Links a la Mode: Third time's the charm!

Dear IFB,

Thank you so much for selecting my blog post for the weekly round up again! Sorry this is late :/

Cozy Up
For all the talk about when "Fall" is officially here, there are two real things that christen the season for me, 1) turning the heater on and 2) getting a cold. Since both those things happened this week, it's super official. What does that mean? Time to cozy on up! Cozy up with what you ask? A good book? Your blogs? That snuggly sweater you invested in for the season? Why not all of the above?

This week we've got the perfect round of links for an autumn afternoon, one blogger shares her experience braving the crowds for the 3.1 Philip Lim for Target collab (did I say BRAVE?) another shares what she learned from NYFW, and we finally get the answers to whether it's "plaid" or "tartan"... Lord knows we wouldn't want a clash of the tartans!

Links a la Mode: The IFB Weekly Roundup

    
Al-Balsam Life: The Ultimate Guide To Getting Rid of Dark Under-Eye Circles
    
Buy Any Means Necessary: 2013 Emmy Best & Worst Dressed.
    
Clothes Medley: Three Ways to Avoid Buyer's Remorse
    
Confessions of a Style Cookie: Burberry's Macaron Garden
    
Corals and Cognacs: 11 Lessons I Learned About Life at NYFW
    
Fleur d'Elise: Out & About: Seattle Fashion Designers at the SAM
    
Le Paper Doll: HAIR 101: To Perm or Not To Perm?
    
I Can Style U: Cat Scratch Fever
    
Nicole Kelly: How to… Buy Pumps!
    
Nothing to Wear: Phillip Lim For Target: A Review 
    
Quirky Lifestyle: Autumn Bucket List
    
Real Girl Glam: Hair How-To: Perfectly Messy BedHead Hair
    
Simply Frabulous: "face it, the lady is a genius": Prada SS14 
    
Style Vanity: 11 Boot Trends This Fall 2013
    
The Dainty Dollhouse: Is it Plaid or is it Tartan, this is the question!
    
The Glambition: PANTONE Fashion color report SS 2014
    
The Neon Blonde: Skype Style: How to Look Your Best on Video Chat
    
TLV Birdie: Tips for vintage shopping
    
Under a Veil: A bag, a fashion personality type: Which one are you?
    
Undercover Dress-Up Lover: How to make tartan ribbon shoelaces

 

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Out & About: Beats & Bohos Grand Opening

I'm a lucky girl! I can now call Beats & Bohos my neighbor! They just moved to Greenwood from Ballard, which is most excellent as Greenwood was in desperate need of a cool, vintage clothing store. Really, Beats & Bohos is the epitome of cool, seeing as they also carry vintage records.

Here's a recap of their grand opening.

 Vintage maven and amazing blogger, Bella of The Citizen Rosebud chats with Jean of All Trades and her husband.

 The place was packed with fashionable Seattleites (the girl in polka dots is one of the buyers)

 Photo taken by my sis!

Come have a look around the store, which is located at 7200 Greenwood Ave North. Or, if you're not in Seattle, you can browse their racks via Etsy!

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Look of the Day: Chambray Shirt Dress

This shirt dress is perfect for the in-between-weather we've been having. 

If you're just tuning in, you probably don't know about the sweet giveaway I have going on. Go enter to win a pair of sweet glasses (like the ones I'm wearing) and a sweet little notebook from my Etsy shop.

Shirt Dress c/o Oasap - H&M cowell - MIA flats - Vintage Coach - American Deadstock sunglasses - Madewell glasses case

Recipe: Sweet Chili Spam Wraps

Take your taste buds on a trip to Mexico... wait, no Hawaii... actually, maybe it's Vietnam? I took some of my favorite flavors from these three places and combined them to make a delicious little wrap. Crispy, salty Spam is balanced with cool cucumber & avocado, and a sweet & spicy chili sauce. Layered on a simple cabbage slaw and a corn tortilla, this recipe is satisfying and gluten free!

Ingredients:

For the sauce

 ½ cup vinegar

  ½ cup water

 ½ cup sugar

 ½ - 1 Tbsp red chili flakes

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp corn starch

For the slaw

 ½ a small cabbage, sliced thinly

 ¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp black pepper

Juice of half a lime

1 can lite Spam

1 small avocado, sliced

 ½ cucumber, julienned

Small corn tortillas

Cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Make your slaw first so it has time to marinate. Slice up your cabbage, season generously with lime and pepper, then mix in the cilantro.

2. Heat broiler on high

3. In a small saucepan, bring vinegar to a boil. Add all dry ingredients to ½ cup of water and stir well. Add to vinegar. Boil, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

4. Slice spam into 8 pieces. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange Spam. Place under broiler, watching carefully. When the slices are brown and crispy, carefully flip and brown other side.

5. While the Spam is cooking, heat a small frying pan over medium. Heat tortillas, one at a time.

6. To assemble, place a few spoonfuls of slaw on a warm tortilla. Arrange the julienned cucumber and cilantro, then top with sliced Spam. Top the Spam with avocado slices and spoon chili sauce over everything.

Enjoy!

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Look of the Day: Orchid Maxi Dress + Vintage Denim

Here are a few of my latest thrift store spoils. I found the Levi's denim jacket in the kid's section. Really, I should thank my sister-in-law for pointing it out. It's quite a find! It has a big 'E' on the red tab instead of a lowercase 'e'. Based on the size of the tag inside, the design of the buttons, and the absence of handwarmer pockets we think it was made sometime in the year 1969. I still need to take it to Insurrection in Greenwood to confirm everything, but I'm fairly confident it is that old! Kinda wish it had pockets, though...

The dress is from the 1970s, I believe. I wore it, and the jacket, to the fashion show at the SAM. If you're interested in the dress, it's available through my Etsy shop.

I'm a little sad to see this dress go. It's so pretty, both in print and fit. I have so many floral maxis, though, that I figured I should share. The empire waist is probably my favorite part.

 It has a back vent so you can actually walk in it. It makes it all the prettier, too.

Oasap Sugar Linked Necklace - Vintage Maxi Dress - Vintage Levi's Denim Jacket - MIA flats

Out & About: Seattle Fashion at the SAM

It's hard to tell, since you most likely only know me in blog form, but I'm actually kind of shy. Or awkward. Maybe both. I've been trying really hard to get myself out there more. I really do love fashion and the social side of it and sitting on a computer can only take you so far! Luckily, there have been some fun events happening in Seattle that have gotten me off my seat and out socializing with real, live humans!

At the beginning of the month, I went to the community night held at the Seattle Art Museum to celebrate the final days of the Future Beauty exhibit. The exhibit featured the incredible works of Japanese fashion designers, such as Junya Watanabe, Issey Miyake, and Commes des Garcons. The museum also hosted a special fashion show featuring the works of teachers and students from the New York Fashion Academy. I went specifically to see my friend Camille debut her amazing designs from her line Millie Vixen. 

Taking inspiration from both Japanese design and Japanese folklore, Camille created dresses that are as beautiful as they are creepy!

Candace Cantaloupe designs both clothes and fabulous headpieces!

Designed by Gwen Stubbs of Lekkerlife

 Kristie Metcalf's designs were quite possibly the most wearable of all the creations. If you've ever been to any sort of fashion show, you'll know the feeling; when something just clicks and you can see yourself wearing it in real life. The clothes are not just beautiful, but also achievable! It's no wonder she's been chosen to compete on the Style Network's new show Styled to Rock.

This dress had been abandoned at the school by a former student. The academy's director, Terry Horlamus rescued it. I think it was my favorite of the night. 

Model Marisa Rocket killed it in this gown by Erin Roby.

I was just floored by the detailing in these dresses by Rachel Farquharson. They were all absolutely perfect and stunningly gorgeous.

Her final dress had something like 12 different colors of tulle!

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

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Giveaway: Sunglasses + Handmade Notebook

I've added a new section to my Etsy shop that features nothing but lovely little stationery sets and notebooks lovingly handcrafted by Yours Truly. If you're a sucker for paper and stickers, definitely go take a look! I'm selling handpainted seals, custom stationery sets, greeting cards, and splatter painted notebooks. To promote my new venture, I'm giving away one of my notebooks, a nice pen, and, to sweeten the pot, a pair of American Deadstock sunglasses!

The notebook is graced by these little shoes that I drew and then had turned into a stamp at Impress Stamps.

American Deadstock took a while to ship me a pair of glasses that I ordered, so to make up for the delay, they sent me two extra pairs! This was more than generous, so I'm spreading the love. I'm giving away a pair of their O'Malley frames in black. They're super sleek and will go with everything!

To Enter:

1. Favorite my Etsy Shop (required)

2. Follow Fleur d'Elise on Twitter (required)

Extra Entries:

+1 Favorite American Deadstock's shop 

+1 Like Fleur d'Elise on Facebook

+1 Tweet about the giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Cheap & Easy Dinner Ideas

 Whether you're strapped for time or just get tired of cooking, here are some cheap and easy ideas to help you get dinner ready in a snap!

1. Let the spices do the work

No need for complicated recipes and forget that energy sucker known as your stove! With the right seasonings, you can turn simple lunch staples into delicious main courses.

What you'll need:

2-3 tsp  low-sodium taco seasoning -or- 2 tsp hot sauce

2 cans of tuna 

Mayo -or- ripe avocado

½ cup Bell pepper and onion, diced

Tostadas

Salsa for serving

Mix up your tuna like you would for tuna salad sandwiches. Stir in the bell pepper, onion, and taco seasoning or hot sauce. Spread some on the tostada, plop some salsa on top and enjoy!

If you're vegetarian or vegan, you can make the same thing using refried beans. Skip the mayo, and mix the taco seasoning, pepper, and onion into a can of vegetarian refried beans. Heat it up on the stove, then serve it up like you would the tuna or eat it with tortilla chips!

If you have a little extra time, make your own pico de gallo! It's delicious and a great way to get your raw fruit and veg. I add chopped cabbage to mine for more roughage.

2. Get your Omega-3s without spending a fortune

I know that fish is best for you, if you're gonna eat animals, but it's sooo expensive and sooo gross to handle, that I almost always use canned fish. Sardines are your best choice. They are more sustainable than other canned fish, have high levels of Omega-3s and low levels of mercury. Here's a an easy pasta dish featuring sardines and just 5 other ingredients!

3. Eggs aren't just for breakfast!

I will eat a poached egg on top of just about anything. They're delicious on rice, noodles, beans, sandwiches and even sauteed vegetables! They add a satisfying kick of protein and are a cinch to cook. Not to mention they're cheap! Even if you buy the organic dozen, one egg will cost you less than 45¢ (on average). If you've never poached an egg, here are some simple directions.

4. Ok, maybe eggs are just for breakfast

If you're not into eggs over beans, then why not just have breakfast for dinner? It's one of the simplest, most satisfying meals of the day, so why dismiss the toast just because it's 6pm? So fry up an egg, slice up some fruit, and enjoy your toast! For more ideas, read this post on breakfast basics made better, or try this simple recipe for peaches and toast.

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Steals & Deals at Romwomen

Chic under $100 by fleur-d-elise featuring a crossbody purse

This week, I'm partnering with Romwomen to spread the word about a great promotion they're having. When you spend $85+ you get $10 worth of free jewelry! 

You could get an entirely new outfit for that much! My picks are this color-blocked jacket, a blue sequined dress that could be dressed up or down, and this cute, little heart purse. To finish off the look, I'd probably go for these bright pink chain earrings. What's better than free jewelry??
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Hurrah! Links a la Mode!

Transitions
September is always weird. The leaves start changing colors, the sweaters and coats are in the stores, we're back to school, summer's over... but it's still stupidly hot! I've always been so excited about fall, I'd be sweating in my boots, and wearing sweaters anyway. What a girl does for fashion, right? Well, this week, we have all kinds of transitional posts. Transitioning from teenager to adult, summer to fall, day to night, and the call for fashion week to transition to the next level. We also have a hilarious post about 20th century fashion as predicted in the 19th century, it's so spot on--not.  Either way, pull up a tall iced-tea (remember, it's hot out!) and take a look through these links.

Links à la Mode: September 12th

    
Attire Club: Discussions On India’s Obsession With Fair Skin 
    
Beauty & Sass: take your summer dresses into fall with these essentials 
    
Chicisms: How to Dress Business Casual & Go from Work to a Night Out
    
Corals and Cognacs: A Love Letter to New York City (in the wake of 9/11)
    
Fashion Moriarty: Recurring Images: Combat
    
Fleur d'Elise: 6 Un-Boring Coats forFall
    
Foxie Oxie Supernova: Paris Photo Diary: An Open Letter to My 18-Year-Old Self
    
Girl in Betsey: Diane Von Furstenburg NYFW Review 
    
Happy Pretty Sweet: A Brief History of the Dirndl
    
Lara Lizard: 1893 and predictions of 20th century fashion
    
Runway to Style Freaks: The Top Men's Fall 2013 Must Have Trends
    
See Lark!: Easy DIY: Graffiti Dress
    
Skye Charlie Show: Consignment Vs. Thrift Store
    
Stilettos and Tequila: Behind The Scene: How To Be A Better Writer And More
    
Style Bizarre: Say no to Style Labels
    
The Girl With The Bun: 3 ways to dress for fall (when it still feels like summer)
    
Tickle Me Chic: Does Fashion Week Need To Be Revamped?
    
Undercover Dress-Up Lover: How to wear high-waisted shorts
    
We Are Ready Made: A Pair of Shoes Everybody Should Own
    
Wild Beauty: Beauty Archetypes: Whores





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Recipe: Curried Lentils with Sweet Potato & Quinoa

I will eat pretty much anything that contains raisins. I just love how they plump up when you cook them. Combine them with spices and coconut butter and I am completely smitten! The best part is that this dish is really good for you. It's full of fiber & anti-inflammatory spices, plus it's vegetarian and gluten free!

Ingredients:

2 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cumin, ground or whole

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground ginger

pinch of cayenne

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 small sweet potato, diced

1 tomato, diced

½ cup raisins

½ cup quinoa

½ cup lentils, rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth

1 container plain yogurt

1. Start by heating the coconut oil on medium heat. Add the spices and bay leaf and cook till hot and fragrant. Stir them pretty consistently & careful not to burn them. Pour into small bowl and set aside.

2. Add remaining coconut oil to hot pan and saute onions, sweet potato, and tomato for about 5 minutes.

3. Add spice mix, raisins & lentils and stir to coat. Add vegetable broth. Make sure the broth covers everything by about 1/2 inch. If it doesn't, add some water.

4. Bring to a boil, stir then reduce heat to low-medium. Simmer for about 20 minutes

5. Add quinoa and cook for another 20 minutes, or until both lentils & grain are soft. 

6. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt (this can be omitted to make the dish vegan!) 

Serve and enjoy!

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