Pinterest and Tumblr

Just a reminder you can find me on Pinterest and Tumblr. (Mainly because I update them more frequently.)

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/LesPlusBeauxx/

Tumblr: http://lesplusbeauxx.tumblr.com/

Jewelry Organization: A Work in Progress

I've finally sorted through most of my jewelry and made a display using items I've collected over the years.

I'm not going to lie. It doesn't look great. I think the people on Pinterest must have all matching jewelry. This looks like slightly ordered chaos to me. But it is functional and I think it will get better as I edit my collection. It's nice to have everything visible in one place (though I seem to be missing a few items...).

My two trees came from West Elm and Urban Outfitters. This little guy is great, but the tall one (top photo, left) is driving me nuts. It looks crowded. 

This tray is from West Elm and was a gift. I think it'll catch my every day earrings because there's no way I'll put them back on the fox all the time. That's another thing, what do Pinterest people do with stud earrings? Is that where the egg holders and ice cube trays come into play? 

The fox (Urban Outfitters) is cute, but it's kind of a pain to take the backs off the earrings, position them on the fox, and then affix the back. I don't see that being a viable solution for earrings I wear all the time. I've had it for a year and never replaced worn earrings. Maybe I'll fill this with special occasion earrings. (This is where my missing jewelry will go. I'm guessing it's all in a travel bag.)

Necklace and dangly earring storage is fine. We got this frame with chicken wire from our wedding florist and used it on the guestbook table. It's been lying around for a few months and finally has a home. I used mini craft clothespins to hang the necklaces. They can't handle a ton of necklaces so I would not recommend buying them for a project like this.

And finally, my rings and decorative pins are in a Kate Spade Saturday mug. The handle broke off during shipment and I was too lazy to return. I figured Alex could use it for a plant, but this is better. :)

Once I get everything into place I will revisit this display in a few months. I made a huge donation pile while preparing this and I feel so much better. I had necklaces and rings from middle school!

You can find several jewelry storage ideas on my Organization Pinterest board.

pinterest ideas: brick patio

So, this is what I'm doing during the Super Bowl: posting house stuff on my blog and planning projects for this year.

A few weeks ago, Alex found an article in The Family Handyman about covering an existing concrete slab patio with bricks. We have a slab. And we have tons of bricks left by the previous owner.

These are horrible photos of the backyard from right after we moved in:

We tried the bricks around the patio. It was really annoying to maintain. So now, using Alex's newly acquired handyman skills, my spatial layout skills (I made that up), and Pinterest, I've decided we should cover the patio AND add a pergola. Someday. Cover the patio first, then see where we're at. 

Our patio is obviously small and we may not be able to get away with a lot. But I know I want potted plants, seating (probably the small table and chairs we have), and some lights. I bought a ton of string lights a few years ago at Target and haven't used them. (What a waste!)

Because some of these Pinterest links lead to dead ends, check my "Garden" board on Pinterest. One great link that DOES work is this helpful chart of brick layouts.

I'm confident we can lay the brick and get a nice patio layout before (late) summer. I am not confident that we'll get a pergola figured out. Maybe 2014?

Pinterest Projects

Pinterest is great. I find a lot of stuff on there: gift ideas (for myself), outfit ideas, and some DIY inspiration. This year, I completed a few of my bookmarked projects. Here are three highlights:

(I apologize. Most of these photos are from my phone in poor lighting.)

Bookshelf to "Bar"

Pinterest link via Apartment Therapy

We have SO MUCH glassware. This is just the stuff that can't fit in the cupboards, on top of the cupboards, or in the hutch. It's ridiculous. Anyway, we also have about 2 bottles of liquor and a few fancy bottles of wine. (The other bottles never make it into the dining room because we drink them immediately.) I had an old Sauder bookshelf from my high school bedroom that was in decent shape. I thought this would be a nice corner filler in the dining room. I like the idea of installing bottle and glass holders, but I'm not sure this bookcase is sturdy enough. 

Bird Costume

Pinterest Link via A Beautiful Mess

Bird Mask

Video Tutorial

Ok, this one's kind of a lie. I actually subscribe to A Beautiful Mess, saw this there, THEN pinned it. But, whatever. 

This year, I had the itch to make a costume. I am really trying to use up my craft supplies. I have way too many. I made it the day of a friend's Halloween party, so it didn't take long. Instead of using a pillowcase, I cut out fabric a few inches wider than a favorite dress. It still fit wide/large like a pillowcase, but there was a little more shape to it. I forgot that my mom and I had swapped sewing machines and that my new Bernina is AMAZING. (I was using an in-table Singer from the 60s.) 

After the costume was complete, I had time to make a mask. I googled "make bird mask" and that video was one of the first results. If you watch it, you can tell I didn't stray much... Our friend had a black light in one room and the mask looked awesome. 

Alex went as a bird watcher. The day before the party I printed out several pages from Sibly's bird guide to make him a little booklet. I find it amusing that we took my nice camera as a prop for his costume, but didn't take a single photo... 

Chocolate dipped candy canes / pretzels 

Pinterest Link 

Tonight is my office Christmas party (way more fun than parties for other offices). This was super easy. A few of the candy canes broke while unwrapping, so I mashed them up to sprinkle on the white chocolate pretzel sticks. I have no idea what these taste like yet, but I imagine they'll be good. Made these to go along with some crockpot hot chocolate (which I will be making in about 3 hours...) 

Follow my Pinterest.

pinterest

Hello again!

While this blog's been woefully neglected, I've been on Pinterest. It's really one of the easiest ways to bookmark and categorizes all the DIY and fashion links I come across on a daily basis. It's also great when you have a specific project in mind, but can't remember where you saw it.

(My boards) 

If you're a member, send me your link and I'll follow back. If you need an invite, let me know and I can send one along.