My Other Life: Crystal Smith, racing crew chief

A Woman With Drive: “The car is our baby,” says Crystal Smith, owner of Polished & Pampered in New Oxford, Pa., and crew chief for her husband’s race car, a 1979 Chevy Camaro.

Hand-painted One Stroke Bird Nail

Kirsty Meakin of Naio Nails creates a one-stroke bird design with added bling.

How to Marble With Acrylic

Kirsty Meakin of Naio Nails shows how to create a marbled nail effect using acrylic.

Wood Nail Art With Sharpies

Kirsty Meakin of Naio Nails shows how to create a wood nail design using Sharpies. 

(Re)introducing Karyn and Candice

We'd like to welcome two new bloggers to Blueprint of a First Year. Don't worry — Alica and Melodie will continue to blog at least until their year ends in September, but we want to bring

Acrylic Nail Infill

Naio Nails' Kirsty Meakin shows how to infill an acrylic nail after two to three weeks of growth.

I'll Scratch Yours If You'll Scratch Mine (and Yes, They Were There!)

Somehow I managed to come home with a sore throat and a stuffed up nose. I'm blaming allergies, since I refuse to believe it's possible to get a cold in the middle of June — unless

Encapsulated Acrylic 3-D Skull

Kirsty Meakin of Naio Nails demonstrates how to create an elegantly spooky 3-D skull nail design.

My Other Life: Kari Evich, photographer and graphic artist

“When I’m not doing nails you can find me taking photos,” says Kari Evich, owner of Nails by Kari, located inside Merle Norman, in Covington, Va. With a partner, she also owns a graphic design and photography business called Tayvich Photography.