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Move over, Winter… Spring Has Sprung at Bow Wow Haus!

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This just in from our good pals at Bow Wow Haus:
Spring might not officially arrive until later this month, but at Bow Wow Haus, it’s already here!

Made of organic cotton and in gorgeous pastel-y prints, these beautiful handmade collars and leashes from the USA scream “Bye Bye Winter!”

Attention four-legged fashionistas -- these cute graphic tanks and bold, blingy tees will chase away the winter blues!

Come and visit any of our three locations and check out what else we’ve got in store for Spring!

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Magical Sydney

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Bondi Beach


Having spent 5 and half days of wining, dining, cruising, sightseeing and exploring Sydney - I have totally fallen  in love with the city and was very reluctant to come home! Having lived in London, Paris and Florence and visited most other major cities I left thinking Sydney had to be the pick of the bunch with the most to offer for both locals and tourists alike. If you haven't been ...you just have to GO! We had an absolutely fantastic time - I must admit the perfect blue skies and sunshiney days of 24 - 27 degrees helped as did the fabulous restaurants, the breathtaking scenery, the beautiful harbour and the friendly people. Thanks to some great tips from Carolyn over at Desire Empire and 'The Little Book on Sydney's Secrets' by Donna Hay I think we managed to cover the best Sydney had to offer. I revisited some of my old, favourite haunts like 'Bills' and discovered some fabulous new places like 'Palm Beach'. 


Bills - my favourite breakfast spot in Sydney

Ricotta Hotcakes at Bills - so light and airy that I managed to polish off all 3!

The day we arrived was wet and wild with 135mm of rain in a single day - the highest ever recorded in Sydney! There were reports of planes queued up at the airport for hours and road closures but we were in the lap of the gods for the entire trip and landed ten minutes after schedule and drove through Sydney without drop of rain and no traffic. It rained a little after we checked into our hotel and unpacked. By the time we were ready for some fresh air and a walk the sun was shining! It only ever disappeared on Monday whilst I was doing a little shopping!

The Ivy Room - Bondi Beach House

Our room at the Bondi Beach House had a very beachy vintage feel that was rustic and charming and only a stone's throw from the shops and restaurants.

The highlights from the trip included:-
  •   Dinner at Bondi Icebergs watching the sunset - what an amazing setting! We liked the ambiance so much we had drinks and appetisers there another night before heading down to North Bondi Italian for a bowl of pasta.
  • A seafood platter at Doyles's on the Beach at Watson's Bay - again another spectacular setting!

Doyles on the Beach

A perfect summer's lunch!

  • Discovering Camp Cove, a secluded little beach with the most stunning houses right on the beach
  • Harbour cruises and all the yachts, speedboats, tinnies, canoes and stand up paddle boarders out on the water enjoying harbourside living
  • Relaxing, swimming and ice-creams at Shark Beach, Nielson Park inspired by a photo shoot from an old Donna Hay magazine
 
Donna Hay
  • We loved the lush, green feel of Sydney, the tropical vegetation and all the National parks hugging the coastal line
  • Catching the ferry over to Manly for a tasty prawn pizza  at the Manly Wharf Hotel, the happening place to be on the beach front

Manly Wharf Hotel

  • Staying at Bondi Beach with heaps of fun cafes and bars to choose from and the great beachy vibe of the place
  • The warm balmy evenings and dinner on the balcony at Ravesi's overlooking Bondi Beach
  • The Bondi to Bronte clifftop walk - so many great looking, fit people
Bronte beach and ocean pool

A visit to Camilla's in Bondi a gorgeous chic vintage style shop full of beautiful, colourful kaftans perfect for stylish beachside living (recommended by Cheryl over at  Beachcomber)




Camilla - Bondi Beach


My favourite day of the trip was the day spent at Palm Beach which I'll feature tomorrow 

Melissah xox


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For the Love of Macarons!

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Finally... a post dedicated specifically to the art, beauty, and perfection of the eternally beloved Macaron! I had my very first Macaron about 12 yrs ago, and it was quite possibly the most expensive Macaron in the world! ... let me explain ...

The place was Fauchon in NYC ... Fauchon, a magical transplant straight from Paris. Actually way too magical for me to briefly summarize here, so I'll leave it to you guys to investigate it on the web if you so desire. What I will say is that their chocolate is to die for and their Macarons are to Double die for. And lets say... even if you are deathly allergic to anything sweet ... it would still be worth it to shop at Fauchon ... strictly for THE Most Adorable packaging EVER! ... seriously... we hung the empty boxes on our Christmas tree.
When we were furniture designers selling our wares to fabulous stores in NYC we always made sure to mix business with pleasure and make stops for sweets & treats at our favorite shops in town. We had read rave reviews about Fauchon and it just so happened that they were in the same neighborhood as our delivery that fateful day. We were rolling uptown in our awesome White "Work" Van ... which we outfitted with plush leopard seats, the entire interior ceiling doubled as our portable inspiration board...plastered with tear-sheets from Vogue, Elle, etc...all of our faves ... Betsey Johnson, Anna Sui, Mary Randolph Carter, etc... uber eye candy. Fashion was our major muse at the time...well, fashion & sweets!
Ok, so we spotted Fauchon and instantly pulled over. Aaron hopped out and sprinted inside (he really does RUN everywhere...people are often alarmed...wondering how far behind the zombies are). So Aar is inside Fauchon for no longer than 6 minutes...and this is the part that explains why the Macarons were the most expensive ever... In those scant few minutes we got a $125.00 parking ticket!! And guess what?... despite that little monetary heartbreak, Macarons right then and there became my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE SWEET ... Yes, I adore them more than cupcakes even!

This may leave you wondering why we haven't applied gallons of acrylic paint to thousands of canvases over the years...paying artistic tribute to my Ab Fab Fave Sweet! I mean, we've honored the cupcake to an almost embarrassing degree...the cupcakes are probably blushing at this point. But Macarons have somehow managed to dodge our canvases. We've sketched them so so many times, even painted them for ourselves ... but never have we put them out there for you guys to see ... and to take home for yourselves if you wish. So...finally! And I'm loving that their intro is via our new instagram inspired style of painting. They really fit this format so perfectly. We adore this painting ... and we adore it as if we weren't the peeps who actually rendered it with our own hands. We're fans of this painting...the same way we are fans of Macarons. Our eyes think it's yummy!

Just to be clear...I didn't put together this Macaron blog post simply as an eloborate lead-in to debuting our brand new Macaron painting. Nope, I'm really here just to gush and inform...the painting is merely the sugar on top!
Since many folks confuse Macarons and Macaroons, (vastly different sweets entirely) I wanted to include a link to this article...it's very good...check it out...

Macaron vs. Macaroon...
Over at The Kitchn.

These are two fantastic links to masters of the macaron!


Ok, now when I say that this next link is the "Best Tutorial Ever Concerning Macarons" ... I MEAN it ! For those who don't know...Macarons are very difficult to get right. I've spoken with master bakers...and they quake in their boots a bit when Macarons are mentioned. Anyway, I read this tutorial out loud to Aaron (that's something we do...for a long time we were reading F. Scott Fitzgerald short stories to each other in bed to fall asleep...they work well...very charming stories.) ... so, after reading this to Aar, he said "WOW...that was an amazing tutorial...I almost feel like I could bake Macarons myself" ... really, check it out...beautifully written...impressively researched...and entertaining enough to keep you reading til the end even if you plan on never ever touching a single ingredient. Go to: Not So Humble Pie.

The following are some books dedicated to these tiny gifts straight from confectionery heaven:



And out there on the market there are all sorts of accoutrement... Such as these baking mats!
How adorbs is that?!

Macarons...these famed delights...extensively written about, talked about ... photographed, PAINTED... baked by the bravest of bakers ... sweet and perfect in every way ... Gosh! I Love these things!

I'm a brave girl and I have big plans for Macaron baking this spring! Lots of Springy Easter colors. I simply Cannot wait! And believe me ... more paintings to come!
xoxo, Jenny

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