Some More Nail Art...

As promised, I have tried out some more designs with my new nail polish of choice.  My fantastic Nail Art pens, which I have previously used here.  

(Please excuse the poor photo quality, I didn't have my camera with me and had to shoot these on my phone)

I thought I would go for a slightly more subtle design this time round as I have a job interview tomorrow, and feel an elegant design would look clean and smart and overall make a better impression on any prospective employers.
I started by cleaning my nails completely, and removing my cuticles. I filed down the tips so that all my nails were an even length.

Then, using my white fine tip Nail Art polish, I drew a white line along the top of each nail to give a professional looking french manicure design.  Once the tips had dried, I painted a clear top coat over the whole nail to give it a glossy coat.

I finished with a couple of gems on my thumb nails just to add that extra bit of sparkle.

I love the finished design, it looks professionally done, and was a really easy look to create, perfect for interview nails...not too in-your-face...yet smart and effective.

Get your Nail Art pens here and let me know how you get on.

x ♥ x

What a Result...

As many of you may know,  the Twee and Cakes Book all started as part of my Final Major Project for  my degree at university.  This morning (well last night) at exactly 8 minutes past midnight I received my final grade...and am very pleased to say that all my hard work has finally paid off and I've earned myself a rather agreeable 2:1.

This is the final collection of work I handed in, all branding the Twee and Cakes logo, including the finished book, and a portfolio of my favourite images.

This little sneak-peek shows the introduction page to my bunting making activity...one of my favourite pages in the book...it's bright and colourful and the photography is just beautiful.

I am still desperately trying to get the book published, and am hoping that soon enough, someone will love the look of the book, see that there's a huge gap in the market for something as unique as this, and want to make 1000's of them...until then...here's a sneaky look at some of the images that didn't make it into the book (Well, I don't want to give too much away do I?!)...

Let me know what you think, If you're a keen crafter like I am...maybe this is the type of craft book that's missing from your bookshelf!!

P.S. Make sure you're keeping an eye out on Tatty Tulip's blog...as she will be doing a review of the book shortly, and will be able to give you a real (unbiased) idea of what she thinks of the book.

x ♥ x

Experimenting with Nail Art...

I have one of the biggest collections of nail varnishes, and am a real sucker for a Barry M, every time they bring out a new shade...but, thanks to my very un-steady hands, I'm just not creative enough with my designs and can never get them to look how I want, even using the fine liner nail varnishes...So when I found these fantastic Nail Art pens, I thought I'd give them a go...

 

They work as a 3-in-1, with a standard brush to paint the whole nail, a small pot of gems to decorate, and a very fine pen like nib to draw and design on the nail...and I actually found them really easy to use...

I started by covering the whole nail with a mixture of my two chosen colours...

...And then drew on a relatively simple heart design for my first attempt...

I am really pleased with how they have turned out...they were very easy to use, even with my un-steady hands and have made me feel a lot more confident with trying out different designs with lots more colours!

The one bad thing I will say about them, is that the nail varnish itself isn't the best for covering the whole nail, so maybe use the pens with a different nail polish background...that way your pens will last longer too :)

There are tons of places to get these pens, but for the best variety, I would go directly to the brands website which can be found here!

How do you get on with designing your nails? Let me know if you have any more techniques for getting those perfect lines on your nails!

x ♥ x

Sharing the Love...

Every little helps in the world of blogging...and today, the lovely Amanda over at Tatty Tulip has posted a guest post on my behalf, to show all her loyal followers what I am all about over here at Twee and Cakes.

Take a look at the post here on Tatty Tulip's blog.

Guest blogging is a great way to get your ideas and thoughts out there to more like-minded bloggers.  If you are interested in guest blogging then feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you're thinking, Or you can even contact Amanda here and put your ideas to her.
Thank you Amanda for the post
x ♥ x

My old trusted friend - Judy...

Judys AffordableVintage Fair is coming to London this Saturday and I am beyond excitement at the moment.  I discovered this little paradise of all things vintage, twee and a whole load of kitsch when I was living in Southampton, and was so pleased to find out that they do fairs right across the UK. So wherever you are in our little country, there is sure to be a fair near you!

Judys has been running for a little over 7 years now and it makes a good worth while trip where you are bound to find some real bargains.  Whether you're looking for a quirky new outfit, an intriguing piece of home decor, or just a bit of something different to accessorise yourself...then Judys is the place to go!

 

Judy also loves her music festivals, travelling through various festivals across the country bringing affordable vintage to music lovers nation wide.  A list of all festivals she will be bringing her fair to can be found here

To find out more, and for more information on when and where your nearest Judys fair will be held then take a look at the Judys Affordable Vintage Fair website which can be found here.

Go along, and I can guarantee you will be addicted in no time, just as I was.

If you know of any other great value places to find some real one of a kind, amazing finds at low low low prices, then please do let me know! I'm always open to suggestions.

x ♥ x

*All Images copywrite of Judys Affordable Vintage Fair* 

Renew, Reuse, and Redo...

Unlike the rainy forecast we had for this weekend, Saturday actually turned out to be a lovely warm sunny day here in London, and this surprising weather made me feel very inspired... 

Since decorating our bedroom, Sam and I have a few old sets of bedding that no longer match the rest of the room, and I just can't bring myself to throw them away... I came up with an idea to update these sheets and fashion myself a little Summer dress from them.

I cut the duvet cover into two large rectangles to make the front and back of the dress and placed them together facing outwards.

Once I had the dress all stitched in the correct places, I turned it the correct way out and put it on, using a long cut of ribbon tied around my waist to cinch it in.  It was so easy to make, and really made a beautiful, individual summer dress, perfect for the beach to bung on over your swimwear...

Give it a go for yourself and let me know how you get on, it really is as easy as it looks.

x ♥ x

Getting Nostalgic...

So, checking the weather for this weekend, and the outlook is bleak... I have just the thing to cheer you up and maybe bring back some memories of childhood...

Whilst having my clear out this week, I came across an old birthday present from a good friend of mine...'Balloon Flowers'...a kit containing tons of shaping balloons, a pump, and instructions.

My sister and I decided to have some fun, although after quite some time attempting the flowers and getting nowhere, we had a look online for some tutorials...and this is what we finished up with...

These are the better few of our attempts...but I'd say for first timers, we did pretty well!

Click on the links to find out how to make your own...

... Heart

... Poodle

... and a rather questionable looking Elephant

We had some great fun creating these, and it gave us the chance, in all our growing up, to feel like kids again!!

I am now looking forward to making some more this weekend with my Sam - I know he'll enjoy himself just as much as we did.  

Why don't you give it a go, for something different to do this wet weekend.  For your balloon modelling kit, the best place I have found is Here.

Enjoy!

x ♥ x