Hey There Polished People!
There is a quote that I’ve heard many times but never really knew where it originated. I looked it up and it’s by Scott Adams. The quote reads:
“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”
I’ve recently read a book called Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. It was a decent book although I had plenty of complaints about it, but I guess the fact that I read it about a week ago and it’s still in my mind speaks to its quality or at least its ability to affect readers. It’s about a teenage girl who commits suicide. She leaves behind a set of tapes which detail thirteen reasons why she decided to take her own life. I don’t want to get into my problems with this book, you can ask if you’re interested or check me out on Goodreads here to read my review, but it does bring up a good discussion of how seemingly unimportant things, good or bad, leave a lasting impression. I’m not writing this to tell you about someone who hurt me and created a ripple of pain or hate, I want to tell you about something very nice that someone recently did for me that created a big ripple of kindness. And it all started with Lesley.
I opened my door one day last week to find a box on my doorstep. I was pretty sure I’d received all my Amazon orders from Christmastime and I wasn’t expecting anything in the mail, so I was curious about what could be in the box. I looked at the address label and sure enough it was for me and it was sent from Lesley!! I was so shocked that I brought it right in and seriously started tearing at the box like some kind of starved, frothy-mouthed, rabid raccoon I USED MY NAILS TO CUT THE TAPE!! Yes, I know, cardinal sin- “do not use your nails for tools.” Whatever. I was HYPED! Inside there were presents all wrapped up and even wrapped presents for my two dogs!! She sent super-soft blankies for my dogs!!! Cue the “aww”s. If you follow me on Instagram you know what those blankets look like cuz Bubba and Minnie LOVE them and I’ve been posting like 3 pictures a day. Sorry about that. 🙂 I wont inventory the whole box for you all, but two things that she included that are relevant (besides the chocolate that I’m eating, hold on, I want to get another piece)
(ok I’m back) are a very special book and a very pretty polish!
Lay your eyes upon this book.
AHHH!!! She got me the Wah Nails Book Of Nail Art!! This is pretty much the nail art Bible if you ask me. Especially receiving it from someone else in the nail art circle that I run in I feel like it was the tiara that just crowned me as part of the nail art court.
Naturally I stood right where I tore this baby open and read it over like 3 times. When my feet finally got tired of standing in the exact same place I immediately used the polish that was also in the box, Essie School Of Hard Rocks, and did a design out of the book. Ready to see some actual nail art?
Basketcase Nails
How To Get These Nails:
- Base coat.
- Use Essie School Of Hard Rocks and a Stripe Rite silver striper and do this:
Click on the picture to enlarge if it’s not quite large enough to read.
It was so beyond sweet of Lesley to send me anything at all, and it’s like she knew exactly what would absolutely excite my socks off. I love this book, love the polish, love everything!! Thank you so much, Lesley!!! Sincerely, thank you very, very much. You really made my day and left me with such a happy, grateful feeling that will create a ripple that has no logical end. 🙂
What have you experienced that created a ripple? There have been lots of movements out there about this type of thing (pay it forward, random acts of kindness, the butterfly effect) and I would like to hear if any of you participated in any. I have organized a fundraiser, given presents to needy families, that type of thing, but who knows if they made a ripple or not. Also- do you have this book? Or maybe you have another book that you see as the nail art Bible. Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and till next time- Happy Polishing!! 😀
Polish Me, Please! 
these nails looks easy to do!! 🙂 i love the color.. BTW, i’m looking for a golden metal polish that gives full coverage on ONE coat.. i found the perfect silver, but golden has been a pain in the neck to find, which one can you suggest me?
They really are! I was surprised at just how easy! I know a design is easy when even my right hand (done by my non dominant left hand) still looks perfect. 🙂
As far as a good metallic gold goes- I really like my Essie Good As Gold. Some people have trouble w the application being streaky but it’s been fine for me. It’s super metallic like molten gold so you just have to apply it quickly and w enough polish on your brush and let it dry between coats if you apply more than one (which isn’t necessary w careful application). If that doesn’t work for you I have heard good things about the Sally Hansen extreme wear gold. I believe it’s called goldeneye (not the OPI one, this is Sally Hansen). But, I’ve only heard good things about it, haven’t tried it myself. It’s supposed to be the gold version of celeb city (silver), which I love.
thanks, i’ll order it online next month.. i’ve been dying to do some stuff with golden polish, but i’ve bought like 2 or 3 and they’re all too thin for what I want..
i always practice all the nail art using my left hand.. i don’t want to get too excited about it when doing it with the right hand and then the left become a mess.. LOL.
You are so smart!! I always do my left hand first and then if it’s too hard for the right.. well.. it’s just ugly. :p
I really like these nails and I need to invest in that book. You’re thought about paying it forward reminded me of something Jill posted on her Pinterest the other day about what an simple act of kindness can do and you not even know it : http://iwastesomuchtime.com/on/?i=57331
It made me cry a little 🙂
Thanks! I bet you’d do a lot of the designs out of here. You don’t need a lot of special stuff… just some stripers and nail polish really. I have heard that story before, I think, although I’m thinking it was just barely different. Anyway it does go to show how a little something at just the right moment makes a big difference.
Hey! I nominated you for a star for the 2012 Blog of the Year award! Check it out http://maesbeauty.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/blog-of-the-year-award/
Thanks Amanda! 🙂
I just went to look at that and the link doesn’t work. Can you try sending it to me again, please?
Try now. I posted,yest it might not have worked. It was a future post link. Lmk
Ahh that would make sense. Thanks! 🙂
how awesome is Lesley! That is so thoughtful!!! and the book looks amazing, love these nails and the color combo! ❤
Thank you so much! Yes, it was just too nice. 🙂
OMG, Nicole! I clicked the link for this post off of your tweet and was just kind of reading along, and then I see my name! This is *too* sweet and actually came on the perfect day. I had to go back to work today after my flu and am feeling quite zombified, but it is also the 13th anniversary of my father’s passing. Getting a little treat like this on today of all days is so special to me, so thank you.
I bought the book because I felt like I’d mentioned it to you several times and figured, well, may as well get it! To be completely fair, I originally learned about it on The Sammersaurus’s blog. I got the polish idea off of your wishlist! 😉
I LOVE this mani! I’m not sure if I’m biased or what, but it just looks GREAT!
Thank you again for this sweet post! ❤ ❤ ❤
You’re welcome!! Gosh, thank YOU!! 🙂 I’m glad to hear you’re SORTA feeling better, sorry to hear of the sad anniversary but I’m glad that seeing how much I appreciated your gifts cheered you up a bit. I was just so shocked with how nice it was and I know I’ve said it a million times but- THANK YOU!! I heard of this book on her blog too but for whatever reason I never ordered it. I’m so happy to have it!! 😀
Wow what a lovely surpirse you got. And i have to say i like this idea with the Basketcase Nails a lot. it looks really cool!
Thanks! I really liked how they turned out, and being so easy… that’s a big plus, too! 🙂 Thanks again. 🙂
Aw how awesome! That’s so sweet of her 😀
I love the mani you created! That book seems awesome!
Thank you! The book is really cool. It has designs that we’ve probably seen before but breaks down the steps, tells some about the nail shop and just kinda pumps you up about nails and nail art. 🙂 It’s really fun.
Ja I have a book like this, it’s called yours and Cynthia’s blog hehehehe.
I really like what you did and I really want to try it as well so I’m saving the pic!
Can’t think of any good ripples I’ve experienced, can currently think of a bad one but that’s only because I was going through a bad time recently. I guess maybe me spoiling everyone on Christmas led to me and us having a good Christmas? I’d have to think of some good ripples!
You might have created a good ripple with your christmas cheer! 🙂 And haha.. you’re very clever with your joke.. I guess who needs a book when you KNOW I’m gonna eventually show you all the designs and Cynthia will show you a billion others?? 😉
Goddamit why am I all teary-eyed? Let me tell you why: cause I am so fucking glad I met all of you even though my blog got started in the absolute worst period of my life. Now that things are starting to look up, I am so looking forward to sharing happy stuff with everyone and not just down on my luck Oliver Twist crap. lol You know, I kinda want to read that book. Right after my whole overdose and crap, I read Veronika Decides To Die. Have you ever read that? I highly recommend it–it’s by Paulo Coehlo. I know that they made a movie out of it but good lord, I don’t want to torture myself with that because I know how it usually goes. I think that once you have gone down that path, it never really leaves you. Like today I was having tons of fun and when Daniel and I were at the beach, we walked up the pier and I was like looking down and like this part of me was like: “Oh, jump off!” I realize that sounds kinda scary and morbid, but that’s just how my head is. It’s almost like I’m not scared anymore. I think I need to ask my doctors if I was really close to dying or whatever because that has bothered me. I keep thinking that if I was close to dying, then there isn’t anything there and I don’t have to be all worried about the God stuff. Ok, I better stop writing because I’m sure everyone now thinks I’m psychotic. lol I’m just glad that I am feeling soooo much better even if I still retain some of my “quirkiness.” So these nails are super cool and I love the base color. Believe it or not, I do not recall hearing of that book…I’m sure people have mentioned it but it probably just flew over my head. And of course, I have to say that Lesley is the shiznit. That is all. 🙂
Awww I’m glad we have all been able to get to know one another too. It’s fun chatting about stuff that other people like just as much as me, and in particular chatting with someone just as snarky as me. 🙂 I don’t doubt one bit that going through something like that totally changes a person, it probably changed those close to you too, but I wouldn’t put too much weight to those morbid thoughts. I think everyone has those. I’ve never had severe depression or anything, but I definitely think those things sometimes, too. I think it’s mostly just human curiosity and how the mind works. I already put that book on my “to read” list. I feel like if you read that book, as someone who went through it, that you would be irritated by it. I mean, I don’t know a single thing about suicide and I don’t pretend to know what would warrant it in someone’s mind or not, but this book seems very petty for the most part. If you read it I would LOVE to know how you felt about it. The other book that I would really like to know your take on is Impulse by Ellen Hopkins. It’s about three teens that attempted to commit suicide and meet in a psych ward. It actually sounds a little like your experiences that you’ve shared and I’d like to know if that’s really what it’s like. Anyway- I’m glad things are definitely looking up for you, but even when they aren’t you are completely able to handle it so don’t ever forget it. You’ve been really positive and just have taken care of business when things definitely were not going in your favor, and that’s a really hard thing to do. Congratulations again on the job, and the giveaway win and the inevitable lotto jackpot winning 😉
So I had just typed out a long ass reply to this and then I accidentally clicked out of the box and it’s gone. AAAAAAAAAAAARGGGHHH So here I go again:
I think you are right that I would probably be annoyed by that book, but I still want to read it if can find a way to not pay for it. LOL I just went on Amazon and it’s like $10 for the kindle version. I will only pay for books which I know are good which sounds weird but I have only been re-buying books that I love that I have a hard copy of somewhere. As you know, I am a total lit snob so maybe I can get this at a library or something. Back to the annoyance: Every time I watch a movie or read a book about being is a psychiatric facility, I always wonder who the hell they asked about those places because their portrayals are so off. I don’t get it. I’ve only been in 3 of those places (only 3! haha) and they were pretty much the same. Or like when someone tries to kill themselves and they are in the hospital and they wake up all alone and confused…well, you know what? You are NEVER alone because they assign a nurse to you who basically sits in front of your face watching you every second. I guess they think you will try to choke yourself with the IV tubes? 😛 Hey…maybe that could be a side job for me: I could consult for the movie studios! haha I’ll put those two books on my list and try to find them. They actually have pretty good ratings on Amazon but I don’t trust people on there anyway. I think it’s time I get on good reads!
You have got to get on Goodreads!! And yeah- the ratings are bogus. You never know why people are rating the way they are and books are so personal… if you’re going through something that makes you relate to a book you’ll LOVE it like it’s the best thing you’ve ever read, but then someone else reads it and it’s like “uhhhh…?” I’ll ask my mom if she wants to read that book and if she does I’ll have her read it next then I’ll send it to you if you want. Let me know if you’d rather just get it from the library or whatever, but if you don’t mind waiting till my mom reads it, it’s all yours. 🙂