Black and White | Fashionably Living

Cruisin’ Preppy

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Feb 20, 2013 in Fashionably Fashionable | 7 comments

Today, I wanted to share with you one more outfit from my cruise, last week! I brought so many cute outfits on the cruise, totally over-packed and wasn’t able to wear all of them! This outfit I wore on Valentine’s Day, because of course I needed a splash of red! I loved this outfit for many reasons! I loved mixing my new red Lauren Conrad blazer, with an older black and white stripe turtle neck shirt and then mixing stripes with leopard print! One of my favorite parts of fashion and choosing an outfit is layering and the mix of textures and materials! I also loved this outfit, because in the evening I rolled down my jeans and put on my new ELLE red heels, and made it more dinner appropriate! Hope you like it too!

One more thing, on Friday, Fashionably Living will have a guest post! Be sure to stop by Fashionably Living this Friday to see how Arcadian Home contributed to the Design Element Series!

Xo,

Rachel Ashley

Get the Look: Jeans: Seven for all Mankind (Get the Look)/ Blazer: Lauren Conrad/ Shirt: Merano (Get the Look)/ Loafers: Dana Buchman (Get the Look)/ Clutch: Michael Kors

Sweater Dress

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Dec 31, 2012 in Fashionably Fashionable | 35 comments

Hello lovelies! Do you have exciting New Years Eve plans? My husband and I are throwing our third holiday party and tonight its a “Black and White Affair”! I am super excited, although I still haven’t figured out what I am wearing! This outfit I wore a couple day’s ago, when my husband and I were doing a little shopping! I told you I loved sweater dresses and leggings this time of year! Its cold enough to wear layers, but not cold enough to wear a big jacket! It was a sunny day at the park, so my adorable Isaac Mizrahi short blazer worked perfect over my color-blocked sweater dress. These boots are warm and super cute with the added buckle detail on the side, my hubby purchased them for me last year. Oh, and don’t forget to check out my new long leaf statement earrings, I love their length and their not too heavy on my ears!

I can’t wait to start 2013 with all of you! I appreciate all the love and support you have shown me in 2012 and I am grateful to have made so many new blogger friends!

Happy New Years friends!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Get the Look:

Sweater Dress: Mossimo (similar here)/ Boots: Forever 21 (similar here)/ Blazer: Isaac Mizrahi (similar here)/Leggings: Miss Juli (similar here)/ Headband: Charming Charlie (similar here)/

Bangle: Charming Charlie (similar here)/ Earrings: Nordstrom (similar here)/ Watch: Fossil (similar here)

Cozy Classics

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Dec 23, 2012 in Fashionably Fashionable | 12 comments

Happy Sunday! Can you believe tomorrow is already Christmas Eve! Crazy, how fast this year has gone! Today I am going to be spending time with my family wrapping presents, watching Christmas movies, and making a birthday cake for Jesus with my nieces. Should be a fun and eventful afternoon! Hope you all are having a blessed weekend!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Top: Mossimo (Get the Look)/ Leggings: Nordstrom/ Flats: Burberry/ Necklace: Nordstrom (Get the Look)/ Watch: Fossil (Get the Look)

Cheese Platter

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Dec 17, 2012 in Appetizers, Fashionably Organic, Side Dishes | 11 comments

For our Christmas party everyone was responsible for bringing an appetizer and drinks. I decided to do wine and a cheese platter. The platter turned out wonderful! See below how I prepared my appetizer!

Ingredients:
Dijon mustard
Habanero hot pepper cheddar
Pear slices
Brie
Cranrasins
Sharp cheddar
Apricot jam
Goat cheese

Recipe:
The cheese platter was pretty simple; it just took a little preparation! I had four cheeses and four toppings to go with each cheese. I also created a platter of crackers and garlic crostini to go along with the cheese platter. I began assembling the cheese platter by taking a long cutting board and four small silver bowls. Each silver bowl contained a topping to be used along with the cheese. Be sure to offer all sorts of accompaniments with your cheese platter: crackers, baguette slices, sauces, chutneys, jams, berries, sliced fruit and don’t forget the red and white wine. I used dijon mustard with habanero hot pepper cheddar, pear slices with brie, cranrasins with sharp cheddar, and apricot jam with goat cheese. I like to go ahead and slice all hard cheeses (no need if the cheese is already soft enough for spreading, i.e. goat cheese). Having each cheese pre-cut invites guests to go head and dig in! Make sure to label each cheese, so your guests know what they are eating. I used tooth picks, tape, paper that I cut into flags and used a DYMO label maker. The best part about a cheese platter is the accompaniments don’t have to only be used with one type of cheese. I used apricot jam on brie with cranrasins, trying different flavor combinations I always find is the fun part! Cheese makes a great appetizer and it looks like a lot of work, but they are easy and so tasty!

A few pictures from our Christmas party! We played life-size Jenga, had girl talk while we sat around and drank wine, danced, and laughed a lot! Two successful Christmas parties in one weekend, can we say intense, but successful!

Hope you had an enjoyable weekend too! Did you throw or attend any Christmas parties?

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Furs and Pearls

Posted by Rachel Ashley on Dec 13, 2012 in Fashionably Fashionable | 29 comments

Happy Thursday! I have such a busy weekend ahead of me! My husband and I are hosting a Christmas party for all of our friends on Friday and then my work Christmas party Saturday! A busy weekend awaits, and I have so much to get done in the next 48 hours. I have finished the majority of our house projects, but I have a little tiding up to do, as well as a little cooking and baking! I’ll be sure to share all my holiday treats and recipes with you!

XO,

Rachel Ashley