Monday, December 3, 2012

Jamberry Tutorial and a Giveaway



 I've got two tutorials for those of you who were waiting, depending on your attention span. At the top is a slide show with quick tips. Under that is the same photos but with step by step commentary on my experience applying Jamberry. I've added this to a permanent page on the blog for future reference as well! 

I'd like to take a second and thank all of you for your amazing support of this new adventure I'm starting. Since we are a crafty bunch, handmade thank you cards (with sample shields for practice purposes) were mailed off to you this morning. I you, fabulous Stampin' Friends!

OK - I need you to remember these are my real nails - and I am notoriously hard on them. I've never really taken care of my hands. I am about as far from a hand model as you can get. I was more of a once or twice a year manicure gal...right before CTMH convention in the summer or maybe for my hubby's holiday party if I could find the time. I just couldn't see the point when I was just gonna ruin them in a day or two!  I'm so thankful that now I have Jamberry for fun, affordable, adorable nails that I can do myself when it's convenient for me and my family. Now, let's get our Jamberry on, ladies!

Supplies Needed
  • Nail Shields
  • Sharp Nail scissors
  • Nail File
  • Buffer (Fine for natural nails, coarser for acrylic)
  • Orange Stick or Rubber Tipped Cuticle Pusher
  • Nail Polish Remover or Rubbing Alcohol
  • Heat Source - Hair Dryer, Rice Bag, or this Lasko Heater
  • Tweezers (Optional)


1. File your tips, push back your cuticles, and lightly buff/sand the tops of your nails beds to give the shields more texture to stick to your nails. Acrylic nails will need a coarser buffer, but natural nails just need a gentle, fine buffer.

2. Clean your prepped nails with polish remover or rubbing alcohol to dehydrate the nail bed a bit and remove filing dust. Some gals wash their hands with Dawn before applying. I haven't had to do that. I do use 100% acetone to clean them.


3. Trim the size you need out of the sheet, allowing just a little more than you need to get to the tip of your fingernail. This will save more material for more manis! I can usually do 2-3 nails out of each shield by trimming carefully, which is how I'm getting a complete mani/pedi from 1/2 a sheet! Don't forget you can trim the sides if needed to fit on your nailbeds.


4. Use tweezers to save your fingers if you have some. Heat each shield with your preferred heat source until it's floppy. The softer and floppier, the better your application will go. Stick it on and smooth it out. Add more gentle heat to the shield on your finger and continue to smooth. I like to use a rubber tipped cuticle pusher to help with this. Reheat as needed to get the smooth application you want.

Note - I love this 
Lasko Heater so I can work with two hands the whole time and not have to balance my hair dryer on the counter. Some gals prefer the quieter rice bag method. You make a rice bag by sewing a little pouch out of material and filling it with a few spoonfuls of rice. Sew it shut, nuke it for 30-45 seconds, and you can use that as your heat source to apply the shields quietly while watching TV with the hubster - no noise, no smell!





5. Gently heat the tip again and pull/stretch the excess material at the tip to tightly adhere the tip of the shield to your nail. I stretch it in the center as shown, and on each side to be sure I'm good and stuck down all the way across the tip. Double check the sides and keep heating and gently stretching until you are happy with the smoothness.

6. Trim the excess with sharp scissors very close, right along your tips. Use a file to smooth the edges if needed, using a downwards motion, not back and forth.


Wait an hour or so before applying Cuticle oil or submerging your hands in the dishwater for a huge amount of time so the bond has a chance to really set. They are "dry" immediately of course...and I'm honestly not so good with the waiting period sometimes, but it's what's recommended.

To remove the shields I just reheat them a little bit and slowly peel them off. Sometimes there's leftover adhesive, so I'll clean my fingers with the polish remover and go again! They say if the shields aren't coming off you can soak in some acetone before removing, but I've never had that problem. They stay on until I feel like peeling them off, easy peasy!

I was slower my first time, but now I can do both hands in about 15 minutes! Do you love the Red Accent nail? I'm going to need more of those Red Polka dots for sure!

Ready for that giveaway? BTW - I'll be back to Friday Favorite Things crafty giveaways next week (yea!!) and I'm working on a new cash and carry area with stamps and kits too - woo! For this week, while I get back on schedule with my scrapbooking, I'm giving away a special sheet of Jamberry snowmen shields! You can't buy these, only get them by hosting a party or right here through my Rafflecopter giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope you are having a joy-filled December!

18 comments:

Lalia Harris said...

very cute nails! Love the red polkadot too!

Lalia Harris said...

how do you remove them?

Unknown said...

Thanks for the tutorial. That's how I was picturing doing this, but it's great to see it step by step. Also, great recommendation on the heat source.

Amie Kiger (Kigz) said...

I sure hope I can do this on my right hand, lol! ;)

Amie Kiger (Kigz) said...

You know this is torture to not be able to buy those! They are the CUTEST!!!

Wendy Coffman said...

Great Question, Lalia! I have just reheated them up a bit an peeled them right off. Then I clean my nails to remove any left over adhesive and start again. If you've had them on a long time you can soak them in a bit of acetone before removing - but I've never had to do that. I'll update the tutorial!

Vicki Wizniuk said...

Now that's my kind of nails! Fun and quick. :)

Kristie Herdener said...

Love it and no stink! My house full of boys can not stand it when i paint my nails!!

I can not get the rafflecopter to load. :(

Wendy Coffman said...

I'm glad you love them, Kristie! I loaded the rafflecopter to my FB page under a tab as well - maybe it'll work for you there?

Kristie Herdener said...

Love it and no stink! My house full of boys can not stand it when i paint my nails!!

I can not get the rafflecopter to load. :(

Joy said...

I would love to try these, I'm pretty hard on nail polish. Plus my nails are always short. But these look really cute in your pictures.

Wendy Coffman said...

You should email me or PM me on FB with your address and I'd be glad to send you a sample to try out. I trimmed my nails back to their normal length today - just barely at my fingertips...while wearing my jams and they still look great!

Heather Teague said...

So cute, Wendy! Love the red polka dots!

Unknown said...

You make it look so easy..just like crafting :) Hope to get a few minutes of "boy free" time this weekend to put mine on!

Dawn said...

Adorable! I love the snowmen!

Unknown said...

Love those snowmen shields and have gotten many compliments on my holiday ornament shields. Can't wait to try out more.

Lalia Harris said...

I'm so glad I asked how to take them off because it looks like I get to put some on! Thanks for your little give away Wendy.

Two Cottages And Tea said...

Such cute nails! I'm going to show this to my Granddaughter, she'll love them! Happy Christmas to you!
Nancy

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