I'm a day or two late in showing this mani for International Nail Art Day, but better late than never right.
These are Gum nut Blossoms. I was inspired to do this design by one of the huge gum trees on our street that has been in full flower for the last few weeks (you can feel that spring is just around the corner). The birds have been biting the gum blossoms off and they are all over the road. I picked these gum blossoms off the ground, so they are a little dried and withered looking, but I couldn't bear to pull them off the tree.
I started with a base of OPI Don't Pretzel my Buttons, and then used all Picture Polish shades for the free hand nail art. Mellow Yellow, Malt Teaser, Camp, Candy, Fairy Floss and Flirt.
As I was painting these I was reminiscing about stories I was read as a child - Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. I have to say that I can't actually remember the complete stories, but it was the illustrations in the books that completely captured my imagination.
Above is the cover of the Sugglepot and Cuddlepie book, and of the the colour illustrations titled 'at the races'. Below is the gumnut rugby scrum, I thought their bare bums was hilarious when I was little.
Remember the nasty Banksia men?...
...and the Gumnut Ballet?
And I think the little fuzzy Wattle Babies were my favourties.
Do any other Aussies remember these books? They are so quintessentially Australian!
Yes! I had a Snugglepot and Cuddlepie placemat when I was a kid and no one else was allowed to eat off it! There's heaps of flower manis out there, but it's awesome to see such a pretty Aussie flower take center stage :) Just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI loved these books as a kid, you are so right about the bare bums! What lovely nails and such lovely flowers.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a unique look I really love this!
ReplyDeleteLove what you did here, I think you've recreated the look perfectly!
ReplyDeleteI'm not Aussie but I CERTAINLY remember those books, I loved them!
I am Canadian and omg I remember those books!! Must track them down now. MUST.
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