les plus beauxx

Books of 2011

2012-01-09T12:24:00.001-05:00

If you've been a follower for a while, you may know that I enjoy reading. In years past I've read A LOT. This year, I dialed it down and focused on longer books and books in different genres.

Over the course of 2011, I read 39 books and 12,694 pages.

In order of completion: (click image to go to my Goodreads stats)

I did not read every night (I also played with my phone way too much before bed...). My original goal was 30 books, which I upped to 35 in August. Not gonna lie, I'm a little sad I didn't make it to 40 after getting pretty close!

I'm still not sure what my goal for 2012 is. On Goodreads I've set it to 30 books, but if I can, I wouldn't mind getting back to 1 book a week (for a total of 52 books). Currently, I'm reading a massive 770 pager, so who knows if that's possible!

Did we read any of the same books? Do you have some favorites you'd like to recommend? Are you on Goodreads?

my wish list 2011

2011-12-01T14:31:00.000-05:00

Today, I take my inspiration from a few of my favorite fashion blogs and share my Holiday Wish List.

Golden Pinnate Necklace (but, in silver!) - $28.00
German Military Surplus Utensil set (they snap together!) - $12.00
Latte Bowls in Mint - 4 for $20
Porcelain Dish in Zigzag - $6.00
Architectural Difusion Bracelet - $16.00
Amazing Everything: the art of Scott C. - $16.49
Lost at Sea T-shirt - $36.00
Keyboard Memopad - $10.00
Simply Ponytail Holders - $12.00
Bronze Tentacle Necklace (a lustworthy item) - $180.00

Are there any gifts you're hoping for this year?

Free printable 2012 Calendar

2011-11-29T12:48:00.001-05:00

Hello again!

A few weeks ago, in preparation for a craft fair, I quickly designed a one sheet 2012 calendar. Because I'm done with fairs for the year and because it's cost prohibitive for me to buy tubes to ship the calendar (via my Etsy store), I've decided to post it here for free!

(click the image above or the download link below)

Things to note:

size: 11" x 17"

(You can print this to an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper, but it's hard to read the labels for the days of the week.)

file type: PDF
Print at home, Kinkos, Staples, etc.
FREE!
Download now

The illustration at the top of the calendar is also available as a print.

Happy Holidays!

holiday time is upon us

2011-11-28T12:30:00.000-05:00

Hola! Two weeks ago I went to Molokai, Hawaii (trying to cross all the states off my list. Plus, I got an amazing deal on hotel and airfare). It was fabulous. I'll post photos.

In the meantime, I spent a few hours yesterday photographing and listing items in my Etsy store. I generally don't like mentioning the shop on here (because it feels like schmoozing and self-promotion, which I detest), but I thought I'd better since it seems as though I haven't been doing much of anything according to my posts!

Take a look. I listed scarves, prints, and earrings.

If you're looking at anything and want it in time for Christmas, any order received by December 15 should make it in time. Shipping is listed for US and Canada only, but if you're from another country just send me a message on Etsy and I can get you a quote on shipping and create a custom listing. :)

Thanks for listening... now back to my regular posts...

stuff i've made: earrings

2011-10-03T09:43:00.000-05:00

Do you remember the paperclip earring DIY from a few months ago?

Well, last week while watching Terra Nova (which I give a "meh... we'll see") I made a few pairs. I did not use any adhesive, but I'm thinking I'll need to finish them off with some type of spray glue. I wore a pair last week and they seemed to hold up, but you never know...

I modified the original instructions to suit my purposed and, overall, I think they turned out pretty well.

Here's a crappy photo from my phone.

I'm hoping to get more crafty over this next month. Cold weather seems to motivate me. We'll see!

Weekend: kayak for a cure

2011-10-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

This weekend we took part in Kayak for a Cure at Griggs Reservoir. Apparently this is a national event with several cities participating throughout the year. I would recommend it if there's a chapter in your area. Not only is it for a good cause, but it was another opportunity to take in some nature without leaving the city.

Our registration included kayaks, paddles, life vests, breakfast, and lunch. Not to mention lovely views and great company.

This event raised over $5,000. We found out about it this past week, so I'm hoping we can raise more when we register next year.

It was a super windy/chilling morning, but the ride was lovely. Thank goodness for the sunshine.

I think I want a kayak now...

House stuff: potential seating

2011-09-23T09:49:00.000-05:00

Hi there. If you haven't noticed, this year has been more about parks and home than crafts. I apologize, but I'm sure the crafty side will ramp up a little before I take part in the Pickerington Antique and Craft Fair on November 5. (I'll give more details about that at a later date).

So, more about the house:

We've got our new couch and refinished floors. The living room is thisclose to being "done". Right now I'm trying to decide what to do with the wall along the stairs. Two chairs and a side table OR a bench that can hold blankets?

I've created a little example of each below. Now, these both assume that the arrangements will fit in that area. (I'll measure this weekend.)

Option 1: The chairs

This layout features:
- chairs from Overstock.com: today they are $191 for the set, I've seen them for $159.
- Accent table from World Market: $159.99
- A vase from Crate & Barrel that is no longer available

Option 2: Storage Bench

This option features an upholstered bench from World Market for $149.99.

Ultimately, it's going to come down to fit. It's kind of a narrow area and the chairs might not work. I need the extra seating and the current blank wall is just a waste of space.

I guess we'll see what happens...

house stuff: flooring complete

2011-09-05T18:52:00.000-05:00

A while ago I posted about ripping out the carpet and discovering some strange flooring issues. Lucky for me, I found an expert to help me out. The results were amazing!

(You can't see the difference between the new and old wood anymore.)

And last but not least....

Thank goodness for the dudes at Higgins Hardwood Floors!

parks & rec: Frank Fetch Park

2011-09-05T18:21:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to go to a bunch of local parks these days. I've got hundreds of photos from two of them that I have yet to sort through, so until then, here's Frank Fetch Park in German Village.

(I took my point and shoot camera, unfortunately.)

The park is pretty small, but it's beautifully landscaped. The surrounding houses are traditional brick, so it's a really fun area.

These dog deterrent signs are a little gross, but get the point across. ;)

(I don't think Tobias enjoyed being up this high.)

There was a hidden spot for bees in the front corner, which was pretty cool.

In the end, Tobias had a good time.

Etsy treasury: Angular

2011-07-29T12:46:00.000-05:00

Since I'm not really making much in the way of crafty things, I thought I'd share an Etsy Treasurey I put together this morning. This is my first Treasury and it was fun to find a theme and run with it.

Check out the included items by clicking the image above or right here.

I drew a mermaid

2011-07-19T11:29:00.003-05:00

I have 7 billion photos of bloggy stuff living on 3 cameras, but I've been too busy to pull them off and post. In the meantime, here's a mermaid I (quickly) drew the other day.

I should probably add details, but I'm not sure what... Ideas? I also wish blogger didn't compress images! You can click the picture to see it at a higher resolution.

A new bathroom layout

2011-06-22T09:49:00.000-05:00

Bathroom by Lizzard214

Yesterday I created an alternate bathroom layout. Yeah, the living, dining, blue rooms aren't finished, but that doesn't mean I can't start thinking about the next project.

My first pass at an updated bathroom was thwarted by a poor quality shower curtain. After I opened the package I realized it was too thin and already looked a little grimy. Then I took a look that all of the items from that layout. It was nice, but it wasn't classy OR very good for home resale. Bottom line: I'd chosen the cheapest materials without considering what would help the space. So, I started over.

The bathroom is small. It's 5'x5' outside of the shower. So, I need to reduce clutter and create the feeling of more space. Enter the medicine cabinet. In real life, it will be a 36in 3-paneled cabinet that spans the toilet and sink. The sink will be a new Kohler pedestal. We have a pedestal sink now, but it's curvy and nothing will sit flat on it, which is pretty annoying.

(My shower curtain is cooler than the one in the picture, but it's too old to find online anymore. It's a reversible curtain with polka dots on one side and stripes on the other.)

So... this re-do would include painting walls and trim, redoing the floor, installing the new sink, and hanging the medicine cabinet. Not too bad considering how much of a difference it will make.

As for ETA? I'm thinking fall/winter at best. We've got a driveway to repave and a basement to Dryloc. Fun stuff!

House stuff: flooring

2011-06-16T13:39:00.002-05:00

It's been a long spring of house stuff. Mainly, ripping up carpet on the first floor. (Just so you know, these photos are from my phone.)

Eventually we'll be refinishing 3 rooms and 1 hallway on the bottom floor. I say eventually because there are some odd things with two of the 3 floors we uncovered. (The dining room was already uncovered before we moved in, so no photos of that...)

Let's start with the living room:

This was the first room I uncovered with help from my friend (Alex was gone, it was a surprise). The floor is in pretty good shape. There's some paint splattered all around, but overall the planks look nice. Unfortunately, we uncovered half a tile under the newer entryway (I'm guessing the previous owner just covered up ALL of the tiles in the entry). Additionally, there's a small trap door by the couch wall. This will probably be covered up by a large rug, but we need to do something about this for the next person who lives here.

After the living room, I ripped up the carpet in the hallway. I was so giddy about the living room looking so great because the carpet was disgusting, that I never imagined the hallway would look any different. HA! I did not expect the hallway to look like this....

Upon uncovering THIS I called my mom in hysterics (ok, not that bad. No tears). I was so upset that I scared my friend away and had to finish this late into the night.

That layer of crap confused me. I thought maybe it was water/fire damage... I ran through a huge list and resigned myself to the fact that we'd be getting carpet.

Somewhere in there I googled "layer of gunk on wood floor" or something equally creative. I found a DIY project identifying this as vinyl tile adhesive or mastic. It made sense because this crap stops at each doorway. The DIY-er said it was tough to get up (and could be dangerous if there's asbestos), so I'm getting a professional to come look at it asap.

About two weeks later, Alex and I tackled the "blue" room (our guest room). Like the living room, I had no idea what the expect. This carpet was even older and dirtier than any others around the house.

Besides some paint spots it's amazing! We could even use this without refinishing. I was so happy to uncover this. If it had been a disaster we would be getting carpet without question. There was a fine layer of "sand" (?) when we pulled up the carpet foam, but that's the extent of the "blue" room drama.

So that's what I've been doing. Getting someone out to take a look at the hallway has been a pain. My first contact is apparently busy, but doesn't want me to know (so he never shows up). I'm hoping we can get this finished soon because we just got our new couch and I'm ready to decorate!

Stuff I've made: people at work

2011-06-10T10:26:00.001-05:00

Generally, I don't share things I make at work. Mainly because I'm not sure if I'm allowed (by the client, not by my office).

This year I've been working on a really fun kid's site and got to make and avatar builder. Phase 1 of the project is complete, so I made avatars of the folks in my office with their help: they chose most of their assets and I added facial hair, glasses, and other distinguishing features. I've whited out names to protect their identities. ;)

(Click the image to enlarge.)

In case you're wondering, I'm the second from the left.

the saddest magnolias ever.

2011-04-22T15:03:00.000-05:00

Oh man. I waited too long to see the magnolias at Goodale Park this year. Apparently the rain slammed the flowers. Most of them looked like this:

And this:

But some of them looked ok... Enjoy the fairly good looking ones:

These guys had some hope left:

Regardless of magnolia conditions in the park, I hope you are enjoying Earth Day 2011! Go outside and enjoy nature (assuming it's not raining where you are).

10 diys: for you & your home

2011-04-05T09:57:00.001-05:00

CRAFT blog has been on fire recently and I think most of these tutorials have been linked on their blog in the past few months. If you follow their feed, I hope I'm not boring you with the repetition. Let's get started...

5 fantastic accessories projects:

Finger knit bracelets [via V. and Co.]
Simple skirt (kid's pattern that can be modified) [via MADE]
Paperclip earrings [via evie s.]
Summer scarves [via mer mag]
Geometric Necklace [via dismount creative]

And 5 simple household accessories:

Mini stamp collecting book [via Book Hour Craft Projects]
Paint chip wall art [via Paper Crave]
Print your own fabric [via poppytalk]
Bottle cutting [via plastolux]
Painted brass candlesticks [via stylizimo]

Happy Birthday: Tobias

2011-04-04T11:40:00.001-05:00

Today is my dog's 5th birthday! I apologize in advance for the dog photo spam, but here are a few photos of Tobias over the past few months with my iPhone + Instagram.

Looking pensive

Giving Alex a snaggle-tooth stare, yesterday afternoon.

Hello.

That's all for this year's tribute. ;)

New layout!

2011-03-31T14:59:00.002-05:00

les plus beauxx recently received a makeover! It's gone from wooden wonderland to yellow and gray simplicity.

This is how it used to look

In an effort to keep my shop, blog, and tumblr all together I created a pretty basic frame and header. For the blog, this means I get to post larger images. That's about the only difference, besides the fact that you can navigate between les plus beauxx lands.

Now it looks like this!

The layout's been active for a week or two now, so I figured I might as well mention it to those of you reading through blog feeds. Additionally, I just got around to testing in IE and had to fix a few things... ;) Let me know if you see any bugs. So far, things seem okay!

Inspiration: stylizimo

2011-03-30T13:58:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure where I've been for the past year... but I've recently discovered stylizimo and I love it!

The Norwegian based site features DIYs that are the perfect mixture of easy and stylish. I definitely want to make #1 in the photo above. (Currently trying to convince my housemate that it's worth it.)

DIY project featured above:

Trendy dining table
Framed chalkboard
White-topped coffee table

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T14:17:00.002-05:00

Just another excuse to post a photo from Ireland...

Cancun

2011-03-17T13:34:00.001-05:00

At the end of February I got to go to Cancun for my friend's wedding. It was AMAZING. Beautiful beach, amazing weather, and friendly people all around.

We stayed at the Moon Palace Resort for only 3 days so we weren't able to get off the resort and check out any ruins, but we made up for that by eating all the food we could. So tasty. I also had my first glass of port at the reception dinner (yum). I would go back in a heartbeat. It was the most relaxing vacation I've ever had.

The wedding was also amazing. It was very well organized by the resort. As a member of the bridal party I was scared I'd have to worry about a lot of things. This was not the case. The wedding planner took care of everything and let us know exactly where to be and what to do (which turned out to be very little!). The professional photos only took about 20 minutes and the reception was steps away. Have I mentioned how amazing it was?

As a footnote... there were a bunch of iguanas all around... I think I took at least 70 photos of them. Here's a good one:

Bathroom

2011-02-27T14:01:00.004-05:00

Bathroom by Lizzard214 on Polyvore.com

Last night I decided (with the help of Alex) that I want to do something different with the bathroom. Instead of sticking with the blue/brown thing we've got going on all over the place, I want to branch out and finally embrace my love of gray and yellow. I know you "should" use a similar color palette throughout your house, but I'm willing to break the rules a bit.

Most of the items in the room are pretty affordable (and from IKEA). Click through to Polyvore to view a list.

More Cheap, Chic, & Easy Spring Looks

2011-02-10T11:54:00.002-05:00

Today, we have two different takes on an essentially similar look: cute top and some cropped pants. Again, these looks feature some items I already own and those I've recently purchased online (or plan to). I'm hoping you and I have some similar basics in our closet so that these looks won't cost much!

Look #1:

Spring look #4 on polyvore

Look 1 would look great layered over a swimsuit on the beach, out on a date, at the mall... and, for me, at work.

What's included:

Jewelmint Lover's Locket and Steampunk earrings - $29.99 each - Let me know if you'd like an invite. These are shipping right now. I'm excited!
Scoop Neck Tee - Old Nav y - $8.50
Braided T-Strap Sandals - Old Navy - $19.50 (I''m probably going to buy sandals at Kohl's, but these are pretty cute.)
The weekend jeans - Old Navy - ~~$12.97!!~~ out of stock :(
LC Lauren Conrad Crochet Slubbed Vest - Kohl's - $29.99

Look #2:

Spring Look #3 on polyvore

This office/date ready ensemble is effortless chic. You could switch out any brightly colored blouse and change the look instantly.

What's included:

ELLE Rosette Ruffle Top - Kohl's - $22.99
Essential Cropped Trousers - Old Navy - $7.97 (!!)
I already own some Simply Vera Wang sequin flats. You can find cheaper ones that the Enzo Angiolini ones shown here. Any balck flat would work.
Kate Spade Yorkville Small Agathe Bag (Again, I own this. Any simple black bag would do.)
Tiffany Open Heart Pendant. I've had this for about 7 years and I think they run about $125. I'm sure you've got a great silver necklace at home. :)
Jewelmint Very Audrey earrings and Mosaic Ring. - $29.99 each.

Cheap Spring Looks

2011-02-09T13:48:00.001-05:00

I just bought a bunch of stuff online (on sale) in preparation for spring. Some of my favorite items came from Old Navy. (They still haven't arrived, but let's pretend they fit and look amazing.) There are so many basics on the site right now that can be mixed and matched ad nauseum (I mean, if you get sick thinking about clothes).

Let's take a look at some of my perspective outfits:

Spring Look #1 by Lizzard214 featuring knit tees

In Look 1 I've paired a bag I already own with 3 Old Navy finds. The bag I have is a 5 year old Dooney & Bourke small top handle satchel that's no longer available online... so I'm pretending it's this expensive one from Barney's.

The jewelry is a mix of Vera Wang for Kohl's and my new favorite, Jewelmint. If you would like an invite to Jewelmint, please leave a comment. I love it. $29.99 (+ free shipping!) for really great quality and on-trend jewelry. I tend to buy the more classic pieces, so I could see them lasting a loooong time.

Look 2:

Spring Look #2 by Lizzard214 featuring 3/4 sleeve dresses

Another Old Navy basic paired with some existing pieces and others from Kohl's and Anthropologie. The purse I own (Kate Spade something-or-other from last year) and the feather headband would be one of the ones I make for craft sales. Pretty simple outfit, so it could be worn with a lot of different accessory combinations.The sunglasses are my beloved Betsey Johnson's. I bought them for 24.99, dropped them in the driveway, they got run over... and now I can only find them online for about 3x what I paid. :( I still have the cracked pair, but I know they will need to go in the trash some time...

That concludes today's spring lookbook. Maybe there will be more?

Oh, and the house redo is moving along slowly....

More Polyvore: The Blue Room

2011-01-27T13:56:00.000-05:00

The Blue Room by Lizzard214 on Polyvore.com

Slowly, but surely, I've been working on my house. No, there's nothing to show for it yet... just a bunch of rooms with piles. But starting February we will be priming, painting, and getting floors refinished! I'm really excited. For a little while things will be silent here (as if they weren't already). After we paint and refinish get ready for a TON of before and after posts!

Wahoo!

Oh, and the Blue Room is our second bedroom with guest "boarding..."