Plates I Love!: VIvid Lacquer Interview

Stamparellas,

Do you remember when I first posted about Vivid Lacquer plates?  It feels like it was eons ago.  In actuality it was 2 summers ago, and I was so excited I posted a video on my Youtube channel.  I wanted these plates so desperately and today very little has changed.  Except the brand has gotten bigger, Anni if anything has gotten sweeter, and her plates well...they are more innovative and fabulous than ever!  When I first created my Plates I Love! feature I knew beyond a doubt that Vivid Lacquer plates would have to be included in the line up and so here we are today.  My second feature and another awesome interview featuring a fabulous brand!  So let's get started with the interview...

When did you become interested in nail art and what led you to stamping nail art in particular?

I first started playing with nail polish in July of 2011. For the first time in my life I had successfully stopped biting my nails, and from there it was a quick jump into nail art.  For stamping in particular - I found that I just wasn't great at traditional nail art. I'm much better at graphic design and sketching. So, I began looking into stamping. I fell in love with a leopard print design and managed my first real nail art that way, and I was an instant addict.

How did you decide to launch your own brand of stamping plates? 

At the time I started stamping, very few options were available for stamping plates and stamping polish. I surmised that I might be able to use vector art, which I was experienced with, to create my own. With the support of a lot of friends I decided to take the leap and see what happened!

Pause: Vector art or graphics  are based on  paths or strokes which lead through locations called control points. Each of these points has a definite position on the x and y axes of the work plane. Each point includes the location and direction of that point in space and can be assigned a color, a shape, a thickness and also a fill.  You can read more about vectors here.

When you are creating your plates what inspires you? 

I get a lot of suggestions from customers, and sometimes I will make an entire plate theme based off of that idea. Other times I see neat patterns in real life or in photographs and wonder what kind of a stamp I could make with them - ideas are everywhere! I also have a lot of fun sketching random things to see what I come up with.

Are you creating for your fans, yourself, or for someone else in particular? 

I create primarily for my fans, but also for myself. I really enjoy seeing manicures done using my plates, particularly when the artist says that the mani has helped to cheer them up or that they particularly enjoy the process. I love that something as simple as nail art can have such a large effect on people, and it's a joy to share that with my customers.

What big plans or crazy ideas do you have for the future? 

I frequently say that I wish there were more hours in the day - I feel like I have more ideas than I have time. I'm planning more ambitious stamps, more stamping polish, and expanding the Vivid Lacquer line into more accessories.

Whats YOUR favorite brand/creator of nail art plates? 

It's so hard to choose! I have a wide range in my stash - I really go for unusual, flexible designs. There's so many talented creators out there now that it's easy to find new pieces for my collection.

If you could change one thing about the nail art scene what would it be? 

I'd like to remove the negativity. My favorite part of the nail polish / nail art world is the camaraderie that can occur, and the simple pleasure of sharing a slightly unusual hobby with like-minded people. I think that happiness is sometimes lost or forgotten.

Anything else you want to share with your fans?

 I sincerely thank every one of you for your support over the last 18 months.

The 411

Purchase Vivid Lacquer plates and polishes here

Stalk her on Facebook here  

Take a peek into her world on Instagram here

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Ugh are you as sad as I am that this interview is over?  Isn't Anni such a cool character?  Yeah I know I spend most of these interviews fangirling, but it's my blog and I'll fangirl if I want too.  So when I initially asked for Anni to do this interview I thought to myself I can't wait to see what the Vivid Lacquer brand comes up with next!  Of course I was watching eagerly, and so it thrilled me when I found out that she was releasing a entire new set of plates today at 7PM PST that's 10PM EST.  You can read my original post to take a look at all the new plates that will be releasing here.

There are two more plates in the bundle that will be releasing today. Here's the second to the last one scheduled for release. 

A gorgeous plate of lace, corsets, and keys!  The last plate preview will release shortly before the pre-sale so stalk along with me.  Set your phasers to stun and happy stamping my friends! Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you next post...

Plates I Love!: Vivid Lacquer Nail Art Edition

Hey Stamp-a-rellas,

It's that time again when I go into full gush mode regarding a brand of stamping plates that I just cannot fathom living without!  That's right it's another edition of Plates I Love! You can check out my first post featuring Messy Mansion here.  Today it's all about Vivid Lacquer nail art and tomorrow I'll have my exclusive interview with the lady herself!  In all honesty Vivid Lacquer was the first indie brand plate maker I bought from stateside.  The creator, Anni and I, go back to when she was just getting her company off the ground and I was obsessing over the Vivid Lacquer kitty that is the logo for her brand.  Her plates make me smile.  They are utterly original, huge, and of the highest quality etching.  Anni takes her work seriously and likes to see her customers satisfied and happy.  Initially, she started out only making plates with polishes not much further behind, but it has always always been her plates that made me salivate, stalk, and shamelessly shell out funds to get my nail art version of a drug fix ;)

Currently the brand has released about 20+ plates, and recently began selling square stampers which are taking the stamping world by storm.  In fact, once again hers were the first I purchased.  Stamping addicts you already know exactly what I'm talking about.  Of course I'm gonna show you some nail art now using Vivid Lacquer plates, but if you want to see more all you have to do is click the Vivid Lacquer label on the sidebar and you will see the many mani's I have made using her plates.

Mani-louge

Basecoat/Topcoat:  CND Stickey & Sally Hansen Diamond Flash

Basecolor:  OPI My Pointe Exactly (jelly) & Pink Flamenco

Stamping Polish: Konad Special Polish in Black Gold

Stamping Plate: Vivid Lacquer VL014

This is my first time using Rica polishes and I have to say I'm impressed, but moreso by the owner.  I had a huge problem with the delivery of my package and Rica stepped up like a champ and an owner who really appreciates her customers and redelivered my package.  I owe her many many thanks for doing this for me and for valuing me as a new customer!  It truly speaks to her dedication for her brand and her products. Now onto Fae - I knew the minute I saw this polish  I had to have it! It is inspired by True Blood and is a clear base that is packed with both iridescent squares and holo large circle glitters.  In short it's perfect "jelly food".

I combined Fae in 4 coats with OPI's My Pointe Exactly a thin dove-gray jelly from the NYC Ballet Collection.  MPE is one of my favorites of this collection and I knew it was going to play nicely with Fae allowing the beautiful circular glitters to push into the foreground in flashes of light.  The accent nail using OPI was just to give the total look a final punch and keep it from drowning in uniformity.  I got so many compliments on this mani while I was out and about!  I left the accent fairly plain using the bright burst of OPI Pink Flamenco and studs from Born Pretty to do the work.

Vivid Lacquer strikes again eh?  I truly love these plates.  I haven't done nearly enough nail art with them and that's a darn shame because every time I do I realize how much I love what I'm working with!  The stranding chrysanthemums (which is what I have named them) on my nails come right from VL014 and they went a long way to preserve the delicacy of this whole mani.

So thoughts?  Do you all still like jelly sandwich manicures? No matter how many times I do them I think there are still so many ways to use them.  Last time I did this feature I put up a lot of plates from the creator as well as nail art.  I think today I'll show a selection of the plates I truly love that Anni has released thus far.

                                   

Yes VL014 was an immediate crush.  The flowers and dragonflies stole my heart!

                                  

Everything about this plate makes me happy.  You'll know if you follow me on instagram that I spent some time playing with the lotus blossoms on this plate.  I'm still not 100% satisfied with the art I created and I still have plans for the koi fish

                                     

This was the plate that started it all! My obsession with the Vivid Lacquer brand originated with that butterfly wing which was literally the first of its kind.  Of all the ones that came after none could live up to this level of epic!

 

                                 

Yaaass! I love love love this plate! As much as I wanted to be a ninja I wanted to be a pirate more.  Lol now I have the opportunity to be both ;) Look at the exquisite detailing on the waves.  Sigh...

                                  

 I'm a biochemist so you know this was going to be included.  Frankly this and the Messy Mansion plates are the best two science plates I have EVER seen. So much win!!!

                                   

 My favorite multi-print plate! Honestly these also happen to be my favorite chevrons to stamp in my entire collection!

Ok I had to stop because I realized I wanted to put up so many plates there would have been little pint to picking favorites lol.  I have to give the Halloween plate a special runner up status though because that plate makes me wish it was halloween year round.  In any case I hope you enjoyed the nail art and the Vivid Lacquer spotlight.  Stay tuned for my interview with Anni tomorrow!  And for those of your that are lagging behind on my posts or didn't see Vivid Lacquer will be releasing all new plates tomorrow.  You can click here to see them all.  Thanks for reading and see you next post!

Plates I Love Interview: Messy Mansion Nail Art

Hey lacqueristas and fellow stampaholics,

As you know I've started up this new feature called Plates I Love! on my blog.  Today's post is part deux of my Messy Mansion feature.  If you didn't read Part 1 check it out here. Today I got the chance to pick the brains, so to speak, of the creator and owner of  Messy Mansion nail art plates Julia McGowan, and I think you are gonna like what she has to say!  So without further ado let's start the show ;)

When did you become interested in nail art and what led you to stamping nail art in particular?

Around 18 months ago, I decided that I'd had enough of mud, pirates, and dinosaurs.  As the mother of two little boys (now 5 and 2) I really needed some girl time!  I'd loved painting my nails as a teenager, and I even had some of my old polishes from back then!  But my clean up was horrific, and I knew I needed to refresh my skills, so I turned to Youtube to find some inspiration.  That's when I came across nail stamping.  I loved that it looked so quick and easy, and that after buying the initial plates and stamper, you didn't have to keep paying for supplies to keep your nails looking fancy.   I bought the cheapest stuff I could find on eBay, dug out some thick encrusted brown polish to stamp with and got started.  Except I didn't realise you had to remove the plastic off the plates, so after throwing them in a corner, buying a new stamper, and watching more videos, I finally worked out I had to remove the film!

How did you decide to launch your own brand of stamping plates?

I first decided to design a plate when I wanted some images that nobody seemed to stock.  The idea was to get the designs for myself and sell off the rest to hopefully cover my costs.  Once I got started it ballooned from there!  I wanted more designs, people kept suggesting ideas, and I got some great feedback on my plates, which all encouraged me to just keep creating.

When you are creating your plates what inspires you?

The weirdest things!  Greeting cards, wrapping paper, jewellery, wallpaper, ancient manuscripts, artwork, the tiles at the back of my fireplace, trees on the drive into town... basically anything that grabs me visually, that has a beauty and form to it that I want to capture.  I've loved drawing and creating since I was a little girl, and before I got into stamping plates I designed jewellery, did some interior design, as well as lectured in Multimedia at a local college.  I love to capture the essence of the theme, but try to avoid the clichés... especially with events like Christmas etc.  I get great satisfaction out of creating images that are instantly recognizable, but still a little bit quirky and different.

Are you creating for your fans, yourself, or for someone else in particular?

All of those.   I started creating for myself, and I still do that.  I don't make anything that I can't imagine in a manicure, or that I wouldn't wear myself.  Having said that, I definitely listen to my fans and use their ideas as inspiration.  I love hearing what people want, and I love their reactions when I can give them what they are after. I really get a buzz out of seeing the creativity and awesomeness folks make using my plates.  It makes me happy. 

What big plans or crazy ideas do you have for the future?

Shhh.. can you keep a secret?  ;)  (Let me insert myself in the interview here lol clearly I can't!) Well... more plates, obviously.  But I've also been working on stamping polishes and indie polishes that all fit in with a theme.  Sometimes I can't find the exact polish I want for a look I have floating around in my head.  So my upcoming "Waterworld" image plate will come with an Indie polish called "Waterworld" and a stamping polish that compliments it called "Seafoam".   I often have folks ask me what polishes I'm using in my manis, and so I thought it would be really cool to make polishes and plates that all worked together.  Kind of a one-stop-shop so people can re-create a look without having to hunt around for specific polishes. 

I'm also organizing the production and distribution of a range of plates a graphic designer friend put together.  The LilyAnna plates should be released later in the year.  Can't wait!

Sneek Peeks of upcoming plates in 2014

Whats YOUR favorite brand/creator of nail art plates?

You really can't go past the other Indie plate makers.  I swoon whenever Natalie from Nailz Craze releases more plates, and I'm hoping to catch up with the creator of Emily de Molly soon because I really want her gorgeous new plates too!  (And plus.. she's super cool to hang out with.)

If you could change one thing about the nail art scene what would it be? 

I actually love the nail art scene.  I've met so many fantastic people through it and made some wonderful friends.  I occasionally hear about dramas, but being in Australia, by the time I get up in the morning and get on to the internet, it's all over.  Which is how I like it.  LOL Seriously, the creativity and generosity of the nail art community really blows me away.  It inspires me to create more, think more, express more, push the boundaries more and collaborate more.   We live in a rural area, and by having such a great bunch of people to be involved with, even if only on the internet and occasionally in person, it hardly feels remote at all.   If I could change anything, I'd have us all live closer so I could check out everyone's manis in person!!  Maybe an international road trip is in order!!

Anything else you want to share with your fans?

That's the toughest question.  :)  Just my favourite quote, I think.. “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do that. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.”  - Howard Thurman.   So just be brave, whatever that may mean for you.  Oh.. and post your manis on my facebook page!  Your awesome manis inspire me.  :)

You can purchase Messy Mansion Nail Plates here

Add your lovely manis and keep updated on the latest previews on her Facebook here 

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So ladies what did you think?  Isn't she so damn cool and more importantly kind?  I have to say reading about her difficulties when she initially started stamping made me laugh out loud.  How many times have I heard someone say what the hell is this little sticky crap over the top of the plate (referring of course to the blue or clear film like it was back in the day).  I'm so glad she kept at it though because I am always so excited when she releases new plates!  Her shop reopens on the 25th of November so get your mouses ready and warm up those carts :)

I'm also looking forward to these coordinating stamping polishes and bases.  She is totally gonna rock our worlds! I hope you all enjoyed reading this interview and let me know what you think.  I have more plate makers upcoming,  but if there anyone YOU want to hear about in particular let me know!   Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you next post! 

Plates I Love!: Messy Mansion Nail Art Edition (Pic Heavy)

Happy Friday Stamp Tramps ;)

Welcome to my new feature called - Plates I Love!  I will be featuring brands of stamping plates that I have tested out myself and can attest to the quality of and know for a fact that the creators are well...creative.  These will be two part features - in the first segment I'll talk about the brand and show you some fabulous nail art creation and in the 2nd I'll be interviewing the creator (click here for the interview).  I think it'll be kinda awesome to get personal insight into the process of their designs.  So let's start the show!

The first brand I'm featuring is Messy Mansion an Australian based company created by the wonderful Julia McGowan who I discovered through my AIS group!  I will always have a weak and sentimental place for Australia, a country I lived in for half a year while studying abroad, so of course when I heard of these plates I had to snag them up! Julia is seriously seriously seriously talented and to date has some of the most innovative plates I have EVER seen.  This is saying something for a lady who owns, no joke, hundreds and hundreds of stamping plates from all over the world (my inventory is coming soon).  Today I used several of her plates to create a special manicure to go along with this feature and I'll be showing you some of her other plates later as well.

Mani-louge

Basecoat/Topcoat: OPI Natural Nail Base Coat/Poshe Fast Drying Topcoat

French tip bases: Orly Satin Hues Satin Joy and Satin Reflection

Overcoat: PolishedbyKPT Green Awakening

Accent: Liquid Sky Lacquer Solar Plum

Stamping polishes: Konad Special Polish in Black Gold

Stamping Plates: Messy Mansion MM20 and MM06

Blurred to capture holo and green flecks - the shade of it all!

Let's pause here for a moment so that I can show you some of the plates Julia created which started my fanatical obsession with her awesome products so below are a few of the plates Julia has created thus far...

The following are coming soon!

The 411:

Stalk Messy Mansion here 

Enrich your nail art soul and collection here or here

Plates are $7 AUD with $2.50 AUD shipping worldwide  
 

So now you know what's so hot about Mrs. McGowan aka Messy Mansion.  The images on her plates are massive as in they fit my wide and long nail beds like a dream and the engravings on these plates are genuinely some of the most fantastical and imaginative artistry I have seen come out of a stamping plate company.  In addition the quality and etching of the plates is flawless!  You will hear me utter not one word against this brand.  You will see me run falling screaming and tumbling to get my hands on a preorder for her plates, and try desperately to create nail art that is worthy of their beauty.  Yup full of hype today but every word I say is true and more!

 

Shade

A little about today's mani starting with Liquid Sky Lacquer Solar Plum because I don't want you to be an idiot like I was - it's a UV changing polish not a thermal which means unless you are sitting in a tanning bed or out in the direct sunlight this bad boy won't shift.  Don't be ridiculous like me and email the seller and then have her politely explain that a full spectrum lamp just won't cut the mustard.  Lol I love you Carolyn! I also used PolishedbyKPT to give the iridescent green effect you see over all of my nails except the accent and I really love how that turned out!

 Sun

So thoughts? I wonder if it was too much to show a mani and her plates together in one feature?  I could use so feedback so let me know what you think! Do you prefer to just see the plates and have me talk about the brand or to see nail art and then split from there with a separate post about the plates and the brand?

I realized after I did this mani that it has been entirely too long since I have done a bling mani! How is that even possible? I mean I used to live for the bling bling.  Lol well tis the season coming for all of that so hopefully I can get a bit in during these holiday months.  I totally adore this nail art.  It's completely over the top and impractical, but it's so shiny and pretty I can't stop staring.

Finally, I'm always for supporting creativity and ingenuity in the stamping and polish world.  I love all of my plates, but my indie ones have a special place in my heart for being unique and cool.   Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow for the interview with Julia.  I promise it will be worth your while and I'll see you next post!