When I saw this picture of Harley Viera-Newton’s cat nails, I instantly knew I had to figure out how to do it myself. I thought about trying this method for DIY nail transfers, but it was unclear how well it works and which types of printers it works with. With a little more searching, I discovered that the secret to making your own nail decals is rub-on transfer paper, which you can easily buy online. It’s a little like applying temporary tattoos to your nails, and I’m really excited about the possibilities. Anything you can print, you can put on your nails! (If you want to do text, just make sure to reverse it).
Materials:
Nailpolish
Anti-chip top coat (I used Revlon Extra Life Top Coat
Scissors
Printable rub-on transfer paper (I used Grafix Clear Rub-Onz Inkjet Laser Film
Tweezers (optional)
Methods:
1. Create your cat face designs in a photo editing program. Measure your nails and re-size cat images so the faces will fit on your nails. Or just download mine:
2. Paint your nails in a couple of coats of a light, neutral color. Let dry completely.
3. The Grafix transfer paper I used came with instructions, a wooden stick, and two types of paper. The instructions were a little confusing, so I’ll clarify a bit. The two kinds of paper are the transfer film, and the adhesive film. The transfer film is the one you actually print on, and it is thin and has one matte side and one shiny side. If you put your hand on one side of it you can see your fingers through it. The adhesive film is actually a piece of paper coated with adhesive, with a clear piece of plastic adhered to it. So one side is matte, and the other is glossy. It’s thicker and less transparent than the transfer film.
4. Print your cat faces on the matte side of the transfer film. I printed mine as close to the edge as possible, so I would use as little film as possible.
5. Cut out a piece of the transfer film with all of your designs on it. Cut a piece of the adhesive film slightly larger. This was the most confusing part for me. Take the piece of the adhesive film and slowly peel the two layers apart, making sure that the adhesive stays stuck to the clear plastic, NOT the paper layer. Place the adhesive film backing (the paper layer) beneath your transfers, and then cover the transfers with the clear adhesive film, sticky-side down. Use a craft stick or coin to rub the top of the clear adhesive film and smooth out any bubbles. The adhesive film backing is only there to keep the adhesive from sticking to the surface below your transfers, so after you cut them out it will fall off.
6. Cut out the designs, trimming as close as possible to the printed areas. You now have your own transfers!
7. To apply your transfers to your nails, peel off the clear adhesive film and carefully place face-down on your nail. It will be sticky, so try to position it where you want it before you let it touch your nail. I was able to carefully re-position my transfers as long as I didn’t press down on them.
8. Gently rub the top of the design, which is the shiny side of the transfer film, to help bond the design to your nail. The instructions say to leave it alone for several minutes to bond, but on some of my nails the transfer film immediately started to peel away. On others I let it bond for a couple of minutes, and then peeled away the paper. For some I had to burnish more, than use tweezers to help slowly peel away the paper.
9. Repeat for all ten nails, then paint with top coat.
Amaze friends, acquaintances, and cats with your ridiculous nails!
loving it!!!!!!
oh god sooooo cute! i keep thinking i need to buy a color printer…
Thanks Liz! I think cat nails are as good a reason as any to buy a color printer 🙂
idk if you already saw a linkback or anything, but your tute was featured on the make craft blog! http://blog.makezine.com/craft/diy-cat-nail-art/
Tweeted!
Very easy to do and thanks for clear tutorial!
Dita
Oh my goodness, this is SO cute! I need to get some transfer paper…thanks for sharing this awesome tutorial!
These are AMAZING. I want to put in sick leave, head home, and cover my nails in kittens right away!
http://www.onmyhonoriwilltry.blogspot.com
OMG! That’s genius! thanks so much
http://strawbewie-ba-na-na.blogspot.com/
WOW! Rachel, I love this.
Thanks Catie! So glad you like it. Maybe I’ll see you with cats on your nails one of these days 🙂
Mi hija de 11 años enloqueció con sus uñas.Tenemos que conseguir el papel de transferencias ,acaba de ser la prioridad de su vida,ja ja ,cariños.
haha this is great! I’m such a cat lover.
Hi there! AWESOME catticure. I have crossposted on my blog, Polishment. >^..^<
http://definepolishment.com/2012/09/26/moar-catticures/
You look a-meow-zing!
These are great 😀
How do you remove them?
Thanks Sarah! I just removed them with nail polish remover. Since they’re on top of a coat of nail polish, they came right off when that layer dissolved. Not sure if they’d come off so easily if they were applied on bare nails.
This is just too cute. C:
Awwww…sooooo cute. I too see all sorts of possibilities. Thanks for sharing! (I found this link from the site: One Pretty Thing)
Thanks, Karen!
j’adore ! une très bonne idée… merci pour le partage !
Thank you so much for sharing the kitties’ images, they are AWESOME! I’ve done Christmas nail art using your download (linked back to you, of course!), and I’m in love!
http://www.small-good-things.com/archives/3938
Thanks again for the great inspiration 🙂
Emi, your nails are really great! Thanks so much for sharing–I got a big kick out of seeing your version 🙂
I need this in my life! Thanks for sharing. LOVE it.
Hi there! this is a totally great idea! and i’m loving it! 😀
This is awesome! 😀 I don’t have a printer but used stickers instead xD Found them in the scrapbooking isle of Micheal’s ~ they were laser printed ones, very crisp and clean looking!
I just wanted to pop in and say that I love your nails so much I’ve included them in my top ten cat diys!
http://iusedtobescaredofcats.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/cute-cat-diy-porjects.html
Thanks, Fiona!
Wow! Great job! I love it!
How long did these last? Does the decal hug the nail or is there a slight ridge to it?
The nail decal hugs the nail. They’re very thin. These last as long as a normal manicure, which will vary for everyone. I’m really hard on my nails, so the tips always start chipping pretty quickly, but the decals lasted until I used nail polish remover on them.
Oh my gosh. These are amazing! I’m such a huge cat-lover…I’ve gotta give these a try. Pinning!
Lauren, thanks so much!
Wow! What gorgeous and delicate manicure! Love it!