Well, if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, know help is just as close as Decorative Home Interiors in Maitland. Here’s a peek inside their showroom:

So I mentioned I had a little mishap with a couple of pillow coverings. I took them to Decorative Home Interiors and they were able to fix them up in a matter of minutes, for a very, very low price (about $6 per item). And by the way: if you happen to experience the same thing I did with respect to your pillow coverings, do NOT put them in the dryer. You’re welcome….

Of course, stitching and repairing ripped seams is certainly not what Decorative Home Interiors specializes in. They also offer-up decorating, home interior expertise, gorgeous fabrics and furniture, and more!

Location deets:

Decorative Home Interiors
9205 S US Highway 17/92
Maitland, FL 32751
407.339.4432
www.decohomeinteriors.com

Gargi’s is located on Lake Ivanhoe on the south tip of Antique Row, just across the street from The Greek Corner. This place is awesome! I mean, who doesn’t like Italian food?

Candidly, I don’t even need to say much. Just look at the pictures below and you’ll get a pretty good idea.

Meatball Panini with Garden Salad (before)

Meatball Panini with Garden Salad (after)

Flatbread

Tiramisu Martinis

Gargi’s Porch

I love this quote on Gargi’s website:

Welcome to Your New Little Secret.”

Well, if that’s the case it’s not such a secret anymore! And it shouldn’t be. We love supporting local businesses, and think you should check these guys out at some point.

View of Lake Ivanhoe

Intrigued? Check out Gargi’s menu for more on what sort of dishes they have to offer.

Location deets:

Gargi’s Lakeside
1414 North Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32804
407.894.7907

GargisLakeside.com

Wanna be one of the cool kids, or maybe you’re looking to fulfill some future Olympic dreams?  Head on over to Orlando Rowing Club this Saturday (June 2) for National Learn to Row Day.

This FREE event will give you a chance to learn about sweep rowing, sculling and indoor rowing.

The event runs from 8:30 to 12:30 Saturday morning at Lake Fairview.  Hope to see you there!

For more information, or to register, check out OrlandoRowingClub.com.

And I’m not alone.

It seems more and more I’m discovering fellow fans of the yummy food that can be found at Hawkers.

Open since last year, Hawkers offers something a little different and interesting to Central Floridians. Situated on Mills just a few blocks north of Little Vietnam, Hawkers has both indoor and outdoor seating to enjoy a variety of menu items like noodle soup bowls, stir fry noodles, original creations and more.

During one of my recent visits my dining partner and I chose the following:

Potstickers

Stir Fry Udon (with Chicken)

Noodle bowls:

One of the few folks who’ve yet to experience Hawkers Asian Street Fare? Take a look at the menu items and then head over to enjoy your favorites in person!

Location deets:

Hawkers Asian Street Fare
1103 North Mills Avenue
Orlando, FL 32803
407.237.0606
Facebook.com/Hawkers

 Thanks to Pulse Peep @klstorey for sending our way. We love ‘em!

(Location: Orange Avenue and Orlando Avenue in Winter Park.)

These days it seems the “quick Mexican food” place is always popping up. And there are a few here in Central Florida people seem to really love. But quite honestly after dining at Lime’s I’m sort of thinking this might be one of the best. In addition to offering good, fresh food to customers, Lime’s also has really entertaining branding which makes for an all-around fun experience.

How did you know?!

While everything on the menu certainly looked appetizing I was eager to dine on something on the lighter side so I opted for a salad:

Steak Salad

Look good to ya? Interested in dining here? Check out Lime’s menu before heading over, and see if there’s something you’ll dig.

Location deets:

Phillips Crossing
8031 Turkey Lake Road
Orlando, FL 32819
T: 407-370-3810
LimeFreshMexicanGrill.com

Oh…and don’t forget to get a little social with Lime! You can find them on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter for some great interactions.

Social Cuteness

We arrived at JB’s Fish Camp in New Symrna where we met Todd & Tim of East Coast Paddle.  From there, we hopped aboard the East Coast Paddle boat and headed toward Canaveral National Seashore Park.  The currents were pretty strong that day, so having the boat there as backup was quite a relief.  During our boat ride, Todd & Tim explained what the tour would consist of and also gave us some spectacular insight into the surrounding lagoon.

Once we got off the boat and onto our boards (which East Coast Paddle manufactures themselves, by the way!!), our adventure really began.  Todd, our guide, paddled along with us teaching us about the plants and wildlife surrounding us.  We were even escorted a time or two by local dolphins — it was simply amazing!

We learned about Turtle Mound, which is a prehistoric archaeological site believed to have been the site of oyster and other shell refuse from the Timucuan people–pretty crazy stuff!

We wrapped up our paddling experience just past the JB’s docks in a cove full of Florida Manatees.  And, let me tell you, if you think paddling around with dolphins is cool, just imagine being surrounded by dozens of manatees!

The guys at East Coast Paddle were fantastic guides, and did a great job with our group … most of whom had never even been on a paddleboard before!

Wanna learn more about East Coast Paddle?  Check out their website or like them on Facebook!

The whole group!

Gettin’ brave!

Dolphin!

We’re on a boat!

You know we love us some Yelp Orlando! And despite the heat we’ll be partying it up with fellow Yelpers at this event in downtown Orlando. Full information can be found at Yelp.com/Events.

Location deets:

Downtown Orlando
Pine Street
Orlando, FL 32824