Make-it-Monday: Customizing Sunglasses with Nail Polish

It's been a crazy few days, but I'm back where I belong - sitting in the King Bufu chair, sipping a homemade latte, typing a post, and halfway watching an episode of Supernatural (I'm on season 4! Halfway there!).

In honor of my mini-vacation, this shall be:

(Mostly) Nashville Week!

But today's post isn't about Tennessee, so settle down. This is a hometown craft. Get ready, though - the rest of the week is going to take you roughly four hours north. Pack light; there's a lot of us, and we all need room to stretch our legs.

Okay, okay: Sunglasses.

As I grow older, I learn that certain things really are worth an upcharge; namely appliances, shoes, and headshot photographers. But I refuse to spend good money on umbrellas or sunglasses. Both are exposed to radical elements, and both are easy to lose. A cheap umbrella will last a long time if it's treated well, and if you ever leave it at a restaurant it's no big deal.

Plus, no matter how delicately I handle them, I destroy sunglasses at an alarming rate. Recently, I tried some polarized glasses from CVS. I love polarized lenses, and the frames were adorable, but they shattered after two weeks. I can't believe I spent $24 on that junk.

So it's back to my spendthrift ways. That's cool - comfortable territory. I found a great pair at a thrift store not long ago, and they inspired me to create a Cheap Sunglasses Stockpile.

Super inspiring, right?

That way, I'd never be furiously squinting past my dashboard again. Target recently had some cute frames on clearance...

...and in their dollar section (is there anything better than Target's dollar section?).

My actual glasses (yes, I've been fooling you all - I wear contacts when the sun is out) have a great green lining inside the frame.

At least, they used to; the color has faded substantially. Still, I love that lining. Green is my color. I love to wear green - it makes me *come alive.* So I decided to line one of the polka-dotted pairs with my favorite Kelly green nail polish.

If you have acrylic paint, that would probably work even better. I'm still an amateur DIYer, so nail polish it is.

Instructions

• Look for your McDonald's tray.
• Find it, covered in your Very Excellent Boyfriend's new Legos.

If he wasn't so excellent, I'd be so mad.

• Dump them (neatly) on the floor.

Buh-bye!

• Veeeeeeeery carefully apply a coat of nail polish to the inside rim.

• Remember that nail polish remover exists; relax and paint with confidence.

• Let the first coat dry for five minutes and then add another coat.

• Pack for your trip for 30 minutes.
• Come back and use nail polish remover to clean-up any smudges, spills, or messy areas.
• Give the glasses a third coat.

• Leave town for about a day and a half.
• Come back and give the edges another going-over with the polish remover.
• Cover the "paint" with ModPodge so it isn't tacky anymore (even after a full 24 hours of drying, it was still a bit gooey. No matter - the glue made it hard as nails.).
• Marry ModPodge.

I can't wait to wear these beauties all summer. I also can't wait to snap-off an earpiece or leave them in a restroom. After all, they were only a dollar!

Tomorrow, I'm going to brag about all the delicious food we ate in Nashville. If you're not already jealous, you will be.