Need a new hobby? Maybe a craft idea for VBS or Sunday School?

This has been a blog that many of my friends have requested, and since we are down at the beach this weekend at Kitty and Leo’s, it was the perfect time to take some good pictures and tell you about Toenail Art.

A little background: Kitty and Leo are Chris’ Aunt and Uncle (the ones that recently retired and moved to the beach permanently). We are very close to them as Chris has worked with them for many years (and I work from home with them). They don’t have kids other than us, and Ali is their beloved Grandbaby. This is the story of Leo’s creative method of showing Kitty his love for her.

It all started one Christmas as an innocent joke. Leo bought Kitty some gold earrings, and just to see what would happen, he attached a toenail to each one. Kitty thought they must be shark’s teeth or shells, and she thought that they were beautiful. She wore them all Christmas day before he ‘fessed up to the true nature of the bling on the earrings. Luckily for him, she thought it was hilarious, as did the rest of the family. (I personally find it hard to believe that Kitty didn’t recognize those toenails – I mean, this was pre-painting and pre-sculpting eras of toenail art, and they really kinda look like toenails to me).

This one I find much more unassuming than the earrings. You wouldn’t even notice, unless you looked closely at the intricately painted pinwheel:

Next Christmas, Kitty got a Santa Claus Christmas tree ornament.This one I find much more unassuming than the earrings. You wouldn’t even notice, unless you looked closely at the intricately painted pinwheel:



The next year got much more intricate. This sunflower has many toenail details, including the Ladybug, grass, eyes, smile, flower petals, and leaves. Leo saved those big old toenails all year to make this one!

Chris gave Leo a jar one Christmas that said “Toenails”. That jar sat in Leo’s office all year long collecting his art medium.

The last year (thus far) of the era of toenail art, Leo went all out. A whole beachscape – FIVE separate sculptures, with unbelievably intricate detail. THREE different species of crabs, beautiful beach reeds, and quite large (and very-uncomfortable-in-shoes-looking) palm leaves.









