The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures - France

Day 5 and final day of The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week! Phew! Made it! Today I give you France! Vive la France! Don't know if I ever told you all this but I took a year of French (Québécois) in high school and then four classes (Parisian) in University! I am in no way fluent, I can read and understand more than I can speak. :) I'm really good at answering: "comment allez-vous?" "comme ci comme ça, et vous?" I had to create a whole children's book in french with illustrations; of course mine was about une chouette (ou un hibou)!

I created the French flag using China Glaze First Mate, Milani White on the Spot (also base for other two nails), and OPI The Thrill of Brazil. I created a park of the gardens of Versailles by stamping using Konad Olive Green and Konad S6. I went back over the stamped image with the same green to give it more of a hedge look.. I finished with the Eiffel Tower stamped in Konad Black and Winstonia W114. I added China Glaze Fairy Dust because Paris is the City of Light! All sealed with the glorious HK Girl Top Coat, c'est magnifique!

Au revoir mes amis!

Don't forget to check out where the other ladies take you today!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week - Canada: True North Strong and Free

Day 4 of The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week takes you northward to Canada! Being of dual citizenship (USA and Canada) I had to post about Canada! I moved to Southern Alberta when I was nine years old, I graduated high school there, and I have a ton of cousins there,(I really mean a ton, my dad is 1 of 12 kids!).

For my mani I chose to use Nail Nation 3000 Carpe Diem as my base. It's a slight holo white. I stamped using Konad White and Vivid Lacquer VL006. I then stamped a few maple leafs (duh, it's Canada!) using Sally Hansen Mochachino and Winstonia W119. I sealed the mani with HK Girl Top Coat.

I really liked this mani, it's simplicity is very beautiful to me; just like Canada! 

Don't forget to check out where the other ladies take you today!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week - Scotland

Day 3 of The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week and today I take you to the highlands of Scotland! Ach! If I could travel any where, Scotland is one place that I would love to visit! I always have, and I always will. (see what I did there? Oh I hope someone does!)

I created the Scottish Flag using Milani White on the Spot as my base (and the base for all the nails) and taped off the Saint Andrew's Cross and painted China Glaze First Mate. For my ring finger I created the national flower of Scotland, a thistle! I used KleanColor Metallic Purple and Metallic Green and Bundle Monster BM 313. For my pinkie I, of course, had to represent the national animal, a unicorn! How awesome is that! I stamped using Barry M Foil Effects Silver and  Winstonia W117. (had to make the unicorn sparkly, it's magical!). I used HK Girl Top Coat to seal the entire mani.

I hope my fellow Scottish readers will like what I did!

And because I can (the pipe band for my marching band in high school always played this song!):

Don't forget to check out where the other ladies take you today!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week - Italian Renaissance

Day two of The Digit-al Dozen Does Countries and Cultures Week! And today I have for you one of my favorite periods in art history, the Italian Renaissance. This was the period of time in from the 14th century to the 16th century when there was a rebirth of the arts and cultures of classical antiquity. The art during this time grew by leaps and bounds beginning with Gothic flat figures to full on linear perspective and figures that were real, that were made of substance.

I began my Renaissance mani using Barry M Lychee. I then did the saran wrap method using Barielle A Little Exotic and Barielle My Tan Blazer. I stamped using Konad Black and MoYou Tourist 04. My first two fingers represent Michelangelo's Creation of Adam found in the Sistine Chapel and painted in 1511-1512. On my ring finger you have Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man drawn around 1490. The Vitruvian Man is based on the ideal human proportions proposed by the Roman architect Vitruvius. And finally on my pinkie we a sad attempt of a shield, this is the Medici Coat of Arms (or was suppose to be!). I stamped using Sally Hansen Gone Grey and Vivid Lacquer VL 020, then I realized the shield is suppose to be gold! I colored it in using Barry M Foil Effects Gold. I added the red dots using Barielle A Little Exotic. The Medici family were the family during the Italian Renaissance; bankers and patrons of the arts, commissioning many great and wonderful paintings!

I used Essie Matte About because I think it looks more worn and aged that way. Sorry for the bit of an art history lesson. You ever want me to not shut up, let's talk about the Italian Renaissance. My dream job would be a museum curator specializing in the Italian Renaissance. :)

Don't forget to check out where the other ladies are taking you today!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Digit-al Dozen Does Counties and Cultures Week - India's Festival of Colors

Welcome to another month and another week of The Digit-al Dozen! This week's theme is Countries and Cultures. A lot of us really struggled with this one. At first I wanted to do different celebrations from around the world, but I ran out of time and was only able to produce one mani about a festival. And that is today's mani!

source

"Holi is a spring festival also known as the festival of colours or the festival of love. [...] participants play, chase and colour each other with dry powder and coloured water, with some carrying water guns and coloured water-filled balloons for their water fight. Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and elders.[...] The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair ruptured relationships" (source)

  

I really wanted to capture that thrown color look from the picture above. I started with Milani White on the Spot as my base. I only used one coat as I knew I would be covering it up! I then used five polishes to achieve this look. I used Q-tips to dab on the polish and sort of remove the color at the same time, does that make sense? It sort of diffused the colors. It's sort of like The Nailasaurus' Nimbus Tutorial but without the acetone! As for those five polishes, they are: Above the Curve Banana to a Party, and Barry M's Plum, Pomegranate, Grapefruit, and Guava. I absolutely love how this turned out! I topped it off with some HK Girl Top Coat. 

I stamped using Konad Black and MoYou Explorer 03. I absolutely love this plate, the henna-like images are so gorgeous! Slapped a bit of HK Girl Top Coat to seal the images.

And to finish it off I used Essie Matte About You to complete the look. I loved this mani, I really didn't want to take it off! I got a lot of compliments at work! :)

Don't forget to check out the other ladies as they take you around the world!

An InLinkz Link-up