The Monogrammed Life: October 2012

In the spirit of Halloween I felt it necessary to share with you my favorite things about this holiday besides, of course, the candy!

Now being an adult...and I use the term adult loosely...you get to pick out your Halloween candy; which I find bitter sweet because you are stuck with the leftovers. But aside from the candy I love the ambiance that Halloween bring - great decorations and even greater smells.

What I wish my house looked like...

Halloween would never be complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch...

...and carving a pumpkin (or pumpkins in our case).

As we wait for the arrival of trick-or-treaters it is only customary to watch scary movies. The most obvious choice being...

And even though Halloween is on a "school night" this year it would not be complete without pumpkin beer.

Whatever your Halloween traditions may be I hope you all have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Written by Sarah

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 8 comments

Prep Time – 35 Minutes Start to Finish – 1 Hour 20 Minutes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 Box Betty Crocker Super Moist white cake mix

Water

Vegetable Oil

Egg Whites as called for on cake mix box

Food Coloring (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple)

2 containers (1 lb each) Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy white frosting

Directions

Heat over to 350. Place white paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, using water, oil and egg whites. Divide batter evenly among 6 medium bowls. Add a different food color to each bowl to make red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Place 1 level teaspoon of each color batter into each muffin cup, layering colors in order of rainbow – red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Do not stir! Each cup will be able 1/2 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove to cooling racks. Cool completely.

Divide frosting evenly among 3 medium bowls. Tint 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 blue with food colors. Refrigerate about 30 minutes. In large (16-inch) disposable decorating bag fitted with #6 star tip, place spoonfuls of each color of frosting side by side in bag, alternating colors and working up from tip of bag. Do not stir colors together. Starting at 12 o’clock on outer edge of each cupcake and using constant pressure on bag, pipe frosting clockwise for 3 rotations, working toward center and ending in small peak.

If I could go back and do it all again – I don’t think I’d make the cupcakes so primary color like. I wish they would have been more pastel like the pictures on the front of the Betty Crocker magazine (couldn’t find the pictures/recipe online anywhere). Pastel would have been a lot easier to clean up too! You should have seen my husband and I in the kitchen mixing the colors – we were like mad scientists!! Scooping the batter into the cups is REALLY hard too! I have no idea how they got it so even. I kinda of like the haphazard way my looked though. Gives them a “my five-year old” made these looks (without the five-year old of course). Anyways, here’s some pictures of my beauties…

Have you ever made tie-dye cupcakes before? If so, send us your pictures!!

Written by Holly

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 5 comments

If anyone is crazy over chevron, it's me! I love everything chevron...rugs, blankets, dresses, shirts, scarves, umbrellas, clutches...okay you get the picture!

The BEST combo, though, is monogrammed chevron! Marley Lilly has been adding new chevron products that are to die for! Below are pictures of some, with my personal favorite being the new Monogrammed Chevron Ice Bucket! SO cute!

Which item is your favorite?

Monday, October 22, 2012 1 comments

Whoever said that leggings couldn't be substituted for pants is crazy! Here at The Monogrammed Life, we are loco for leggings. With their versatility, we believe that leggings should be a staple in the closet of every modern woman! Leggings can go from comfy and cute to classy and sophisticated. Whether you are choosing to dress for day or night, we thought we'd share some of our favorite combinations.

Heading out for a night on the town? One of our favorite trends of the season is silky blouses. We love this look for a night out paired with our super cute Peyton Clutch!

Black Stealth Chic by marleylilly featuring black knee-high boots

Plans for a weekend out of town? Who says you can't look cute and be comfortable at the same time? This comfy yet stylish outfit goes great with our Monogrammed Large Dark Navy and Tan Tote Bag. Don't forget to finish off your outfit with our Cut Out Monogrammed Earrings!

Everday Leggings by marleylilly featuring deer shoes

We are so into animal print! Need to go from a day at the office to dinner with friends? How adorable does our SOHO Clutch look with this ensemble?

Leopard & Leggings by marleylilly featuring a leopard tank

We love our new Monogrammed Pocket Sweatshirts and of course they go great with leggings! Don't foget your Monogrammed Crossbody Penny in yellow!

Loaf Around in Leggings by marleylilly featuring nike shoes

Get cozy for mountain weekend in patterned leggings. Show off your monogram with Marley Lilly's Monogrammed Baseball Hats and Monogrammed Kegger Mug!

Lazy Weekend in Leggings by marleylilly featuring fingerless gloves

Of course, a post about leggings would not be the same if we didn't include jeggings AND we are so excited to show off our new Monogrammed Rain Jackets! We love this one in pear!

Jeggings in the Rain by marleylilly featuring post earrings

Be the cutest girl in town with this outfit! Everyone will be asking about your Monogrammed Fleece Vest, Monogrammed Ponytail Holder, and Monogrammed Coffee Mug!

Comfy Cabin Chic by marleylilly featuring a wristlet bag

How will you style your leggings this season?

Friday, October 19, 2012 4 comments

Chevron - it's just so hot right now and we are loving this DIY project from our guest blogger Sarah.

Supplies:

2 yards of fabric (iron first)

6x9 drop cloth (iron first)

spray adhesive

sewing machine

The drop cloth will be larger than your fabric, so you will need to cut it.

I made mine 4x6 with a little extra on each side to fold under before sewing it.

After everything is cut, lay your fabric out on top of the drop cloth evenly.

Pull the fabric up half way and start spraying the adhesive on the drop cloth..wait a few minutes and then lay the fabric back on the drop cloth, smoothing out any creases along the way.

After the spray adhesive has dried (I waited about 30 minutes) turn it over and fold up all 4 edges and measure where you will sew the border. I did a 1 1/4 in border on all sides.

Pin and/or make a mark where you will sew your border on all four sides.

After that your rug should look something like this, with all four sides folded under and ready to be sewn.

Sew straight down where you pinned on all four sides, making a border around the entire rug.

And that's it...all that's left is to find a place to put your new rug.

I put ours in front of the bed in the guest room.

{I'll do a post on the full redo of our guest bedroom soon}

Feeling inspired?? Send us pictures of your DIY chevron items!

Written by Sarah from Belle in the City

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 11 comments

Sorry, punks, but one of your trademark looks has been co-opted by the Smug Mummy set.

It's a funny thing how studs and spikes, once used to signal a person's outsider status, have entered the fashion mainstream this year. Alas, where Valentino goes, I will follow, albeit at a much, much lower price point.

I love how a well-deployed spike or stud detail can toughen up an otherwise girly-girl ensemble. After all, even a retired lawyer type needs to feel a little rebellious every now and again (even if she totally isn't, ahem).

Like with any trendy thing, however, I don't want to get too spendy with it; this isn't a look I'd wear head-to-toe but would do somewhere in the accessory or shoe details. Here are some budget-friendly ways to do it:

Pretty Punk: I Like Spikes by legallyblondemel featuring stella & dot jewelry

As soon as next month's shopping budget allows - feel free to hurry up and get here, November! - I'll snap up one of these, maybe a bracelet to mix up my currently prep, girly stack*. Aren't I just soooooo subversive?!

*Although said stack is dwindling - it's less arm party now and more demure coffee hour. If accessories had coffee hours, that is. Whatever.

What do you think - too tough for you, or pretty in punk?

Written by Melissa from I Pick Pretty

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 3 comments

We'd like to welcome Kasey from Preppy Love as a guest blogger. Kasey is a student at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. She has a Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Texas. We are excited to welcome to her to The Monogrammed Life Family! To learn more about Kasey, check out our Meet the Bloggers page!

Velvet jeans? If you had mentioned velvet jeans to me without telling me J.Crew did them, I don't think I would have liked the idea. Velvet conjures up images of little girls in Christmas dresses. But when I saw these blush velvet jeans that J.Crew did, I knew I had to have them! They are such a great neutral that they will go with everything and they just sound so soft!

As proof that they go with every style, here are the velvet jeans done four very different ways:

The Pants: Toothpick Ankle Jean in Velvet

Top Left: J.Crew Polka Dot Blouse - H&M Heels - Prada Purse - Spiked Necklace
Top Right: Chanel Perfume - Jimmy Choo Pumps - Valentino Printed Purse - Peplum Top
Bottom Left: Cashmere Hoodie - Madewell Flats - Tory Burch Bag - Lip Gloss
Bottom Right: Lanvin Boots - Jackie Cardigan - Hot Pink Top

Written by Kasey from Preppy Love

Monday, October 15, 2012 3 comments

Cold and flu season is here, and some of us {cough, cough} are already fully aware of this. Here are 5 quick tips to try and help you feel a little better if you have a cold. Obviously this is not medical advice, so if you are really under the weather, go see a doctor, sometimes it is more than a cold.

1. Throat Lozenges | when your throat aches and you feel like all you do is cough, these are your best friend.

2. Cold Treat | Having something really cold can really soothe your throat, and of course its yummy!

3. Fluids, Fluids, Fluids | Your mom always tells you to do this, your Doctor always tells you to do this, and now your Blogger is telling you to do this. HYDRATE!

4. Movie | You can’t really fully get over a cold, or being sick without watching your favorite movies. For me I went on an Audrey Hepburn watching spree this weekend.

5. REST | Don’t over do it, your body is trying to fight something off and you ned to help your body by resting so that it has the energy to fight. Sometimes this means missing something you were really looking forward too, but in the end it will be better for you.

Other tips:

Take a hot bath, this really helps if you are coughing a lot, also, the steam will help clear your sinuses.

Have tissues with you at all times.

Wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer to help not spread your gems, especially for those in dorms, offices, or sharing any kind of space really.

Feel better!

Written by Samantha from Subtly Fabulous

Sunday, October 14, 2012 2 comments

Here at The Monogrammed Life, we love all things fall!! Whether it's scarves, boots or leggings, nothing says fall more than carving pumpkins! Inspired by this post from the lovely Caroline at Citrus & Style, we decided to skip the traditional carving route and opt for painting our very own monogrammed pumpkins!

Here's what we used:

Acrylic Paint
Elmer's Glue / Hot Glue Gun (optional)
Glitter (optional)
Paint Brushes
Your Favorite Monogram (Holly used Interlocking & Sarah used Circle Block)
Inspiration

While we still love carving pumpkins, we realized that painting was faster (unless you are OCD like Sarah), cleaner, safer and more kid friendly (ie. there were no sharp objects involved and no sticky, pumpkin seed messes to clean up!) We did use trash bags to protect the table from paint, and even though we did all of our glittering outside, we are still finding glitter EVERYWHERE!

While we were painting, we starting talking about the various ways pumpkins could be used before, during and after the Halloween season. Here are a few creative ways to use pumpkins this season:

Make an exfoliating face mask
Bake a delicious Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Make Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Use a smaller pumpkin to make Pumpkin Pie Potpourri (thank Martha!)
Make Slow Roasted Pumpkin Seeds or Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

After you're done searching the Internet for every possible DIY pumpkin inspiration (I dare you to type in the word "pumpkin" in your Pinterest search bar....mind boggling), head to your local Starbucks and reward yourself with a Pumpkin Spiced Latte!

How are you planning on using pumpkins this fall?

Written by Holly

Friday, October 12, 2012 14 comments

We'd like to welcome Lauren from DC Girl in Pearls to The Monogrammed Life. She's a recent college grad and preppy girl in pearls bouncing around the District usually with a Diet Coke in one hand and her iPhone in the other. We thought this post was perfect for fall! Enjoy! :)

In search of a beverage to go with {the yummy muffins from yesterday}? Look no further than a spiked apple cider float! This recipe is from another blog, {Food Plus Words}. You might just spontaneously combust from a sinfully delicious overload of autumn.

Image c/o Pinterest

Ingredients for Cinnamon Simple Syrup:

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cinnamon stick

Ingredients for Float:

2 cups apple cider, chilled
1/4 cup cinnamon simple syrup
1/4 cup applejack or apple schnapps
2 tablespoons bourbon
5-6 scoops vanilla ice cream

Directions for the Simple Syrup:

Combine water, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon & cinnamon stick in a small saucepan.

Place over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently

Once the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.

When the simple syrup is cool, strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean container, cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Directions for the Float:

Place two mugs in the freezer about an hour before you’d like to serve the floats.

Place 2-3 scoops of vanilla ice cream in each mug.

In a small pitcher or cocktail shaker, combine the apple cider, cinnamon simple syrup, applejack and bourbon. shake to combine.

Pour the apple cider over the ice cream in the mugs.

This drink is perfect for a fall get together with friends or even while watching football (prepare before the game or at halftime so you don’t miss a play!). Cheers!

Written by Lauren from DC Girl in Pearls

Thursday, October 11, 2012 2 comments

It’s that time of year again, football season! Let’s be honest, the games are only half the fun. Football would not be the All American sport that it is today without tailgating. Who doesn’t love chowing down on burgers, snacks, and (most importantly) dessert? As females, we can all agree that desserts are the best thing about tailgating. That’s why we are about to fill you in on a secret recipe for the World’s Best Brownies. (Some people call them “Slutty brownies” because they are so easy to make!)