Friday Friends - Jo from Northern Nails

Hi Goddesses

It's back !! It's back !!  I'm sorry, Friday Friends took a little unscheduled break due to the sale they call Blog :)  It kept me so busy when I first posted it, that it wasn't til I fell into bed that night that I sat bolt upright and screamed "bollocks!".  Well, whispered.


So, who do we have today?  Well, today we have the lovely Jo, a UK blogger who is part of of the British Nail Blogger group.  She's also the woman who bullied me into the Superheroes and Villains Challenge :)


Take it away Jo .....


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What is your name and what is your blog –

Hi all I’m Joanne but everyone just calls me Jo and I’m  from Northern Nails, I live in the North West of the UK in the coastal resort of  Blackpool,  I have plenty  of ways you can follow my nail addiction  collection  ;)

Blog : http://therockchicksrambles.blogspot.co.uk

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/northernnails

Tumblr:  http://northernnailsuk.tumblr.com

Blog Lovin:  http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/3266928/northern-nail

Google + https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/104021110038175295230/104021110038175295230/posts

Facebook :  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Northern-Nails/289154951116583

Twitter @NorthernNails

What can we expect to see on your blog / How would you describe your style / your blog’s style

I am a bit of a this and that girl/lady, I do whatever my mood dictates, my favourite manicures are dotticures as they take the least time, I also love to dabble with the stamping plates , I usually paint my nails then a few days later jazz them up to give them longevity. I don’t really have a style, being a young, energetic, busy 41 year old I love to experiment with my manicures.

Why did you decide to start the blog –

When I turned 40, you could say I had somewhat of a midlife crisis, I didn’t go out and buy a new car or plastic surgery, I decided I had been a tomboyish person for long enough now I was going to be a lady!!!!! and I started to buy makeup and watch videos on how to apply it it! Yep at 40!  I only rarely wore makeup when I went out which was maybe once or twice a year! I also started to grow out my nails and discovered I had a love and a somewhat talent for nail art. So I started the blog to catalogue my ever growing polish collection and the manicures that I did , then slowly but surely they came, the lovely ladies who actually read my blog and comment on my manicures, I feel very privileged that people like them ::D

How many followers do you have / how many visitors do you get a day / if you have an established blog, how have you “built” your following

The amount of readers I have has never bothered me as long as those that do happen upon my bit of the net enjoy what I do! I think I have about 250 at the moment and I suppose if you do things for honest reasons people will come along and read.

What do you do in the real world, and how do you fit blogging in with your lifestyle ?

I am a Post Office assistant in the real world and in my part time, normally while on holidays, I am a Geologist! , yes I love my rocks I am an original Rock Chick! I normally find time to do my nails at weekends, also maybe once or twice during the week when I finish early!

What is the favourite post you have done

This was my favourite post, it was for Mother’s day and a Stamping Sunday manicure

http://therockchicksrambles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/happy-mothers-day-uk.html

What is your most popular ever post 

The post that had the most views was My Barry M half Moons Manicure , it was the first time I have tried it and although I wasn’t particularly happy with it everyone else was and  even the people at Barry M!

http://therockchicksrambles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/barry-m-half-moons.html

Which blogger do you most admire / who do you follow / who are your go to bloggers

I have a lot of blogs that I follow and admire far too many to list,  most of them if not all are on my blog roll!

These blogs I just love to read and look at the pretty Pictures : D

Marta @ ChitChatNails

Rie @ Nails and Noms

Sammy @ Nailasaurus

Esther @ FabFingerTips

When blog posts go wrong –  

I am not ashamed of any of my manicures although I do look back at when I started to blog and maybe cringe a little at the state of my nails , as I have since taught myself how to care for them and have a weekly routine, but I do have manicures that I think I could have done better! But it is always good to post all manicure attempts whether they are hits or misses or how else do we learn!

This manicure is my favourite glitter and its green to boot! But as you can see all my nails are different lengths! I may redo all these Nerdlacquer ones again as they deserve much better shaped nails!

http://therockchicksrambles.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/nerdlacquer-quasar-review.html

Pick a further 3 manis of your choice from your blog 

This one is special to me as it was my first nail art mani and it was a dotticure! It was also for a great cause that we have in the UK

http://therockchicksrambles.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/children-in-need-nails.html

The next one is a favourite because it was my first ever Guest Post and for a very talented Nail Blogger too!

http://www.chitchatnails.com/2012/02/11/guest-post-joanne-from-northern-nails/

 And finally this one was for my beloved Simba whom we lost very recently!

http://therockchicksrambles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/memories.html

Finally your stash – talk about your favourite brands, colours, must have tools, your “number” etc

My favourite brand is Barry M , they are great for all sorts of nail art and the foils are awesome stampers, I also love China Glaze, I think it’s the bottles and the brush size that appeals to me and also the unique names they come up with! I wouldn’t be without my dotticure pens they are invaluable to me!

My favourite nail polish Colours are Purple, Greens and Blues, but I am known to go weak at the knees for a good flakie and holo :D

Oh and one last thing – what tip would you share with someone who is thinking about starting a blog ?

I don’t have any advice as I consider myself a newbie still, but only do for enjoyment not for any fringe benefits you think you may get or you could well be disappointed!

Let’s Get Personal

What’s your earliest polish memory

This is easy last October when I bought my first Barry M lol

Fave film

Anything with Ewan McGregor in!  :D But my all-time favourite film is Interview with a vampire! Which doesn’t have him in but he would have been great in it!

Fave type of music

Rock anything by Aerosmith and Matchbox Twenty!

How old are you lol

41 years young! 21 in my head still :D

Are you a cat or dog person

Actually both , I love both my boys (cats ) and my girl ( dog)

Fave book

I love the House of Night series . I like reading supernatural books the most

If you won £5million on the lottery, what would you do

I would sit on it for a while and accumulate some interest then go on a worldwide tour to visit some of the fabulous ladies I have met since starting my blog!

What inspires you

Lots of different things inspire me! As I have a love of all things to do with the earth I find this planet we call home inspires  me the most!

Share a quote that means a lot to you

There are five things in life you cannot recover: A stone...after it's thrown. A word...after it is said. An Occasion...after it's missed. The time...after it's gone. A person...after they die. Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Enjoy life!!

Friday Friends - Katee from A Girl and Her Polish

Hi Goddesses

Today's Friday Friend is a lovely lady who is sooooo friendly, she's doing an awesome swap with me, as we speak!

Katee blogs as A Girl and Her Polish.  Her nail art is always clean and colourful, and regularly makes me growl with envy.  One of the things I most love about her blog is that she photographs her nail art at each stage, so you get a total picture of how the mani has evolved.  Great if like me you ever turn your head 90 degrees and say "how DID she do that?" :)

Over to Kateeeeeeeeeee xx

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What is your name and what is your blog 

Katee

A Girl and Her Polish – www.agirlandherpolish.blogspot.com

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/AGirlandHerPolish

Twitter - @AGirlaHerPolish

What can we expect to see on your blog / How would you describe your style / your blog’s style

My blog is mainly about my successes and failures with nail art.  I use stamping and freehand to create new and inspired designs.  I do my best to provide step-by-step instructions so that anyone who wants to try the design knows what to do.  I have recently started adding swatches due to so many requests by my readers.  My goal is to show people that you don’t have to be an artist to create amazing designs!

Why did you decide to start the blog –

I decided to start my blog because sharing my photos on my Facebook page was not enough.  I wanted to share my new hobby with others who would find inspiration like I did from other nail bloggers.  It was more of a way to share and collect all the different ideas I was trying.  It also justified my new obsession with buying nail polish! J

How many followers do you have / how many visitors do you get a day / if you have an established blog, how have you “built” your following

Right now I have 722 readers.  I average between 150-190 visitors a day.  My FaceBook page has 1464 likes. I am in no way an established blog, but I spend a lot of time reading and commenting on other blogs.  I think that this is a big reason my blog has grown.  If I am going to take the time to read your blog I am going to leave a comment that is more than “Cool, check me out!”  I don’t promote my blog, other than the 2 giveaways I had.  I want people to read my blog because they are interested in what I am doing, that’s what means the most.

What do you do in the real world, and how do you fit blogging in with your lifestyle ?

In real life I am a High School Social Studies Teacher.  I have a lot of free time in the evenings during the week to play around with different designs and that is when I do the majority of my blogging or preparing to blog.  My students and co-workers love my hobby!  They can’t wait to see what I have done and are always looking to see and comment on my nails. They are very supportive!

What is the favourite post you have done 

Really??? My favourite post??? It’s so hard to narrow it down to one!!  I am going to go with my owl mani.  One of the reasons that I decided to start my blog was because I was inspired by Nailasaurus and Cris at Let Them Have Polish.  These were the first bloggers that I found and read.  My owls were a dedication to Cris.  I loved the owls that she did and know I wanted to recreate it! I was also one of my first, perfect freehand designs!

http://agirlandherpolish.blogspot.com/2012/02/owls.html

What is your most popular ever post – pls provide photo and link

My most popular ever post was my swatches of butter LONDON’s Lillibet’s Jubilee.   I’m actually surprised because I thought it would be a nail art post!

http://agirlandherpolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/butter-londons-lillibets-jubilee.html

Which blogger do you most admire / who do you follow / who are your go to bloggers

The blogger I most admire is Sammy at Nailasaurus.  She is someone that I have followed from the beginning and I just love her.  I think everything she does is amazing!  Her nail art abilities are what I aspire to achieve. 

I follow so many bloggers that it would take forever to list.  I typically look for bloggers that have awesome nail art and take great pictures. 

When blog posts go wrong – pls share a photo and link of a blog post of your own that you are ashamed of / wish you could redo / didn’t turn out how you wanted it to.  

I had a student request a mani using dark purple, lime green and yellow.  The results were horrible!

http://agirlandherpolish.blogspot.com/2011/11/failed-student-challenge.html

Pick a further 3 manis of your choice from your blog

The following design is a fav because it was the first design that people really started noticing what I was doing.

http://agirlandherpolish.blogspot.com/2012/03/this-dots-are-freakin-amazing.html

I love this design because it was the first time that I made stamping my bee-yotch!  It turned out perfect and I was so excited about it!

http://agirlandherpolish.blogspot.com/2012/01/very-vera.html

For the last one I am going with my Spring Watermarble.  The first time I had a watermarble turn out the way it should! And the colors were gorgeous!

http://agirlandherpolish.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-watermarble.html

Finally your stash – talk about your favourite brands, colours, must have tools, your “number” etc

My favourite brands are Essence, butter LONDON and Barry M.  I have others this are great but these 3 are always at the top of my list.  Right now my favourite color is white!  I go bananas for a white mani!  I also like purples, blues and greens.  My must have tools are my clean up brush, cuticle pusher and dotting tools.

I can’t give you a number because I haven’t counted my stash.  Let’s just say that I have one PACKED Helmer and polish hidden in various places in a closet. Shhhh, don’t tell the hubby! J

I plan on creating a list this summer with swatches! That’s my summer break task! J

Oh and one last thing – what tip would you share with someone who is thinking about starting a blog ?

Make sure that you are starting a blog for the right reasons.  Nail blogging isn’t about getting stuff for free, it’s about sharing your love of all things nail polish related.  I love sharing everything I am learning about in the nail polish world and that comes across in my posts, makes them interesting.  If the love doesn’t come across, no one will care to read your blog.

Also, clean up your nails and get a good camera.  No one likes to look at nails that are covered in polish or blurry pictures.  If we can’t see what you are doing why post it?

Let’s Get Personal

What’s your earliest polish memory

I don’t know??? Maybe getting my nails done for the first time in high school and thinking I was so special because I had tips!  That’s right SPECIAL!!! J

Fave film

I don’t have one favourite film I have a library.  Watching movies and tv is one of my favourite things to do. 

Fave type of music

I listen to music that makes me feel something, which could be in almost any genre.  Most of the music I listen to is out of the UK.  I LOVE Robbie Williams!  I play his music the most.

How old are you lol

In all seriousness this is something that I am always getting wrong! For some reason I cannot remember how old I am! I’m serious!! I can never remember and I can’t do the math in my head!  Let’s see…2011 – 1977 =34?

Are you a cat or dog person

Definitely a dog person, now if my hubby would finally let me get one!!!

Fave book

This is another I can’t answer!  A couple years ago the hubby bought me a Kindle in the hope that I would stop buying books.  He was getting sick of all the bookcases throughout the house!  My books are my children and there are not many that I don’t like.  The series that I have read so many times is the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon.  However lately they have not been that good. L

If you won £5million on the lottery, what would you do

Paying off all my bills, buy a house, give some to my mom and sister, quit my job and move to Maine, might take the hubby with me! J

What inspires you

Inspiration comes to me in many different ways: things people do and say, movies, books, places and spaces.  To me it’s about making a connection.

Share a quote that means a lot to you

“You're the only wife I've got or ever will have. You are my whole existence, and I will love you until my very last breath.” This is from Young Victoria.  It is exactly how I feel about my husband and it makes me all warm and fuzzy every time I hear/read it!

Friday Friends - Jenni from Gold Speck Nails

Hi Goddesses

Today we feature a really lovely lady, Jenni from Gold Specked Nails.  We aren't really "friends" friends, but because of our mutual admiration I feel like I know her and love her.

We first met through stamping, something at which she is awesome.  If you want to see stamping with multiple colours, gradients and all sorts of other magic, she's your girl. 

Jenn was worried when she wrote this post.  I remarked how "different" hers was to every other one I'd read, but she didn't realise I meant it in a good way.  This is the post of a creative, someone addicted to colour and to art, and it is such a different approach to my own.    I KNOW you're going to enjoy this one xx

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What is your name and what is your blog 

I’m Jenni, my blog is Gold Speck Nails, I’m also on Tumblr, Pinterest, a neglected Twitter, and have a very neglected Facebook page.  I live in the North East UK, A short ride from Newcastle.

What can we expect to see on your blog / How would you describe your style / your blog’s style

Expect to see loads more manis, I don’t have any challenges coming up at the minute, but I’m sure there will be more in the future. My personal style is a bit odd when it comes to nails; I love a bit of everything! From simple and elegant same colour stamping, odd colour combos, to wildly tacky animal print, excuse the pun ;] When it comes to my blog my style at the moment is huge photos with a lot of ramblings and the odd funny cat photo. But I’m thinking about giving my blog a makeover soon!

Why did you decide to start the blog –

I decided to start the blog after becoming obsessed with Konad & Bundle Monster. I’ve always been into nail art, and when I was younger it was a case of sticking on individual hex glitters into the pattern of flowers, or using tape to use multiple colours. Before I discovered nail stamping I would often paint my nails, press in some awesome glitter when the polish was tacky, and then go in with a fine tip marker pen to create tiger stripes, or swirly designs. So when I started stamping I was taking photos, trying out new things and the photos would just sit on the computer. After about 6 months of reading about 10 blogs religiously every day and being inspired; I decided that I wanted to have somewhere to document all my experiences, and share my photos, and see what people other than Scott, family and friends thought xD The reason It took me so long to start a blog was because my camera was busted, and I’d just gotten a new one for Christmas.

How many followers do you have / how many visitors do you get a day / if you have an established blog, how have you “built” your following

At the minute I have 442 Google Friend Connect Followers, Blogger is telling me today that I have so far had 168 visits. But I find I always get more visitors when I’ve posted something new. I don’t know if my blog would be classed as established, but I have visitors who come and peak at my nails, and loyal readers who comment and make my day; and that’s what matters. I did gain quite a few followers from my first giveaway, but I think posting consistently is a better way of gaining readers.

What do you do in the real world, and how do you fit blogging in with your lifestyle ?

Honestly I don’t do anything but blog right now. I have no social life to speak of as I don’t even have money for transport, never mind money to do something, so at least it means I don’t have to worry about finding time to do my nails, or set up a post.

What is the favourite post you have done 

Favourite Post of mine has to be my Disturbia Nails, I love the brand, was inspired by the shirt straight away, and had such a total surge of creativity while planning and painting them that it just made me feel good :]

http://goldspecknails.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/disturbia-trip-nails.html 

What is your most popular ever post 

http://goldspecknails.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/gold-glitter-sponged-tips-stars.html

This was my most popular post according to Blogger stats, I don’t get it because I really didn’t like these at all, but at least someone did xD I think it got some extra views after I started using Pinterest.

Which blogger do you most admire / who do you follow / who are your go to bloggers

Ohhh crap that’s a toughie, how many do I list?  Argh, Okay these are all bloggers that I admire, follow, and look to for inspiration. Fingers Polish Mania, Persistently Glittery, fyeahilovenails, Nail Stories, The Crumpet, omgnoodles, Polish Amor, Nail Polish Wars, Gnarly Nails, Nailpocalypse, Spellbinding Nails.

When blog posts go wrong – pls share a photo and link of a blog post of your own that you are ashamed of / wish you could redo / didn’t turn out how you wanted it to. 

It was quite hard for me to pick one for this, as majority of my posts within the first few months of blogging are a little shameful :P but I picked these cause the stamping didn’t totally work, and then when I tried to fix it, that didn’t work either. Canny crap as I’d describe them, and for those that need translation; canny means quite XD

http://goldspecknails.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/lilac-flowers.html

Pick a further 3 manis of your choice from your blog

http://goldspecknails.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/waffle-nails.html

I think this might’ve been the first time I’d ever attempted drips, and I loved wearing these.

http://goldspecknails.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/under-sea-we-stamp-on-sundays.html
These are special to me as they were the first nails I did for Adventures In Stamping. And I love that place, I know I’m not as active as I used to be, or could be, but I do still try to checkout everyone’s manis. I get some of my best inspiration from the weekly challenges :]

Below is another stamping challenge mani, and I just totally loved these, sponged background, glitter, rainbows, filling in stamping, I loved ‘em, and will do them again :]

http://goldspecknails.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/skys-limit-we-stamp-on-sundays.html

Finally your stash – talk about your favourite brands, colours, must have tools, your “number” etc

Ah.. My stash. I haven’t counted my polishes. And honestly, I never will until I have somewhere proper to keep them all organised, instead of plastic boxes in plastic drawers, the most organisation I have to my stash is one box is for nail art pens. One box is stamping polishes, chromes, glitter top coats, flakies, and nail decals, and my plates live in a small box with the stamper and scraper. The other 4 boxes it’s a free-for-all. Some of my favourite polish brands are Models Own, Barry M, Miss Sporty, George (Asda), NYC Chromes, and China Glaze, even though I don’t have many.

Must have tools for me are stamping plates, and polishes that are good for stamping. My nail art brushes were a cheap set from eBay, another I have is a Citadel paint brush from Games Workshop it’s so so tiny, great for line work.  Nail art pens are always good to have, as is a lot of top coat, and a decent base coat.

Oh and one last thing – what tip would you share with someone who is thinking about starting a blog ?

I would say take advantage of scheduled posts now and again even if you don’t need them, just so posting won’t feel like a chore :]

Let’s Get Personal

What’s your earliest polish memory

Earliest polish memory would have to be when I was maybe 6? Getting a cheap makeup set with a polish from Santa’s grotto, I can’t remember wearing it though.  Other than that I got a set for Christmas once, when I was 12 that had a loooad of little polishes, but I can remember being bummed with the formula and didn’t use them that often.

Fave film, I honestly love so many films it’s so hard to pick, but a favourite since I was 14 has been Donnie Darko. I love the soundtrack too.

Fave type of music

All sorts, It really just depends what type of mood I’m in.

How old are you lol

22, Slowly creeping up to 23 ;(

Are you a cat or dog person

Cat.. if it wasn’t obvious :P

Fave book

I really don’t read a lot so I don’t have one. I did just finish the 4^th Dexter book though (after having it for almost 3 years:P) and that was pretty good ^-^

If you won £5million on the lottery, what would you do

What wouldn’t I do? When Debbie first sent me this I read it all quickly just before bed, and I spent the following two hours trying to fall asleep while insanely planning how I would spend and invest that sort of money.

I would take care of my family, I would give to charity, hire a personal trainer, get more tattoos, invest by buying some properties, take my very first flight, visit every country I’ve ever wanted to, road trip across America, get married. Buy a home, learn to drive, get qualified up to the eyeballs, open my own salon/nail bar.. Jeez when I think about that kind of money, or even a fraction of that, it’s insane. The idea of being able to truly see the world carefree is a little overwhelming.

What inspires you

Anything from colour combinations, to patterns in magazines, clothing, nature, seasons, quite a lot really.

Share a quote that means a lot to you

I don’t have one.. well not one that’s overly inspiring.