Cottontips

About Me

Hello!

My name is Samantha and I am a 27 year old Primary School teacher based in Auckland, New Zealand. I'm between permanent teaching jobs currently, but do many other things! Most of my weekdays are taken up with blog/store/lesson-planning activities and I squash all the subject tutoring I do on Wednesdays. I absolutely love working with children, especially the small ones, and have a job teaching Sunday School lessons each Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church here in Auckland - it's a fantastic community and I have really found a home there.

I've been engaged since Christmas 2013 and have been with my partner for over 5 years now. No current date for the Wedding - which is just as well because it will take me forever to finalize what my nails will look like. Stuff the dress, the nails are more important!

I also really love cats. Well, animals in general, really, but cats are my one great love. Last year, we bought a long-haired Tonkinese girl - otherwise known as a Tibetan -  and she has been the sunlight of my life since. She is more of a monkey/dog than a cat....incredibly social and vocal and all the things. She was named after Indiana Jones as a result of her early days at our house consisting of her climbing things too high and knocking things over as a result - a great explorer!

I have always been into nail polish and had a few growing up as a girl - mostly Revlon and Maybelline ones given to me by my Aunty and a whole bunch from Thailand when she visited. My intense nail polish obsession/collection began a couple of years ago in 2012 when I was forced to have some emergency surgery. The recovery period was about a month and I was told not to do strenuous exercize or stand around too much. I dragged out all my polishes, a whole 5 of them, and investigated nail art. One thing led to another....250 odd polishes, a Helmer and a wonderful IKEA desk later and I have the ultimate set up.

In early April 2014 I began this blog which is slowly becoming more and more successful. I have discovered with this venture that the more you share the love, the more it comes straight back. Ultimately, we all have the same passion and I have met some amazinginly talented and lovely people. 

In July this year I decided that I really ought to put my creative talents, and my ever-increasing nail polish stash,  to good use. I took me a couple of months, but I developed a series of different themed collections of nail polish jewellery. I really enjoy the whole process of making polish jewellery - even when I muck things up and have to start over. It's very relaxing for me. Like therapy. Please find my store on Etsy at Shiny Cottontips!

My other competing hobbies are knitting, crochet, weaving and spinning yarn. I am a massive fiber enthusiast and have a well stocked profile of things I have made or spun over on Ravelry.com. Pretty sure the nail polish stash is bigger at this point, but there is always room for the yarn to grow too.

If you ever have any other questions regarding the tools I use or specific techniques for nail art, please either DM me on Instagram @CottontipsNZ or email me at BackwardsColony{at}gmail.com!