It May Be Spring ... But Winter Is Coming!

So, those of you who know me know that I am a HUGE fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones, which is based on the book series A Song Of Ice And Fire by George R.R. Martin. This epic fantasy series, set in a fictional world, takes place mostly on the continent of Westeros. Primarily, the story is about several different Houses, or families, and their struggle for power as they war over who will lay claim to the Iron Throne and reign over the Seven Kingdoms. As so many characters discover throughout this gripping series, "When you play the Game of Thrones, you win - or you die."

The second season of Game of Thrones premieres Sunday, April 1 at 9:00pm on HBO. In honor of its triumphant return, I decided to do a mani representing my love for this excellent series!

This is my representation of some of the major Houses, or families, represented in Game of Thrones. Each House carries a banner containing its device, or sigil, when in battle. The characters' clothing and decor also often reflects these colors and symbols. I chose what I believe to be the five major Houses in this story to display for this mani, choosing to go with their colors instead of their symbols (because my confidence in my ability to free-hand some of these symbols was not high):

House Stark of Winterfell - A grey direwolf on an ice-white field. Motto: Winter Is Coming.
House Tully of Riverrun - A leaping silver trout on a field of blue and red. Motto: Family, Duty, Honor.
House Lannister of Casterly Rock - A golden lion on a field of crimson. Motto: Hear Me Roar.
House Baratheon of Storm's End - A crowned black stag on a field of gold/yellow. Motto: Ours Is The Fury.
House Targaryen of Dragonstone - A black field with a red three-headed dragon. Motto: Fire And Blood.

I started by painting each nail the base color for the banner of each house.

For the thumb (House Stark), I used a base of Wet N Wild French White Creme, then taped off the top part of the nail and painted the bottom with Claw Polish Phantom (a grey, shimmery Halloween polish). I then painted over half of the white portion of the nail with Revlon Snow Bunny, a shimmery sheer white polish, to give it an "icy" look to represent the cold of Winterfell and the North.

The pointer finger was also done with tape, and I used China Glaze First Mate for the deep blue of House Tully, and Wet N Wild Everybody Loves Red-mond for the red. L.A. Colors Art Deco Silver Glitter was used for the stripe. (I tried unsuccessfully several times to stamp a silver fish onto this mani, and just eventually gave up after many fails!)

The Lannisters have the pleasure of gracing my middle finger (if you read the books or watch the show, you know why). :) I used OPI Wocka Wocka for the base, a perfect Lannister crimson, and then used tape and Mattese Elite Cream Dream to apply a golden stripe. The glitter, Sally Hansen Diamond Strength White Veil, represents the wealth & the life of luxury lived by the Lannisters and the royal family.

The ring finger is painted with the colors of House Baratheon. I used Sinful Colors Let's Meet for the yellow field, and applied a stripe of WnW Black Creme using Scotch tape. I followed the same method on the pinky for House Targaryen, using OPI Wocka Wocka as a base. Then I added a top coat of Seche Vite, let dry, and - VOILA - a Game of Thrones-themed mani fit for a King! (Or queen...)

I hope you enjoy this mani as much as I do! If you haven't seen Game of Thrones or read A Song Of Ice And Fire, I highly recommend it!

Rest In Peace, Ned Stark - The North Remembers!