Ladybug Nail Polish Tutorial

Hello. My friend, Jess and I were both lucky enough to be on holidays at the same time a few weeks back. (I had just finished my Musical Theatre Degree and she was on holidays from working as the co-ordination of a Before and After Hours School Care).

Both Jess and I are highly creative and crafty so we decided it was a good time to try something new. We finally decided on lady bug nail polish and I thought I would share with you today our process.

Please note that this was an experiment for us and as you can see it may not all be perfect but I didn't think that would matter! We just gave it a go anyway and we were quiet happy with the results. I would also love to hear your comments, things you tried differently and I would especially LOVE to see some of your finished results!

Tutorial

Don't forget to wait between each step for the nail polish to completely dry!

Step 1

Step 1:

This step is nice and easy...
Paint all of your nails red!





Step 2:

Step 2

Add all the black.

a) I started with the black dots first

b) Then the black for the head at the tip of the nail

c) And Last I added 2 small lines on each nail for the feelers

But you can do it in any order that works for you!

Step 3

Step 3:

Add 2 white dots to the black head of each lady bug.

I found it worked better when a little black 'line' was left in between.

Step 4

Step 4:
 Add little black dots for the eyes!

  

Step 5:

Paint a layer of clear nail polish over the top.

Step 6:

Clean up around your nails... a good and easy way to do this is to use a Q tip dipped in nail polish remover. Carefully run it around the skin near your nails making sure you don't remove any of your hard work on your nails!

Id love to hear how you all went! pictures, comments, advice and tips all welcome!

My Newest Addition

Just wanted to show you all my newest pet! I have called him Aragon... The bigger Bearded Dragon is Norbert and I have had her now for about a year. The each have their own home at the moment but I am hoping once Aragon is big enough they will be alright to live together. He is settling in well though I need to be careful with him at the moment because he scares easily. But he is definitely getting more confident!

Choosing a jewelry or beaded gift

Choosing a jewellery or beaded gift.

There are a number of things to consider when purchasing a jewellery gift.

Obviously how well you know the persons will make it easier or harder to find something that suites them and their personality.

Consider the following

1. Colour:

Is there a particular colour that your friend likes best or a colour that you have noticed they wear a lot? I know how easy it is to be distracted and notice the items that are the colours I like (mostly pinks, purple and blue) and “skim over” the item that are made with different colours.

If you are not sure about their colour preference I would highly recommend purchasing items that are more of a neutral colour such as clear, white, black, grey, silver, cream, and a few lighter shades of brown.
These colours are more versatile and are more likely to go with the colours they wear.

If you not in a rush to buy something, why not take a bit of time to have a look at the colours that they wear and see if you can match one of their outfits?

2. Style:

If you know that the person you are purchasing for likes elaborate designs or unique designs that you would never find again then go for it. However sometimes it may be easier to go with a “safer” option. I would recommend something that is more simplistic that can be worn in a number of situations.

3. What type of Jewellery or accessory?:

Earrings are obviously a big one here. I would say that if you are not sure if the recipient has their ears pierced then I would avoid taking the risk. Alternatively you can purchase clip on earrings (Most earrings I make can be converted over to clip on's! Just message me or add a comment to this post for more details)

Necklaces are good except it can be difficult to know what size. It is best to get a necklace that is slightly adjustable. Most necklaces at tazzmck designs come with an extension chain clasp at the back. But again it can be difficult.

I always find a bracelet is a good way to go if it has flexibility with its size. Have a look at the ones here for a good example. They can be gently squeezed together to fit a smaller wrist but will also expand out larger if needed. The memory wire also means that it will not lose its shape! Perfect for unknown sizes!

4. Other questions you could ask yourself

Do they like to read?
Maybe a nice hand made bookmark?

Have they got any special interests or hobbies?
Often now you can find jewellery and gifts that have a theme. For example music like notes and guitars, animals like birds nest, crafting, sports etc. have a think if there is anything that stands out about the person you are buying for and then try a search. You'd be amazed what comes up!! Especially if you do a search within etsy or madeit.com.au

Hope I've helped you a bit. :-)
Happy hunting!

Craftgawker and some other bits and pieces!

Hello! Well lately I have been busy finishing off my musical theatre degree. I will be finished half way through the year, or at the latest, 91 days! (No, no, I’m not counting down at all!)

I have been finding a little bit of time this year to do some of my crafting too. I think it helps keep me sain... well as sain as I can be!

Well, it’s now Autumn here in Australia! To celebrate the season I have posted a few new items to my Etsy shop including my Autumn Themed, Little Bird 3 piece Notes Set with large note pad, small note pad and sticky memo pad. You can see it here... http://www.etsy.com/listing/89962457

I’d like to say Happy Mother’s Day to all of the UK mothers out there who will be celebrating mothering day this Sunday the 18^th. I hope you all have an amazing day. You deserve it!

Craft Gawker:

I thought today I’d share with you a few interesting things I have found online lately. Some of which I am hoping will be helpful to you.

The first website for crafters is www.craftgawker.com. There is also a phone application. It allows you to post and view handmade items. A lot of the post have links to blog posts and other websites where you can purchase the item, or view DIY instructions on how to make it! Other items are just very interesting and unique.

There is also a wedding gawker, food gawker and a dwelling gawker. All worth a look I think!

Welcome!

Hello! welcome to my new blog! Thanks for stopping by and having a look!
I'm hoping that I can used this blog to give you some cool ideas, helpful hints, advice and to also showcase a variety of handmade items (Both mine and others).

I thought it would be good to tell you a little about myself first though!

I'm a 23 year old female living in Victoria, Australia. With two older sisters, not only am I the youngest in my family, I'm also the odd one out! While my parents and sisters spend a lot of their time running, cycling and playing sport, I prefer to spend my time being creative.

I have a jewellery and craft business TazzMck Designs. If you interested in seeing some of my creations you can see them at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Tazzmck

Apart from crafting, I am currently in my final semester of singing, dancing and acting my way through a musical theatre degree. I hope to eventually open up my own preschool and am getting a lot of experience working with children from my day job as a Nanny. (I have been working with a family of 3 young girls for over 2 years now. I started when they were just 3 weeks, 11 months and 2 years old, so as you can imagine I'm pretty attached!)

I come from a big family with over 30 first cousins, so Christmas day is always fun (and chaotic).

I really like animals, and miss having pet rabbits! But I do have 2 short neck turtles and a lizard (A Bearded Dragon named Norbert). I might have to post some picture of them at some stage for you!

I hope that you enjoy my blog and if you have any questions, comments or things that you would like to see posted please let me know.

Thanks for reading!
Tarryn