Branching Out Mani: DIY Cherry Blossom Nail Art Tutorial...

As you may have guessed, I was inspired by Monday's post: Decorating with Branches, and decided to create a little branch nail art manicure, which could also be construed as Cherry Blossoms due to the pink flowers I added. I love that this manicure is in line with all the pale nails we saw on the Spring runways and with a hint of "Far East" inspiration too boot. This, of course, has become one of my favorites {but I'm pretty sure I always say that}.

Here's What I Used...

* Base: Sephora "White Hot"
* Branches: OPI "You Don't Know Jacques" | RGB "Steel" | Sally Hansen "Cafe au lait" | Art Deco "Silver" {but any silver will do, this brand just happens to have very thin and long brushes}
* Fine Nail Art Brush... I have this set, but this brush set is only $2.74
* A bright color for your flowers. I used a shimmery pink because this brand already came with a long narrow brush, but any color would be cute, even a light blue or lavender.
* Paper, Tissue, Zoya Nail polish remover... and a bit of patience. There are quite a few steps to this one.
* Your favorite top coat... mine is Seche Vite

Here's How I Did It...

* Begin with two coats of white as your base and let dry.


* Begin with your darkest color... I chose a taupe-brown, unscrew your top, remove all excess paint from the brush that comes with it and set it to the side. Using your fine nail art brush {or fine paint brush} dip it into your lacquer, remove excess paint using the side of the bottle or your scrap paper and carefully draw your first set of branches. I started basic, with about two branches per nail and drew outward from there.

You may choose to stop here or after any color, I wanted the depth and hues to vary.

* When finished with your first color, dip your brush in your remover and wipe it clean with your tissue.




* Clean off your brush... open your next color, mine was gray, and repeat that steps above, adding depth to your branches.

* After the gray I added a flesh tone and then a silver on top to finish the branches.


* Taking your bright hue, and using your fine brush {unless you have this random Art Deco polish brand with fine brushes} carefully add tiny dots alone or in groups of three to create your flowers. Add as many or as few as you wish.


* Finish with your top coat. My favorite is Seche Vite... sometimes I even add another the following day just to keep it chip-proof!


* It should look something like this... but it's up to you, you can choose to create fewer branches or even just add a few accent nails.

Voila... Voila!

Looking for my pink iPhone case {4s} find it for the iPhone 5 here {I love this brand}

Have Fun!

Find all my nail art tutorials here

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In My Closet: Pulling Glam Red Carpet {Style} Looks...

I'm driving down to LA tomorrow for another little filming session with Tide & BlogHer, and while I have a million and one other things to do, I'm pulling red carpet looks from my closet to translate into wearable Spring style. Here are a few closeup shots of my {messy} closet {at the moment} and what I'm grabbing to include in tomorrow's shoot.

Click here to see me in my closet chatting about transitioning your wardrobe into Spring and don't forget to leave a comment on that post to enter to win $100.




















Sadly I have no time to include details and/or links to what you see in these photos. However, if you use the search form in my sidebar {and type phrases like blue sequin dress, or gucci snake}, you'll find anything in posts that you see here.

And speaking of Red Carpet Style... Check out my 2013 Oscars Fashion Recap: Best, Worst, & Everything In Between

Happy Hump Day!

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Winter Walking... One with Nature... & What We Wore

For taking walks, I bundle up like there's no tomorrow. And usually, because I wear fingerless gloves OR I keep taking my damn hand OUT OF my glove to take photos, my fingertips feel like they're going to fall off by the time we get back. And then I usually say something ridiculous to the husband like Am I going to LOSE MY FINGERS!??!?! to which you can imagine how he responds.

What I'm Wearing...

* This same Asos Grandpa sweater {see it in full here} that is just too good to take off. On the regular, I leave my plaid flannel button down with it, as in, I take them both off carefully, together, so I can put them back on, together, and usually over a thermal henley. It's on sale for $20 now {um, rad} and fits oversized but true to size. I buy a Medium and have it in cream too.
* White pashmina scarf under...
* Knit bow scarf from Kacia at Coconut Robot You can buy one here
* Paige premium jeans... also seen here
* Anne Klein "Wendy" coat which is a pretty deep chocolatey/coppery color and it's really warm and fabulous. I went on a coat shopping spree once escrow closed and found this one at MyHabit or maybe it was ideeli for about $60-$80 I think, and I love it
* Lumete sunglasses
* Crocs white snow boots {which are available in other colors and are on sale for $39.99}

With all this natural beauty surrounding us now, it's such a joy to go out for a walk. It's actually one of the things I was most looking forward to when we decided to move up away from the big city to Lake Arrowhead. There is something so magical about living in the woods with glistening snow and trees the size of skyscrapers... and quiet. So. Much. Quiet... it's amazing. Though really, comparitively speaking, the hour and a half drive from our old house in LA to where we are now is probably not considered "the woods" to most people. But it's so different from what we know, it's like an entirely new world to us.

Winter walks on the snow are my favorite. It's just so beautiful, my mind literally explodes when I visually take it all in. He tends to walk faster than I do because I keep stopping either in awe, admiring a tree or the sky or something equally ridiculous to most people, or I have to snap some photos. So he's always ahead of me. And then I'm always trying to catch up. And just as soon as I do, I see something breathtaking and have to stop again.

As hard as we try to get out into nature every day, we only find time about once a week to walk, which we are working on. This was a few weeks ago actually and the first walk we took that we didn't go down to the lake {see our first snow & my dorky outfit here}.






























This is our house {below}... as viewed from the road above... the road that kids sled down when it snows because it doesn't get plowed. We watch them through the windows of our living room, sitting on our sofa. So cute.

I cannot WAIT to have our house painted this Summer though...



And all of our Crocs snow boots, drying in the mud room. His are still available here for $47 {and he LOVES them because he can easily slip them on and off... My white ones are available here but my original Duck boots with the fur are sold out {but they're my favorite! beg them to bring them back next season!} Seriously, so comfy! Though not slip-proof. When it's icy, we put our little rubber traction chains on our boot soles which work wonders for slip-prevention.


I feel like we live in permanent vacation-land... we are so lucky.

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Bringing the Outdoors In: Decorating with Branches...

Lake House Pinterest Board via French Grey
I have been known to, on more than one occasion, spy an amazingly large fallen tree branch while outside, decide it's perfection, drag it home, wash it, and use it as decor in my own house. Note the word "fallen", as I would never cut a tree and steal its limbs for my own use. I see them everywhere now in decor, but back then, I was made fun of quite often... though it did nothing to lessen my love affair with branches and decorating with them. I only wish I had old photos to show you of my favorite branch I had wedged in an open stairway in a house I lived in well over ten years ago. In all honesty, I wish I still had that branch. It was massive.




In the first condo that the husband and I lived in back in 2004, I found a medium sized branch outside that I loved, dragged it in, hot-glued tiny flowers all over it so it resembled a cherry blossom tree and hung it on a wall in one of the stairwells. I used it in this little photo shoot I set up on our roof deck for my afro curls tutorial & this hair tutorial as well {seen above}.


I love the natural color of the branches after they dry, but painted in any number of colors would be beautiful as well.

And of course I am feeling branches again in the new house, and though the trees here are a bit different, I did happen to find a nice branch out on a walk the other day... here's the husband carrying it home for me {via VINE find me at "love Maegan" ; It's hanging in my shower at the moment to dry out and creating a massive mess in the mean time.

Decorating Ideas Using Branches...

Below are some of my favorite decor ideas using branches which I've found around the internet. Some I've used before many times and some are new.


1. Forever love
2. Amy Merrick olive branch via pinterest
3. Tree branches as wall decor above bed
4. Manzanita Branch $14.95
5. Branch centerpieces





1. The Green Dandelion
2. branches in boots
3. Design Sponge
4. Interiors by Studiom




1. Forever love
2. My Pinterest {can't find og src}
3. branches with lights... via pinterest
4. Forever Love

Also loving...

Eucalyptus in the shower via Apartment Therapy

Also see...

* Branch Wall Stickers

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My InstaLife Recap : Week 2/17-2/23 in Photos

Find me on Instagram to see these in real time.

It was a short week that began fun with friends who came to visit Sun-Monday and left just in time to miss the snow storm that kept us indoors for much of the remaining week. People who are used to actual snow storms wouldn't probably categorize this as such, but it was more snow than we've ever seen and the most since we've been up here. While it is beautiful and magical and amazing and we love every minute of it, it did keep me from driving to LA last week for work, which was a bummer, but I'm not necessarily interested in risking my life for work, so it had to be postponed until this coming week. And if you read last Friday's post, you'll also know that the week was a bit of a mental struggle for me, mostly due to the fact that my period was late causing a mind f*ck about what I knew was nothing at all. So with all of that said, I'm hoping the coming weeks will offer a bit of light and happiness back into my being because I still feel so heavy and weighted and I'd like to move forward. Blah, blah, blah... thanks for listening, as always :)


 
 
1. I'm still loving my metallic nails trio. I've reapplied this same manicure 3 times now.
2. The only Thiebaud painting I may ever be able to afford. In puzzle format... & if I ever do finish the white sections, I may actually frame it. Thanks to drollgirl for it ... buy it here
3. Absolutely in love with my Feather wall art DIY and finally an end to my console table decor dilemma.
4. LeRoy constantly puts his front paws up on this chair and wants to sit on it. Occasionally, I let him. Then he just sits here like the king of the castle. We think it's pretty funny.



 
1. Finally blue skies and tons of snow and icicles... the view of our deck from the sliding glass door in my office.
2. The pug, with all of his thick hairs, still manages to be cold. Our dogs are not fans of the cold weather yet.
3. The snowfall up to and on top of our lounge chairs.



 
1. My thrifted camo jacket {$4.99} with cheetah outfit post from last week.
2. Just as it began to snow last Tuesday... another view from my office but up instead of out.




 
1. Our friend's Josh & Rafi came up to visit last weekend with their daughter and we became obsessed with this 2000 piece puzzle by Srringbok called "Purses". Much fun was had. {they are the amazing design duo that make up Form LA}
2. & 3. And their fabulously talented daughter finger-knitted our dogs these very chic scarves to keep them warm.

Happy Sunday Lovecats!

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