Strawberry Nails Forever...

They are finally finished! The strawberries alone took me 2 and a half hours. I felt like a zombie after completing these.

The strawberries are a little on the large side (I wanted them to stand out and get noticed!) and a few got a little dented because certain family members decided to pick them up before I cooked them (*cough* Ros and James) but I still like them! I felt the strawberries were enough of a statement so these nails don't have any mini gems on them but the pink nail polish had a slight hint of glitter.

The plan is to wear these with my Bodyline dress with the strawberries. I am not sure when I am next going to wear this dress but at least my nails are sorted.

The start of my deco nail adventure

I totally forgot to mention my nails!

A few weeks ago I purchased some Polymer clay. My original intention was to make some earrings from a tutorial I found but instead I have found myself making some deco nails!

As it stands, I have only finished one set of nails (a second set is almost complete). I have made these luna inspired nails for a lolita meet I am attending next Saturday.

As you can see they are a bit on the large side but I still love them! I am hoping that when it comes to taking them off I can try and save them so I can wear them again. I am feeling a little worried about how I am going to go about everyday tasks but since when have deco nails been practical? The outfit I am wearing has a lot of stars on it so I am making a bit of a running theme. It was originally meant to be horse themed but I found out that I don't have enough horsey items.

It is the second set of nails I am making which have caused a lot of problems. Polymer clay is so easy to use compared to acrylics but it can be incredibly tedious. I have not used moulds or anything and I have tried to make sure that the shapes are the same size. So the ones going on the thumbs have to be the same size etc. For this second pair of nails I have made some very plump strawberries. I was working with 3 different clay colours and just for that one set of nails I spent 2 and a half hours sculpting the clay. I could have made it a bit easier by leaving out the yellow seeds but I thought they looked cuter with seeds in. So I was working with these tiny bits of yellow clay so small I couldn't pick them up. I had to use a cocktail stick to push the yellow bits into the holes I had made. When I have finished these nails and post a picture it will probably make more sense why I got so stressed out.

Despite how long I have spent on 2 pairs of nails I will only wear a few times, I am very pleased with the results. Considering this is my first time decorating nails, I am really pleased with the results. The luna nails look a lot better in person and I can't wait to wear them. I am going to continue with the clay but I plan to buy a couple of ready made pieces like mini waffles and cookies to make things that little bit easier. www.etsy.com is the best place to buy deco bits. Eventually I want to move on to acrylics but this probably wont be for a while yet.

However, there is one problem. The harsh Winter weather has totally sapped the moisture out of my hands so they have gone all cracked and sore. England has suffered from a bad cold spell and even my gloves couldn't save my poor hands. I have one week to get my hands in a better state so I can show off my nails worn. Hopefully they will be less red by the meet!

An update on Bodyline and the roses.

Do you remember me posting a coat I did for the Bodyline Design Contest? If you have forgotten you can still view the coat here-

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae277/Luna_Rain_photos/Bodyline%20Design%20Contest%20Entry/3D-Rose-Coat-Design.jpg

I never heard back from Bodyline but it would appear Bodyline have at least taken some of my suggestions. Obviously I am sad that I wont be getting a free coat (well, at least not yet...) but I would like to think that my coat inspired two of Bodyline's new coat designs. I think I have been incredibly lucky because Bodyline have blatantly ripped off other people's designs after telling them their design did not get accepted. These two coats are not obvious copies but use a lot of the details I used.

The main part of my own coat design was the use of 3D rose corsages. On my design there is is a row of roses on the bottom hem. Bodyline have chosen to use a rose by the collar area. I actually think this is a great idea. I would never have come up with the collar idea. One of the main issues with my design was the roses getting crushed when you sit down. This is a lot more practical and it looks very cute.

The second coat has rose shaped buttons and rose lace. On my design I included pictures of buttons and lace as an example. In my opinion Bodyline's lace choices have improved recently. Yes, they still use cheap lace in places but I think they are making more effort to use better lace. The one thing I will say about Bodyline's choice of design here is that this is too over the top and the pink in my opinion, is a little too bright.

Who knows... it may turn out that Bodyline were planning rose coats anyway but I would like to think that I at least influenced them a little :)

I have not been put off submitting further designs to Bodyline. There is no way I would have been able to make my coat on my own and this was the easiest way to get my design out there and possibly made. If you have the skills to make your own items then I would make them yourself. Bodyline obviously have the right to change your design and you may not be happy with the end result or they may use your design after telling you that it was not chosen. I have a plan to do a skirt design. If I finish it, I will post it on here too!

Just a quick note to say that I will be doing another post for my hair series soon. I have just been a bit busy and I had my hair cut earlier today. I purposely kept my hair as plain as possible so I had a blank canvas for my future lolita hairstyles! By the way, do feel free to suggest tutorials to me. Just send me a message and give me a link to the tutorial. I will happily give them a go but for now, please try not to make them too overly complicated.

I finally submitted my Bodyline design!

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae277/Luna_Rain_photos/Bodyline%20Design%20Contest%20Entry/3D-Rose-Coat-Design.jpg

After weeks of trying to gain access to a working scanner, I have finally managed to submit my idea for the Bodyline design contest. I posted the link above on myasianfashion.com and the general verdict is that although it would be difficult to sit down without crumpling the roses, people seem to like my design!

But does Bodyline like it?

The e-mail response I got from Bodyline was very brief. It was basically to say thank you for entering and that I would get the product sent to me if my design got selected. The important thing is that I didn't get turned down. I am keeping my hopes up for now. Some of my friends have already told me they want it and getting a free coat would be really nice. It would certainly solve my problem of saving up money for a coat!

Please make my coat Bodyline!

At the moment I am raiding my house for items I can sell on ebay. It is sort of my back-up plan in case the coat is not accepted and I need to fund a new coat. Also, at the end of the year I would really like to get myself a lucky pack from Baby the Stars Shine Bright. These babies run out way too quickly for my liking! I have never taken part in the lucky part madness so I will have fun updating this blog with my experiences in January. Lolita is a difficult hobby when you don't have a regular source of income.

So what happens next is in Bodyline's hands. I guess my chances are just as good as anybody else's chances. Fingers crossed!

I have changed my mind about the Bodyline design contest.

It is a woman's prerogative to change her mind and that is exactly what I am doing! I will be submitting a design to Bodyline.

Some girls have complained that they submitted designs and they were not picked. However, a couple of months later a really similar design got released. I have got a few designs on the go but the one I am going to submit is a coat. The thing is, I don't think I have the skills to make a coat. I had a look around and there were no coats that I could find with this sort of design. So it is not as if I can go out and buy it. So my only other option is to get somebody else to make it for me. Yes, Bodyline may decide to nick my design without giving me any credit or reward BUT if I don't send them my idea then I may never get to wear this product.

I am busy designing the coat now. I want to draw it up and then get my husband to alter it in photoshop so it looks more professional. I thought the coat design was a really cool idea. Here is hoping they accept my design- I may get a free coat out of this venture! But there is one thing I stand firm on- there is no way Bodyline are going to get my skirt designs. I have a very strong vision on how I want these to look and don't want this vision compromised.

If my coat design is accepted or ripped off you can expect a hyperactive post from me some time in the future!