The Obliteration Room

Hey all,

How are you doing on this wonderful hump day?

I must say that I've been feeling really great lately. Despite life's trials and tribulations. 

Just because I'm mentally good, doesn't mean everything's been easy peasy. Life isn't easy. (Should it be?)

But I'm dealing better. I'm feeling secure in myself. And, my god, it feels great!

Even the dwindling sunlight and the creeping chill of autumn isn't getting me down.

But seasons are merely a temporal distraction anyway.

Because it keeps getting warmer and brighter inside my mind.

Today I would like to share a Yayoi Kusama art installation with you.

The Obliteration Room

The interior of a house was constructed in the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, everything painted white.

Children visiting the gallery were then given colourful dot stickers to put where they please.

Over the course of two weeks this is what happened...

I think it's quite a breath taking piece. I love the contrast of the blank sterility and the colourful chaos.

Perfect inspiration for a manicure.

This manicure was a lot of fun. I did it a month or so ago while hanging out with my little brother.

He said I matched the colours well and gave me a thumbs up, so I'm happy. 

What do you think?

I used Zoya - Purity as my base

And dotted with Sally Hansen - Lickety Split  Lime & Brisk Blue

Barry M - Dragonfruit & Satsuma and Nubar - Resort Yellow

Here's the song that's been stuck in my head all day.

Hope you enjoy the last 3 days of summer.

jeebjeeb

Dagadelic's Poison Dart Frog Mani

Hey all!

I'm super excited to be celebrating Dagadelic's birthday tomorrow!

I've got a lot of good times planned for her.

Ok, well most of the good times revolve around food. 

But you can't beat home cooking!

As a little pre-birthday ode to D I tried my hand at her Poison Dart Frog Tutorial.

I really like how they turned out. Toad-ally awesome!

It was super fun to create. And I recommend the tutorial to anyone. 

Poison Dart Frog is THE latest animal print.

Get with the times!

I loved D's original in blue, but I just had to try it in green.

And it's perfect, though I think it would work in any colour.

I'm especially interested to see it in orange/yellow or purple :)

What do you think?

I used Nubar - Into the Wild as my base. 

Sponged on Zoya - Neely and just a hint of China Glaze - Unpredictable to give it that touch of shimmer

Then I dotted on China Glaze - Gussied Up Green

I'm waiting for my fresh birthday mani to dry before I pass out.

I've got presents wrapped and chicken wings ready for the picnic.

It's going to be a good day tomorrow.

Have a great night and an awesome mani!

jeebjeeb

7 Deadly Sins Challenge - Lust

Hey all,

How's your week going? And how was your weekend? I spent almost all of Sunday reading. It felt luxurious and went by so quickly. Just snuggling with the cat <3 I fantasize about those kinds of days.

The lovely and talented D from Dagadelic convinced me to join her in a Seven Deadly Sins Challenge hosted by One Nail to Rule Them All & Nail Wish. Bless her ambitious soul. This is the first nail challenge I've ever participated in. I'm glad it's only 7 themes, I think I can handle that without getting frustrated or bored. Here's the poster with each weeks themes.

To start things off we have LUST.

So I'm going to be bad and make the manicure I've always dreamed of.

Before I started doing nail art. Before all the tape manicures, stamping and gradients, there was something my heart desired.

But it just seemed so daunting and intimidating. How could I ever do it?

Time has gone by. I've mastered many a technique. But still never even attempted my one true love.

Until today.

Here's what I've wanted so badly - Galaxy Nails!

I wasn't too keen on it initially, but it turned out better than I expected. 

I felt gimped using tiny pieces of sponge and tweezers. But eventually I got the feel for it.

And it didn't take as long as I thought it would. All in all I'm very pleased.

I'm really glad I faced my fears and finally made it a reality. No longer is it a great unknown!

I need some more practise, but I like that. I can't wait to play around with more colours.

There's a whole universe of possibilities ;)

What do you think? Yay or Nay?

Have you/ would you try a galaxy?

For my base I have one coat of Zoya - Raven and one of Aphrodite Lacquer - Galaxy (seemed fitting)

Then I sponged on Zoya - Purity (also dotted stars) & Richelle

Quo by Orly - Red Hot & Essie - Aruba Blue

Now I have to see what all the other ladies have been up to.

You can check them out too, links below. 

I really like the 7 deadly sins idea. It reminds me of Bedazzled. I love that movie.

The original British version from 1967, not the Elizabeth Hurley one :P

If you haven't seen it, check it out. Raquel Welsh plays the part of Lust. Hubba hubba!

Have a great night and an awesome manicure!

jeebjeeb

Summer Dots

Hey all,

How's your weekend going? I'm hanging out with my little brother today. Not sure what we're going to do since the weather has taken a wet turn. He's been on his ipad all morning, me on the computer, Lucas reading a book. Sitting in the same room, we have barely spoken to each other, aside from some hockey talk. Soon we'll have to emerge from our inner worlds. Play a game. Watch a movie. Something. It's hard to find motivation on a grey day. 

Tonight is the last NHL game day before the playoffs start. It's exciting. Anything could happen. My Canucks are in. But we wont know who we're playing in the first round until the end of the night. Fingers crossed.

So I had no idea how to follow my last spectacular manicure. 

I was feeling blasé and enlisted my Dad to help. 

I asked him to pick a colour and he went with China Glaze - Solar Power. 

It was a beautiful sunny day when I painted so I felt like a bright and summery dotticure.

I love these colours together. So cheery and fun.

Dotticures always make me think of candy.

For the dots I used Essie's dazzling pink beauty Off The Shoulder

& Ruby Wing's baby blue Moonstone.

Did you know Ruby Wing polishes change colour in the sun? :O

In UV light Moonstone turns from blue to purple!

The day after I painted I walked to work in the sunshine and watched the magic happen.

I was all set to take pictures right after work when a bunch of dense clouds rolled in. :(

This morning they still haven't budged so I had to break out the black-light.

I'm just glad I can still show off the change, I was worried my post would be super lame.

It is definitely a noticeable change.

Especially when you compare them side to side. 

What do you think? Yay or nay UV polish?

I can't wait to try it out when the sun decides to stick around.
It was pretty damn cool watching it change in front of my eyes.
I feel a bit ripped off by the weather gods. But I'll get over it.

 

Here's another happy cat shot for you.

Everyday should be a happy cat day.

Muse-ic

When it starts to get nice outside I start to get a little more country.

Just in the last year or two I discovered that I love bluegrass. 

Especially good old fashioned bluegrass. Even gospel. 

I'm a banjo and vocal harmony fiend. I just can't get enough.

So here's a classic performance by The Stanley Brothers.

They've really got it going on.

Have a great weekend and an awesome manicure.

And if you're following the NHL I wish your team luck :)

jeebjeeb

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Nine Years

Hey all,

Happy weekend! How was your week? 

I celebrated my anniversary on the 11th. 

Lucas and I have been together for nine years now. 

Since I was 17... and he was 15 :O 

We met in highschool art class. Of course, it had to be art class. 

We bonded because we were both misunderstood outcasts with a flair for the artistic. 

Nothing much has changed :)

I'm not the type of person to scream my love to the heavens, but I will paint it on my nails.

This one's for Lucas.

On my ring finger I used striping tape and a dotting tool to create Lucas' initials.

When I first met him he drew what I thought was some alien symbol, on everything.

Turns out it was just his initials angled and stacked on top of each other.

On my middle finger I created the roman numeral for 9. It's on the middle finger for a reason.

Over the years there have been people, masquerading as friends, who wanted to split us up.

That finger is for them.

Lucas chose the polish for this manicure.

Topshop - Jewel in the Crown & Zoya - Dahlia

He was a bit disappointed that the teal didn't pop more, but I think it's a striking combination.

Muse-ic

I'm not a fan of love songs. Most of them are cheese-ball and gag-tastic.

So for Lucas I chose a rockin Liz Phair song which is closest to my kind of sentiment.

Enjoy!

Have a great weekend and an awesome manicure!

jeebjeeb

Pink Polka

Hey all,

How's your weekend going? I think I'll be having a snuggley day in with the cat. She's desperate for love. I'm typing with one hand at the moment, as she's refusing to leave my other hand alone. What a fluffy little ball of affection and agitation. 

This week I happened upon a brilliant source of inspiration. 

Yayoi Kusama

Her works are so simple yet incredibly complex. It is so much more than polka dots. Consciousness, space, shape, the unity of all things. The worlds she creates excite me. And, my god, she looks like Miss Swan on acid! (anybody watch old MadTV episodes?) She's been using polka dots in her work since she was 10, and at 83 years old, she's still creating. What a force.

I dedicate this manicure to Yayoi. The first of many :)

I need to practice with my dotters, I'm not as precise as I'd like to be. But I'm happy enough with the outcome.

What do you think? Would Yayoi like it? 

There's something about this that makes me think of suckers on an Octopus.

The palette is a bit more subdued that Yayoi's works. 

I told myself I wasn't allowed to use blue or green, they dominate my thinking.

I decided on two favorites I've been ignoring as of late

 Zoya - Sari and Essie - Off The Shoulder

I love these pinks. They're both perfect for completely diametric reasons.

Sari is the most delicate nude pink and Off The Shoulder is brilliantly vivid without being garish.

If you're doing any major drinking to celebrate St. Patrick's, I salute you and wish you good luck.

Although I'm feeling 100% better than I was last post, I will not be partaking :P

I'll be good to my body instead. Have two drinks max. Do a bit of yoga.

And give this sweety a good brushing. What an awesomely boring adult plan.

Have a great weekend and an awesome manicure!
jeebjeeb

Rocket to the Moon

I feel the tug of the second self drawing me inward. My duality of personality has always been a bane to me. Like the tides, I flow in and out of myself, constantly moving. As soon as I believe I've settled I shift again. The bringer of good times and bonding to the hermetic suspicious scorpion in the corner. How do you balance the two? It is becoming harder for me to blog at the moment. The second self doesn't believe in allowing anything to be public. It believes the only way I can hold on to goodness is if I keep it inside. But I will trudge forth difficultly. I have been trying to write this for an hour and a half. Nothing flows. But here she goes...

This week I received a few items I've been lusting after. Half of the Zoya Lovely Collection and Big Ruby nail tattoos! Being my impatient self I had to use EVERYTHING! And man am I glad I did. :)

I used Neely as my base, did a tape job with Jacqueline and dotted on some Blu. 

These shades really are lovely! And all cremes, though Jacqueline has a hint of shimmer. 

To finish the look I added a couple orange rocket ships. 

I bought the Big Ruby Cosmic pack. 86 Tattoos, 10 designs, multiple colours and very very cool. 

They were super easy to use. Just like good old fashioned temporary tattoos. 

Stick it where you want, dab with a damp cloth and BOOM! Nail tatts in 10 seconds.

I really love this manicure. It turned out exactly how I hoped. 

I thought of this design a while ago but wanted to save it for these colours. I think it's perfect!

What do you think? Grooving on the Lovelies? 

At first I was only taken by Neely, I'm such a green freak, 

but the more swatches I saw the more I fell in love with Blu and Jacqueline too. 

Muse-ic

A year ago The Heartless Bastards released Arrow their 4th album. 

I'd like to celebrate by sharing this live performance with you. 

I love all the songs on the album but Low Low Low is one of my top 3. Enjoy!

They are an amazing live bad. I was so happy when they came to Vancouver last Easter. It was aural perfection.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can see them again soon.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. It's trying to be sunny today.
I think the groundhogs were right, an early spring seem imminent. Bring it on! My manicure is prepared!
Have a great day and an awesome manicure!
jeebjeeb

Black Forest Cake Manicure

Hey all,

Last post I mentioned I would have a birthday themed manicure. I asked one of the Feb 1st babies for inspiration. Told her to give me a colour or a technique, anything! 

She says "Black Forest Cake"

:| Alright, totally not expecting that. I was stumped as of what to do. So I spent about 20 minutes looking at cakes online. I tried to find inspiration but all I was really thinking was how much I wanted black forest cake.

argh.

Eventually I stared at my muse long enough to come up with an idea.

 What do you think? Kind of black forest cakey? :S

The birthday girl liked it, so I'm satisfied :)

I used all Zoyas for this one. Purity, Blaze & Nina.

And I was drinking tea while I painted! It's been awhile. Need to get back on the wagon.

I'm keeping this post brief as I'm super tired from the wonderful birthday dinner. I'm far too full to be coherent at the moment.
Happy Friday! Have a great weekend and an awesome manicure!
jeebjeeb

Space Cadet Spotted

 Hey all!

Today I have another technique I've never tried before! 

Dagadelic is such a sweety. She got me a set of dotting tools! <3

So of course as soon as I got them I had to use them. 

This is my Space Cadet Spotted  Manicure.

The dotters were awesome to use. So easy, though I do need a bit of practice (couple of drag lines).

I'm incredibly pleased with the result. What do you think?

My brain is teeming with ways to use the dotters. 

I think we're going to have a beautiful relationship.

(Thanks D!)

I used Zoya - Raven and Orly - Space Cadet 

Space Cadet is the first douchrome I ever bought! It's so cool. Flashing from pink to copper with a green undertone. It is so mysterious and intriguing.  

The last time I wore Space Cadet was to the Fiona Apple concert in the summer. My manicure was cool, but Fiona was incredible. My friend Shade & I have been fans since we were 16. Finally being able to see her was like going to Mecca or the Vatican. Like a Buddhist seeing the Dalai Lama. A life defining moment. I'm glad Space Cadet could share that with me. So I'll share it with you too!

Here's a video of Fiona live in 2012 performing Not About Love. She knocked me out. So much passion and energy. Every muscle tensed with purpose. This is also pretty much exactly the view I had so you can see her playing the piano, which is a treat.

What do you think?

Let's Spin a Yarn

The shawl I'm working on is coming along. I should be working on the shirt I made too small. But this yarn is so soft and colourful. I can't help myself.

Trust me, you wouldn't want to put it down either.

Is anyone working on any art projects? Winter is a great time for art.

This time next week I have a photo project set up! So excited. I'll be doing portraits. Somewhat professional portraits (my first time) But of course there must be a ton of goofy to balance it out. We'll have a couple drinks, get the self consciousness out and go for  it! I can't wait and I'm frightened all at the same time. <3

Have a good weekend and a great manicure!

jeebjeeb