In Photos: back home

 Just got back from a trip to my state's capitol and the surrounding towns. I didn't grow up in Olympia, but it's where my mom lives now, so I consider it home. Mom's house is always home :)

They have a baker's dozen of baby bunnies. All charming shades from the grey scale, save for one brown baby.

There's lots of beautiful poppies, full of lots of busy honey bees, which I took lots of beautiful pictures of. I will save you the hassle of having to look at all of them.

 Sweet Cicely

 Fred, of Fred & George

Arugula Flower

And then there's my niece. She's a tall two-year-old.

 She loves clothes and pretending she is me, which is quite flattering! She picked out this bag from Olympia's newest vintage boutique, Psychic Sisters. I bought a couple things as well: a sleeveless button up in powder blue gingham and a sherpa-lined Levi's jean jacket that is, unfortunately, sized for my niece. If you're in Olympia, make sure to stop by Psychic Sisters! They have a great collection and great prices.

I had a lovely time, as always, and didn't want to leave. My husband kinda missed me, though, so I'm back in Seattle.

My outfit: American Apparel dress - Thrifted flats - Vintage Liz Claiborne bag - H&M necklace as bracelet - Forever21 & vintage bracelets

My niece's outfit: H&M dress - vintage purse - Forever21 glasses - felt shoes by Kitzbuhel

Recipe: Sausage & Kale Over Polenta

My husband said this is one of the best dishes I've ever made, so I thought it might be a good one to post on the blog! Hopefully it turns out as well for you! Let me know if you have any problems or if any of the directions are unclear.

Serves 3 to 4 people

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil, plus more for the polenta

½ Onion, thinly sliced

3 links Italian chicken sausage, sliced

1 bunch of Kale, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced

3 banana/wax peppers, seeded and sliced

½ cup mild Italian pickled vegetables, plus Tbsp brine

1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

¼ cup fresh Basil, chopped

1 can Artichoke Hearts

1 tube Polenta, sliced

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions:

1. Turn on the broiler to low. Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet and arrange the polenta slices. Drizzle with more oil. Broil until golden brown. Flip each slice, drizzle with a little more oil and broil.

2. In a deep sided saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onions until soft.

3. Add the sausage and cook thoroughly.

4. Stir in the kale, garlic, peppers and pickled vegetables. Saute for 5 minutes.

5. Lastly, add the basil, artichokes, vinegar, pickle brine, and pepper flakes. Saute an additional 5 minutes.

6. Serve over the polenta.

Look of the Day: emerald city

I just read an article on CNN about why Seattle is better than Portland (it was part of this special city vs. city thing on their travel site). In all honesty, I was a little disappointed with it. It didn’t make a good argument for why we’re great. Instead, it was like reading a travel brochure.

 So I wanted to put my two cents in: we are so much more than Starbucks coffee. We are more than the “birthplace of grunge” (this saying makes me shudder). The views alone will take your breath away (one thing the author had right). We have amazing restaurants, music venues, art museums and are home to many, many coffee shops that are 100 times better than Starbucks. People here have real jobs (cough*Portland*cough) and a good local economy. As my husband says, the dream of being a productive member of society is alive in Seattle.

I never get tired of exploring all the neighborhoods here (Ballard, Capitol Hill, Greenwood, Columbia City, to name a few of my faves). I love the people here the most and am proud to call this city home, despite the flying fish at Pike Place.

Come for a visit. When the sun is out, nobody shines like Seattle shines. And when it rains, just the roads shine, haha 

American Apparel skirt (similar) - Vintage Bill Blass shirt (similar) - GAP sweater (similar)- GAP clutch - Vintage & F21 bracelets - Vintage watch (similar)

Look of the Day: jersey maxi dress & floral lace

Haven't had one of these in a while...

Friday Fashion Fact

The leather used for Coach bags was developed based on baseball glove leather, and not saddle leather (like I always thought it was!)

Read more on the Wikipedia page

 Forever21 moto jacket (similar) - Forever21 bracelet (similar) - H&M lace top (similar) -  H&M jersey maxi dress (similar) - Vintage Coach Mini Willis (similar) - Thrifted hat and shoes - Forever21 sunglasses

Featured on...

Had two nice surprises today! 

Surprise #1 I've been featured on the blog Fashion & Ice

To read the article click here!

A big thank you to Fashion & Ice :) I'm quite flattered!
♠

Surprise #2 I finally found myself on the Alexis Magazine website! My looks have been featured alongside a lot of amazing fashion bloggers; Ebba Zingmark, Blake Jacobson, and Aminta, just to name a few :)

Click Click Click!
♠

Recipe: Everything Cookies

These are basically oatmeal cookies, but with some improvements and additions. They vary a little every time I make them, since I usually use what's on hand, so this recipe can be tweaked to your taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Dash of cinnamon

-

1 stick of unsalted butter

½ cup coconut butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon maple flavoring

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

-

½ package chocolate chips

¾ cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apricots, etc.)

½ cup chopped nuts

3 cups oatmeal or other rolled grain

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°f

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, coconut butter, and the sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the maple flavoring and vanilla extract.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and dash of cinnamon.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture until fully combined.

4. Add the oatmeal (rolled rye and barley are great, too!) and dried fruit, followed by the chocolate chips and nuts.

5. Make golf ball-sized balls of cookie dough and place 1 to 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack or plate and let cool.

Notes:

These can be dairy-free by using all coconut butter instead of regular butter, but make sure the chocolate chips are dairy-free, too!

Needless to say, if you have a nut allergy, leave out the nuts!

What I Wore: weekend wear

I have been in such a good mood lately! I got custom orthotics, which seem to be helping my feet (may be too soon to tell, but I'm hopeful!) and it's nearly summer. Everything is just peachy!

 Speaking of peachy, I just bought the glasses at Forever21, and now I'm not so sure about them. They fold up all weird and may be a little small for my face, but I just love the color! I'll keep 'em around for a while. Oh! And the Coach bag is new! I found it at a garage sale for $5! Pretty good deal.

Photos by my wonderful husband :)

Vintage oxford shirt - H&M Polka Dot Dress (similar) - Vintage Coach Mini Willis (similar) - Forever21 sunglasses (similar)

One last thing...

I've added a new feature to the Fleur d'Elise Facebook page: Pinterest Spotlight!

If you would like to be featured, you can either email me or visit the Facebook page and send me a message

Look of the Day: Happy Friday!

Finally! Yes, finally, sitting down to do some blogging.

A couple weeks ago, I walked into one of the local thrift stores and immediately spotted this denim gem. In my mind, a denim romper is like the ultimate romper. And what luck! It fits perfectly!

 What a great week it's been! Finally got some painting done (coming to the blog soon!), went swimming, my feet have been almost pain-free, and today I had Lunch with my friend, Ellen! Tomorrow, I get to go garage sale-ing with my dad and then will have dinner with the in-laws. Life is good. I hope you all are having as good a week as I am :)

If not, you should cheer yourself up by visiting Finch & Sparrow and buying yourself something nice :) Use the discount code "FLEUR12" to get 15% off your purchase!

Thrifted Limited Romper (similar) - J.Crew Cotton Cardigan (similar) - Vintage leather bag - Black Flats (similar) - H&M flower brooch - Forever21 bracelets (similar #1 and similar #2)

HiLo Dress by Night

As easily as this dress can be styled casually, it can also be dressed up for a date night or wedding reception. All I've done is added heels and a jacket and switched up the jewelry a little bit. By removing the strap on the bag, I now have an adorable little clutch!

Gosh, I love these wedges! 

Since I went for such bright nails and a matching neon bracelet, I thought it would be best to keep the rest of the jewelry simple. These handmade earrings were perfect! With short hair, I can't wear huge, flashy earrings anymore, and hoop styles are usually out, but these were just the right size.

Delicate, refined, and artfully made by the boutiques' owner, these added just the right amount of fancy :)

And look how easy it is to style an outfit featuring neons and neutrals! With the smallest touch of neon you can make any outfit right on trend!

Don't forget to take advantage of the discount code FLEUR12! You can get 15% off both online and in-store!

Bliss HiLo Dress - Grommet Clutch - H&M draped blazer (similar) - H&M necklace as bracelet (similar) - Thrifted leather belt - Canvas Wedges - Neil E. Silverman Gold Earrings

Photographs by Maria Gunawan & Praisely Jonatan

HiLo Dress by Day

This past month, I had the opportunity to work with two local boutiques here in Seattle. Located in Fremont, Bliss, and her sister boutique, Dream, supply the city with trendy, affordable clothes, accessories, and other fashionable necessities. If that isn't enough to bring you in, well then you must not be interested in clothing at all and are probably on the wrong blog... or you're my dad reading this... I've lost my train of thought. What I was trying to say is that on top of carrying lovely summer dresses and gorgeous jewelry, both stores are staffed by wonderful sales people happy to help you find the perfect piece for any occasion. I spent two afternoons with them, so I have first-hand knowledge of just how lovely they all are! I got to browse both shops (conveniently located across the street from one another) and try on some of their new Spring and Summer styles. My favorite pieces: a beige hi-lo dress, a black convertible purse, handmade gold earrings, and the cutest pair of ankle-strap wedges!

Okay, I'll admit it. I've finally been convinced by those hi-lo dresses that are so big right now. This one just called to me. Maybe it's partly to blame on the fact that it's, as my sister-in-law says, "Catie colored"; I blend in with it. Mainly, though, I saw how versatile it could be. It has an elegant and simplistic style, perfect for so many occasions. You could go minimalist, elegant, casual, beachy, whatever you like. The feminine, but not overly girly, neutral shade can be combined with almost any other color or texture your wardrobe may contain. This dress is what I would call a clean canvas, just waiting to be decorated.

I thought this dress would be the perfect piece to style in a day-to-night post, but because my photographers, Maria Gunawan and Praisley Jonatan, took so many gorgeous pictures, I decided to break it into two posts.

For the day time look, I went for something summery; perfect for walking the pier or one of our local farmers' markets. A sunhat and a oxford shirt protect me from the sun and keep the look casual. Bright necklaces pop against the pale pink dress and a shoulder bag is the easiest way to tote around extra sunscreen and a little spending money.

Stay tuned for Look #2!
Until then, check out their online boutique, Finch & Sparrow, and take advantage of the discount code, FLEUR12. Enter it in at check-out to receive 15% off your purchase! The coupon is also good in-stores! (Expires 7/4/12)

HiLo Strap Dress - Grommet Clutch - H&M necklace - vintage & handmade necklaces (similar) - thrifted oxford shirt (similar) - thrifted sandals - Old Navy sunhat (similar) - H&M sunglasses (similar)


Photographers: Praisely Jonatan & Maria Gunawan

Look of the Day: Boho Prep

 Forgot about this look! I styled it around the same time as this look, so I didn't want to post it immediately. 

I mentioned last week that I've been working on a project with a local boutique. Two big blog posts about that are coming soon, so stay on the look-out! In the mean time, I'm off to get a pedicure! Hurrah! 

Vintage leather fringe jacket (similar)- Forever21 trousers - Felicee leopard print belt - vintage Coach bag (similar) - vintage Nine West shoes (similar) - Forever21 bracelets & glasses - vintage boys' shirt (similar)