Nail Revolution – Jamberry Nails

This is no joke. I have zero nail painting skills. (top photo taken in December. Bottom photo taken last week)

If you’re anything like me, you rarely (if ever) wear nail polish on your finger nails. The problem is, if I ever do a semi-decent job of painting my nails, I chip, smudge or jack up my nails within minutes. But, honestly, I am probably the WORST PERSON in the world at painting my nails. It’s not a skill I possess.

Enter, Jamberry Nail Shields.

They are basically the highest, salon-quality products available (yes, some nail techs are now using them). There are no harsh chemicals that can damage your nails. They don’t chip and fade like regular nail polish either.

My dear friend, Holly McCaig, first introduced me to Jamberry Nail Shields last month. I figured I would support my friend in her new business venture, so I ordered a few sets of shields.

And then I was hooked. Within a few days, I offered to host an online party with Holly. A week later, I signed up to be a Jamberry Nails Independent Consultant!

I know, crazy.

But I love these dang things. I love that I can get a salon-quality look at a fraction of the price. The shields are a solid film covering that can be applied directly to the nail to achieve a look not found anywhere else. This special material is both pressure and heat activated to create a water tight bond to your nail. The shields are made in the USA, with no harsh chemicals. Plus, they’re latex free!

With more than 150 styles available, these designer nail shields are made to last up to two weeks on fingers and six weeks on toes. Unlike traditional nail polish, they won’t chip and require no drying time!

What am I getting at? Do me a solid, and consider ordering a set (or more – they are buy 3 get 1 free right now!) from my online launch party – go to amykant.jamberrynails.net and select “Amy’s launch party” at checkout… or schedule an online or in-home party today! I have a special going on right now for my first hostess:

Visit http://amykant.jamberrynails.net for more information. You can also find me on Facebook: Facebook.com/kantjam. If you’d like me to send you a sample, please send me an email (amy-at-amykant.com) and I’ll mail out a sample ASAP!

Artbeat in the Heat

I will be a vendor at Artbeat in the Heat Saturday in Bay View at the Historic Hide House, located at 2625 S. Greeley St.

The event starts at noon and runs until 10 p.m. There will be live performances all day plus artist vendors like myself selling all sorts of amazing stuff.

Here’s a little sample of what I’ll be offering:

Artbeat also did an artist profile on me. You can see it on their Facebook page. Here’s an excerpt:

#1 Please give us a brief bio, where you are from and how you started in this field?

I am a crafty, nerdy artist living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By day, I am a web producer and social media manager. By night, I am a freelance designer, artist and writer.
I have always been a creative person. I often made gifts for family and friends. Then they started paying me to make things for them, and after much prodding I began selling my art at fairs and online in 2008.

#2 When did you first discover your creative talents?

My parents raised us in a home that fostered creativity. Some of my earliest memories are of working on craft projects with my siblings. We did everything from finger painting to ironing grated crayons between wax paper. My mom is still amazed by the things I create, and sometimes she feels like her work pales in comparison to mine. I have to remind her that it’s because of her I’m the creative person I am today. So in a way, all of my work is inspired by her.

The Ava Wallet Accordion 2012 Calendar Template

The Ava Wallet Accordion 2012 Calendar is a set of four layered .psd files that offers you 100% creative control in creating a one-of-a-kind calendar for your clients. Every element is in its own layer, sorted into groups by panel for complete customization to suit your needs. This item is designed for printing at WHCC. Great add-on for Seniors, Families and Children photographers. Easily adjust the calendar months to suit your needs.

Fonts used are Script MT Bold and Prestige Elite Std. and are not included due to copyright laws.

Photos courtesy Carrie Ann Photography.

Head on over to Pink Ink Studios to purchase this template today! Don’t miss out on the introductory price of $25 – a $10 savings!

This weekend only – Amy Kant Designs is offering a FREE exclusive download with the purchase of The Ava Wallet Accordion 2012 Calendar of the Plum Ava Color Story (seen in the preview above). You will receive the special download link directly from the designer within 48 hours of purchase. Offer good on purchases completed before 8 a.m. CDT 6/27/11. No refunds or exchanges. No exceptions.

Those pesky Facebook page alerts and notifications

Last Wednesday, my TV news web producing colleagues and I noticed a Facebook bug. When we realized it wasn’t just our news station’s account, we reached out to our comrades across the country, in addition to our own social networks. We quickly learned we were not alone.

The problem?

Whenever we would post a link, photo or status on a Facebook page we were an administrator for, we started getting email notifications, in addition to notifications within Facebook’s toolbar.

As an administrator for more than two dozen Facebook pages, including one with more than 75,000 fans, this created a major annoyance. Post a link about a breaking news situation? Get ready for dozens, if not hundreds of emails and notifications.

It didn’t matter that I had turned off notifications for the account. A colleague reached out on a Facebook developer forum and was told, “There is a bug that essentially thinks you’re still you when you’re commenting on a Page you admin.”

So, basically, even if you chose the setting “Always comment/post on abcd page as abcd,” Facebook thought you were posting as yourself. Hence, a bazillion notifications.

Since I haven’t been able to find any solutions in my online searching, I decided to try to find a workaround myself. Friday afternoon, I found my answer.

While logged in as yourself, before posting on your page, click the account button on the upper right and select “use Facebook as page” and select your fan page. Make your post, then switch back to posting as yourself and you won’t get those pesky notifications.

Wedding Invitation Design: Rachel and Anthony

I was so excited when my friend Rachel asked me to design her wedding invitations. Rachel and her fiancée, Tony, wanted something modern using a blue and orange color palate.

After our initial round of mock-ups, here’s what we went with. I just love how pretty and yet simple these are!

Congrats, Rachel and Tony! I hope your day is as special as you two are!

(click on the image to enlarge)