Jamberry Nail Wraps update

well I finally worked out how to apply them properly and I have to say I love them now. The secret I found is to get the proper little Jamberry heater - the hairdryer just wasnt working as it was either too hot or too cool and blew everything all over the place too. Also the rubber ended cuticle tool works really well to smooth the wrap while its warm and remove any wrinkles.

I found it so much easier to get the wraps put on correctly after watching some Youtube videos on applying to curved nails - the secret for that is to put the wrap on the centre of the nail cold - dont heat till you have it on the middle of the nail and then smooth the edge from centre to side both sides and then heat and smooth down the sides and cuticle end. The heater gives better heat and makes the wrap a lot smoother and easier to apply properly. Glad I bought it. 

this is the wraps I did  - called Catch Fire - makes even my short nails look good and Im sure my nails will grow a lot better with these on as Im more careful with them and they have less chance to split and break off with the wrap as a extra protection layer. Im still getting used to putting them in the right spot some are a bit off centre on the nail but I will get there eventually and each set is a practise. I did find my old eyes even with my reading glasses on, are not the best so I have now ordered a small LED lamp with magnifying glass in it - might make getting them in the right spot a bit easier.

Next thing to try is toenails! 

Jamberry Nail Wraps

I never have any luck with nail polish - it chips off within hours of putting it on and it drives me up the wall - I like to have nice nails but just cant. 
I thought perhaps I had the answer when an online friend posted about Jamberry nail wraps - they looked interesting - a vinyl wrap/sticker that went over your natural nails and stayed on for up to 4 weeks! All sorts of colours and designs so you could match to outfits or your favourite colour or design and they were supposed to last through your day to day tasks. They even said to test one out for 7 days as compared to nail polish to see how they go. 
Well at one of my markets there was to be a Jamberry stall, so I made sure to visit her and check out the wraps - she showed me how to do one and gave me all the info I needed. I bought a couple of wraps and got some samples as well to try. 
I decided to keep a bit of a diary of the wraps and this is it. 

6-11-15 Friday - pinky left hand - blue floral put on at market

7-11-15 Saturday - all other nails put on at home

8-11-15 Sunday - ends feel a bit rough but not catching on hair or anything - bunching is pretty bad on some esp gold and champagne on left hand (first ones done)

9-11-15 Monday – did some weeding seems ok – under magnifying glass you can see a bit of wear on the very edges but its not noticeable to the naked eye.

10-11-15 Tuesday – did some gardening and topped up my container of coconut oil which removed all the glue on the pinky nail left hand but only that one fell off and that hand didnt even get much oil on it???? Replaced with black and white floral (Smitten)

12-11-15 Thursday – Left hand - Champagne Toast (ring finger) is peeling off big time hasn’t even lasted a week , middle finger Lava Lamp is split in centre and all peeling back, gold on index finger is peeling back, thumbnail butterfly foil is ok. Right hand – thumb butterfly foil is ok, black & white on index finger is ok, middle finger gold foil is ok, black and white on ring finger is ok, pinky blue floral is lifting on edge quite a bit.  Overall not really impressed as its been less than a week and they are not lasting with normal daily use.  Removed index finger gold, middle Lava Lamp & ring finger Champagne Toast on left hand and pinky Santa Fe on right hand. Not impressed with lasting less than a week

13-11-15 Friday less than a week had to replace 3 fingers on left hand and pinky on right hand – put gold on index and ring fingers left hand – still bunched up on edges – cant get them flat! Lava Lamp put in middle finger again – still a crease in centre top. Gold put on pinky right hand. 

So after one week I am less than impressed with Jamberry - is it the way I put them on? I make sure the cuticle is pushed back, hands and nails are clean, alcohol wipes done, heated as per instructions but still cant get them to lay flat on the nail without creases. Then the creases become tears after a few days and they start to become very annoying!

Glad I havent bought any more just yet - maybe its just practice needed but I also want them to last with my normal day to day activities so if they dont last they are no good for me. Is this why so many people are selling half sheets on ebay? Same problems and they give up and sell off what they have? I will continue to do the diary of the Jamberry and see if the second batch last better but Im not expecting them to...

Update - 16-11-15 
I contacted the Jamberry rep I know and after watching some "how to" videos she and other reps suggested, I realised I have problems due to the shape of my nails - which are curved more than some - the nails that get the creases and wrinkles are very curved side to side and some are even "ball shaped" meaning they curve side and side and over the edge as well, the longer they are the more they curve over the end. So now Im watching all the "how to" Jamberry videos to see how to work around this, different methods of putting them on, cold method, snipping a bit out so they lay flatter etc.

I think I need the Jamberry heater too as the hair dryer just blows everything away and is a pain to use - will have to look at the cost of that and if Im going to continue to use these I will need it. 
I did notice that when I removed my wraps - the nails underneath were very pale - you know like your skin when you remove a band aid? I hope this wont affect the nails too much - everything I read says they wont make your nails suffer by having them on but I guess time will tell. I do tend to get tears in my nails and then they have to be trimmed so Im hoping the wraps will give a bit of strength and keep them growing longer as I love the look of long nails. When I was a child I always chewed my nails but one day I looked at my cousin's nails - she had beautiful long nails and I decided then and there I would grow my nails and have nice ones like her. And I did - when I decide to do something I do it! 

Bathroom photos all done

Oops - forgot to post the photos of the bathroom all finished - not that anyone reads this but here they are!

pulled apart bathroom

new shower wall & waterproofing done

tiling on floor being done

wall tiling and wall cabinet up

tiling all done 

still waiting for the vanity as there was a mistake in the measurements 

loo tiling done and walls patched

loo all done 

new towel racks up

shower done 

mat and accessories in loo

finally the vanity was installed and we had our finished bathroom LOVE it!!!!

Bathroom Renovation!

We have been in this house since about 1991 and it was built in 1979 - its a brick high-set house and very solid with all hardwood frame and an original owner who was rather particular about what went into his house as it was built - I think he was away the day they did the tiling though as that is just so badly done but more about that soon. 

When we moved in we loved the house - but knew we needed to replace the kitchen and a few other things. The kitchen was redone in 2000 and I still love my black and white kitchen. The bathroom at the time was functional and suited us fine. But as time has gone on, its showing its age and just falling apart! The bath hasnt been used since my sons were little (they are almost 18 and 20 now!) the vanity unit is almost fallen apart - made from chipboard - seriously what were they thinking making a wet area unit from a type of wood that swells up and disintegrates when wet!!! Did they even think that one through? (the original kitchen was also made of chipboard!) The shower screen has a crack in the glass and the sliding door keeps falling off the runners and plastic bits are breaking off all over the place. A few of us have got stuck in there when the door jammed! We have had leaks from the shower and tiles have fallen off the walls - we realised how shoddy the tiling was when this happened as the tiles were only stuck on with a small amount of adhesive and the grout was all that was holding them all together on the wall in most places! 

So over the years we have re-stuck and grouted the tiles and changed the taps many times as well as the shower head but eventually its got to the stage that 4 adults just cant use it anymore as there is no storage, the mirror is set so high I can barely see myself in it and its just dark and depressing. So finally we have decided to get it pulled out completely and start again. I got a couple of quotes - that was an adventure in itself with waiting 3 weeks for one quote! But Im happy with the company chosen and they promise they can do it in one week and redo the toilet at the same time with tiling and a new loo!

So that brought up another thing - we need somewhere to use while the bathroom upstairs is being pulled out and refitted. 
Luckily we have a shower and toilet downstairs in the garage (put in for use with the pool) but although the loo gets used a fair bit (4 adults in the house remember?) the shower hadnt been used in years and years and again our lovely original tiler had done his magic and the tiles were all falling off the wall in the shower. One had smashed and I had removed a few more to save them from the same fate.

So I bought some tile adhesive and white grout and got a tile to replace the broken one (thanks Bunnings!) and set about redoing the wall in the shower - had to remove quite a few and that kept getting more and more as I tested and found most were only hanging by some very dry grout and nothing more. 

so a bit more was removed 

the tiles just fell off as this was the way they were fixed on! 1979 was not a good year for tiling?

The base looks damp but it isnt luckily so after a good clean the re-tiling began.

Starting to put them all back now 


















and now all done - just grouting to be done. 









Finished with a new shower head and a shower curtain - as it never had a rail or curtain - not sure why - in fact there wasnt even toilet roll holder when we moved in too! 

Today I bought a mirror and some hooks for the back of the door so we can do our hair and hang up our towels and its pretty much ready. 

Next job is to clear the bathroom upstairs of all our stuff and take out anything we want to keep and then leave it to the bathroom guys to strip out and give us a new bathroom.
For a soapmaker its pretty exciting getting a new place to test my soaps! 

2 weeks today till the new one is started! Cant wait!

Back again! (subtitle - Kmart sucks)

I was reminded today that I have this blog - its been a LONG time since I thought of it and wrote anything but I really should as I have always enjoyed writing - so I will try to do a bit more when I have the time. I have spent too much time on Facebook lately with all the groups I run. I must admit Im getting a bit bored with Facebook so I might actually do some writing here.

Anyway my whinge today is Kmart - I noticed the last time I passed my local store that they had totally rearranged the entire store - I couldnt find what I was looking for and left without buying anything. I had forgotten this experience today when I thought "I will just pop over to Kmart to see what they have" I needed a couple of things for the downstairs bathroom as we are renovating the upstairs one and needed to make the one downstairs a bit more usable.

So over I go and as I approached it I realised my mistake - but I took a deep breath and entered the store. What a mess! They had totally rearranged the layout with nothing in the same spot and it seemed half the size of the nice big open and airy store it used to be. It felt claustrophobic and cramped and there didnt seem to be any hanging signs to say where each department was, so you wander around with a dazed expression on your face and wonder if there are any staff in the store to even ask. Gone are the straight and wide open aisles and now there is a rabbit warren of curves and corners and tight squeeze walkways that make it impossible for 2 people to pass without coming in contact. There was no rhyme or reason to the set out - departments have no start or finish but just merge into another and you realise you are in another department when you start to think - where the hell am I? Just trying to find the cosmetic section was hard enough and then it was so tiny with nothing I wanted and then the bathroom section merged into another section and I gave up.

As for the registers - well where the hell had they gone? No they are not at the front of the store any more - I see a sign that says "Pay Here" in the centre of the store and look and cant see anything under it and then realise there is something behind a short wall - oh look, there is the self service ones and over another wall is about 3 registers - only one manned though (of course!) - so you have to pay here and then walk through half the store before getting to the door and what do you do when you get to the door? Have to show your docket and your bag and show the girl what you bought and check the docket - yeah that's going to work well when its busy - no way would I go there in school holidays and dont even talk about Christmas unless they have 20 people as door greeters to check people leaving.

So Kmart have ruined shopping for me (well actually I hate shopping but used to enjoy going to Kmart) Big W and Target will get my business instead... but then Target closed their local store and another Big W (well its a Medium W as its so small!) opened in its place. I have to go over to a larger shopping centre to find a Target these days.

So that is my whinge for the day.

They were tough women in the old days

My great great grandmother was born Keturah Patch in Somerset England 1835. In April 1855 when she was 20 she married my great great grandfather Richard Michael Hallett, he was 21. I dont know how they met or if it was a marriage of love or of convenience but only weeks after the wedding they left England for good on a ship to Australia, and looking at the date of the first child born - she would have been pregnant while on the 3 month ship journey.
You would have had to be tough to be pregnant, on a ship on the high seas and leaving your family and homeland for ever, knowing you would probably never see your parents, sister and friends again.

They arrived in Australia on the ship Cambodia in August 1855 disembarking in Brisbane - which at that time was still part of New South Wales (Queensland did not become a state till 1859). It was a pretty rough and new town with dirt roads and no bridges across the river that divided it - they settled in South Brisbane and Richard worked as a labourer and as a butcher (his family trade in England). 

Keturah gave birth to their first child Henry (Harry) in Dec 1855 - Henry/Harry died before his 3rd birthday in 1858.
In 1857 their second son and my great grandfather George was born, 2 years later another son Harry was born in 1859 - named after his late brother. Harry lived to be 16 before death took him (there was an inquest into his death?)
In 1860 their first daughter was born - Mary. 
In 1861 Frederick was born only to pass away a year later.  
In 1863 another son was born and named after his late brother Frederick - this one survived to 19 before passing.
In 1864 Samuel was born but he died aged 7, Joseph was born in 1866 and Grace in 1868. 

So after 13 years of marriage in a strange land - Keturah had given birth to 9 children. She then fell pregnant again in 1869... this time it did not end well - the child was born deceased or died soon after as the birth was not registered and Keturah died of "laceration of the womb" - she bled to death after the birth. In those days there was not much that could be done and as births were at home with no medical help other than a midwife if you were lucky, then it was risk every time. It would have been a painful death but she would have had her family around her.

It has to be mentioned that her husband Richard does not come across as the loving father you would want with this many children. In searches of the newspapers of the time - Richard Hallett is mentioned many times - usually in the police reports for being arrested for drunkeness and vagrancy (having no means of support - so probably no money on him and perhaps no job at the time). His eldest son George had to bail out his father a number of times and had to start his working life young to try and support his mother and siblings as his father couldnt or wouldnt. When Keturah went into labour the last time in 1869, Richard was once again out on the town getting drunk and had been arrested - George had to plead his case and tell them his mother was dying so that they dismissed the charges and released Richard so he could go home to his wife. 

So in 1869 - Keturah died aged 34 after leaving her family and home in England, living in a strange and hot land, having babies almost constantly and seeing them get sick and die, having a husband who was never home and if he was, he probably wasnt the nicest person. I think she must have been a very strong woman to go through all that - I wish I could have known her - I dont even have a photo of her, but I imagine a strong and proud woman who loved her children and did her best for them. 

I feel this as her eldest son George (my great grandfather) was nothing like his father and I think he got his strength and commitment from his mother. He started work when he was young to help out his family as a clerk and ended up working for Baynes Brothers Butchers for 56 years.  George was for many years Honorary Secretary for the Labor organisation in South Brisbane and secretary to the committee of the South Brisbane State School. He was also honorary secretary for the Light Gear Club (a fishing club) and a keen member. (Now I know why I was drawn to be secretary of the African Violet Society! Its in the blood!) 

George married a Sheffield girl Louisa Bowler in Brisbane -1883 and their youngest surviving son was my grandfather Eric. My grandfather didnt know about all the extra siblings his father had as the only ones that survived to adulthood and married were Mary, Joseph and Grace. He would have been surprised to know about the other 6. I certainly was when I found them in the records when researching at the State Library. I almost yelled out every time I found another child of Richard and Keturah Hallett in the records! 



We dont realise how good we have it these days - they bred them tough in the old days - I tip my hat to you Keturah - you are my heroine! 

How an anklet caused 2 broken wrists

Yes an anklet was the cause of me breaking both my wrists - not now but this was in 2004 - it was January and getting towards the end of the school holidays - my boys would be in grade 4 and 2 this year (Primary school) so only young still. They had been to a few birthday parties held at the local Skate Arena and wanted to go back for a day of skating. So as a treat I said I would take them - I used to do roller skating when I was in primary school and thought I would have a go too, just to see if I could remember. There was a choice of inline or normal skates I chose the normal ones I knew how to work them - was doing well going round and getting more speed and confidence up but my anklet was driving me mad. It was caught between my ankle and the boot and very uncomfortable so I thought I would go off and take it off and put it in my pocket, I went towards the nearest exit - not realising there was a drop of a few centimetres between the rink floor and the carpet - the roller skates went from under me and I put my hands back to save my bum! I landed very heavily on both hands and it hurt a bit (but I saved my bum from a bruise!)
The person in the announcement booth saw me fall and asked one of the supervisors to help me up - they did and I got over to a bench to sit down. When I sat for a while though, the pain started and I felt sick, I wasnt sure if I was going to be sick or faint so I lay down - the announcer sent the manager round to check on me - she said I was as white as a ghost by then and helped me to get my skates off so I could walk over to where our bags and stuff were. I was given ice to put on my wrists - there was a bit of bruising and a little swelling but it wasnt too bad but the pain was pretty intense. I thought I must have badly sprained one but may have broken the other. 
I rang my husband at work but he couldnt get away for an hour or so - we waited around for him to arrive and by the time he did the pain had dulled a little and I was able to drive home - though by the time I got home I was in tears and couldnt get my seat belt off at all. 
The next day I got a friend to drive me to the doctors and they sent me for an xray - it showed a crack on the radius - in exactly the same place on both - the guy taking the xray was quite impressed I had done the same thing to both. I guess I fell with the same weight on both hands - I was starting to wonder if a cracked tailbone would have been better at this stage. 
Anyway the doctor put my wrists in back slabs as a temporary measure - problem was - I think it was the first time she had ever done plastering as I discovered when I got home that I could not bend my arms enough to feed myself or even touch my face as she had the plaster going so far down my arm it blocked movement completely. I had to get my son to feed me a sandwich (after making it for me!) Photo shows me very much in pain and upset.

Long story short - eventually got 2 proper fibreglass casts in black (of course) and had them on for over 6 weeks. Couldnt drive for over 3 weeks and it was not a good time for me. 
So beware of jewellery! It can cause broken bones! ( I havent worn an anklet since!)