I was originally thinking of doing red based nail art. Not because it's Mr. J's favorite color, but because it's Chinese tradition to wear red during people's birthdays and it would be a great way to honor his heritage. But he's not exactly what you'd call traditional so in the end, I ended up with nails that best describe one aspect of him: a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.
Mr. J is a sports nut. He calls into radio shows on his drive to work to give his two cents on the latest buzz. He puts on baseball/hockey/basketball/football games in the background while we have dinner. He's almost always updated on who traded who, which team is top of the ranks and which coach just got fired. Out of all of his favorite teams, the Leafs hold a special place in his heart. He has figurines, mugs, a throw, shirts..yeah, you get the idea.
Go Leafs Go!
What I Used:
Blue: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue It
White: Wet N Wild French White Creme
To do the look, I first painted my ring and thumb nails white and the rest blue. I wrote "Go Leafs Go" on the thumb using the smallest detail paintbrush from an unbranded set of 10 detail brushes I got at Wal-Mart. Still using freehand, I painted the maple leaf logo (or an approximation of it) on the ring nail. I was hoping to keep the stripes as straight as possible so I employed some painters tape I had lying around from the last painting job we did in the summer. I used the tape as borders to keep the white stripes as straight as possible. After they're dry, I then went over it with the paintbrush to do the blue lines within the white stripes. I like how this was forgiving in the sense that with only two colors involved, if I made a tiny mistake, I could always just go over it with the other color to mask it.
They came out better than I expected!
I still cringe at the sloppy blue lines.
Definitely need to work on freehand lines.
Very happy that this came out legible!
Posing with Mr.J's favorite Leaf: Mats Sundin #13
Mr. J absolutely loved this (despite the wonky stripes and funny looking leaf) and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did creating it!
Hammie says: Happy, happy birthday, Mr.J!! Do you follow hockey? Who's your favorite team? Are you your worst critic (I know I am!)?
Thanks, Mary! :)
ReplyDeleteWell, when I was working on it, it strangely looked straight looking at it sideways, but when I saw the photos..yeah. They ARE hard to get straight! The OCD/perfectionist in me wants to keep trying to make it straight anyway. ;) Aww, thanks! That's really nice of you to say. I was supposed to do a Sundin jersey on the thumb but Mr. J thought #13 was unlucky, especially for his birthday, so I opted for the familiar chant instead.
Great job on this manicure - it's a nice sentiment. :) And happy birthday to your husband!
ReplyDeleteI actually think you did a great job with those lines. It's not easy getting them really straight, and the overall look ended up very impressive and original.
Thanks, Anthea!
ReplyDeleteHaha, that's true though. I guess the fact that I can see it bugs me anyway. I really did like how it turned out. Mr. J got such a kick out of it that those wonky lines aren't as bad any more. :D
Nice! I'd love to see your take, do send us photos, please! I was thinking about doing NHL themed nails once the season kicks in. Should be fun! :)
Happy Birthday, Mr. J!
ReplyDeleteYour maple leaf nail art is precious. <3 And I think the slightly wonky lines aren't a big issue--no one's going to look at them from three inches away, anyway. ;)
I feel like I'm going to get bricked for this, but... go Canucks! XD You just gave me an idea. I should try Canucks themed nail art and show my aunt--she's nuts about them.
I know it's late but ahahaha.... :P
ReplyDeleteAppropriate pick, yes? ;)
ReplyDelete