I recently achieved 2 big accomplishments in my nail life: being featured on TV and reaching 20,000 followers on Instagram! These are 2 things that I never thought I'd ever achieve when I first started using toothpicks to make flowers on my nails.
On Thursday April 17, 2014, a local TV show in Toronto called Breakfast Television on City TV was holding a contest to win a pair of Toronto Raptor basketball tickets for their first playoff game in 6 seasons. They wanted picture entries to show how big of a raptors fan you were. On a whim, I submitted a picture of my nails which I had done to show my support for the team. When they were announcing the 3 finalists, my name was the third one read and I was ecstatic!!! I was jumping and screaming so much because not only was I a finalist, but they showed my nails on TV and the hosts were raving about them!!! I couldn't believe it! They were amazed and couldn't believe that I painted them myself. Lol! I get this a lot so when I was painting them, I took a couple of pictures during the process to prove that they were hand painted. ;) I was getting a tad nervous when the hosts were debating who should be crowned the winner, but then revealed that all 3 finalists would win tickets! I couldn't believe it!! I had tears in my eyes!!
Here's a shot of my winning entry:
( I submitted the unwatermarked photo to avoid allegations that I took the picture from a webpage)
And here's a photo of one step in the painting process:
These took me almost 2 hours to complete. I put the circle claw logo on my right middle finger and thumb as well.
I have entered nail contests before but this was the one that I most wanted to win. The playoff tickets are hard to come by and very expensive so without this opportunity, I probably would not have been able to go. I am extremely grateful to City TV and Breakfast Television for recognizing my hard work and dedication.
Here's a pic of me at the game with the awesome free t-shirt every ticket holder received!
It was absolutely an amazing experience and even though my team lost, the atmosphere was unlike anything I've ever felt before! I had chills! If you ever have a chance to attend a playoff game, seize the opportunity and make the most of it!
My second accomplishment achieved this week was reaching 20,000 followers on Instagram. I remember when I first started doing nail art 2 years ago, I was watching YouTube tutorials on how to do simple flowers with toothpicks. Who would've thought that 2 years later, I'd be producing my own tutorial videos and having such loyal followers, accompany me on this journey. I am so honoured that each of you found my art worthy enough to click that "Follow" button. I am inspired every day by the artists whom I follow on Instagram and I hope that I am doing the same for you.
Here's a couple of bonus pictures of my earlier nail art. I attempted to do raptors nails 84 weeks ago. I can definitely say that I have come a long way!
And here's one of my first nail photos ever posted on Instagram:
Practice makes perfect!
Here's how my cherry blossom nails look now:
I am thankful that I can do this hobby of mine and have the tools to be able to expand my nail repertoire. We all started somewhere and if you have a dream, go for it. Don't be discouraged or let others negativity bring you down. Thank you again for all your support!
xoxo
Shay
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