Geek Nail Challenge #4: Ultimate Geek

For the last & final day of the Geek Nail Challenge created by girlonashoestring, the question is presented "what makes you a Geek?" There are many facets of a person that will put the "Geek" label on someone, for me there are quite a few things that all add up to me being a total Geek & I own it, I am a complete Geek & quite proud of it:-)

To name a few, here are some things that I love that make me a Geek:

-Syfy
-Comics/Graphic Novels
-Fantasy
-Faeries
-Supernatural
-Steampunk
-Futuristic

Take all those things & put them in movies & my "geek" flag with fly in full color, lol. I will take the day off, stand in line for hours, sometimes dress up & almost always be one of the first in the theater.

So my idea for today's challenge comes from movies, red carpets, VIP rope, paparazzi & Feature presentation lighting. I used a basic black for my base, some Sally Hansen Red Carpet on the tips for my (what else?) red carpet. I then used some acrylic paint for my VIP ropes, paparazzi flashes, stage lights & Feature Presentation stage. Please bear with the fuzzy pictures, I didn't have my glasses on & thought they were just fine, lol, so I had to do a lot of editing to try to clarify the image.

It's supposed to say "Feature" but its too light & you can't really see it.

VIP red carpet

Snow Leopard

Haven't done an animal print in a while...so here's one using Zoya Dove as my base & then adding pink acrylic paint leopard prints. Not much explanation needed on this one, leopard print is pretty straight forward & makes for a fun & easy design.

White rosebuds, inspired by Rina

I was inspired by yet another Rina  nail art creation. For this design she used a lovely light mint green, I chose to use one of my favorite greens Zoya Yara which is a gorgeous olive green with gold shimmer.

Here is my version:

Introducing Figaro

About a month ago a friend of ours ended up with a litter of kittens & was desperately needing homes for all of them. Even though we have quite a full house, by Hubby thought it would be a good idea to get some "young blood" up in the house since all of our cats are 5-7 years old now. I was hesitant at first, but after spending time with the little brood as they were growing, we got quite attached to the little tuxedo boy in the group. We fell in love!

Figaro @ 1 month

Once he was old enough to leave his mama, we took him home to our "zoo" & have been enjoying his kitty energy so very much. Of course, not all the cats feel the same way, bringing him home was like throwing a monkey wrench in a well oiled machine. But slowly & surely everybody is beginning to get along & we are enjoying every crazy minute of it.

Figaro @ 2 1/2 months...getting bigger

Geek Nail Challenge #3: Games/Gaming

Play play play, games & gaming day of the Geek Nail Challenge created by Girlonashoestring. I have to be honest, I am not a huge gamer. My parents really couldn't afford video game apparatuses for my sisters & I growing up as a missionary kid in Brasil, so I really didn't form any sort of addiction or skills growing up. I have since done much better, now in my 30's, but I'm still terribly slow & uncoordinated. I love watching my hubby play, he's really good & it feels just like watching a really action packed movie when he gets on a roll. I do like quite a few games & one that I actually enjoy playing is Stargate: the Old Republic. My Hubby & I actually got to test it @ Comic Con 2011 before it even came out & I loved it especially cause it's on a PC because I suck at xBox controllers. Our friend got it for him for Christmas 2011 & I've gotten to play it a little & it's been fun!


I got my inspiration from the logo's for the Empire & Republic:

Geek Nail Challenge #2: Movies & TV

The second challenge in the fabulous Geek Nail Challenge created by  girlonashoestring, we are drawing our inspiration from Movies &/or TV.

Like the the 1st challenge, comics & animation, there are just too many fantastic choices & one does not have enough time to do every single art design she would like. But, I knew what I wanted to do from the start, it actually covers both Television & Movies & the winner is...drum roll ... Firefly (the series) & Serenity (the movie). I love everything about this show/movie, the setting, the plot, the characters. I'll watch this about twice a year & enjoy it just like the first time. I've added some pictures of the characters along with some favorite quotes for all to enjoy:

"Take me sir, take me hard"

"I can also kill you with my brain"

SHINY!!!

"I am a leaf in the wind, watch me soar"

You don't play a player

Don't damage his calm, lol!

"The Bible is somewhat fuzzy on the subject of kneecaps"

I would just die to be part of this crew

Here's some of where I got my inspiration, partly from the settings of the film with Serenity flying around the verse, partly from the song & then I copied the Serenity logo on my thumb:

Serenity

THEME SONG:

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me

Take me out to the black
Tell 'em I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me

There's no place I can be
Since I found serenity
But you can't take the sky from me 


Here is my design using EYEKO Cosmic Polish for my base, than various acrylic paints for the galaxy design which I dabbed on with a makeup sponge, I did a glittery top coat on the galaxy nails for sparkle using Sally Hansen Disco Ball. I also used acrylic paint for the Serenity Logo:

I added a brown film to make it look more like the tone of the show.

"No power in the Verse can stop us!" Have a SHINY kind of day!

Liebster Award...Coolio!

Girlonashoestring nominated me for a Liebster Award, thanks luv! See her post here. This award is given to bloggers like me who have less than 200 followers. With great things come great responsibilities...so here are the rules for the award:

• Post 11 facts about yourself

• Answer the questions the tagger has asked you and then create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate

• Choose 11 people with less than 200 followers to give this award to and link to them

• Go to their pages and tell them (Remember no tag backs!)

11 Facts about me:



1. I am # 3 in a family of 15
2. I am a citizen of the US, born in Italy. I've lived in Portugal, Spain & Ireland before moving to Brasil & living there for over 15 years so I speak fluent Portuguese & some Spanish.
3. I was 25 before I learned to drive. Nobody drives cars in Brasil, we all take the bus.
4. Every time I buy something new, I get rid of something old. A habit I formed because we moved around so much growing up, I always had to fit everything I owned in one suitcase.
5. I don't care much for chocolate, but I will eat the hell out of some fresh baguettes.
6. I will use my last dime to feed my pets before buying food for myself.
7. I love doing laundry, I like everything about it, from separating the clothes to folding & putting away.
8. I'll pick a Superhero or SyFy movie over a romantic comedy any day.
9. I am a sucker for anything that has Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn in it.
10. I've been told I look like Rita Hayworth & act like Jim Carey.
11. Like girlonashoestring, I am obsessed with all things steam-punk.



11 questions from Girlonashoestring:

1. Why do you blog about your chosen subject matter?
I find nail art to be a wonderful way to show ones individuality & I like sharing my inspiration & creativity. I also like to encourage women that it's ok to be a girly girl sometimes & try out something that they might not normally do & nail art is a really fun way to do that!
2. What got you started on that subject?
I am a reformed nail biter. It started out as a way to help me stop biting my nails, after trying many other tactics to stop the nail biting I came up with the brilliant idea that if I took the time to paint a canvas on my nails I wouldn't want to mess it up. It worked, I now had a new found obsession with painting art on my fingers that I completely forgot about biting my nails all together:-)
3. What is your favorite part about what you do?
Being able to share information I have learned about getting healthier natural nails. I don't know a single woman who doesn't want to have pretty nails & in my travels with this hobby I have found out a lot of valuable information on how to make that happen. I also love seeing the smiles on their faces when I paint their nails & they get to show it off.
4. What historical event are you sorry you missed/weren't alive to see?
Opening night for the first Star Wars movie. It opened on May 25th, 12 days after I was born, so I couldn't make it, lol! Being a super nerd, I am a regular 12:01am/stand in line for hours movie goer & it kills me that I missed that epic event.
5. Where would you most like to visit?
Holland. I am of Dutch descent & would love to see my "homeland", maybe check out some history of my fathers name, oh, & enjoy what Amsterdam has to offer!
6. It's the zombie Apocalypse. Where do you go for shelter?
Underground bomb shelter.
7. Digital or analog? Why?
Digital? It seems to do the job.
8. What other hobbies do you have?
Crochet, sketching, scrap-booking, guitar, reading.
9. Early bird or night owl? Any reason why?
Night owl! I am absolute evil in the morning, it doesn't matter if I've slept 5 or 10 hrs. the result is the same. I don't really know the reason why & my ultimate goal is to change that, but to this day I have yet succeed. I don't think it's genetic because I have a couple sisters who are super perky in the morning & love getting up before sunrise. I guess I just really like my tempur-pedic mattress, my husbands lovey dovey morning mood & the multiple pets snuggling up to me so much it makes me sad when I have to leave, hehe. 
10. What piece of advice would you give your twelve-year-old self? (limited to 1 sentence)
You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it, don't be scared to try, I was in my late 20's with fully formed confidence issues before getting this advice.
11. What book/movie/tv show had the greatest impact on you as a child?
Mom read "Secret Garden" to us every night before bed, it took about a month. The idea of having a key that unlocks a secret place was so fascinating to me. Along the same lines "Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe", another secret place that unlocked a secret world. WONDERFUL!!! I like to believe in fantasies, it keeps me young & hopeful!


11 Nominees:

1. Rise & Shine Beauty
2. Beauty Ninja
3. Celebrity Skin
4. DevilishPolish
5. Lacquer Buzz
6. Lucky Love Nails
7. Nailart by Iris
8. Nevorpurify
9. Pinpoint polish
10. Queen of the polish
11. Catherinetterings


11 questions for my 11 Nominees:

1. Describe yourself in a single sentence.
2. Which color best describes you or stands for your personality?
3. Do you like black and white movies? Why or why not?
4. If you were a character on a tv show, which one would you be?
5. If you could pick a book you’ve read to make into a movie, which one would you choose?
6. What one thing are you most proud of?
7. Who influenced you most when you were a child?
8. What person in history would you most like to meet?
9. What is the most daring or dangerous thing you’ve ever done?
10. You can have one of the following two things: trust/love, which do you choose?
11. What is your favorite Movie line?


Have a lovely day everyone!

Sally Hansen Salon Effects "Laced up"

I finally decided to try one of those nail wraps that have become so popular. I've been putting this off for a while now, mostly because I'm quite stubborn about being able to paint my designs free hand, so I had figured this kind of thing was not for me.

Much to my surprise, I really liked this & can see how this would be a really great alternative if you are unable to paint designs free hand. But it's also great for those of us who can paint but sometimes find ourselves extremely busy, impatient, or that it just isn't working for us that day. These neat little stickers go on easy & look so pretty that nail art geeks like me will not go through withdrawals when unable to fulfill my once a week fix. I like that there is no need for a base coat or a top coat, just cut to fit & apply. They lasted me through an entire week that included a shower every day, two dish washing evenings, 1 day of cleaning the house & some gardening. The brand I bought was Sally Hansen Sallon Effects "Laced up" & I have now bought a few others that I am waiting to try out, so we'll see...

Geek Nail Challenge, #1: Comics & Animation

I have found a new fun Challenge that suits my personality perfectly. It's created by girlonashoestring & it's called the GEEK NAIL CHALLENGE, here are the rules

Growing up with a cartoon artist as a father it's safe to say that comics & animation have been a longstanding love of mine. I love everything from Superheroes to Disney to Looney Toonz & Family Guy. I enjoy so many varieties that choosing one was a difficult thing. I have done a few designs in the past that included Batman, Cinderella, Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Avengers, Spiderman, Superman & Peterpan/Tinkerbell (can't find my pictures for those). But since I only have time to do one I find myself remembering Saturday morning cartoons & the one that always stands out to me is Tom & Jerry, so after much deliberation I decided on them. Here is my "Ode to Tom & Jerry" design: