Floral Arrangements

Has anyone else done some spring cleaning? My mom and I spent an entire day vacuuming, scrubbing and dusting. We were finally done after a few hours but it didn't stop there. We added some more floral arrangements in the bathroom, living room, and kitchen. It makes a huge difference coming to a cleaner home with new adornments! My mom handmade all of these floral arrangements and hanging sachets. The sachets smell like fresh lavender and are perfect to hang in the bathroom or doorknobs. Did you know that lavender is a herb that helps you sleep, relax, ease anxiety and many more health benefits? I had no clue...If you're interested in buying some, check out her Etsy shop. 

                     

Hope you enjoy!

Happy First Day of Spring!

Today marks the official first day of Spring. Everyone seems to be excited (so are we!), as this should hopefully mean that there are warmer days to come and no more shoveling. I think most of us can agree that this winter has been unbearably cold, making today all the more celebratory.

What's a better way to welcome Spring than with flowers? My mom makes floral center pieces that work well for special occasions or just on your living room table. Most of these flowers were bought from Michaels that she beautifully arranged herself.

      

 


My mom also visited a furniture store, Shamoa, that her friend owns and displayed her beautiful floral arrangements there. If anyone is interested in furniture, this store sells top quality European furniture in New Jersey.

We hope you're experiencing a happy first day of Spring! If you're looking for quick pick-me-ups to add to your home, we highly suggest a trip to Michaels. We love going there for most of our craft supplies. Their flowers are frequently on 50% off sales and it's so easy to use anything there to create something beautiful. Having some flowers definitely brings a new ambience to our home. We hope you enjoy!

-Pearl & Grace

A Morning Walk at Jones Beach

Walking at Jones Beach on a beautiful Wednesday morning was exactly what we needed. A brisk walk in the sun alongside the beach was a perfect way to clear our minds and be somewhere peaceful. The place feels a little deserted as there were hardly any people, but hearing the ocean waves as you walk on the boardwalk feels nice. Because I (Pearl) have one day off from work, my mom and I decided that we'd spend our off-day mornings at Jones Beach from now on. We think it's important to take at least an hour or so to simply relax and clear our thoughts, especially with so many projects we're taking on, jobs we're working at and other miscellaneous tasks that always need to get done. For us, having this walk starts our day off well and as it gets warmer, it'll start to finally feel more like Spring! I personally cannot wait for it to get warmer. We're done with shoveling.

How do you spend your mornings?

-Pearl & Grace

How To Make Macarons!

We can all probably agree on one or two things: Macarons are delicious and quite expensive to buy! Which is why we decided to make an easy, step-by-step recipe (with pictures!) on how to make them. This turned out to be a fun baking project for the two of us and we ended up with over 50 macarons (we made 2 batches)! These classy little treats make as great homemade gifts and fun desserts. Here's how to make them:

You'll need 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup of almond flour (you can also grind up raw almonds), 3 room temperature egg whites, food coloring, a mixer, 2 bowls, a whisk, and sifter.

                           

            Sift the powdered sugar and the almond flour into one bowl. Mix them together with a whisk.

Put 3 egg whites in a separate bowl and mix with your mixer for 8 whole minutes. Mix for 4 minutes and slowly add your sugar for the next 4 minutes.

                            

After 8 minutes, your egg mixture should look something like this. Mix in your food coloring. Then add your dry ingredients a little at a time. Make sure you *fold* your ingredients in gently until they're thoroughly combined. 

The consistency should be thick, but still a bit runny. Put the mixture into a frosting bag and if you don't have one, use a ziplock bag (like we did!) and cut a hole in the opening. 

On your parchment paper, make your macarons as circular as possible (it took us a few tries!). Tap the baking tray gently to get rid of any air bubbles. Then, leave them out for 30 minutes and start pre-heating your oven to 300 degrees. After 30 minutes is up, bake them for 20 minutes. 

Tada! This is what they should look like. There are tons of buttercream recipes you can find online depending on what you like. Here, we used vanilla buttercream and raspberry jam. 

Macarons are perfect as party favors, housewarming gifts, dessert for gatherings/potlucks, or to simply eat and enjoy. Once you see just how do-able these macarons are to make, your friends and family will most likely be coming to you for more. We hope you found this helpful and enjoy this as much as we did.

-Pearl & Grace 

Baskets for Spring

It may be cold outside with snow still left to melt, but it’s March and we decided to adorn our home with Spring decorations anyway. My mom loves making baskets and we thought they were a perfect step to making our home more spring-like. Like a picnic basket, these hold utensils, napkins, drinks, snacks and whatever you please. Bringing party essentials becomes easier to carry and look great for gatherings and various occasions. They’re completely versatile to your liking so we make them as gifts or simply leave the kitchen items in there- either way, they come in handy! If you're looking to get a head start on Easter decorations, these baskets are perfect for holding eggs and other goodies. 

First, we cut strips of pretty paper as napkin holders.

Glue or tape the napkin holder into place.

                             

   

 

If you're interested in buying some, check out her Etsy shop or visit our new online store, www.maybliss.com.