DIY Nail Art - Baseball Inspired Pedi

As most of you know, and for those of you who don't, I am a huge baseball fan and I am serious Kansas City Royals fan! We moved to Kansas in 1982 and started attending games during the summer of 1983. We cheered the Royals to victory during the 1985 World Series, and even after we moved away for numerous years, we remained die hard fans. I've been back in Kansas City for seventeen years and continue to head to The K as often as I can.

So when I was approached by Julep to participate in their "summer DIY pedi competition", I didn't have to hesitate with my answer. I am a fool for contests, I love to paint my nails, I'm totally into nail art, and I'm all about saving some money these days by doing my own. With so many amazing products on the market, you don't need a nail tech. You just need these awesome tips from Julep, a steady hand, and plenty of time to create! Also, check out their newest nail polish color page!!

 This past weekend, we attended a Sunday afternoon game, and since my toes needed a fresh coat of paint, I decided to go for a baseball theme. The Royals logo above was my inspiration, and since the All Star game takes place tonight, it's only appropriate that I post this DIY tutorial today! Below are the colors I used:

Base/Top Coat: Sally Hansen

OPI: OPI Red

Essie: Butler Please

Revlon: Night and Degas

My own paintbrush

You will also need nail polish remover and something to clean your brush with like a cotton ball or piece of tissue. Remember this post?

I painted all of my toes with Butler Please, which is the perfect royal blue. And I love that it's Butler Please. We really need Billy Butler to step up to the plate in the coming weeks....PLEASE! 

Obviously the next step is to let them dry! Once that's done, I needed something to help me outline a circle for the baseball. I originally thought of using a piece of three ring binder paper. That circle would have been perfect. Or the reinforcer we used to use when that piece of paper ripped. Please tell me you remember those? Then I found this awesome stencil.

I made sure the circle was centered on my toe and then....

 

 I used the Degas white and put just enough color on the brush to help make the outline of the circle. And don't worry if your circle isn't perfect. You can go back in and clean up the lines with the Butler Please and your thin paintbrush. Trust me, I did just that with this one!

 While I let the circle dry, I moved over to the other foot and worked out the design for the KC. Let me tell you, creating the letters backward was tough! But, I thought they turned out pretty well. Again, I used the Revlon Degas, the thin brush is perfect for this kind of project, and simply took my time. And, once I had the letter down, I really tried not to go back in and mess with it. That can just make it worse.

 

 

Whenever I think of the letters K and C, I'm always reminded of the line from FRIENDS where Ross is taking a message for Rachel. "Is that like Casey at the bat or and the Sunshine Band?" Again, another baseball reference...

 

 

So while the KC and circle continued to dry, I just started designing each toe with a different pattern. I went with polka dots, chevron stripes, and stripes that were horizontal and vertical. And once the circle was dry, I went in on the stitches of the baseball. Those were a lot harder than I expected! Again, I made a few minor mistakes, but was able to easily clean them up with the tiny brush in the Revlon bottle.  

Instead of using the giant brush that came with the OPI bottle, I went for the very thin paintbrush. And I used tiny amounts of polish as I didn't want it to run or drip all over everything I had done so far. And again, take your time. Be patient and try not to go back over it too many times. 

 

And there you have it! The finished product post game. And my post game relaxation, while my son napped and my husband mowed, was putting my feet up, drinking an iced cafe mocha, and diving into my new Danielle Steel novel! It was a prefect end to a perfect Sunday afternoon.

What do you think of my DIY pedi? I am so happy with how it turned out. I'm having such a great time with this competition, and I'm already scheming on my next nail art creation. Stay tuned! I can't wait to show you what I've done and how you too can create it at home!

And in the words of my son, "Royals, clap clap. Royals, clap clap!" A die hard fan at three. I love it!