New Banner!!!!

Hey, what do you all think of the new look of Sustainably Chic Designs??? I was sick of the boring old header I used to have and decided to create a new look in the hope that spring is coming soon & I wanted a fresh new look!!!
It's not Perfect, but will do for now. 

I hope to update it every now & then. Throughout the seasons and such.

If you are wondering how I did it, check out this post HERE from over at "The Blog Guidebook".

I made it over at Picnik.

In case you have never heard of Picnik, it is this FABULOUS Photo editing site. It helps real people have photo editing superpowers. It's fast, easy and offers tons of powerful tools, artistic effects, stickers, frames, touch-ups, scrap booking tools & more! And that's all for FREE!

You definitely need to go check it out today!!!!

Enjoy!!!

St Patricks Day Decor...Dollar Tree Style!

Here are some thrifty ideas for St Patrick's day decor. Do you remember my "LOVE" sign I made for Valentines Day?

Check it out HERE!

That same day I picked up this "WISH" wooden sign as well.

I decided I would use it for my St Patrick's day display.

I spray painted it green.

Then sprayed it with Spray Adhesive.

And sprinkled it VERY GENEROUSLY with Green glitter!

What do you think?

*I think it would have looked good in GOLD glitter too!

Here is my other quick & easy Dollar Tree decor piece.

I started out with this Dollar Tree frame.

I love that I can beautify these frames with just a little bit of spray paint. Do you remember my Valentines day ones HERE?

I painted it Apple Green with my trusty Rustoleum Spray paint.

I printed out this super CUTE & FREE St Patrick's Day Subway art from over at "Today's Fabulous Finds". Check it out HERE! She has 11 other color combos on this for every decorating style!

Here she is framed! I LOVE it!

Here they are all together! Cheap St Patty's Day decor.

The apothecary jar is made with a Dollar Tree glass vase and a candle holder from the thrift store. See how to create your own Apothecary jars HERE.

Enjoy!!!

I am linking up to these FABULOUS Parties:

RECIPE: Braised Beef & Tortellini (Olive Garden Copy Cat)

I have had a CRAVING.

A craving for Olive Garden's "Braised Beef & Tortellini".

Photo Credit: Olive Garden

Well unfortunately, the closest Olive Garden is about 30 minutes away. Which isn't that far, but I don't want to drive all that way, besides, we are on a budget! :)

So I decided I would try and search for a recipe. I googled it and guess what I found?!?!

I found THIS recipe for a COPY CAT version of it.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 -2 lb boneless beef short rib (or similar tough cut of beef)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tomato, diced

6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

8 ounces Marsala wine

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 -2 lb asiago-filled tortellini, boiled

 

Directions:

Total Time: 3 hrs

1. Heat oil on high heat in a large nonstick pan.

2. Toss short ribs in flour, add to pan, and sear on all sides.

3. Reduce heat to low and add garlic; cook and stir for about 1 min.

4. Add tomato, mushrooms, Marsala wine, and Italian seasoning one at a time, allowing about 1-2 min between each for liquid to evaporate.

5. Cover pan and braise for 3 hr or until very tender, checking and stirring every 30 min to make sure liquid has not evaporated away (add more Marsala if liquid evaporates).

6. Increase heat to medium high and heat thoroughly.

7. Serve over tortellini.

So I thought, why not, let's give it a try. It looked fairly easy.

My Family LOVED it!!!

I recommend you give it a try as well!!!

I can't wait to see what other "Copy cat" recipes I can find!! :)

Enjoy!!!!

St Patty's Day Wreath Revamped!!!

Now that Valentine's Day is over, I am swapping out my Valentines Day decor for St Patty's day. I pulled out my wreath from last year and thought, it needs a little something more!

Do you all remember my St Patty's Day DIY wreath

I made last year???

Check it out HERE!

Here's a photo to refresh your memory! :)

WELL, I just happened to be walking through the St Patty's day section in my local Dollar Tree and came across this!

I thought, it was the perfect accessory to add to my DIY wreath!

So I tied it on, and

WHOLA!!!

Instant update!!!

I LOVE the updated look!

I will be doing some more St Patrick's day decorating this week. Will post details soon!

Enjoy!!!

I am linking up to these FABULOUS Parties:

ORGANIZATION: Recipe Binder Weekly Challenge #3

Week #3 in the Weekly Challenge is the Recipe Binder.

I have had a recipe binder in my household for over 5 years now. It is where I keep clip its and torn out magazine recipes, recipes from the web, as well as all my tried & true recipes. It is full of recipes from all different sources.

For this challenge, I decided to make it look a bit more pretty. For years it has just been a large white binder. Nothing special. Here is what it looks like now.

I got the scrapbook paper at Target for a pack of coordinating sheets for 99 cents.

The spine.

My dividers are just decorative manila folders cut in half and 3 hole punched.

My dividers that make up my binder are:

Appetizers

Beverages

Soups

Salads/Fruits

Vegetables

Breads/Muffins

Breakfast

Meats/Main Dishes

Pasta

Side Dishes

Desserts (pies, cookies, cakes)

This N That (spice mixes, misc)

Kids (Foods that are catered for kids)

Parties (Food for parties & decorating ideas)

Canning/Freezing

Birds (I make homemade wild bird treats)

Food Gifts (jar mixes)

Cleaning (handmade cleaners)

A close up.

Here is a peek at what it looks like inside.

Here's another page.

Here is what I use for recipe cards to make them into printer friendly versions to include in my binder.

Over at Skip to my Lou's she has a AWESOME "Recipe Card Maker". I made these over there! Aren't they are SOOO Cute! 

Go check it out now.

Here are all three of my binders: The Recipe Binder, Meal Planning Binder & a Cookbook I made up several years ago with my Mom's family recipes.

Enjoy!!!

I am linking up to these FABULOUS Parties: