I SPY And A Quick Fall DIY Outdoor Decor Tutorial

I SPY...

Yep, it's two brick colored frogs. I don't know about you, but I've never seen frogs turn this color. I thought they were super cool and worth sharing.

And now that the weather is finally changing here in Florida, I've added a bit of Fall decor to my porch. 

These were super simple to make. I took decor pumpkins from Michaels and hot glued them onto the end of some stakes I had in the garage. Insert them into the potting soil and Wahla! You have easy fall decor.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers With Gorgonzola and Roasted Red Peppers

These grilled portobello mushroom burgers were just too delicious not to share. Matter of fact, we're having them again tonight! Mushroom burgers with roasted red peppers and gorgonzola... and other deliciousness. We've been fixing grilled mushroom salad, which is to die for, but these burgers have topped them just a bit.

What You Need:

Organic Portobello Mushrooms (1 for each burger)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Gorgonzola (crumbled)
Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
Roasted Red Peppers
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Honey Spice Mustard
Ketchup
Tomato
Lettuce

What To Do:

Spray the mushrooms on both sides with a bit of olive oil. We use Misto, so there's no extra chemicals, just oil. Douse with balsamic vinegar (2-3 Tbs) on the inside of the cap (the ribbed part). It will soak in as you let it marinate for 10-15 minutes and you can poke holes into the ribbed side if you'd like it to seep in for a bit more flavor. Put them on the hot grill cap side down for 2-4 minutes. Then flip them over and cook another 4-6 minutes or so. We add the gorgonzola when we flip them over, so it has plenty of time to melt. Put the roasted red peppers on the grill for a minute or so, just to make them nice and hot. You can also toast your buns at this point, too. When the mushrooms are soft, remove from grill, along with the peppers and buns.

I added all the other ingredients to my bun and it was absolutely to die for. An estimated 350 calories, too.

2nd Anniversary Event in Watercolor on 30-A

The Blue Giraffe in Watercolor on 30-A is celebrating their 2nd Anniversary on Nov. 1 and 2! For all of you in the Destin area, come on out for some great live music, artists of the Blue Giraffe selling their wares and some book signings and some make and take art projects. There's a raffle, too! FashionablyL8 will be set up on Friday from 10-5.

The Bump At 18 Weeks, Fashion And Beauty

Well, I'm just a couple days shy of being 18 weeks along on this little ride towards motherhood. This week, I'm thankful that I have felt so great the last few weeks! Unfortunately, my mid section is expanding and with is comes having to put the first pair of jeans on the shelf; My favorite Big Star capris that I picked up from Tara at The Close Swap last year. I have a feeling I will be paying a visit to Tara very soon to find some roomier things to wear, especially on my bottom half.

A few photos from weeks 9 and 14

9 Weeks

14 Weeks: Rockin' the "I had too many cupcakes" look

14 Weeks

Tank tops and scarf: Target. Shorts: Hydraulic. Capris: Big Star from The Closet Swap.

Speaking of back sides and bottom halves, I spent the afternoon catching up and with my good friend Kristen, who said my butt looked great, although I think it could've just been my True Religion jeans... Regardless, she totally made my day! I checked out her new Mary Kay products and came home with some new lip glosses and some powder foundation to even out this hormone induced skin of mine *thank you Little*. The NouriShine Plus lip glosses are my absolute fave! I had to buy both the Inspiring and Possibilities. The best part?!?
$1 will be donated to The Mary Kay Foundation^SM from each sale of limited-edition^† Beauty That Counts® Mary Kay® NouriShine Plus® Lip Gloss in “Inspiring” and “Possibilities.”

We have an OB appointment tomorrow... not sure I how I'm going to convince the hubs to let us find out what the sex is of The Little... Eek

18 Weeks with a definite bump

18 weeks

Jeans: True Religion Outlet. Vest: Charming Charlie. Tank top: Target. Ring: FashionablyL8

Asian Style Risotto With Pineapple

So I ran out of brown rice and happen to have an abundance of risotto, so I felt guilty buying more brown rice and thought I could suffice with an Asian style risotto. It turned out delicious, although some mushrooms would have made it a definite winner.

What you need:
Arborio Rice
Sesame Oil
Chopped Onion
3+ cups Vegetable Broth
Shelled Edamame
Fresh or Frozen Peas
Pineapple (fresh or canned)
Noti Komi Furikake
Tamari Sauce or Soy Sauce

What To Do:

The cooking directions are pretty self explanatory on the back of the container of rice, but I exchange the olive oil for sesame oil in this recipe and I always use WAY less than it calls for and did not use any butter. My package directions call for sautéing an onion in butter until soft and then adding the risotto. I omitted the onion (and butter) because I'm preggo and onions don't always do it for me. So, you're going to want to sauté the arborio rice for a couple of minutes and then add 1 cup of vegetable broth. Stir the rice constantly until the liquid is absorbed and then add broth (1 cup at a time) until rice is cooked, continuously stirring the rice. When the rice was close to al dente, I added the edamame and peas (this is when I would add the mushrooms, too). When the rice is fully cooked, it should be soft on the outside, but not mushy. The inside should not be hard. If it is, then add a bit more broth (or water) and cook for a few minutes longer. Add the pineapple towards the end and cook just long enough to get it hot. Then add about 1 1/2 - 2 Tbs furikake, which is a Japanese rice seasoning with sesame seeds, salt and seaweed. You can find it in the asian food aisle at the market. Serve with Tamari to taste.

Enjoy!

Food, friends, an engagement, and a baby

So it's been a while since I've been around. I took a job as a dental hygienist in Las Vegas and now I'm back in Florida for good (for now). There's been lots going on, so lets catch up in pictures...

New Fall and Halloween items were added to Fashionably {L8}

My dad got engaged (not at the ballpark)

but I did visit him in Reno and saw the Reno Aces play

Hung out with friends in Florida and Nevada

My sister and her boyfriend came to visit me from NC

 We paid a visit to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam

Went to my first New York Yankees game and Jim's little brother got married

I ate a ton of great food

And fixed even more great food at home

Avocado, parmesan and cream cheese sandwich

Berry pancakes

Thai Red Curry

Salmon taco wrap with chipotle mayo

Grilled portobello mushroom

Hummus Veggie Wrap Tropical Smoothie knock-off

Buckwheat pancakes with fresh berries inside

And the best part: hubs and I found out that.....

We're having a baby! It's our first and we are absolutely thrilled!

So there will be more coming to the blog to include recipes from the above mentioned yumminess, photos documenting the bump, and of course, the latest from Fashionably {L8} and j & em clutch co.

Come Celebrate- It's Our Birthday!

It's our birthday week this week (March 21st to be exact) and we want you to get the presents! So we're giving you 20% off everything in our shop now through Saturday, March 23rd. Take a look around the shop to see what's new. We've added some fun adjustable rings and there's lots of sweet colors for Spring. Use code BIRTHDAYWEEK for 20% your entire order. Be fashionablyL8, but not too L8!

Isn't this Pinteresting?!? Iron Plate Cleaner

You know those boring wine bags the grocery gives you with your purchase of enough bottles? I was being crafty and trying to embellish one of the many wine bags I own from my local grocery. It was an ugly maroon color and I thought if I appliquéd some cute fabric on it, it would improve my entire shopping experience... especially the wine buying part :o). So to town I went, cutting the fabric out, adhering it to fusible interfacing with my iron, you get the idea. Well, apparently the wine bag wasn't iron friendly and it melted its entire self to my trusty iron. I mean, I do own three irons and you'd think I'd be okay, but I was having a meltdown *literally*! More than anything I was disappointed that I destroyed my iron doing something really dumb. So I spent the next 5 minutes pouting, mulling around on Pinterest since I was obviously NOT in the crafting mood anymore. Low and behold, I come across this amazing post that couldn't have been more timely. It'ssuggesting that using a dryer sheet on a cool iron can remove stuck on gunk!!! Really?!?! So I try it! And it was almost 100% true.

I started on the lowest setting and worked my way up almost to the highest setting. With a minimal amount of patience, it actually melted and degreased that crap right off my iron. I basically used pressure and a sweeping motion across the dryer sheet and the pieces basically fleck right off. It was a miracle and life was restored to my trustee iron!

The next time,  (yes, there was a next time) I put a hand towel between the dryer sheet and the ironing board so that it didn't get the ironing board cover messy. This is the best trick ever! AND not only have I used this once, but twice in the last 4 weeks. You'd think I'd learn my lesson the first time, but I had a run in with some 'felt' that obviously wasn't 100% what it said it was and it melted itself right to my iron, so here I am at it again using the Mrs. Meyer's Dryer Sheets to restore the plate on my iron. I bet this would work wonders for curling and flat irons alike.

Pinecone Decor For Your Door

I've got another project going that is super simple to make. It involves a trip outside, some eye hooks and ribbon. Easy, right? You can modify this project so many ways, too!

First of all, you're going to need some pinecones, so go outside and take a walk around your neighborhood and find some. If you come up empty handed, you could always pay Michaels or Joanns a visit and buy some. I live in Florida and there's even some here. So collect a variety of sizes and shapes and bring them back to your abode. To make sure you haven't brought any uninvited guests in with your pinecones, it's advisable to bake them on a foil lined cookie sheet for 1 hour at 200 degrees.

If you'd like to get extra fancy, you could take a quick swipe of acrylic paint or a short spray of glitter paint to fancy them up. Then, take your eye hook and screw it into the bast of the pinecone (or, you can just use super glue and squish the ribbon onto the pinecone). Then, you'll string your ribbon through the eye and hang. Mine is on my door outside, but this would work on any inside door, or as a swag. You could even downsize it and string them across your mantel.

craftaholicsanonymous.net

twigandthistle.com

goodhousekeeping.com

Hand Painted Glass Christmas Balls

I've got another super simple tutorial for you. These would make great last minute embellishments for gifts or a good friend or neighbor gift or you could even give them as party favors for your Christmas guests.

Ingredients:
Glass ornaments- you can use the circular or even the shaped ones if you want to get extra creative
Acrylic paint- Christmas colors, sports teams, school colors. The metallic and glitter colors are a fab addition, too. You can also use the acrylic 'glass' paint, but it takes MUCH longer for the paint to dry. I would save the cash and do the additional first step and forgo using the glass paint.

How To:

-Remove the metal top from the ornament- carefully, so that it does not scratch the inside of the glass

-Keep the crate that your ornaments came in, or grab and egg crate or disposable cups. You will need these later.

-Rinse the inside of the ornament with rubbing alcohol, pour the excess into your next ornament, rinse, etc. Allow the ornament to dry. This step insures that your paint will have the greatest amount of success in sticking to the glass

-Hold the first acrylic paint over the hole in the top of the ornament. Squeeze the bottle to allow a few drops to flow into and down the side of the ornament

-Rotate the ornament and drip another color down the side. Do this around different sections of the rim

-Depending upon how thick or thin your paint is, you will either swirl the ornament around, or actually shake it (please make sure your thumb is covering the hole so that paint does not come splattering out over your cute winter scarf)

-If areas are not completely covered, just add more paint and shake and swirl

-When you're content with the coverage and swirliness of your paint, place the ornament upside down into the original carton lined with paper towels or a cup or egg crate. This will allow excess paint to drip out of the glass.

-It may take up to three or four days, but if you're in a rush or just an immediate gratification kinda person, you can use your handy hair blow dryer.

-Replace the metal cap and hanger, again, being very careful not to scratch this inside of the glass.

-Be sure to add a cute ribbon hanger. You could even use a metallic glass marker and write the date or decorate the outside. These would make awesome name holders for Christmas dinner and would also be a cute takeaway afterward.

Enjoy!

Easy Appetizer: Tomatoes, Basil, Mozzarella Caprese

This is my all time favorite, super simple appetizer that is always a crowd pleaser. It's best when you use fresh mozzarella right from the deli, as compared to the prepackaged kind. The more moist the cheese, the better! Use flavored olive oils and different balsamic vinegars (like fig or pear infused) for a variety of tastes.

Items:
cherry tomatoes
mozzarella
basil
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sea salt
cracked pepper
toothpicks

Make these guys bite sized by slipping a tomato, a snip of basil and a cube of mozzarella onto a toothpick. Then drizzle the plate and individual caprese skewers with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Be sure to use a bit of salt to bring out the flavor and cracked pepper to taste.