After so many seasons of (cankle-hugging) skinnies, I'm pretty psyched to give my calves some breathing room with flares. I used to have a pair of Lovestorys that I wore ALL the time, but they died in an unfortunate pant-splitting accident when I was goofing around with John and attempted a high karate kick. Certainly not one of my more graceful moments, and I am still mourning the loss of my perfect retro blues. Anyways, here's a few pairs of flares that I am eyeing for spring!


Row 2: Rag & Bone High Rise Clean Bell Jeans //J Brand Love Story Flare Jeans // Mother The Cruiser Bell Jeans
Row 3: DL1961 Joy High Rise Flare Jeans (fave! So similar to my beloved Lovestory's in that bright blue wash) // Mother The Cruiser 5 Pocket Bell Jeans // Wildfox Farrah High Rise Flare Jeans

What say you, chickadees?? Are you on board with the flare trend, or are you still loving your skinny minnie jeans?

{Images via Pinterest}

Marbled Paper // I used to make marbled paper all the time as a kid, and I remember being mesmerized as I dropped the ink onto the water in the pan, watching it ripple and swirl with all the colors around it. Once my masterpieces were done drying, I would scribble notes and doodle all over them and hang them front and center on our fridge. This is one nostalgic craft I'd love to do again as a big kid. ;)

Marbled Clay & Copper Candle Holders // I need another set of candle holders like a hole in the head, but this inexpensive DIY is the perfect balance of modern and glam.

Concrete Planters // I really dig the look of a simple, modern concrete planter. I bought a beautiful one by Oh Laszlo two years ago, and it's one of my favorites. Little succulents just look so darling in them! I'd love to make some large and in charge ones for our patio....though I might need to start pumping iron before then if I plan on making them on a bigger scale!

Gold Mugs // You know the zillions of mugs that are sadly sitting in little rows at thrift shops? I might just keep my eyes peeled for some plain ones, and give them a glitzy makeover with some trusty gold spray paint. When finished, I fully expect them to dance around my kitchen singing a rendition of "Be Our Guest."

{Images via House of Earnest, The Felted Fox, Zana, Garland of Grace}

I literally gasped out loud when an email landed in my inbox announcing this collaboration made in heaven. I mean, what's not to love about pillows (you can never have too many!) in the most gorge bright white canvas, subtle metallics, and soft sea greens and blues all handcrafted using hand dyeing, printing, and painting techniques? Each of these four reversible styles can be purchased at Calypso St. Barth, or you can raid Rebecca's shop that is chock full of shibori and screen printed amazingness. Pretty pillows, I salute you!

The epic sale at J.Crew Factory // All my Christmas money has been traded in for polka dot chambray shirts, lacy tops, ikat basics, warm hoodies and way more that seems to have understandably sold out on the website. Heck, I basically bought everything but the kitchen sink. You can follow my bad example and get 40% off your loot with code SALE40.

Embryolisse and Homeoplasmine // I've spotted these French drugstore finds on the beauty must-have lists from Karlie Kloss, Mandy Moore and a bunch of other models lately. Here's hoping they give my skin a little bit of je ne sais quoi luster.

Cuisinart Crepe Pan // Ha! I'm a bit of a Francophile, and learning to make crepes like a boss is on my 'domestic goddess' list of things to learn. Snapped this pan up, but have yet to make a crepe thanks to the allure of gingerbread pancake mix from Kerbey Lane. 

Elise Mahan Fine Art // I stumbled across this little Etsy shop, and think these prints are so cool! I think Midnight Jungle and Lyra Constellation are two of my favorites.

H by Hudson Horrigan Boots // And when the magic words of 40% off with code YESPLEASE were uttered, they were made mine just like that. I heart them.

Nuit Colorblock Cloche // I love a good hat...they hide a multitude of hair sins, and since I wear so much black, navy and grey, this one will always go with what I'm wearing. 

Happy new year, ladies and gents. Hope you all had a super fun time ringing in 2014, and are off to a good start with those resolutions! While most people are chattering about dropping a few jeans sizes, I was busy getting a sugar high and conquering the finicky little macaron in the kitchen with my high school bestie, Megan, and Mei, her very cool roommate, who both took a quick jaunt to visit Austin over Christmas break.

You see, these finicky little buggers have been on my list of skills to acquire since 20-freaking-12, alongside nun-chuck skills, bow-hunting skills and computer hacking skills. Ha, not really...but I'm doing well on my resolution to drop random quotes into casual conversation from only the best cinematic masterpieces of all time. So, +1 point there.  Anyways, after several epic attempts resulting in impressive failures (we hit every single problem on the list...go us!), I can finally swish a triumphant check mark on that box because, y'all....WE DID IT! We conquered the elusive macaron.

Now, this wasn't any regular ol' walk in the park. I trained for this bakefest like a marathon runner. I ate macarons, I studied macarons, I spent an absurd amount of time watching tutorials on Youtube and reading this book. With a little mixing and matching from both, I felt like Rocky ready for battle against these adorable little crunchy and chewy delights.

My rec for a successful batch? Watch this great macaron tutorial from Honeysuckle Catering. I think the three of us can recite it word for word now. ;) The recipe that she, and consequently we, used is adapted from the queen of impossible recipes herself, Martha Stewart. I'm not going to lie...I was a little worried these wouldn't turn out, but having video proof helped us forge onward. So, here's the how-to with my notes and recommendations that I picked up from reading the book.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 large egg whites, room temperature

Directions:

Sift confectioners' sugar and almond flour until combined. Whisk whites with a mixer on low speed until foamy. Add sugar while increasing speed to medium and whisk until soft peaks form. (TMT notes: Now is the time to add food coloring to the whites, if you want to.) Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form. Slowly add the egg whites into the flour and powdered sugar mixture and fold until mixture is incorporated.

Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. (TMT notes: You must have evenly sized rounds for them to bake at the same speed and avoid imminent disaster. To do this, use a biscuit cutter and pencil to trace evenly sized and spaced rounds on parchment paper. Make the lines dark enough so you can see through the paper. Flip the sheet over so the pencil marked side is facing down. Actually, do this step FIRST so you don't let your batter dry out in the bowl while tracing all these circles.) Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes (TMT notes: You want the macarons to not stick to your finger when you touch them. We had to let them dry for 20 minutes for the first batch, and 22 mins for the second.).

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 15 minutes. (TMT notes: You MUST double up on your cookie sheets! It helps prevent cracking and the bottom from cooking to fast/burning. Also, we let ours go for 17 mins because they were a bit undercooked in the middle.) Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (Martha's notes: If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.)

To make my favorite buttercream filling, you will need 3 large egg whites, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces.  

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and sugar. Set mixer bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and heat mixture, whisking often, until it feels warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer bowl to the mixer, and fit with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until mixture is stiff and shiny, 3 to 5 minutes. Add butter, one piece at a time, and continue mixing until butter is thoroughly incorporated. The filling can be kept, covered and refrigerated, up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before stirring. Once that is the right consistency (I had to chill it in the fridge for a bit), go ahead and start piping.
 
Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon filling of your choice (buttercream, jam, etc). Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months.

*makes approx 30 cookies (15 sandwiches)

High on our glorious victory of poofy pink macarons with their adorable little pied, we whipped up a second purple batch accented with sprinkles that didn't quite turn out as well as we hoped because we didn't do the double pan trick. This resulted in slightly browned bottoms, domed tops and cracks. Shucks! They still tasted like heaven, though. No complaints there.

SO...who's going to give this infamous little cookie a try? Let me know how it goes if you do!