Katie.J.Gibson: DIY French Pedi

Remember when my Mom and I had our sewing day? Well, she finished her dress this past week and wore it out- take a look!

So so pretty! She is the cutest. She really likes Lilly Pulitzer dresses, but they are so expensive! She has a few and they fit so well, but we were determined to make one ourselves. I absolutely love it!
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I used to think I had a favorite season, but I don't really think I do.

I am addicted to change.

I realized that I enjoy all of the seasons because they come just when I am fed. up. with the current one.

Summer is high on the list because, well, I get to play play play and get paid paid paid. Ah, to be a teacher. But it is hot and I get self conscious as the clothes start revealing more and more of my poor choices made in the winter. Woops!
Fall is great because I love the trees, the cooling weather, and all the smells. Not so much looking forward to going back to school until I remember: Oh, wait, I teach kids how to sew for a living and new school year = new opportunities to build relationships with adolescents and make a difference. Okay, not so bad. If only school started at 9 and got out around 4 instead of its current gig.
I love winter because of the cute clothes, coziness, excuses to cuddle all night with the hubster, fudge, Christmas, our anniversary (4 years coming up. So. Weird.), and lots of family time. Oh, and snow days (5 last year! Hellllllo!)!
And then there is Spring. Warmer weather, time outside, flowers, grass, school wrapping up (but kids driving me nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuts), and time off is on the horizon.
While I enjoy all seasons garb, I enjoy summer footwear most of all. I will most likely wear sandals to school until October and start wearing them in the Spring as soon as it warms up... or the snow melts. If people didn't look at me like I was trashy and have no fashion sense, I would extend those windows. And, you can't wear sandals without cute feet.
I am cheap- we all get it.
I enjoy getting my nails did, but I absolutely refuse to pay money to do something to my feet just because I get to sit in a massage chair.. when I can do it on my own. Sure, I feel like a big girl to say, "Oh, ya the gal that does my nails said...." as if I get it done regularly, have the money to do so, and actually made a friend in the process (which I hate- I do not like to socialize when getting my nails or hair done!).
SO this is how I do it. Step by Step. As if you were confused by how it happened in the first place.

French Pedi. Oui Oui!

Prep those tools. You will need: Hot water, bath salts or special soap to make you feel pretty, a tub or big bowl, pumice stone, nail clippers, nail polish remover, Q Tips, White Nail polish, and top coat.
Step one: Soak them pups! Add bath salt or soap to the water for fun. Get that skin on the bottom of your feet softened so you can scrub it off. I didn't soak long because I had just gotten out of the shower.

Scrub with a pumice. Scrub. and Scrub. Scrub more. I wear sandals to school where I am on my feet and therefore have some rather rough spots on the bottom of my feet. I scrubbed for a long time. =) The water was pretty clouded with skin cells. Gross, I know. Sorry.

I don't know where I got this or how, but it is great! Pumice, brush, file, and "cheese grater" all one!

Optional fix up your cuticles. I did a little bit with some cuticle tools, but that's a first. My sister rubs cuticle oil into hers, but I'm not going to spend cash on that. =) So, basically skip.
Clip your nails. I like mine short and straight across. I know some people prefer them longer and curved. Me, not so much. I do this before I take my old polish off because I figure that's just a few centimeters of polish I don't have to rub off because I chopped it off.

Check out how bad the polish on my big toe it! It's all crackled because I stubbed my toe. Sick!

Take off your old polish. I like to wash my feet with soap again afterwards because I don't like my feet or hands to smell like remover.

Moisturize! I don't have special foot lotion (okay, I do, but it smells like tea tree oil, pine needles, and peppermint. Sick.) so I just use whatever I have on hand. Made sure to rub it in and the skin absorbs it or else you will have lotion all over the floor or carpet. I usually put socks on for a while and let my feet rest before I continue. Either way, wash your nails in some way before you start painting so there isn't a layer of oil when you try to put down your first coat. It has a better chance of chipping!
Paint! You can do a base coat, but I usually don't. Take your white paint and do 3-4 coats at the end of each nail. It doesn't have to be neat at all. Make sure the white covers about half of your nail. We will make it nice and neat later.

Fill a shallow bowl or the cap of the remover bottle with some nail polish remover. Dip a Q tip in the remover and clean up your white lines by going back and forth over your nail in a horizontal motion. It will make the white line nice and crisp. You can make your tips as wide as you like- just make sure both toes on each foot match. Since I stubbed my toe, my right big toe has a little boo boo crack and I wanted to make sure I covered it. I like how it turned out, though!

Once this is completely done and dried, apply 2 coats of top coat.

Sorry, my feet are ugly. Whose aren't!?

Done! And free. Mine keep for months and I have to redo them not because they chip, but because my nails are growing. I usually skip the pampering and just paint if I am in a time crunch. So classic. So pretty! =) If you have polish on your skin, don't worry about it! I don't clean it up with remover because I always end up messing up my nail. Wait until you shower and before you get out and your skin is all pruny and soft, just scratch it off. It is SO easy!

So, this week is the Week 'O Hair Flair. At our church 4th of July BBQ, Holly (she has her own Salon) put a feather in my hair and we couldn't find the needle nose pliers at the end of the night to take it out. SO I'm wearing it all week so she can take it out at church next Sunday. It's so fun!

On Monday, me and Flair went to the movies: