i missed macaron day.

i managed to avoid the flu for the entire winter until the bitter end...

last day of winter/first day of spring, it got me. 

luckily it only lasted for approximately 36 hours - but it sadly 

forced me to miss macaron day in nyc. what a bummer.

to make matters worse my thermometer 

($3 from the chinese market) only read in celsius - 

and probably inaccurately at that. if my conversions were correct,

my core temperature hit 38.7c or 101.77f - super fun!

i will eat macarons tomorrow.

watercolor by 

Lucile's kitchen ©

available on etsy

$25

22k gold.

ciate: sand dune (base color)

opi: goldeneye (top color)

gold leaf: 22k gold (overlay)

vial sold at the evolution store for $10.00

base and top coat of your choice.

i use nailtiques formula #2 for all topcoats

directions: 

apply your base, 1 coat of sand dune, 2 coats of goldeneye & wait for it to mostly dry.

pour out some gold leafing onto a sheet of paper. wet your index finger and touch a few flecks.

they will stick to anything - then transfer the gold to your nail. it will stick long enough for the 

top coat to be applied (i used two). 

 

29.

it's my birthday!

via because nothing is prettier than pink

bead goddess. alexandra rothwell.

stunning strings of beads - color coded to perfection.  

major lust-worthy beadwork & my favorite accessory.  new york & martha's vineyard based jewelry designer alex rothwell customizes your new favorite spring/summer accessory to compliment your skin tone/hair color or whatever color combo you might be into this season. warning: it can be addicting.

lucky for you she's currently taking custom orders.

Alexandra Rothwell

 easily creates the most unique works of art that hang from your earlobes

center: mermaid abyss {i own these}

ambitious baking. blueberry ombre.

the most ambitious cake i ever made. 

ingredients:

2 boxes of vanilla cake mix

2 boxes of vanilla frosting

4 cups of blueberries 

eggs, water & oil (as directed on the box)

* i substitute apple sauce for oil

1. in a large bowl mix all of the ingredients together as directed on the box.

or make a cake from scratch if you have time for that. (i do not)

2. i ended up using four cups of blueberries in total - 

but simmered them on the stove in 3 different batches. 

I threw in some water & sugar cubes initially but it was probably unnecessary.

cook the berries on the stove until the you see a deep purple liquid.

3. slowly add the blueberries to the cake mix until you get your desired shade of blue.

pour into a round cake pan & bake. repeat the process for all layers adding more blueberries to each layer. cook time will increase for each batch. my top layer was very dense with blueberries.

full disclosure: 

this cake took like 4 hours to make because i was rotating cake pans (having only 2).

i was trying to have it done in time for an oscar party and probably could have cooked some layers for a little bit longer. it ended up falling over after i cut into it. but does not mean it was not AMAZING!

it was AMAZING. definitely needs some tweaking but it's a pretty simple concept.