Color Inspiration Daily: 01. 29. 13

Rough Hawksbit Geo Art Print by Lou Archell (via)

My Favorite Glittery Nail Polish

If Pinterest is correct, then I think this is how you're supposed to photograph your nails for polish-related posts, right?

Hi friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. As you might know, I was away at Alt Summit this past week, and just returned home last night after an extremely long day of travel. So first let me start this post by admitting that I am only somewhat conscious as I type this. Now that that's out of the way...

I have to now confess that I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to fingernails. I do not consider myself to be a nail art pro by any stretch of the imagination. I've had a professional manicure fewer times than I have fingers on my right hand (or left hand for that matter), and I'm still not really sure what cuticles are...even though I get the sense that they are bad and I'm not supposed to have them. An actual nickname of mine is "man-hands." In any case, I do like to throw on a coat of polish every once just to surprise people...and myself, and tried on a couple new ones before my trip to Alt. I was surprisingly happy with how they turned out, and ended up getting so many compliments and questions about my nails during my trip (so flattering) that I figured the topic would make a good post for my first day back (am I right, or did you leave already? Hopefully you're still here).

So, anyhow...this isn't really a how-to for painting your nails with detailed kitten faces or anything of that sort, but rather a recommendation for a few great polishes that I love. Again...I'm not a pro. For my sparkly nails here, I first applied a coat of silver "Trixie" by Zoya, let it dry completely and then applied a coat of "Set in Stones" by Essie. I finished the whole thing off with "Double Duty Base & Top Coat" by Sally Hansen. Possibly the best thing about this combination is how chip-friendly it is. Even when little flakes eventually come off, you can't really tell because it all just blends in with the super glitteryness of it all. Case in point: these photos were taken this morning...five days after painting them (with the wear and tear of travel and a conference to boot)!

My daughter has also used the "Set in Stones" by Essie on top of black and colorful polishes and the effect is gorgeous. The one caveat that I would actually feel bad about not mentioning, is that it is the pits to take off (I don't put things in bold all that often, but this warrants it). For some reason those tiny specks of glitter hang on for dear life, and you just might need a chisel to release their hold. Obviously that hasn't kept me from using it...in fact it will probably remain a favorite of mine for months to come, but at least I've done my part to keep you fully informed. Do you have a favorite polish that you can't get enough of? I'd love to tuck it away in my to-try file for the next time ol' man-hands needs to dress up. xox Ez

P.S. The other colors shown on the paper above are: Licorice by Essie, Gargantuan Green Grape by OPI, and Sunrise Skies by Piggy Polish (purchased at Ulta).

Free: Love + Kisses Photoshop Brush Set

I look kind of funny in lipstick. No really, I'm not being mean to myself...just stating a fact. I think this unfortunate truth has something to do with my cartoonishly bowed top lip. The peaks are as pointed as mountain tops which isn't much of an issue in my standard clear lip gloss, but throw on anything with color and those points make me look like a lady who is trying just a tad too hard.

Even with this knowledge firmly planted in my mind, I was still lured in by the array of stunningly vibrant lipstick colors on display at Target last weekend. In my momentarily dazzled state I managed to convince myself that somehow in these new bolder shades, I would surely be transformed into a glam chick who rocks a magenta lip like nobody's business. Well, suffice to say, even though I ended up with three colors so pretty that I could cry, they, as predicted did nothing but draw a neon pink spotlight to my overly-arched kisser. Le sigh!

So while my dreams of breezing around Alt Summit with a color-saturated smile are all but gone, I decided that I could still make that lipstick worth something. Behold the Free Love + Kisses Photoshop Brush Set (download using the button above)! There are two lip prints and several different love-themed words and phrases in the set for good measure. And since they are photoshop brushes, that means you can use them with any color you fancy (they don't have to be shades of pink and red like mine here). Use the set to spice up a love note, smother a Valentine-themed blog post with, etc. etc. I'd love to hear what you make out of them! xo Ez

P.S. I'll be leaving for Alt Summit early tomorrow morning. If you'd like you can follow me and my adventures over on instagram (creaturecomforts) and Twitter (creaturecomfort). I'll see you here for regular posting next week! xx

Photoshop Brushes Tip 1: The lip prints are slightly transparent (it makes them look cool layered over other things)...but if you want them to look darker just click your mouse 3 or more times in one spot to build up the color and make them less transparent.

Photoshop Brushes Tip 2: If you'd like a little help on loading and using photoshop brushes, you can watch my video tutorial: Basic Tips for Using Photoshop Brushes that I created last year. *You can find the Inky Brush Set used in the video right here.

Note: I use Photoshop CS3 and I'm unsure of how these brushes will work with older versions of Photoshop. Fingers crossed that they will work for you.

Violet Tulips

I fell in love with the color of these gorgeous violet-hued tulips last week, and couldn't stop photographing them. Don't you just love the way the light glows right through the velvety petals! Let's get even closer, shall we?!

If you're interested, you can find a print of this photo up in my shop along with a newly-listed capture of some pretty peonies that look just like pink petticoats. Have a beautiful Monday friends! xo Ez

Inspired by Surface Designer Elizabeth Olwen

One of the things I'm really looking forward to at Alt Summit next week is a pattern design workshop that I signed up for. I am constantly inspired and amazed by all the gorgeous and imaginative prints and patterns out in the world, and relish the thought of being even one tiny step closer to understanding the hows and whys of their creation. I did share one quick post a little while ago about Creating Seamless Patterns in Photoshop...but I'm hoping to learn even more (then I can come back and share it with you guys).

But anyhow, I digress. Today I want to share the work of an incredibly talented surface designer with you. Elizabeth Olwen got in touch this past holiday season to share her pattern designs, and I'm afraid that even though I instantly fell in love with her aesthetic and incredible eye for composition and color, I was too swamped with holiday obligations to do much more than bookmark for later.

Ahh, but today at last, I am finally getting to point you in her direction...so all is not lost! Hooray! First check out Elizabeth's website for a beautiful sampling of her work, and her blog for regular pattern updates (so inspiring). Then be sure to stop by her Society6 shop where she sells prints, pillows, and other goods, and finally swing on by Wallpapered to see the brand new line of wallpapers they offer featuring her prints! So, so good!

I hope Elizabeth's work will inspire you as much as it does for me! xo Ez