christmasy times

We've been having lots of fun with our new flip camera. It's so dang convenient, we find ourselves using it constantly. I put together this set of clips last night and hopefully i'll be posting videos more often.

(I apologize in advanced if they bore you to tears.)

music: horchata by vampire weekend

pinning

I've had an awful headache all day, so i took it easy (ha! like my days are so hard in the first place) and did some of christmas music listening, kitty cuddling, christmas movie watching and a whole lot of aimlessly perusing the internet. One of my new favorite websites for doing that is Pinterest. Ever heard of it?? I just discovered it and i'm kind of obsessed now. It's eye candy in every category possible.
Here are some of my favorites from today.

ALSO!

the new dujour magazine issue is out.. and it is chock full of beauty. You can see a sneak peek of the issue here, or you can get an online subscription for $10/year. (Its worth ten times more than that) I have quite a few recipes i contributed to this issue, and a travel diary spread from my San Francisco trip as well.

Have a great weekend.

p.s. I'll be posting my first video montage from our flip camera on Saturday. be excited.

DIY: wreath

I can't believe its December!! This has been the fastest year ever.. but it seems like i say that every year.
Our little apartment is looking pretty christmas-y and we have the holiday pandora station on just about 24/7. Christmas time is the best.. (never mind that it was 80 degrees today...)

I made four of these little wreaths in about five minutes.. instant christmas decorations.

You'll need:

a large embroidery hoop (or just about anything circular; foam wreath, cardboard cut to size.. ect.
1 strand of tinsel garland


Well.. its pretty self explanatory, you wrap the tinsel around and around and around.. occasionally sliding it one way or the other to fill in empty spots, keep wrapping until you meet your starting point. secure with a piece of tape. And hang!

(great minds think alike. Tinsel garland wreath tutorial also seen here)

caramel apples (and raspberries)

Well.. I made these a month ago and then the pictures got lost into the unorganized mess that is my pictures folder. But since caramel apples are one of my favorite things in the world, I thought it was still worth a share. Roll them in crushed peppermint and its perfectly festive for christmas.

Caramel apples
makes 4

1 cups granulated sugar
1 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


In a heavy sauce pan over medium heat combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup of the heavy cream. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. This will take some time.

Once the mixture boils add the remaining 1/2 cup of cream in a slow trickle so that you do not cool your caramel mixture and it continues to boil uninterrupted.

Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to boil for 5-6 minutes without stirring.


Add butter one tablespoon at a time, stirring after each melts. Clip on your candy thermometer and allow to boil over medium-low heat until the mixture just hits 250°F (Firm Ball stage) stirring occasionally. This should take about 30-40 minutes, if your temperature is climbing too quickly you might need to reduce heat all the way to low. By the same token, if you're not hitting 250°F by 40 minutes you might want to increase the heat a bit.

While waiting, clean apples and insert sticks.

Once you've hit the right temperature, quickly remove from heat. Stir in the teaspoon of vanilla and dip the apples into the caramel. Place on parchment paper to cool.

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I got a little carried away and started dunking raspberries in the left over caramel. It was out of this world good! I strongly recommend.

sweet.

A sneak peak at a few of the delicious things I made for the next issue of Dujour Magazine.

This issue is stunning, and once again I'm super grateful to be apart of it. I'll let you know when its out!

Also! A reminder that i have a little formspring i try and keep up with. I've answered quite a few questions over there.. take a peek if you want. And please feel free to ask, or tell me something! I love hearing from you guys..

daily

i like..


getting the sweetest packages in the mail from my dear friend. thats french macaron soap! its too cute, how am i supposed to use it??


a yummy breakfast. toast with coconut oil, oj, and greek yogurt with raspberries.


cupcake happy hour. and playing bingo for cupcakes.


the yummiest cinnamon ice cream. and an amazing read


taking engagement photos. or any photos for that matter..

November has been good.. great even. I'm looking forward to sunday, not so much because its my birthday but its the day we put up our CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS. we don't buy into this "you've got to wait until after thanksgiving" hype.. Where did that come from anyway?? that logic bugs me.

but anyway, i have some things to share soon (ie: when i get around to it) like caramel apples, some exciting news for josh and i (not a baby), what i've been "working" on, and a pretty personal post i've been debating to share.

and pssst.. if you haven't downloaded josh's bands latest album, you should go do it. its amazing and free.

who can know it..

Today josh's band releases their fifth album! Its called Who can know it? and it is available to download absolutely free on their website. (No signing up required!)

I know i am sort of biased, but its a pretty incredible album. (My favorite songs are number 5, 8 and 10.)

You should definitely check it out.

What does it sound like?? Well I'm bad at comparing music but early reviewers have said it sounds like weezer, REM, the eagles, flaming lips and MGMT.

Click here to download

3 years

Yesterday josh and i celebrated our 3 year anniversary. It is absolutely crazy how fast time flies by.
(and this time last year we were in paris...!)

(i went the lazy route and pulled these off facebook. very low res.. oops)

This year we opted to stay home and have a nice candle lit dinner. We like it better than going out, although i'm pretty sure we're in the minority on that one. I made vegetable potstickers, orange chicken (and tofu), brown basmati rice and steamed brocolli. And chocolate fondue for dessert. It was perfect.

looking forward to many more!