Olympic Inspired Nail Art

I have been obsessed with the Olympics my entire life, and these London Games are no exception.  I love watching the Opening Ceremonies and seeing how the Host City introduces itself to the world.  London definitely brought it this time around.  One of the highlights for me was team Great Britain's parade of nations uniforms.  I though it was quite cheeky to have gold accents on the uniforms, as if to say "This is what we expect of ourselves, get ready to compete".

Anyway, these uniforms inspired me to do an Olympic manicure.  I started out painting al my nails white.  After they dried, I stuck small strips of tape (1/8 inch wide) across them to create stripes.  Then I painted my nails again, alternating silver and gold.  When you peel off the tape, you are left with super fun stripes worthy of the medal stand.

Happy painting! 

P.S. Was I the only one waiting to hear "And may the odds be ever in your favor" during the Opening Ceremonies? 

Low-Fat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I've been meaning to make these yummy bites of goodness for a while, and I am soooo glad I did today.  They are so delicious, with a lovely nutty, rich flavor.  And, bonus, I swapped the butter for applesauce, so they are almost fat-free!

Ingredients:
3 1/3 cup flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice.

1 16 oz. can pumpkin
1 12oz bag chocolate chips
4 eggs or egg substitute
1 cup applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and applesauce, then add chocolate chips and pumpkin.
4. Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients, mix well
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, bake for 20-25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out        clean

This recipe makes 20 large and 36 mini muffins or 24 large and 24 mini muffins

Pumpkin heaven!

2 Nail Trends in 1!

One of my favorite things to do is my nails.  I probably give myself a manicure once a week.  It's such an easy and quick way to polish your look.  I honestly feel naked when I go out without nail polish now.

Anyway, I love to experiment with new colors and techniques when it comes to my nails.  This week, I decided to play with two of the hottest manicure trends right now, color blocking and 3D.  I started out by painting all my nails a fire engine red (a pop of color everyone is sure to notice).  Then, while the topcoat was still wet, I dipped my ring finger into a pot of glitter.  The glitter stuck to the nail and created an awesome and sparkly 3D effect.   Once the glitter set I painted another layer of top coat on to make sure the glitter stayed on.  I hate having glitter everywhere, it is indeed the herpes of the craft world.  Once it gets out, it gets on everything.  Thankfully it seems to be staying put.

Finished product.  Please don't judge me for the messiness, it was late and I was pressed for time.  You get the general idea.  I feel fancy with this sexy red shade and sparkles.