I’ve taken a liking to newbie nail tech Michele Hoffman of Arizona. She’s been e-mailing me pictures of her nail art ever since she graduated from Charles of Italy Beauty College in Lake Havasu City about nine months ago, and I admire her combination of spunk, skill, and creativity. (You can see some of her designs on our Style channel, like this one.)

She recently sent me some adorable sculpted acrylic designs (monkeys, bears, hearts, etc.), but they weren’t done on tips — they were done on polish bottle tops. “I do this to pass the down time when I don’t have any clients,” Hoffman says.

I thought this was a unique way to 1) constructively use up some down time (after all, practice makes perfect when it comes to sculpting, right?) and 2) draw some extra attention to her acrylic skills, as her natural nail clients will see her grab a bottle of polish with an acrylic “enhancement” on top.

Do you do something similar to help the slow hours pass by at your salon? What are some other constructive ways to spend some down time? Leave me a comment in Feedback.

—Sree