banister - he didn't laugh after it held it tightly.

15. glue - my son has used nail varnish when making pictures and needed a glue to hold sequins and things to his paper.

16. maker - it works to make lines and marks for measurement, obviously this wont give ou number measures but works for "how much lawn feed you need" in a bottle to top up with water.

17.touch up furniture - this works best of it is browns like pine as you can get 2 or 3 shades of brown and cover where it has been scratched and damaged.

18. paint soles of shoes - if you want your plain heels updated simple paint the sole a bright colour.

19. touch up wallpaper - if you get a tiny rip in wallpaper (or child drawn on it) cover with nail varnish.

20. touch up cars - you usually need a metallic nail varnish in similar shade but works to cover small scratches.

21. crack or chip in a window - this is NOT a long term fix but works enough to get home or to garage safely if in car or until the window fitter can get out, it will stop the crack or chip from spreading.

22. tile filler - have ceramic tiles and have a chip fill the chip with a similar colour or clear nail varnish.

23. touch up ornaments - again if you have a chip or have had to fix something back on nail varnish can cover up the crack or flaking paint.

24. for crafts - this is where the 101 uses can come in as can be used for anything and everything craft related.

25. glitter everything - glitter nail varnish can add a new lease of life to everything!

26. marble effect - mix a few colours in a tub of water and add your item to it for marble effect - flower pots look good especially if given as a gift with a plant, plus its waterproof!

27. hair clips/grips/pins - it can add pretty colours and patterns to them but can also stop them catching in your hair as it smooths out sharp bits


i'm sure there are many other uses as well, but this is where my list ends.  I have to say that my best use of it is for crafts and the halloween potion bottles i have been making.

May 14th 2015 - Pirate Treasure Chest

May 14th 2015 - Pirate Treasure Chest

Yesterday at family learning at the school I was given a wooden treasure chest to use as part of my story sack.  It was plain wood and not decorated.  I did the edges in a grey felt tip and coloured the box in brown.  When I got home I went over the grey with a silver sharpie pen and added "plank lines" with a darker brown sharpie.

I covered it all in clear nail varnish.  (maybe I should do a post 1 day of my many uses of nail varnish!!!)

I painted the inside of the box with a pale gold nail varnish and then added a gold glitter nail varnish over the top.

 I then added glitter/sparkle nail varnish to some gems left over from last years pirate party, and added them, a ring and various pirate coins to the treasure chest.

April 19th 2015 - Fairy garden sign

April 19th 2015 - Fairy garden sign

A long time ago I found today's pin about making a Fairy garden sign post and thought it would be great for when we finally made our fairy garden.  Well our fairy garden is under way and today is not nice enough to go out and do more on the decking so I have started to make a sign post post ours.

I had a thickish stick I had taken off 1 of the boys (using it to hit his brothers) which I have covered in silver and gold sparkle nail varnish (this stuff gets used for crafts more than on my nails!).

the pic doesn't show the sparkle at all.

Ages ago I used my dremmel to carve words into some wooden discs (from a tree we cut out of garden), I have coloured the words using sharpie pens and again covered them in silver sparkle nail varnish.  They look really good.

Once the nail varnish is properly dry I will nail them to the stick so that it can go outside in the fairy garden.  Lil man is so pleased that he finally has it.

April 1st 2015 - Making fairy wings

April 1st 2015 - Making fairy wings

9months today will be January 1st 2016!  That is crazy, time is going to quickly.

For today's pin I have had to make it myself as I couldn't find 1 that linked to my idea.  I am in the process of making more Halloween Potion Bottles/Jars - this 1 is for Fairy Wings.  There are lots of threads about making them from plastic and celophane etc, all of which you have to buy and then buy the special paints, my way you only need go outside and find the bits.

First off you need to find some of the "helicopter leaves" - I have no idea what tree they are from, I don't even have any trees in my garden but have loads of the "helicopter bits".  Not sure what I mean,  well these things:

Unfortunately I haven't got any that are still joined together mine are all individual, but this will work just as well as "snapped fairy wings".  From the above you need to make sure they are dry (I left mine on the lizards tank for couple hours).  You then need to get some pens, I used sharpies and carefully coloured the "wing part" on both sides, some did fall to bits whilst colouring so I just binned them.

There isn''t any pictures of the coloured "wings" but once I had coloured them in on both sides, in pairs, I started with the silver glitter nail varnish and very carefully applied it on both sides, one at time allowing time to dry.  They are very delicate but the nail varnish gives them a bit more strength.

I think they look really effective and my kids said they look as though they "could belong" to fairies,  which is what I was hoping for.

They still need to go in a jar, but they are nearly done, need to get a few more made as well.