toolin' around tuesdays: get yo nails did

here we go y'all, giveaway the second!

last summer, my sis in law gave me, apropos of nothing, this little crystal nail file.  the women on ruggy's side of the family tree never seem to be without a file.  once, i had to get a manicure for a photo shoot of a show i was in, and we happened to be visiting down south at the time.  aunt ruggy and i trekked to the salon together, and the ladies veritably cackled at the state of my hands.  if you know about southern women, you know they do not cackle.  they smile sweetly and say things like bless your heart.  that's how bad my nails were.  and that's before i ever started sewing.

how do all these sewing bloggers have perfectly painted nails in photos?  i just can't seem to be bothered-- though they grow like nobody's business, a pristine canvas for paint.  i give the phrase "tough as nails" a whole new meaning.  BUT, when a rogue unpolished nail snags a piece of yardage, them's fightin words.  mais!  steel nail files and clippers, they catch on pretty fabric just as easily!  

no such worry with this little crystal gem.  it's smooth as glass on one side, and the other is a washable filing surface that never grows dull. YES I SAID WASHABLE.  just run it under water, and your file is clean and ready to go.  cause let's face it, that's what trips my germaphobic ass out about regular nail files, keeps me away from them like the plague.  dead nail dust is gross.

i knew instantly when i thought up this little giveaway brainstorm for my fifth bloggy birthday, this tool had to be one of the five gifties.  but i'll tell you what.  sephora NEVER has them in stock.  not in person, at least, and since i want to include oona oddities in each giveaway package, ordering a prize online and then reshipping it is so not happening.

enter ricky's of new york.  this is a small chain store, a carnival for hair supplies, halloween costumes, trinkets, they even have a 21-and-over section in the back.  AND CRYSTAL NAIL FILES.  waaaaay better than the one at sephora, too!  lookit the size of that jammy!  i must admit, when i saw this beauty, i considered keeping it for myself.  everyone knows that bigger is better.  

but no, it is virgin and untouched, it is just for you.  to enter giveaway number two, just shout out in the comments: has sewing wrecked your hands?  are they manicured, or massacred?

and now, for last week's giveaway winner...there were 140 comments for the clover chaco pen, with 5 of those comments being additional/don't include me.  and all of the comments being highly enjoyable.  i wasn't my usual responsive self because i wanted to make life easier when it came time to tally up, but y'all had me rolling.  

behold, a screenshot of the fancy random number generator app i found!  (peeps.  i HATE the regular random number generator.  it is so...fugly...my eyes...they tear up when i see it...)

i will admit to photoshopping the colors on this screenshot.  it's black and orange in the app.  houses are not safe from my amateur PS skillz, why should screenshots be?  next time i'm switching that blue up too.

julie!  holler at me with your info, girl, we got to get you out of horse n' buggy era!  you can find my contact info on my "about me" page.  if it's too confusing, ask albert, he was always handy. 

if you didn't win, and you'd like to do some retail therapy, here's the link to clover's marking tools, (chacopens at the bottom of the page) for your research.  nope, no compensation, just aiding and abetting...and you can always throw your hat in the ring for today's tool! and ps: i will indeed ship anywhere, for you new zealanders who might be worried about postage.  y'all new zealanders is CA-RAY-ZAY!  i can't leave y'all out!

update: closed...winner announced in mere moments, and come back tuesday march 4 for a chance to win tool number three...