remix archives // floral blazer

We're slowly moving towards the time of year when wearing blazers isn't insane, and I'm starting to think more about layers again.  I snagged this blazer from ModCloth last year and instantly fell in love with the fun floral print, plus the fabric is really comfortable and casual, which makes this blazer feel less formal and more wearable.  I just lent this blazer to Kristi for one of her job interviews and she styled it in a cute, casual way.  It's funny to have a girlfriend in town who borrows clothes.  I've never had a sister or friend who borrowed from my closet, so it's kind of fun.  My style has evolved a bit since I last styled this blazer myself, but this piece still resonates with me.  I'm excited to style it in some new ways once fall shows up!

a delightful giveaway with panasonic + pictureline

Hi guys!  Today I'm partnering with Panasonic and Pictureline to giveaway a Lumix DMC-LF1 camera, worth $500! The LUMIX LF1 is a pocket-sized camera that takes great photos in low light with a powerful zoom and built-in WiFi so you can share your photos to your smart phone or tablet. With a compact, pocket-sized body and a 7.1x zoom and viewfinder, you'll get more creative control than what you'd get from your iPhone. The lens has a bright and beautiful maximum aperture of  f/2.0, and combined with the big sensor, which is bigger than most point and shoot sensors, the LF1 is awesome in low light. The LUMIX LF1 is easy to use for beginners, but also offers full manual controls and RAW capability for advanced users looking for more control over their photos.  If you're not ready to make the leap to a DSLR yet, this is a great upgrade from your phone camera.  Enter below!

Want to know more about Pictureline?  Of course you do, they're awesome! 

Pictureline is a locally owned and operated, top-of-the-line camera store that caters not only to the professionals, but also to anyone who loves photography! Since opening in 1989 as a one-man shop, we have grown into the premier camera store in Utah, dedicated to extending our exemplary service we're known for to our friends on the web. We carry all of the big photography brands (Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Lowepro, and more!) and are crazy passionate about helping photographers get the gear and know-how they need to succeed. 

They not only carry cameras, but great accessories too.  They've got Ona bags, including the one I've had for a couple years and love!

Pictureline is blogger-friendly too.  They've got an affiliate program and are looking for bloggers to join, so if you're into that, go for it!  You can earn commission on any sales made through your links.  If you blog about photography, or photo accessories at all, it'd be a great idea to join.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

all that glitters is gold

On Sunday evening I hosted a party in honor of my best friend, Kristi, moving to Tacoma!  It was actually exactly a month from the day she officially moved to Tacoma, and in that month she's gotten jobs at two of my most favorite local businesses and moved into the most pin-worthy, cutest apartment ever.  She's an introvert like me, so I wanted to create an opportunity for her to meet our Tacoma friends and hopefully make some new connections in her new city.  She's been loving Tacoma (yay!), and I'm so excited to be able to share one of my favorite places with one of my favorite people.  I decided that a gold theme would go nicely, as I was inspired by this old rhyme:

Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold. New-made friendships, like new wine, Age will mellow and refine. Friendships that have stood the test- Time and change-are surely best; Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray; Friendship never knows decay. For 'mid old friends, tried and true, Once more we our youth renew. But old friends, alas! may die; New friends must their place supply. Cherish friendship in your breast- New is good, but old is best; Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold.

Plus, we enjoyed lots of delicious

Sofia wine from Francis Ford Coppola Winery

, to encourage "new-made friendships."  Kristi and I are certainly golden friends. It's been over a decade of being best friends.  We haven't lived in the same town since high school, so it's been a nice change to actually get to hang out, rather than just text and Facebook one another.  I hope that perhaps some new "silver" friendships were formed at the party, too.  It's hard moving to a totally new place, but it's a bit easier knowing someone with an established friend base.  When I moved to Tacoma, I met all of Dan's friends, so it wasn't quite as difficult as moving to a new place knowing no one.  Since I was the one who encouraged Kristi to move to Tacoma, I wanted to facilitate a meet-and-greet type of fun, casual party where she'd have a chance to meet some of my friends.  I'm still in the process of making friends, over two years after moving here, so I know how hard it can be!

Since we had lots of wine, plus some bubbly, I decided it'd be great to do a mimosa bar.  We had

cans of the bubbly

, so if people wanted

just

bubs they could grab a can.  The full bottles were set up next to the juice for mimosas, and we had guava, mango, and the standard OJ as options, plus some raspberries to toss in for good measure.  And, of course, cute straws and sparkly swizzle sticks.  The mimosa bar was a

huge

hit.  I mixed guava and mango juice for my mimosa.  I could probably drink a hundred of them, but I didn't.  Because responsibility.  The light wines were perfect for summer evening.  I think Sofia 

Ros

é

 is my new favorite summer wine, but I also love the crispness of the

Riesling

and

Chardonnay

.  On a hot day I almost want to chug a chilled wine, but that's not lady-like... it's just

so

refreshing!

I held the party in our backyard, and it was nice to finally make use of our backyard.  Plus, it was a great excuse to actually clean it up.  Our backyard is rather small, but it's the perfect size for a fun little party.  I have all our wedding decor still, since it was all DIY, and it's fun to pull it out from time to time for parties.  I still have the bunting up in my living room from our housewarming party in January!

We made all of the food, except for the cupcakes, which were from

Corina

(who did my wedding cake and cupcakes!).  The menu included a cheese plate with lots of yummy cheeses and fruits,

caprese quinoa stuffed mushrooms with balsamic reduction

,

strawberry honey brie crostinis

,

antipasto skewers

,

zucchini rolls

, and

macarons

!  It took quite a few hours to prep everything, and I sliced my hand so bad with the mandoline making the zucchini rolls that I almost had to go get stitches and I nearly passed out.  But, you know, no pain no gain.  Actually it ended up not being too bad of a cut, thank goodness!

Seriously though, you guys, if you're looking for a great party beverage these little

mini Sofia cans

are so much fun.  Even the most macho, bearded dudes thought they were fun.  Because they are.  So fun.  They come with little extend-o bendy straws.  I can't believe no one else makes these because it's brilliant.  I think they'd be perfect for a Bachelorette party, ladies night/sleepover, blogger meet-up, bridal shower... okay really I think they're perfect for most anything.

more after the jump!

The night concluded, rather epically, with witnessing.... slug sex.  Yes.  And it was one of the most incredible things I think I've ever seen.  I have a 18 minute long iPhone video to prove it, too.  Yes, we sat on the ground for 20 minutes watching slugs have sex.  But you would've too, because it was seriously unbelievably cool.  Voyeuristic, perhaps.  I like to think of it as National Geographic, Discovery Channel type stuff though.  If slug sex isn't on the Planet Earth series, it needs to be, because whoa.  Fascinating and oddly beautiful.  I hope you're all googling slug sex now.  Maybe I'll put up my video on YouTube.  The background commentary alone is probably rather amusing.  

*post sponsored and wine provided by Francis Ford Coppola Wines.  Thank you for supporting those companies who keep Delightfully Tacky alive and kicking!*

golden girls

I have a ton of pictures from Sunday's party, so I thought I'd do a dedicated outfit post, rather than trying to put everything in one post.  I got this dress on Saturday and when I tried it on I knew I wanted to wear it for the party.  It's a Judith March dress, and I have another one of her dresses which is a favorite of mine, so I knew I'd love this one.  Even though I'm still in summer mode I've pretty much stopped looking at summery clothes.  Around this time of year I start looking towards winter and fall when I'm shopping for clothes, and I thought that this dress, while very summery, would also work nicely in the fall, with its autumnal colors.  Paired with some tights and boots?  The only thing that might ruin that plan is that the bow on the back would make me look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame if I tried layering a cardigan over it... I need to scheme a solution to that.  But! If you're interested in this dress, it's on super sale at ModCloth right now for only $37!  Only size small is still left, and the dress does run a little small, but if you were thinking of getting this dress, now is the time!

 
dress/courtesy of modcloth :: necklace(similar)/ruche shoes(similar)/courtesy of seychelles :: photos by Dan
I didn't know what Kristi was going to wear to the party, but we ended up kind of matching, or at least coordinating.  The yellow in my dress was almost the exact same as the yellow of her dress.  For those wondering, her dress is from Forever 21.  I've been going shopping with Kristi for interview outfits at Forever 21 and it's so weird to be in a Forever 21 again!  I haven't been in one in probably over a year.  They're so overwhelming!  But I can't deny there were some cute things there that I really wanted.  I tried a few things on, just for fun, even though I knew I couldn't buy anything.
Dusty had a blast, of course.  So much excitement, so many pets, so much lovins.  The party was to welcome Kristi to Tacoma, but I think Dusty may have stolen the show a bit.  I mean, how can something that cute not steal every show?  She can't help it.  

french macarons

So.  French Macarons.  You guys, I love them.  The first time I had them I was at a Juicy Couture party during NYFW (so random, but I think it was a Chictopia party?), and there were these male models who were walking around with trays full of cute beverages and macarons.  I am not at all about male models or Juicy Couture, but I am all about cute beverages and macarons.  Well, I didn't know that I was all about macarons at the time, but once I had one, I knew.  I rarely get them because they feel like such a treat.  Metropolitan Market has a selection of different macarons and every once in a while I treat myself to one.  Well, the other day I got it in my head that I was going to make macarons.  I'd heard that they were pretty difficult to get right, but I found what looked like a good recipe and went for it.  They turned out perfectly.  I was a little blown away that I got perfect macarons on my first try, and thought it might be a fluke, so I made another batch a couple days later.  Another perfect batch of macarons.  So, you guys, this recipe is totally fool proof. 
 



The recipe I found has a video that accompanies it and holy cow was it so helpful.  Macarons are fussy and you have to make them just right, otherwise they won't turn out right.  By being able to see what the textures and consistencies looked like in a video I was much better able to replicate the recipe exactly.  With macarons it seems like the method is just important, if not more so, than the ingredients.  You have to get the right consistencies when you're whipping and mixing things, and let them sit out, and then bake them for just the right amount of time.  I was really glad I used this recipe for my first time.  She's very specific about what you need to do to achieve a perfect macaron and gives tips for how to do it right, and what will happen if you do it wrong.  Definitely check out her youtube channel!  Not only are her videos all beautiful, but she's got some great recipes for entertaining!

(recipe via Entertaining With Beth)

Makes ~40 completed sandwich cookies

INGREDIENTS

3 Egg Whites

¼ cup white sugar 

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 cup almond flour

pinch of salt

¼ tsp cream of tartar (You can omit if needed, just may take a bit longer to reach stiff peaks but the recipe will still work)

METHOD:

(Eventually you will need to preheat your oven to 300ºF but I wouldn't do that first thing. After everything is mixed and you've piped them onto the cookie sheets is a good time to start your oven preheating.)

1.  Sift almond flour, and powdered sugar. What remains will be the larger lumps of almond pieces. Just discard those/snack on them (they're really tasty sweet almond bits!) You want a really fine powder mixture to create a smooth and pretty top to your macaron.

2. Beat egg whites until foamy, then add salt, cream of tartar and white sugar for 8-10 mins. TIP: #1 eggwhites should be room temp. (If you didn't let them sit out prior to starting, just submerge the whole eggs in warm water for 5 minutes.) Whip until they form a peak that stands upright.  Then add the food coloring. Color does fade as it cooks, so do a shade or two darker than you want them to be.

3. Fold your flour/sugar mixture into the egg white mixture.  This part is really critical. Under mix and your macaroons will be lumpy and cracked when they bake with no feet, over mix and your macarons will be flat and won't have feet.  With this recipe I found that 65-75 turns of the spatula when folding is about the right amount.  You want the batter to move like lava when you're done.  Watch the video and it'll show you visually what this consistency looks like. 

4. Transfer batter to a pastry bag, or if you're fancy like me and don't have one, a ziplock bag.  Cut a little bit of the bag's corner off (about a 1/4 inch bit), and pipe out 1 inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

5. Once you've filled your cookie sheet, rap the pan on the countertop hard at least 2-3 times to release the air bubbles. This will prevent the tops of your macaroons from cracking.  Let them sit out for 20 mins, or up to an hour if you want. This will allow them time to dry out a bit before hitting the hot oven. They should be "tacky" to the touch, but not stick to your fingertips.  This is when I preheated my oven to 300º F.

6. Only put one tray of macarons in the oven at a time.  This will ensure that each tray gets in the ideal spot of the oven.  The macarons sitting out waiting for the oven won't mind, as they're supposed to sit out for a while anyway.  Bake for 20 mins.  If they stick to the tray, they're not done.  They should slide right off the parchment paper.  If they're still sticking to the paper after 20 minutes, add 5-7 minutes to the cook time and see how they're doing then.  

While you're baking all your macarons, you can make the filling!  I made both raspberry filling and lime filling, and both are super easy and quick to make:

RASPBERRY or LIME BUTTER CREAM

1/4 cup salted butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

~1 cup fresh raspberries, worked through a sieve to extract 3 tbsp of juice

OR 3 tbsp lime juice

1. Whip butter until pale and fluffy. Slowly add sugar. 

2. Add your raspberry or lime juice to buttercream, and whip until combined.  For my raspberry batch I didn't quite whip long enought to fully incorporate the juice.  I whipped for much longer when I made my lime batch and it mixed up just right.  You don't want the juice to separate from the frosting. Transfer to a pastry bag or ziplock.  Again, cut a little corner off the ziplock bag, about 1/8 - 1/4 in

3. Take one of the baked cookies and pipe a small mound of buttercream onto the flat side, then grab another one and slightly squish the butter cream between the two.  Ta-Da!  

If not eating within 12 hours, put them in the fridge. I kept mine in the fridge for 4 days, and I've read that they can stay good refrigerated for up to a week.  You can also freeze them for up to 6 months!