Black Tip Mani

The Black French Tip Manicure

The French Tip is so classic, it is easy and sophisticated.  This tutorial will show you a twist on the manicure without a lot of effort or prep.

For more great products tips and ideas, be sure to visit us at

https://www.facebook.com/plumvalleydesigns

or you can find your own style with these great products:

https://plumvalleynotions.etsy.com 

Give Away Time!

It's Time for a Give Away! 

We are giving away a great set of goodies for the launch of our Rafflecopter! If you have not already joined via Facebook, then you can fill out the form here! It's super easy and quick! 

The prizes will consist of a hand made bar of cocoa butter soap in rose and bergamot, a mineral eye shadow (appropriately Dr Who themed) and a glitter/textured polish!  No purchase necessary! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Good Luck!!

Long Live the Queen

With all the hustle and bustle this week and traveling I have not done a tutorial.  I feel as though I have fallen so far behind I don't know where to start to catch up. But....... I did get a few minutes today to work on some goodies.  

I have created the last in the Holographic series of polishes, The Dark Queen.  It is an intense steel grey color with a hint of blue and holographic shine! 
It is amazing and has the most prismatic rainbow effect in the sunlihgt.  I just can't wait to do a tutorial with this color! 

Long Live the Queen!

For more great products tips and ideas, be sure to visit us at

https://www.facebook.com/plumvalleydesigns

or you can find your own style with these great products:

https://plumvalleynotions.etsy.com 

Just another Manic Monday

It has been a long weekend .....

With the chance of an even longer Monday.  We have been busy with Farmers Markets, Fair's and more but this week is going to just take it out of me.  I have to take my two girls to an airport today so they can fly off to Alaska, without me!    Granted they can do it on their own, but all the prep has been nuts!  

With all chaos this past week, I did not get a new nail done but I do have a color to share with you. Excalibur, a silvery gold holographic polish is new to our collection.  It has intense shine and sparkle.  I love it.  And of course I love the pattern I painted on it too!  
Even though I am ready, I am sure it will be just another Manic Monday.......

Next week...... a Manicure!
Happy Monday!

For more great products tips and ideas, be sure to visit us at

https://www.facebook.com/plumvalleydesigns

or you can find your own style with these great products:

https://plumvalleynotions.etsy.com 

The Checkered Sponge

image found on Google

I'ts a piece of cake! 

This tutorial will show you how to create a single colored checkered look that will amaze your friends.  All you need is two colors of polish, some thin pieces of tape or nail tape, a cosmetic sponge and a top coat of your choosing!

Lets get started…... Bring out your Checkered Sponge! 

This is the lighter color under the darker sponged color, just for a reference

Finished product with darker under lighter sponging. 

If you choose to share this tutorial, please link back to this post or re-write in your own words, Thanks! 

For more great products tips and ideas, be sure to visit us at

https://www.facebook.com/plumvalleydesigns

or you can find your own style with these great products:

https://plumvalleynotions.etsy.com 

Nail of the Day

I have been on a mission.
I have been searching through all the blogs and images Google can find for me to work on new styles and designs for short nails and small fingers.  I love the intricate designs and looks that some of these gals can do but I cannot do that.  I can make my nails look like Elmo painted them, but not much more than that! 

I found a Blog called thenailpolishproject.com and there are some fun looks that she has done!  I have done my best with my short nails to recreate a fun look she had into a sophisticated look I want.  So I will get  myself in gear and present the Nail of the Day. 

 I used The Queens Crown and You Betcha Black from Plum Valley Notions

For more great products tips and ideas, be sure to visit us at

https://www.facebook.com/plumvalleydesigns

or you can find your own style with these great products:

https://plumvalleynotions.etsy.com 

Just another Fun Friday Treat! 

A quick and easy way to add a fabulous burst of fun to your manicure! 

For more great products tips and ideas, be sure to visit us at

https://www.facebook.com/plumvalleydesigns

or you can find your own style with these great products:

https://plumvalleynotions.etsy.com 

The Beaded Curtain Nail Art Tutorial

With everything that has been going on the past few weeks, I have been so far behind on tutorials!  They are fun, exciting and a great way to share some of my nail colors I mix up and sell on Etsy and others I have an obsession with!

I love nail polish!  I had stopped buying it for a long time but now that my girls are older and we get our nails done regularly, I have gone into full polish mode! I cannot NOT buy polish when we go to the store!
But with a few new colors and one of my own, I have reproduced a look that was perfect for the colors I chose.  I originally found this look from nailsfromfairytale.com.  She had an amazing look with bright colors that I loved.  BUT......  I have small hands and I could not do this design on all 10 of my fingers! So I did chose to do one nail.
Without further ado, lets get this party started!

I first started with two coats of Lady of the Lake holographic polish I made. I allowed my nails to dry completely before moving to the next step.

I took Julep's Millie and I painted two thin lines on my nail.  This was a little tricky because you will have four lines all together when you are done.  I used a small paint brush to make my lines thin.

After I painted the lines, I took my dotting tool and I made three dots, on each line, making sure they were lined up with each other. 

 Then I added one white line, but if you have larger nails it will look better if you have two.  (see the last photo) You will alternate the white lines with the blue lines.  I used Finger Paints Paper Mache' for this step. Once the lines were painted, then I put dots on the white lines, that were staggered between the blue lines. Repeat this step with both white lines.  If you have both white lines painted, your dots should line up with each other.  Just like the blue lines and dots.

After you allow the initial dots to dry, you will take your blue and white and alternate dots on the lines.  On your blue lines/dots you will add white dots.  On your white lines/dots, you will add blue dots on top of existing white dots. 

 After you allow your nails to completely dry, then you will want to add two coats of a clear top coat. and voila! You have an amazing Beaded Curtain look to your nails.  You can mix and match colors that suit your style.

If you choose to share this tutorial, please re-write it in your own words or link it back to this page. Thanks! 

For more information on great products, tips and tutorials, follow me on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/plumvalleydesigns

All work and no play....

It has been almost a week......... 

I have not had a chance to get some nail tutorials out and I feel like I am going through withdrawals! 

So instead of a tutorial, which I hope to get a chance tonight....I will share another new color I have recently added to the Dragonflies Collection on Etsy.   This color is called Vivien- The Enchantress.  It is an amazing pink holo polish that I mixed up.  This picture is two coats, no clear top coat!  it is a soft color, not overwhelming and full of shine!  If you are on a budget but love those top of the line polishes, this is the way to go!  Great color, great shine and not so hard on the finances.  

Maybe I will have to put a tutorial together with this color!!  But I have to get my work done first.  After all, this week has been all work and no play. 

Vivien- The Enchantress

Monday, Monday.... Has anyone seen the Loch Ness?

OHHHH Monday, Monday ...............

Has anyone seen the Loch Ness?

 I had a tutorial planned for today but realized as going through the photo's I missed taking pictures of one vital step. A must have to understand the process, so instead I decided to share a new color I have made with you.  This color is called Loch Ness from the DragonFlies Collection on Etsy.  It is a Khaki green color with holographic shimmer.  The holographic polish is easy to get off with nail polish remover.  The photo above is without a clear top coat.  If you want a softer look, then you can go without a top coat but I personally go for shine!

These are the other two colors currently available.  There will be more to come and they will be a limited edition.  Pictured here from left to right: 

Lady of the Lake, Vivien- The Enchantress. and Loch Ness

They can be found at Plum Valley Notions on Etsy.  They are Currently $9 delivered, an amazing price considering the name brands similar to this start at $12 a bottle before shipping! 

Be sure to check them out and see which one will be your new favorite! And be sure to check back often because the colors will change!  

Have a Fantastic Monday! 

French Mani with a twist.... Bwahahahahaha!

Ok, so my evil laugh is not so evil.  It is really just goofy to tell you the truth but that is what makes me, ... well.... ME!

I had a little time tonight to play around with some more nail colors that I have recently made for my DragonFlies Collection on Etsy.
This tutorial is very easy to do. It is almost too simple yet dramatic and amazing!  You can switch up the colors to reflect summer, fall, Christmas, movie premiers and even the colors of your Dragon. This evening my dragon is the color of charred breath and gold treasure.
I used Dragons Breath that is from my DragonFlies Collection on Etsy, and I used the Finger Paints color Wild For Art.  These two colors are really great together but you can use any color really.

For this look you will need two colors of polish, paper towel, tape, cotton balls or swabs and some polish remover. I was using a non acetone polish remover since I have acrylic tips on right now.
Step one:  Paint four nails a solid dark color.  Paint one nail the lighter color. Allow to dry.

So what I did here was paint the V shape on my nail to see how it looked before I added the color.  I unfortunately did not get a picture of the gold paint on this nail.... 

Next step is take the lighter color and create a V shape on each nail.  You can use tape to section off the lower portion of your nail if you don't feel confident enough to free hand this.  If you have a regular nail polish brush, it is pretty easy. This is two coats of the Wild For Art by Finger Paints over Dragons Breath. 

showing freehand and taped 

This is what it should look like when you are finished with the light over the dark

And this is what it looks like with dark over light!  I love the blend of these two colors! 

With your V-shaped manicure, your possibilities are endless.  

And Voila! 

You have a French Manicure with a Twist!  

If you choose to share this tutorial, re-type in your own words or use this and link it back to this post.

For more information on great products, tips and tutorials, follow me on Facebook at:

https://facebook.com/plumvalleydesigns

Another fun treat for your nails

Today I went through several different colors of polish.  I am beginning to think I have an obsession!  I have about 5 colors coming in the mail and I also make them.  Can you say overload???
So with all these colors I never know where to start but I knew immediately what I wanted to do. It was difficult to pick out the right colors to use, but I had a good idea of which ones I wanted. The Peacock so grand in color, design, and elegant.  So regal but yet open to interpretation.  It is time consuming and takes patience so I suggest that you only paint one nail this way and the others a solid color.  I have not created this look but developed my own twist on it.  There are many different versions out there of this design. But if you have the patience and the time, then by all means be sure to drop in and share your photos on my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/plumvalleydesigns

But without furter Ado, here is this weeks challenge, and another fun treat for your nails!!

 I actually suggest a fine tip brush for the gold nail polish.  It was difficult to control the polish and apply it directly over the white stripes.  Next time I do this I will be sure to have a different tool for the gold glitter polish.  And as always after painting your nails I suggest you use a cuticle oil or salve to rehydrate your nail beds and cuticles.  

If you need to increase the size, please right click and save to your computer.  There you will be able to enlarge the instructions. 

If you choose to share this tutorial, re-type in your own words or use this and link it back to this post.

As for my nails, I could not part with my new polish, Uaine- The Mystical Green Dragon Polish from My DragonFlies collection in the shop, Plum Valley Notions.  It is an amazing color with such sparkle and shine. Two coats of this and I am in love! One clear top coat and it gives it life! 

Captain America is my Hero!

With Fourth of July around the corner, my thoughts turn Patriotic; red white and blue! So with a little patience and some great inspiration, I was able to create a sophisticated look with some good ole' fashion inspiration.
I thought long and hard about who I wanted to honor with my colors, and with what I could create to have a look that would go with just about everything.  Then it came to me, I looked down at my t-shirt and knew.... MY HERO!!!!

Image found on Google

With a little trial and error, I found some colors that would look good, be subtle and not overwhelm .... well, ME!  I used Julep nail colors.  I have so many that I never use so I thought this would be a great time to pull them out and see what I could dream up. I picked some great colors; Gunta a true blue color, Dendrie the steel grey, Jordan a sparkling black and silver tribute to stars everywhere and Glenn the shining red in every true American love. With these colors I was able to pull together a tribute fit for a hero......

Captain America, You're my Hero!!  

Here is my Julep Nail Tutorial in your honor! 

If you need to increase the size, please right click and save to your computer.  There you will be able to enlarge the instructions. 

If you choose to share this tutorial, re-type in your own words or use this and link it back to this post.

A little Summer Fun for your Nails

Not unlike many of us who sit for hours on Pinterest, I have found myself doing the same thing;

giggling at the funnies..............

Oogling the Oh So Hot............

And searching for things to do with my nails!  I have found a new obsession for sure!  There are thousands of photo's out there but not that many tutorials!  So I was hoping to get a few done this summer and share with you.  

This week I have pulled together the super cute and easy peasy Leopard Print for your nails!  I have created a lot of the colors that are currently in my shop and have tested them on these designs!  I hope that you enjoy this series of tutorials and find a little summer fun for your nails! 

To save the Tutorial to your computer, right click and "save image as". Once saved to your computer you can  enlarge the photo.

For more great products and these polishes, go to http://plumvalleynotions.etsy.com

If you choose to share this tutorial, re-type in your own words or use this and link it back to this post.

Ladybug Ladybug Fly away home....

You know, I love ladybugs.  I have ladybug hair pins, I love the colors red and black. My youngest daughter was my moms "Lucky Ladybug".

So in my mind, it stands to reason that I would find something crazy to do with ladybugs!

Image found on Google

Searching through the internet on new and exciting ways to paint my nails with the new polish that will be in my Etsy shop soon, I came across this tutorial on how to make ladybug fingernails....  I just had to try it!  And with an idea in my mind and the supplies to create the colors I needed, I was off!  

  

 I first started with two basic colors, a clear top coat and a dot tool.  The colors used are You Betcha Black and Hello Dorothy by Plum Valley Notions (yes... me).  I have an OPI top coat because I love OPI.  And last but not least, I have a dot tool.  Super easy to use and has two sides for small dots and for larger dots.

I made sure my hands were clean and dry then I applied two coats of the Hello Dorothy Nail Polish and allowed it to dry. 

Next, I did this part in two phases.  I went over the top of my nail as if I were giving myself a french manicure in You Betcha Black.  I allowed that to dry.  If you are not as steady to to this freehand you can always use the french manicure guides. 

I then went back over with a fine tip brush and drew a line from the bottom up and curved to the right slightly.  I repeated the step and then curve to the left.  I fill in the small "V" if needed with the You Betcha Black Nail polish.

Then came the fun part!  I added dots with the large end of the dot tool.  I added three dots to each side because my nails are so small!  (don't look at t hose cuticles!  they are in desperate need of love this weekend) I repeat this step by just dabbing the dot tool on the brush then onto the nail.

 Finally I finish with a top coat to seal all my hard work! And now I have 10 little ladybugs to keep me company!  And the best part is I find myself singing the rhyme... "Ladybug, ladybug fly away home"

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!  I am not a professional nail artist but I do want to share what I can do with the new nail polish line that will be coming to my Etsy shop soon!  With bold new colors and great products, you will be able to primp and pamper all in one spot! 

Please note all the photo's are my own. IF they are not mine I have labeled where they were found.  Please do not use these photo's without permission from me.