Strawberry Shortcake Inspired Nails

Did anyone else grow up loving Strawberry Shortcake?  As a child, I had Strawberry Shortcake curtains, a Strawberry Shortcake comforter, Strawberry Shortcake dolls, the Berry Carrying Case...you get the idea.  Well, that nostalgia for all things Strawberry Shortcake inspired this manicure.

I normally like to say that my designs are quick - it makes it seem like I have a super exciting life to get back to!  Unfortunately, I can't pretend that is the case this time!  This one took a little time and experimentation.

I began this little overdose of sweetness with a base of Essie Fiji.  I stamped the dots - which didn't all stamp perfectly - with QA 12 - in Pure Ice Siren.  The design of the bows didn't stamp well over the pink, so I stamped a line of Konad Special Polish in White using M19.  I stamped the bows over that using Konad plate M56 and MyOnlineShop stamping polish in Apple Green.

...and I'm not done yet.  So much for the appearance of a very busy and exciting life!

I stamped a strawberry on the accent nail using Shany SH19.  I used Siren for the berry and my Kleancolor Grass Green for the stem.

...and finally (whew!), I added green rhinestones to the centers of my bows.

What a sweet confection!  Too sweet, even, for me, I think.  At least when I look down, it reminds me of those little dolls that I used to love so much.

...and also just found on eBay.  Uh oh.  :)

Have a berry good day, Konaddicts!  - Sorry, I couldn't help myself!

Easy Summer Checks and Bows

Here's a quick and easy summer mani.  I used Sally Hansen Insta Dri Fuchsia Flare as the base.  I used Pure Ice Super Star, my less opaque white, and Konad M64 for the checks.  I used Konad Special Polish in White to make the bows and used that classic bow on Konad M56.

Here's wishing you a sweet start to summer, Konaddicts!

Valentine Hearts French Mani with Cheeky Plates

More hearts!

This time, I used my new Cheeky plates for the design.  I used Kleancolor Pink Sleepers as a sheer base, then freehanded the tips with Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Whirlwind White.  I stamped the hearts using Cheeky plate CH22. I used Pure Ice Siren and Kleancolor Barbie Pink to add a little variety to the hearts.  Finally, I stamped my accent in Siren using Cheeky CH5.

So far, so good with the Cheeky plates (I bought them on Amazon here).  The stamper and scraper were awful, but the plates I've tried have worked well enough with my Konad scraper and stamper.

I chose the Cheeky plate over the Konad plate with a similar design because the Cheeky plate has smaller hearts - which comes in handy since my nails aren't very long.

Have a weekend filled with love, Konaddicts!

Christmas Wreath Nails

This mani was inspired by all of the lovely Christmas wreaths around this time of year.  I started with a base of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Jade Jump.  I stamped the leaves with Kleancolor Military Green using Konad Plate M83.  I painted a stripe of Jade Jump over the pattern to serve as a background for my bow.  Finally, I stamped the bow with Insta Dri in Racin' Red using Konad M56.   

Ah...this mani reminds me of winter trips through the mountains and deep breaths of clean mountain air.  I think we could probably all use a deep breath in this holiday rush! Take care, Konaddicts!

My little dog, Barley, is also doing her impression of a wreath. :)

Review: Plastic XL Image Templates

So, as a person on a budget, I was intrigued when I saw what appeared to be a image plate containing 200+ images on eBay for around $25.  Of course it seemed too good to be true, but I was willing to give it a try anyway. They usually look something like this:

Yes, there are a bunch of designs here, but what the ads don't tell you is that the image plates are plastic!  (Ah, yes, there's the catch).

So, do these plastic plates work?  I'll show you what I discovered:

In each of the pictures, the metal plate  (I have both Konad and MASH plates) is on the LEFT, the image on the RIGHT is from the plastic template.

Here are some of the full nail stamps:

In some cases, stamps from the plastic plate look okay.  In other cases, not so much.  The plastic isn't very deeply etched, so the images from the metal plates are more defined and bold.

Here are some samples of other stamps (again, the stamps on the left are from metal plates; the ones on the right are from the plastic template):

Again, some are okay; others not so great.  It's also worth noting -I'm not sure if you can tell here - that many of the "nail tip" type images from the plastic template are smaller than ones on the Konad/Mash plates.

Bottom Line?
All in all, it was worth the ~$25 I paid for it.  At least I got to experiment with the different designs and to decide which plates I wanted to invest in.  If you've got a specific image in mind that you're wanting to use, though, I would recommend that you buy the metal plate (since you won't know for sure whether you'll get a good impression with the plastic template).

So, buyer beware!  If you're buying an image plate on eBay (especially if it seems like an amazing deal!), be sure to ask whether it's metal or plastic!  It just helps to know what to expect.

Thanks for reading!