FEATURED SPONSOR // skyline nail art diy from of corgis and cocktails

Hi everyone!  I hope you're having a lovely Saturday!  Today I'm here to share with you my featured sponsor this month, the amazing Katherine who runs Of Corgis and Cocktails.  Corgis and Cocktails?  Two of my favorite things!  Seriously though, I'm super jealous of Katherine's adorable Corgi, Teemo.  Katherine is clearly a girl after my own heart, not only does she love Corgi's and Cocktails, she also loves remixing and is a big believer that style is about expressing your creative self in a visual way on the daily through clothing.  Booyah.  She's also great with DIY projects and the like, so she's here today to bring you guys something fun that you can do yourself... a fun nail art DIY!  My nails are tiny little things that don't get to grow out to a length that's worthy of painting due to rock climbing, so I don't get to do fun nail art, but I always see fun nail art on Pinterest that makes me wish I could!  I hope you guys enjoy Katherine's nail art DIY!  Katherine? Take it away!

Well hello readers of Delightfully Tacky! My name is Katherine, and I am the girl behind Of Corgis & Cocktails, a fun blog about a lot of things. You'll find me traveling the east coast in cute dresses, photographing my two adorable pups, and crafting yummy recipes over there. This post focuses on something I really love to do - nail art. Growing up, I began drawing on my nails and other neighborhood girls - everything from little fishes to bears. Thirteen years after, I'm still drawing scenes and graphics on them. I wanted to share something that didn't necessarily require a steady hand and a toothpick, so I decided this skyline at dusk idea would be the perfect starter.

You'll need to gather a few things : a pale blue nail polish(Essie in boxer shorts), a royal blue nail polish (Essie in in the cab-ana), a pure black nail polish, a clear top coat, scissors,  masking or painter's tape, and a foam sponge of some sort. I use foam brushes from the craft store I pick up with coupons whenever I can. Optionally, you can use a pale cream or yellow to add on lights to the buildings at the end.

You only need a bit of your sponge - so cut off just enough to cover your largest nail (presumably the thumb).

1 - Paint your nail with the pale blue nail polish. Use two coats. Allow to dry. I often paint this shade a day before.


2 - Paint the sponge 1/3rd of the way with the pale blue nail polish. Paint the rest with the royal blue.

3 - With the pale blue part of the sponge at the top of your nail, lightly press down the sponge on the nail for the ombre effect. The first nail press very lightly, but by the end, you will use more pressure. I generally only refill my sponge with paint once. Allow to dry.


4 - Take a stretch of tape and begin cutting small blocks and building shapes into it. I simply made them up as I went along. Then, cut your tape to fit each nail.

5 - Place a piece of tape onto each nail. If using masking tape, you may want to press the tape against your skin or a piece of fabric first to help it not stick to the nail. Press the tape firmly onto each nail so there are no gaps. Paint over the nail - as sloppy as you want! You can always clean up your nails with nail polish remover and a q-tip afterwards! Or, usually the extra nail polish comes off in the shower the next morning if you are feeling a bit lazy ;)

6 -  Once the black is dry, use a paint pen or toothpick dipped in yellow / cream nail polish to add small windows to your skyline. This is totally optional. Paint with a clear coat and allow to dry.

This was a huge hit with my friends and perfect for sipping local beers while overlooking my hometown's lovely skyline. That's a lot of steps, I know, but I promise the techniques are easy! If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, try just doing the ombre effect by following steps 1-3 or simply the skyline effect by following steps 1 then 4-7. If you are interested in more nail art tutorials from my blog - you can click here to see them!