Summer Challenge - Day 29 - Cricket

Hi Goddesses

I am going to start with an exclamation - wow!! thank you !! 1000 followers !!  hurrah !!  so chuffed !! thrilled, you don't know how much this means, genuinely xx

And follow it up with an outraged question - how the hell have I gotten so behind with everything ??   Well, I probably know.  I had a major job interview this week, so that time I usually spend prepping posts so that I can just press C-LICK when I feel like it, evaporated, and it's taken me until 70 minutes to midnight to realise I was supposed to post this today!  Whooooooops.  Which is also kinda ironic, as I was really really chuffed when I did this on Sunday night, and couldn't wait to post it .......

Cricket.  English sport of gentlemen.  Played at test level over 5 days, or in 1 day formats that are a bit more action driven.   Partly made legend by a British radio program called Test Match Special, fond lovers of cake of all and any varieties, and creators of perhaps the most awesome radio clip of all time - when Jonners and Aggers wept with laughter because "Botham got his leg over".  It's one of those radio moments that makes you CRY with laughter - you cannot fail to join in with them, every single time.

Isn't that wonderful ?  It's the "Aggers do stop it" that makes me weep.  It's a radio clip held in a lot of affection in the UK.  Jonners (the older of the 2) died a few years ago but was a broadcasting legend - it's so wonderful his legacy lives on.

So, onto the nails.  The nails are divided into different elements of the game.  The thumb shows the pitch and the index finger shows the bails and the wicket (which must be knocked over by the ball) and at the top edge, you can see the boundary rope.  (Polishes used - Barielle Polished Princess for the green, and Nails Inc Colville Mews for the cream).

The middle nail is the red cricket ball.  In these photos it doesn't look red at all lol, but I can assure you it did in real life!!  This is China Glaze Velvet Bow, a deliciously wicked red (like the red apple the witch gave Snow White) and it's dotted with Colville Mews for the seam of the ball.

I also used Velvet Bow on the little finger, sponged on lightly.  Cricketers rub the ball along their groin and inner thigh to get it shiny, so this is the red stain they develop on their trousers.   Finally, the ring finger is 4, one of the key scores in cricket.

Oh, and by the way, England are currently the world's number 1 side.  I'm not actually gloating, cos when I say it was a long time coming, I am really not kidding!!

Enjoy xx :)

Tulips

Hi Goddesses

Ever since I wrote this challenge, I knew what my tulips mani would be - big, bold and red, with a splashed black heart, and maybe a little bit of yellow pollen.   Yeh, this isn't that mani.

I've learnt that my inability to draw / paint comes from an inability to recreate what's in my mind.  Although I'm a visual person, I can only draw if I'm looking at the shape / pattern I need.  If I just wing it and go, it doesn't work.   So usually I load up Google images and click away, and this time something unusual caught my eye - this.

This isn't at all what I planned to do, but I liked that it was different, and there was a chance no-one else would do it.   It's been quite amusing how some days, all of us in the challenge have essentially done the same mani - well, maybe not today.

This mani has 2 levels to it, and I have kicked myself for not taking a photo at the half way point.   The first level was this - 2 coats of OPI Stranger Tides, then top coat.   Then a water colour mani in vertical strokes using Barielle Polished Princess - a metallic medium green.  Unfortunately, this was too light on its own, so to better get the colour of the stalks I also added vertical washing with Essie School of Hard Rocks.  (Watercolour mani is when you add drops of the colour to your nail, then smear it around using an acetone-dipped art brush; it's VERY effective).

Once dry, I added my tulips.  To be honest, the shape of them kind of sucks.  They're not very bulb shaped, and I'm going to blame that on my left hand.  I used SH Right Said Red, CG Its Poppin', CG Papaya Punch, and a purple spectraflair franken I made.

Overall, I LOVE the effect.  Can you tell they're tulips ?  No, not really, but I still love it.  I also love that you can just about see some of the green wash between the flashes of colour.

There's something really bright and happy about this mani.  It's practically effortless, and it falls into my favourite category - artfully disguised mess.

Enjoy xx :)