DIY Fri-day - Front entrance makeover, from sad to rad. Shoe Storage, lick of paint, chalkboard quote of the day

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So let's see the process

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As you can see the front entrance to our home was pretty sad, not exactly the warm welcome one could hope for. Paul dumps his bakers boots covered in flour right in the doorway so shoe storage is a must. Being a rental we're not permitted to paint or replace carpet

The Boat shelf got a paint - I've got a few projects on the go, all will be revealed in the fullness of time.

I left the outside wood green, think it goes well with the overall color scheme.

I did this sketch with white gel pen on butchers paper and inserted it into a cheap white frame. I love the contrast of the brown paper and the white.

For shoe storage I bought a small bamboo shoe rack from Kmart. Similar options can be found in all good home ware stores.

Also from Kmart: this terrarium (I'm using as a vase) with white pearly stones and this cute chalkboard.

Painted this canvas years ago - it is inspired by wallpaper and was painted around the same time as the inserts for my shoedrobe:

How did I do? Home decor is a constantly evolving process (as is my wardrobe)
I would like to maybe buy a rug next but I'm not too worried as it's not somewhere we spend any time.

What should the next quote be?

♥ Paula Shoe Fiend.

If the Internet was my closet - Shoesday Tuesday edition: Aquazzura & de Gournay collaboration - Antique wallpaper inspired embroidered shoes

These Flats are total lust haves...

In an exclusive collaboration for Matches Fashion between Aquazzura and de Gournay come these DIVINE antique wallpaper inspired embroidered shoes. I swoon over the pale pink combined with the tropical flora, fauna and birds. They're sold exclusively on Matchesfashion.com and they're not cheap so get ready to punish the plastic - or you can just stare longingly at them like me, I'm on a shopping diet!

My FAVORITE You tuber Lizze Hadfield introduced me to these beauties and I just had to share them with you.

Are you a fan of these shoes? Would you buy a pair? Or are they a bit loud for you?

All images link to the product - they're not affiliate links.

Happy Shoesday everyone!

♥ Paula Shoe Fiend.

Sunday Baking - Macarons, those delicious little enigmas. I've got some tips here to demystify their process

Macarons it turns out are not that hard! You just need to follow a few simple methodical steps to achieve a convincingly professional result. I've made this recipe at least 3 times now and always a consistent bake, so feel free to give it a go ♥

Ingredients:

3 Egg whites (always at room temp - never from the fridge)
35gms Caster sugar
Sift together: 200gms Icing sugar +
110gms Ground Almonds
Few drops of food coloring (optional)

Method:

Beat egg whites in a stand mixer until foamy then while beating, gradually add caster sugar until firm peaks form. You're pouring slowly so as to dissolve the sugar. Optional: In a food processor blend your ground almond and icing sugar to a fine powder, almond meal often has bigger chunks of almond in. If you omit this step you may have some chunks of almond.
Fold in your Sifted almond and icing sugar (and food coloring if you like) until combined, about 30 turns. The batter should fall off the spatula in blobs and hold its shape in the bowl for approximately 30 seconds before melting in.
Spoon into a piping bag and pipe out rounds onto parchment/silicone mat lined baking trays and leave out to set - I get my fan out and fan them for half an hour. This stage is important as you want the skin to form on the outside so that when you bake you get the little "foot" along the bottom.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 140 Celsius for approximately* 10-20 minutes rotating the tray halfway through. 

*time really means NOTHING to macarons, what you need is for them to lift off the parchment paper WITHOUT sticking. Depending on your oven (we have a fan forced oven) you're going to want to watch these, they shouldn't brown or color. Do not remove from the oven until they lift off their parchment.

Now to ICE/frost! The best part!

Ganache:


For The Green:
100gms White Chocolate (always eating, never cooking!*)
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
Zest of half a Lime

For the Pink:
100gms Dark chocolate (eating please)
1/2 cup heavy cream
tablespoon Raspberry Jam

Heat cream until scalding. Pour over chocolate and sit aside for a few minutes. Add flavouring and stir until smooth and shiny. Refrigerate until the consistency you desire then sandwich matched up cookies together.
*To make it stable while melting and so you don't have to temper Cooking chocolate doesn't contain ANY cocoa butter - that special fat that gives chocolate that melty, silky mouth feel without sticking to the roof of your mouth. Cooking chocolate is gross, don't go there

Have you ever made macarons?
Do you have any further tips I may have forgotten?
Happy baking everyone.

♥ Paula Shoe Fiend.