Blue Polka Dot Nail Tutorial!

I really really love polka dots. I suppose you could call me a polka dot enthusiast, and since blue happens to be one of my favourite colours, this nail design couldn't be more fun! It is incredibly easy to create, and the end result is instantly classy while still remaining youthful. If blue isn't your favourite, this nail design is possible with all combinations of colours. I'm quite tempted to try a deep purple and lilac with gold dots. Experimenting with nail art is a great way to get creative without embarking on a huge project, which will never get finished... Yes, I'm talking to you last year's scarf!

Supplies needed: Navy, powder blue, and sliver polish, tape, crafty scissors, and a bobby pin.

Step 1~ Paint nails with a strengthening base coat, and then paint on your first colour. I chose this lovely soft blue.

Step 2~ Cut a piece of tape in half with a pair of funky scissors. You can buy these at any craft store, and a few dollar stores as well.

      Step 3~ Place the pieces of tape at an angle along your nails and make sure they are firmly pressed down. Then, take your darker colour, and paint the remaining area! It may look messy now but have faith!

Wa-laaa! Your gorgeous nails are almost complete! Gently peel the tape off to reveal a really fun design.

Step 4 ~   Now for the polka dots. In my first polka dot nail tutorial, I talked about using bobby pins to get perfect circles. I'm going to use that same method again to create lovely little dots on the dark halves of my nails.

And here we have the finished product!

I hope this tutorial has been helpful! Now, go paint them nails girl! And don't be afraid to play with your colour combos, experimenting is almost always rewarding. Happy painting!

Much love, Vivi

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I have officially eaten enough turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie to last at least another year. Thanksgiving food makes me happy. And pretty darn thankful. It was so much fun to decorate the house with autumn themed goodies, like mini pumpkins and a gorgeous scarecrow wreath. Autumn colours have always been my all time favourite, and Thanksgiving is the best excuse to cover the house in colours of rich plums, forest greens, and deep shades of burgundy.
I know that this post is coming up a bit late, but I was taking so many photos and wanted to share them all.

I made a friend on my walk! Let's call him Victorious.

Our cozy fireplace..

My mom and brother, how I love these people!

My favourite shot of the evening.

Cuddly scarves and crafty wreaths just scream autumn wonder.

Some vibrant leaves found in my backyard, and a vegan apple pie baked specially for my brother!

Such an awe inspiring view. This curtain of trees lead into our neighbors horse stables.

And... last but not least, a fully adorned pumpkin spice latte, and a glorious Autumn road. Ahh, so much love for this season!

Much love, Vivi

It's the little things...

...like newborn baby spiders

Aren't these spiders just beautiful? I must say feel a lot better about spiders on the petals of  flowers than on my arm!

Much love, Vivi

M&M sugar cookies

    One Thanksgiving meal down, two to go! We really like our Thanksgiving food here at my house. Thanksgiving food in itself gives you quite a satisfying reason to be thankful. If I had to choose between never eating turkey or chocolate again, I would be in quite the pickle. Speaking of chocolate, I made M&M cookies last night! I found this recipe on Little Miss Mommas blog and couldn't wait to try it out. So, I journeyed to the grocery store to stock up on M&M's and a whole lot of sugar.

      Before...                                                                                         After!

Aren't they just the cutest things?!

Here is the recipe:   { For picture of the step by step process head over to Little Miss Momma's blog }



1 and 1/2 cups sugar
2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
3 cups M&M’s

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside

2. In a large bowl, beat on medium speed to combine the butter and sugar until creamy

3. Add vanilla and eggs and beat until well blended

4. Slowly add in the flour mixture a little at a time

Wet your hands and roll about 1 and 1/2 – 2 tablespoon of cookie dough into a ball and place on cookie sheet. Make sure you wet your hands or they will become a sticky mess! (Learnt from experience.)
Be sure to leave plenty of space between cookies, they will spread out quite a lot.

Place as many M&Ms as you desire onto each ball.

Bake for around 10- 13 minutes or until the M&M's crack open and the cookies have slightly browned. Let the cookies cool down for 10 minutes before taking them off the parchment.

Happy baking!

Much love, Vivi

Polka Dot Nails

I don't know about you, but I LOVE painting my nails. I love to try new colours and designs, and bring new shades into my wardrobe in small doses, which a nail colour does perfectly. This nail look is surprisingly simple and fast to create. All I did was us a base colour of shimmery brown, then added burgundy and white polka dots by using the round end of a bobby pin! Easy peasy! These colours also go really nicely with the rich colours of fall. Try it for yourself!

// The Details:
Brown polish: OPI's Charmed By a Snake
Burgundy polish: OPI's it's a Duzi Says Suzi
White Polish: OPI, name has rubbed off!

Much love, Vivi

September in review

Goodbye September, hello October! I am glad to say that October is one of my favourite months. I love the crisp Autumn leaves with their glorious colours and Thanksgiving with the feast that it brings. I can hardly believe that the first month of school is finished! It really did whiz right past me. It was a happy month filled with friends and good food, and I'd say that's the best combination around. Here's a photo recap of the month September 2011:

1~ The most beautiful woodpecker that I caught drilling away at our apple tree!

2~ Apples from our tree, ready to be picked and made into applesauce muffins.. Mmmm... See more natural beauty here.

3~ Yam pie. One night we had some leftover yam and decided to make a pie! It tastes just like pumpkin pie.

4~ Chocolate zucchini cookies. To be honest, I wasn't so sure these would turn out, but they are amazing!

5~ The gorgeous roses my mom picked up!

6~ Double almond macaroons. I blogged about these guys here.

7~ Yes. More apples. I know. But aren't they beautiful?

8~ My brother and I in the middle of an epic jump. See more of my outfit here.

What I'm thankful for this month......

warm cats and cozy blankets ~ pumpkin spice lattes ~ cinnamon candles ~ red nail polish ~ pinterest ~ green tea ~ roses ~ courage ~ crisp & clean thick sketch paper ~ eagles ~ surprise blessings ~

~ body scrubs ~ British accents ~ leading, not following ~

I can honestly say that September has been an amazing month and a memorable start to a new school year. I can't wait to see all of the great things that October has in store!

What are you thankful for this month?

Much love, Vivi