I. Love. Macarons. There, I said it. I actually think I may be a bit obsessed with macarons but that's ok right? They are divine and I can eat an entire patch, but I won't. I will savor each one slowly over time.

I was fortunate enough to spend the morning with fellow military spouse Stacy Martin, owner of Bonkers For Baking. She made a patch of heart macarons from scratch and learned just how difficult it is to make them.

The macaron cookie was born in Italy. French queen Catherine de' Medici's Italian pastry chefs made them when she brought them with her to France in 1533.

Macarons, as we know them today were created by a Parisian baker (Claude Gerbet and Pierre Desfontaines both claim credit) had the idea of sandwiching the cookie by putting jam or ganache between the two individual macarons. HEAVENLY!

I learned you must be very precise when measuring your ingredients. We had a scale and measure every gram. It got me thinking. How did they make these in 1533? Food for thought. There is even a Macaronage process. Macaronage is the technique where you continue folding the mixture past full incorporation until you've achieved the perfect consistency. "Hot lava" is one phrase I often see used to describe that consistency, but I just like "ribbon." The batter shouldn't plop, it should flow according to food52.com
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Here are a few reasons why we love macarons.
The texture in the first bite is unexpected.
The shell is delicately crisp and the interior is so soft and chewy.
They are just plain cute. 
They are the perfect “bite sized” treat
Fun Fact: Macarons are GLUTEN FREE!

If you are ready to tackle making macarons here is the heart template that Stacy uses for her heart shaped macarons and a link to the stencil for the conversation sayings.

Joyeuse Saint Valentin!

No need to sew here. These no-sew heart sachets are so sweet and perfect for Valentine's or Galentine's Day.

Hold your fabric in half so that you only have to cut once. Place the heart template over the top and using a pencil trace around the heart. With a pair of pinking shears cut along the line you just traced.

At this point you will want to add your embellishments. It's easier to do it now before you glue the heart together.

Next you will glue the two pieces of heart fabric together leaving an opening for the filler and dried lavender.

Fill the heart with poly filler leaving some room for the dried lavender, then stuff with more poly filler to finish and close the opening with hot hot glue.

No-Sew Lavender Heart Sachets. Happy Valentines Day!

Here's a video that shows you step by step how to make these.

Share with us what you make. Happy Crafting!

Here are two fun treats you can make with your kids that will sure to be a hit.

I loved conversation heart candies when I was a kid. Here is a homemade version we created with a military theme. Imagine your solider getting these cute candies in a care package. YES!!!!

What you will need.
Gum paste (you can use already made gum paste in a tub or in powder form. We purchased in powdered form and follow directions on bag to make paste).
Gel coloring (we used yellow, pink, green and purple)
Flavoring (we used lemon, watermelon, and peppermint)
Powdered sugar
Small heart cutter
Rolling pin
​Measuring cups
​Edible ink pens
Parchment paper

Measure out about 1/2 cup of gum paste.
Sprinkle powdered sugar on your work surface so gum paste does not stick to it.
Knead gum paste for 30 seconds
Add 5-8 drops of flavoring, knead to combine flavor.
Add 1-2 drops of food coloring, knead until color is throughout gum paste.
Using a rolling pin, roll out gum paste to 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
Using small heart cutter, cut out hearts and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Let dry for 48 hours.
Using edible ink pen write message on hearts.

What's Valentine's Day without chocolate covered strawberries? These are LIFE!

Check out this video. Too easy.

We are loving all these DIYs and this faux marble clay dish is perfect. We are always looking for easy, budget friend crafts that look amazing and this is one for the books.

We used an oven bake clay in white, aqua and gold, but you can use unto 5 colors. We picked up all the materials at Hobby Lobby.

Cut clay into chunks. How big you want your bowl will determine how much clay you actually need. You can see how much clay we used in the video tutorial.

Instructions:
Roll-out clay into snakes
Twist snakes together
fold over and twist again, then repeat steps.
Squish clay into a ball and flatten with a rolling pin to about 1/4 in thick.
Form on an oven safe dish. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Free form is beautiful and bake at 275° F for about 15 minutes.
(Use your package instructions). 
​Let cool completely then paint gold gilding on the edges. Let dry and the glaze the entire bowl - front and back. Such a cute gift for Valentine's day or any day! 

Hope you enjoyed this DIY craft. Would love to connect with you on social media. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

Enjoy,
​Maria

This is an easy Do-It-Yourself project to brighten up those winter blues and a great way to repurpose those old mason jars. You the ones you have in your pantry and have been trying to figure out what to do with them. This home decor DIY takes less than 5 minutes and it's addicting. You're gonna want to wrap everything in copper wire. Just saying.

Instructions: Wrap copper wire around the mason jar several times, as many time as you'd like to go around the jar and snip end with bolt cutter. The 8 gauge copper wire is  somewhat flexible, but be sure to hold on to the glass as you are wrapping the copper around and molding it to the jar. Remember, when working with glass, be safe and take your time. I think this is the easiest DIY ever.

Check out the tutorial below ⬇️

Military friends become like family and we are excited to share with you this special FriendsGiving Makeover episode.

Thank you to Armed Forces aInsurances and Fischer and Wieser for helping us improve the quality of life for military families.

FriendsGiving Recipes

We love the holidays, but sometimes deployments during the holiday season can be challenging. ???❤️
Here is a wonderful holiday ornament repurposing old military uniforms into meaningful Christmas Ornaments.
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Materials you'll need:
Old Uniform (use the buttons and strings too)
Small Embroidery Hoop (3 or 4 inch)
Scissors
Hot Glue and Glue Gun
Holiday Greens and Embellishments
Unit Pin​

Here are a few Halloween Party Hacks that are too easy! 
You can picked up the brain mold we used at the Dollar Tree and don't forget to use a non-stick spray in the mold. It will help the Jello easily slide out later. 
Tip: Gloves should not have powder on the inside. 

​We found the best candy (ghost & pumpkin peeps and gummy eyeballs at Walgreens.

Punch recipe: ?
32 oz Cranberry juice
24 oz Pineapple juice
32 ounces Ginger Ale
2 powder-free vinyl gloves (for ice hand)

Love these poster board bat cutouts. Makes a huge visible impact and only cost $2.00.
​Download the template for free. ?

Happy Halloween!

Y'all it's Coffee and Crafting time! We are making a Boho Style Natural Wood Wall Art piece. (You can make this into a wreath too.) ?
It's super easy and inexpensive. Hope you will make one and share a photo of your creation in the comments below. ?This is a great project to do with your FRGs, milso groups, friends, and your kiddos.
Total cost under $5.00 ?
You'll need:
Branches | Faux Flowers/Leaves | Cloth | Jute Chord | Yarn | Hot Glue | Scissors | Tape

This is one of my favorite recipes to make during the holidays, fresh cranberry sauce with orange zest sand cinammon. Delish!

Fresh Cranberries (2x 12 oz bags)
1 cup of oranges juice
Zest of one orange plus juice
2 cinnamon sticks
1.5 cups of sugar