how I do my own nails at home

I used to get really bad hangnails all the time up until I started getting professional manicures in 2016. It completely solved the problem and I've been blissfully hangnail-free ever since. That is, until the pandemic started, and I realized I'd have to learn how to do my own nails, post haste! At first I bought a kit to DIY my own acrylics but it was really, really difficult. It took me somewhere between 4-6 hours each time I did them, they were really bumpy, they wouldn't last very long, and to get them off I'd have to file them down with an electric nail file which added even more time onto the process. I gave up on doing my own acrylics in May, just two months after I started lol!

In the mean time I tried just doing gel polish, which would always chip after 1-2 days, the Kiara Sky gelly system, and just plain old regular polish which chipped even faster than the gel and didn't make any difference preventing hangnails. 

Finally I decided to just try glue-on nails with gel polish over them and that has been my go-to method for over six months now. They last about 2-3 weeks and the whole process usually takes me about the length of a movie. It still takes a little longer than it would if I went to a salon and it lasts about one week less than a professional manicure (and it definitely doesn't look as great lol) but I'm so happy that I figured out a way to stay hangnail-free, have pretty manicured nails, and avoid unnecessary outings during the pandemic! These actually feel like real acrylics, they are hard as nails, and perfect for opening cans and scratching itches lol



What I use

- UV Lamp - This is the one that I have, and I really like it.

- Alcohol wipes

- Nail file

- 100% acetone

- Foil wraps for removing gel polish

- Cuticle softener

- Cuticle pusher & trimmer

- Cuticle oil

- Gel nail base & top coat

- Glue-on nails (I like KISS brand)

- Gel polish (I like Beetles and Kiara Sky brands)

My process

1. If I am removing old nails then first I would soak the nail in acetone for 15 minutes and then use a cuticle pusher & nail file to remove any leftover product. If you aren't removing old nails, skip ahead to step 2.

2. Use cuticle softener on the nail beds and then clean up with a cuticle pusher & trimmer before filing and wiping the nails with alcohol wipes. 

3. Apply a small dot of glue to the nail & a small dot to my own nail. Press for 30 seconds.

4. File the nails down to the length & shape that I like, and then file the surface to rough it up a bit so that the gel polish will hold.

5. Apply one coat of base gel to one hand. Put hand under the light for 99 seconds.

6. Apply one coat of color to one hand. Put hand under the light for 99 seconds.

7. Apply second coat of color to one hand. Put hand under the light for 99 seconds.

8. Apply one coat of top gel to one hand. Put hand under the light for 99 seconds.

9. Wipe fingers with alcohol wipes.

10. Repeat the process for your other hand.

11. Apply cuticle oil and massage it into the nail beds.

Some tips

- Don't skip the step where you file your nails and then wipe them with alcohol wipes before applying the glue-on nails. It really helps them to stick better.

- Once you figure out which nail fits perfectly on each finger, make a note of the number (it's either printed on a little removable tab or on the inside of the nail itself, depending on which type of nails you get) and then write it down. Then next time you do your nails you immediately know which ones fit and you don't have to take the time to size each one.

- Hold the nail in place after you glue it for 30 seconds. I know that seems like a lot but I've found they stay on better if I hold them longer than the recommended 10 seconds.

- If you have a hard time holding the nail in place without getting glue on your fingers (speaking from experience lol) buy longer nails and then file them down to the length that you want them. I prefer short-medium length nails but I buy slightly longer fake nails that give me a little lip to hold onto when I'm gluing.

- When the nails have been on for about 2-3 weeks they might start popping off on their own. LET THEM. Just go a few days with some missing nails. It ends up being a gigantic time saver when it comes time to put on a new set. I used to keep gluing mine back on and then when I was ready to remove them I had to soak all of my nails in acetone and slough off the glue and old nails, and it just takes so much longer than letting them pop off on their own. Usually like 9 of my nails will pop off in a 1-2 day span towards the end of my set and I'll be left with one single stubborn nail that will need to be soaked off, but it's way easier than doing all 10. All this being said, if one nail pops off 3 days into a new set I do still glue that one back on :)

- When you're painting with your non-dominant hand, I've found that it helps a lot of I move the hand that I'm painting instead of the hand holding the brush. It helps me have more control and has resulted in much, much neater paint jobs. Sometimes my right hand comes out even better than my left, something that definitely was not the case when I first started this last March lol!

Mini kitchen DIY/tour

As I mentioned two posts back, I had an uncomfortable living situation for most of 2020 and a byproduct of that ordeal was that I did not have access to the kitchen in my house. It's a long story, but suffice to say I spent most of 2020 buying processed foods that you could eat out of a box and ordering way more McDonald's lunches and dinners than I should ever admit lol. By September I just felt so unhealthy that I decided to build a makeshift kitchen in my room so that I could start cooking my own meals, store frozen vegetables, and generally just eat normal again.

I haven't left the house since March so this whole area was constructed by meticulously measuring the space in my room and double-checking online measurements before ordering all of the necessary pieces for delivery. And it all fit and worked absolutely perfectly! In late November I was able to start using the real kitchen in my house again, but I still use this regularly and I'm so glad that for September, October, and November I was able to get healthy again.

I thought I'd share this for two reasons - first of all, I am super proud of how this turned out! I didn't just make the best of a bad situation, I made it cute too! :) And also when I first decided to do this I researched to see if anyone else had done something similar and I couldn't find anything! So I thought, perhaps if someone out there has a little studio apartment or office that could use a cute tiny kitchen, maybe my experience will come in handy for you!





Since I have wall-to-wall (ugly.. ugh!) carpet and didn't want the refrigerator resting on a carpeted floor I built a small tiled floor using a chair mat and peel-and-stick tiles. I actually do not recommend this particular method since the weight of the furniture has warped the floor a bit. If you're doing this I would recommend building a plywood base first, since it would be more sturdy than the chair mat was.



This gives you a little better view of the whole layout. The "wall" behind my kitchen is actually a piece of beadboard that my brother cut to size for me with a circular saw. I have a curtain hanging on the other side that faces my bedroom. The curtain has been there for years but with the kitchen appliances there I didn't want the cords bumping up against fabric so I decided to build my own wall! 



Here's a brief summary of what I did and where I got everything:

1. The refrigerator is a 3.2 cubic foot mini fridge from Home Depot. I picked this because of the color (obviously) but also because it has way more freezer space than most mini fridges, and I really wanted to be able to store a lot of frozen vegetables and smoothie materials.

2. The microwave is from Amazon. Not the best microwave and it usually needs a minute added on to every cook time but it does the job and it's pretty enough :)

3. The microwave shelf is also from Amazon. It comes with thin clear plastic protectors that you can put on the shelves but they weren't sturdy enough so I painted some cork board pink and cut it to size instead.

4. The toaster is from Amazon. I obviously tend to purchase things because they look pretty but this is also a really nice toaster.

5. The ice cream artwork is from Everyday is a Holiday (two of my favorite artists so please check them out even if you aren't in need of an ice cream plaque!) 

6. The white scalloped shelves on my wall are actually these plastic shelves from Amazon that I painted white with chalk paint (it adheres better to plastic) and faced with laser cut scalloped wood that I cut myself. The pink shelves are these narrower plastic shelves from Amazon, painted white and then faced with scalloped wood that I cut and painted pink.

7. I got my electric kettle from Amazon. Unfortunately they don't have the pink one listed anymore there but the brand is ASCOT. I love this kettle so much that even though I have access to the stovetop in my kitchen again I still keep making my tea this way.

8. I got the table from Wayfair. This table turned out to be the most perfect makeshift kitchen I could have hoped for! The side has shelving so I could store snacks and ingredients for cooking, it's the perfect height for a countertop, and the mini fridge fits under the tabletop *perfectly* with a little room to spare for a tray that I use to store cooking utensils. My brother drilled a hole near the back of the tabletop so that I could drop cords down as needed. When I'm not using it, the hole is covered up by the Coca Cola straw dispenser :)

9. The tray on top of the fridge is from Amazon. It fits like a glove and it has handles so it's easy for me to pull it out without looking whenever I need something. It's kind of like a little makeshift utensil drawer!

10. My cute spice jars with the pink lids are no longer available but I'm going to link to them just in case they miraculously come back in stock someday. 

11. My towel rack is from Amazon. I also bought some S-hooks separately so I could hang my measuring cups on the towel bar.

12. All of my canisters are these. I painted them (on the outside only, obviously) and then I designed custom labels and cut them out of vinyl on my Cricut.

13. My kitchen cart is no longer available in mint, it seems, but it's the absolute perfect size to go right next to the fridge and under the table (and at least it still seems to be available in pink!) 

14. I got these containers for the shelving on the side of my table. While I was using the kitchen every day I had these pushed to one side and used the extra space on the side of the container to store rice, pasta, etc. but now I whittled down my supplies and can keep it a little more tidy. It was very difficult finding containers I liked that fit *almost* perfectly into this weird narrow shelf space but these worked great!

15. Some links to various kitchen stuff: my blender, pink daisy trivets, pink kitchen utensils, pink measuring cups, pink knives, scissors and cutting board set I also used a peel-and-stick towel hanger on the front of the table. The one I purchased isn't available anymore but it's just a basic circular hanger. The oven mitts were purchased during my last trip to Hollywood but I can't remember the name of the store, sorry!

16. The peel-and-stick tiles I used for my floor were from Amazon. I liked these because they had four squares per tile so the black-and-white pattern would show up even though I was doing this in such a tiny space. 

17. Finally, my Instant Pot. This thing was a LIFE. SAVER. I was able to cook healthy meals for myself without access to a real kitchen. On the saute function I could make a scrambled egg for breakfast and with the pressure cook function I could make pasta fagioli for dinner. I even bought some pans to make baked goods in the instant pot like cornbread and cake on my birthday! I used this springform pan, this fluted pan, and this sling to lower them and raise them from the pot. 

18. For good measure, here are a few of my favorite recipes that I made with my instant pot - 

Orange chicken

Swedish meatballs with noodles (I used turkey meatballs)

Stuffed pepper soup (my favorite! I used ground chicken)

Chicken fried rice

And that's about it! Honestly this worked out for the best because this was an area of my room that I was always unsure what to do with. I've never been happy with it and it didn't show up in my photos all that often because I never felt like it looked right. So this little kitchen is a bit of a glow up for that corner of my room lol! Here's a before/after!

ps. Do you like the pink and brown purses hanging on the back of my door? I sure hope so!! More on those soon!! :D

DIY Mickey Ears holder

Sorry for that little unexpected hiatus! I'll let you know what's been going on in my next outfit post on Monday but I just wanted to pop in today to share this ridiculously easy DIY that I came up with. I was looking for a way to store all of my Mickey ears when I came home from Disney World with two more pairs. I looked at some headband holders on amazon and then it dawned on me that the shape I was looking for was about the same size as a roll of paper towels.

I took a brand new roll of paper towels, rolled it in a pillowcase, and then tucked the ends of the pillowcase into the holes of the paper tube. Then I just put all of my mickey ears on the roll, and the ends of the headband keep it from rolling off the table. That's it! SO easy! And now all of my cute ears are on display without taking up too much room. I think at some point I'll probably get some cute Disney fabric to wrap the paper towels in instead of a pillowcase, but for an impromptu DIY the pillowcase worked perfectly! :)

DIY easter bunny apron

This year will be my first year hosting Easter dinner for my family, and you know me.. I am going overboard. I'm so obsessed with the idea of forming new traditions with this dinner, so every decision has been something that I want to last for years to come. I got Beatrix Potter plates and carrot patterned cloth napkins, some incredibly cute wicker bunny decorations for the centerpiece, and little carrot shaped drawstring bags that I'll fill with goodies for each guest. Every year we go over my grandmom's for Christmas breakfast and I've always loved seeing the same decorations come out each year, the same sugar bowl, the same pastries from a local bakery. I want my family to feel that way about my Easter dinner. Ten or twenty years from now they'll be like "Yay! The Beatrix Potter plates!" or "I was looking forward to your vegetable pot pie all year!" I will definitely take photos and share details about my dinner afterwards, but today I wanted to show you a really easy quick DIY I whipped up!

I wanted a cute apron to wear on Easter while I'm cooking, since I'll want to be dressed in my Finest Pastels but I do not want to get food all over them. This apron is so incredibly easy to make -- and the only tools you need to make it are hot glue and scissors!



Materials needed:

Plain cotton apron (I got mine at Michaels)
Grey yarn
Wooden buttons
Pink and cream colored felt



Cut out two bunny ears from the cream fabric, and then two smaller bunny-ear shapes from the pink. Hot glue the pink shapes onto the cream shapes to form your ears!

Then simply hot glue the bunny ear pieces onto the straps of your apron (I attached the bottom of the ear to each corner of the apron, and then ran hot glue along the length of strap that the ear would be covering.) Hot glue the buttons on for eyes, and hot glue strips of yarn on to make a nose and whiskers. You could definitely sew this on, too, if you have the right needle for it! I just wanted to whip this up quickly and hot glue was easiest!

And voila - you have a cute little bunny apron for Easter!

DIY wicker accent sunglasses

I am a huge fan of the wicker/rattan trend going on right now. It's just so retro! My local Target has a whole area set up with their '70s inspired wicker on display and I feel like I've stepped into the department store where my Grandmom bought all her furniture 40 years ago. I love it!!

I thought "surely someone must have wicker sunglasses" since it's so popular right now, but when I couldn't find a single pair I decided to make them myself! These are pretty easy but a little time consuming, so put on your headphones and breeze through a few podcast episodes while you fashion yourself a pair of pretty wicker-accented sunglasses!



Materials you'll need:

Round plastic sunglasses (I used these)
Glue*
Natural colored twine (I used this one from IKEA)

I used Gorilla Glue hot glue sticks, which are supposed to be resistant to seasonal temperatures (so I'm hoping that includes hot summer sunshine!)



Start by popping out the lenses from your glasses, and then put them aside. I worked with about 12" of twine at a time, gluing one end to the back of the frames and just wrapping it around. Every so often I'd put a little bit of glue on the back again for added stability. Once you get to the end, cut the twine so that your end piece is in the back of the glasses and glue it down. I let the end piece totally dry down before adding a little more glue for my new piece of twine.

Work all the way around the lenses, except for the part where the arms meet the frames. I deliberately picked tortoiseshell frames because I thought that would look nice against the twine, but this would also look really nice with black frames too. Or hot pink! (I want everything to be pink, lol!)



When I reached the bridge of the frames I decided to add some more pattern to make this more like a real piece of wicker and not just "wrapped" frames. I made an X between the edge of the bridge and the frame, and then I started wrapping over that across the bridge. I think it would also look cool to just leave this part with the tortoiseshell showing through to match the edges, as well. (That would also be a lot easier, ha!)

Finally, the lenses! Obviously they won't fit back into the ridge where they used to be since that is now covered with the twine. So just put a little glue on the back of the frames where the bridge meets the frames, and where the arms meet the frames, and then pop the lenses back in! Make sure you get the lenses in nice and snug so you can still fold the glasses open and closed. And if you do use a glue gun, just be sure to go over the glasses once you're finished and pick off any little glue strands that are left on the glasses.

And that's it! It's a fun project to do at the end of February when spring and floppy hats and pretty dresses (and summery sunglasses!) are just around the corner :)

DIY projector cover

I swear most of the DIY projects that I do for my house are entirely so I can cover up something necessary but unsightly. Usually electronics, because it seems like nobody makes cute ones! Anyway, this is actually more like a "look what I made!" kind of post than a full on DIY but I'm definitely still going to explain how I did it in case you want to do something similar :)

I have a projector and pull-down screen instead of a television, which means that above my bed I have a grey projector attached to my wall with cords going down behind my bed. It's always bothered me, but I wasn't really sure how to cover it up. Then I got this shelf, and situated it so that my projector rested above it slightly. Then I made a cardboard cover that I can put over it whenever it's turned off.

I really only watch tv at night, so during the day the projector is turned off and I cover it up as part of my making-the-bed routine every morning now. I just found a box that was the right size to fit over the projector and I painted it to look like a little house! I used acrylic paint for most of it and then used a black sharpie to add some detail, like the shingles and little window boxes. I added a drawer pull to the top so that it's easy to take the cover on-and-off, and I also cut out the entire back of the box and part of the side. Two reasons - a) it helps the box to fit over the wires and b) I don't actually want the cardboard to touch the projector. Even though I only cover it when it's turned off I still want to be extra careful.



And voila! Isn't it so cute?! I also got a cord cover and painted it to match my wall so that I didn't just have black cords hanging down the wall anymore. I can be a bit obsessive (okay, VERY obsessive) about making sure that literally every single element of my living space is functional AND pretty, and this finally solved one not-pretty thing that had been getting under my skin for a few years.



ps. my rattan shelf is from urban outfitters here, and my vintage inspired bedding is available in my threadless shop here.

Before/After daisy bookshelf

I just got this vintage wicker bookshelf last week and I'm so happy with how my paint job turned out! I painted the shelf light pink and then I painted the daisies off-white with yellow centers. It was a much more time-intensive job than I anticipated, taking about 4 hours total, but it was so worth it! Here is a before and after shot to show what a difference a little paint can make!



The shelf had originally been painted dark green, and then somebody spray painted it a light cream color on top. But they didn't do a great job, with lots of the dark green seeping through. The cream color was also yellowing from age, and even though I wiped it down it still looked really dirty. I think it would have looked so pretty natural, without any paint at all, but I wouldn't even know where to begin to get it to look like that. I absolutely love how it turned out, though! And I'm so glad that I painted the daisies white and yellow instead of slathering the whole shelf in pink paint. It adds more visual interest and makes the piece look more unique, I think!

I bought this piece used (obviously, haha) but someone on ebay has shorter 3-shelf versions of this shelf brand new, right here. I actually bought one of the little ones and I'm debating whether or not I'll paint it to match. Hmm..

DIY houseplant for your cat

Lately Arrietty has really been enjoying rubbing her face in my houseplants. They're cat safe, so I don't have to worry for her sake, but my plants on the other hand! They're already looking a little the worse for wear because of the lack of sunshine this time of year, and those cat nuzzles are not helping matters any. So I decided to make Arrietty her own plant that she can rub her face in as much as she wants! She's already taken a liking to it so I'd say this DIY was a success!



Materials needed:

A ceramic pot
Plastic grass
Two feather stick cat toys
River rocks
Spray catnip
Styrofoam plant base
Brown kraft paper
Non-toxic glue



When you're shopping for the greenery, make sure you pick something with very substantial leaves that your cat won't be able to ingest. Mine had some small, thin pieces sticking out of it so I plucked them out beforehand.

Add some river rocks to the bottom of your pot for weight, and then put the styrofoam on top of it. Insert your plastic greenery. Using a sharp utility knife, cut off the bulk of the stick on the feather toys and then insert the shorter sticks into the styrofoam.

I forgot to take pictures of the next step, but to cover up the styrofoam just attach small crumpled pieces of brown kraft paper to the foam with non-toxic glue. Once the foam is entirely covered in the brown paper (I did two layers of paper to make sure the foam was totally inaccessible) spritz the ends of the leaves with catnip spray to entice your kitty away from your pretty parlor palms and into their own feline garden!

I can't say how happy I am with this project! Arrietty is content with her plant and has been staying away from the real plants. I just spray the leaves whenever I think it needs a little catnip refresh.

DIY button display

Lately I've been making a lot more buttons (mostly because I can make them myself, so it's much more budget-friendly than having lapel pins produced) and I wanted a way to display some of my favorites in my studio. This DIY is so incredibly simple, and if you have an overwhelming collection of buttons, it's the perfect way to turn them into wall art when they aren't being worn :)



Materials you'll need:

A picture frame (I used an 8x10 frame, but use whatever size you'd like!)
A heavy duty stapler
7/8" wide grosgrain ribbon
Masking tape
A piece of patterned paper, cut to 8x10
Buttons!



Start by removing the glass from the frame and putting your patterned paper in. Then cut lengths of ribbon that are long enough to wrap around the edge of the frame and lay them out where you want them to go. At this point you should take a few of your buttons and lay them on the ribbons to make sure the spacing will work. I decided to only display 1.5" buttons on my frame, so four ribbons worked perfectly for me. If you'll be displaying 2.25" or 1" buttons your spacing might be different.

Once you've decided how to space everything, take your masking tape and secure the ribbon in place. This is not only easier than measuring (I'm all for doing things the right way, but I'm even *more* for doing things the easy way. lol!) but it will help hold the ribbon secure when you're stapling it in place.



Flip your frame over, and staple the ribbons on the back. Do the same thing for the bottom of the ribbon, making sure to pull the ribbon very taut to make sure it won't sag when you hang the buttons.

And honestly, that is IT! You're done! Just attach your buttons, and hang it up on the wall!



All of the buttons pictured here were designed by me and they're available in my shop right here!

DIY girl power protest sign

The annual women's march is coming up this weekend and I'm here to help if you need an easy last minute sign! I feel so much more optimistic and excited about the march this year. In 2017 it was a really solemn occasion. It was cathartic, but I felt so hopeless. But now that Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker again and we have over 100 women in Congress for the first time (!!) and we're getting SO close to the 2020 election, I just feel so much more energetic and hopeful!



Materials you'll need:

2 sheets of colored poster board
1 sheet of foam board
My free template (download here)
Scissors
Utility knife

You'll also need either sticker paper, white paint, or white card stock and glue depending on which method you want to use and what materials you already have on hand if you're doing this at the last minute :) Be sure to read through the whole tutorial before deciding how you want to make your sign since I have a few different ways. It's kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure protest sign, lol!



If you want to make a double-sided sign with a handle, you'll need to use all three pieces of board. If you're just going to make a double-sided or single-sided sign to hold with your hands, you can leave out the foam board.

Start out by cutting a large circle out of the board. If you have a garbage can lid that you can trace, that's probably the easiest way to do this. I didn't have one (our garbage lids are rectangular, darn it!) so I tied a piece of string to a pencil and drew it that way (there's a tutorial for this method on youtube here.)



If you have white sticker paper, print out the template onto the paper and then cut out each letter. Lay out your design and then stick each letter to the board one by one.

If you're going to paint the letters onto the sign, print out the template onto plain paper and then cut out and trace the letters onto your board.

And if you're using paper and glue, print out the template onto white card stock, cut out the letters, and then glue them onto the board.



If you're using a handle, tape it to the bottom of the foam board and sandwich the foam board in between the two pieces of poster board. I also edged my foam board with red masking tape to make it look prettier ;) Most cities only allow cardboard for sign handles, since wood or metal can be dangerous, so make sure whatever material you're using is OK before attaching it!

ps. This design is also available on t-shirts, totes, mugs, etc. in my Threadless shop right here, and it's included in my new feminist button set right here.

DIY water bottle tripod

Last year I recorded one second of video everyday (using this app) and after a couple months of trying (and usually failing) to prop up my phone on various surfaces, I realized that I needed some kind of tripod that I could carry with me. Something to have on hand whenever a "one second" opportunity arose. I didn't want to weigh down my bag with a portable tripod, so I decided to work with what I already carry everywhere - a water bottle! This is honestly the easiest DIY on earth and it works so well. I made two "tripods" using my 16oz bottle that I take with me when I go out, and my 40oz bottle that I drink from at home.



Materials needed:

A water bottle
(If you don't already have one, here is a 16oz bottle, and here's a 40oz bottle)
A cell phone - pretty floral case optional ;)
An adhesive phone ring
An adhesive ring mount



Attach the phone ring to the back of your phone case, and attach the ring mount near the top of your water bottle. Let the adhesive cure for about 12 hours before hanging your phone from the mount. Since these rings swivel around, you can take video and photo horizontally or vertically.

And that's it! SO EASY! And it makes taking pictures and video a hundred times easier, especially if you're planning on trying to do the one second a day challenge this year. It also makes it easier to get selfies with your cat ;)