I have a standing weekly date with Caitlin.

I have a standing weekly date with Caitlin. We go wander about and get our steps in. She took me by the place with the Jack-o-Lanterns the other day and I got to get pictures of the other side and ask about them. The lady inside said they bought the pumpkins a couple of years ago and they just change the paint for fun.

The inside of the building is interesting, as well. They have some vintage/weird stuff displayed. They said that people were decorating the counters and they just went with it. It's a gas station/dispensary. I don't know if they sell anything else, but they were super nice to me and seemed happy to answer my questions.

So I guess they are there just because the store owners wanted them. That's as good a reason as any! 😊

Feedback request:

Feedback request:

I am working hard to get set up to make and sell high-quality press-on nails.  I have been doing a lot of research on tip brands, sizing, application kits, etc.

I am going to post 3 photos with captions.  Please let me know if anything is unclear or that you don't like about them.

Thank you in advance!

Press-On Kit - front

This is what I would send out ordered nails on. They would be attached in the white areas with double-sided tape.

Should this card be labeled with left and right? Is there anything else I should add? Is it too busy? Should I add or remove anything?

Press-On Kit - back

Is this easy to understand? For those who already wear press-on nails, does this sound accurate?

Sizing Kit

This would be sent to a potential buyer ahead of ordering a set of nails. I would write in the shape they requested in the first bubble, then attach 14 nail sizes to the card for them to try out and find their size if they don't already know it. They can fill in the bubbles on the card to see if they match any standard sizes, or need custom sizing.

Is this easy to understand? Should I add or remove anything? I know it's plain, but I'm open to ideas if it needs anything.

Bear. 🤦🏻

Bear. 🤦🏻

I'm pretty sure he wanted to sit in the pool... But without getting his butt wet. 😂

Our sweet, smooth-brained boy. 😂❤️

Today, my favorite person turned 43.

Today, my favorite person turned 43. I think his day went okay. I was not feeling well last night and some of today, but I did his nails and we'll have a date tomorrow.

We're not doing gifts because I think it would just stress him out (that's what he said, anyway). I'm never on time with stuff like that, regardless. But things will ease up soon. Maybe he'll get a surprise once I'm working again. He definitely wouldn't expect it. 😂

Not my plants, but my cholla bruise. 😂

Not my plants, but my cholla bruise. 😂

Teddy Bear cholla is my favorite. Looks all cuddly and glowy in the sunlight, but peak violence. 🔪

I accidentally backed my hand into 5-ish spines when I was watering plants on Sunday. It was hard getting detached from my plant. It was holding on. This is the result.

Check out this reddit post. They got punctured, too.

https://www.reddit.com/r/cactus/s/TLd81eRDJu

I've been doing my pre-work...

I've been doing my pre-work for the Web Development bootcamp and I've already learned a lot. I'm excited to get started next month. I think I do much better with structure than I do without because I'm just flailing about, trying my best and not getting far. That's probably why I love lists so much. They give me a small amount of structure and purpose. So it will be nice to have something concrete and productive to do again soon. Having this pre-work and deadlines is also pretty nice.

My brain is all over the place and it's not super fun. I'm still sure I want to make press-on nails to sell. I have considered off and on doing the nail-tech thing, but the ANXIETY that comes with it is killer. Even when I do nails for friends and family FOR FREE, I'm always like "I could've done that better." The perfectionist in me will never see it as good enough, even when people assure me that they are happy. So at least if I make press-ons and they're already done, people can like them and buy them, or not. It seems like it would take a lot of the pressure off.

I have never in my life wanted to make nail polish and I still don't, but I'm getting pretty worked up over nail powder (the kind you buff into a sticky gel). I'm over here like "How big is a micron?" and going down the rabbit hole. I have a few powders with gorgeous effects, but I'd like to be able to mix something similar so I don't run through my prized favorite 4 by putting them on press-ons for someone else.

I did some mood nails the other day and they look pretty nice. But after doing some research ON THAT (I wasn't kidding when I said I was all over the place), I found that it's probably best to use that pigment in nail art instead of doing a full mani. The mood stuff isn't polish and needs to be sealed in. It would be better to encapsulate it somewhere than paint all the way to the edge and have it flake off. I'd be mortified if I sent out some nails and that happened.

My sweet Shaun has been nursing a butterfly with a torn wing since yesterday. He has been keeping it in the greenhouse and bringing it flowers and nectar. He went out earlier and it was gone into a bush and he was a bit upset until he found it. He knows the wings don't heal and that it will die eventually, but he's doing what he can to make sure it's comfortable, I guess. He knows we could leave it out and let it be part of the food chain, but for whatever reason, he seems kind of attached to this one. He looked her up and told me what her species was, but I can't remember what he said. He also told me she was a female.

I love how sweet his heart is. Anytime we've ever had a dying animal, he's wanted to be there - for them. I remember a time he held an injured gerbil for hours so that she wouldn't die alone. I don't really know where I was going with that; I guess I'm just expressing my appreciation for him and that he cares, even for the small creatures, too. ❤️

Anyway, I'm off to shower and get some sleep. I need to start working my schedule back towards "early" since the bootcamp/classes will be starting at 8 am and they're a bit of a drive from home.

I hope y'all are doing well. I'm kind of just... Scattered, but I'll pull myself together again. For a while, anyway. 😂😂😂 I never stay feeling like I'm on top of things for too long. Such is life, I suppose.

To do list for today:

To do list for today:

1.  Ramble in written form (it feels more solid than talking)

2.  Do my nails

3.  Water my plants

Taking care of #1 right now.  😆

So the Labubu market last night was pretty great.  We didn't make a lot of money, but we did recover our booth fee several times over, so we aren't complaining.  Also, the guy who runs it came by to meet us and thank us for coming, and he also checked that we made our money back.  If we hadn't, he was going to return our booth fee.  That wouldn't have been necessary to us regardless, but  we were appreciative that he checked.

Shaun walked around a bit to scope out what all was going on.  He said that there was a good bit of 3D printed merch, some larger items like tumblers and backpacks, and also some other smaller handmade things, but we were the only jewelry.  I think there were other stickers (we'd printed a few), but we were also the only temporary tattoos and nail decals.

We have some things left over, and we'll work on photographing it and putting it on Etsy this week.

Our setup was around the corner from the DJ area, which would have been a sensory nightmare for me if I hadn't had my Loop earplugs with me, which I almost always do now.  Yay for preparedness and learning to manage myself!

It actually ended up being quite fun being right near the DJ area.  Instead of a band, they had a karaoke setup... and I can't really explain why, but that made a huge difference to me.  No hate to anyone in bands, but it felt more wholesome? welcoming? endearing? (y'all help me with words; I'm not quite nailing it) having members of the community botch songs real bad while we all danced and cheered for them.  😆❤  I especially loved it when the kids would sing and get really into it.  It was so cute.

The market was held at the ABQ Food Park, and not all of the food trucks were open, but HOLY SHIT I got the best Torta of my life from one there that I can't even find the name of.  I got chicken in mine, and if you know me, I'm a picker (of food, skin, nails, stickers, edges, etc.) and I could barely find a thing to pick on my chicken.  It was SO GOOD.  And hot and fresh and flavorful.  I'm going to have to find the name of that place and go back.

The weather here in New Mexico is by default beautiful, but yesterday evening it was cloudy (so nice and cool) and then rainbows.  We had doubles, we had a big long one, we had one that looked like it repeated ROYGBIV a few times.  One thing to also know (I'm not sure if the whole state is like this, or just near the mountains), but it's BREEZY here.  And by that, I mean people's tents were flying away.  😆  Our displays were blowing over.  People were chasing after dropped things.  But that's just how it is.

We don't have a tent (yet), but if we had, it would've been more trouble than it was worth to put up.  Since it was afternoon/evening and cloudy, we weren't in direct sun and didn't need it.  Many people took theirs down once the breeze picked up.  We do plan to have one eventually, but we'll have to find a way to really secure it.  We also need to find a way to help keep our displays standing.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that it was a great time.  The vibes were immaculate, the people were so chill, the music was amazing, the food... omg, I haven't stopped thinking about that Torta.  😆  13/10 experience, I will definitely find reasons to go back, whether I'm selling Polish All the Things or just seeing what they've got going on.

Also, NM locals:  I need more friends here.  Please feel free to introduce me (IRL or virtually) to anyone you think I'd get along with.  ❤