five of kat's favorite things

i have a lot of favorite things. here are five of them:

1. french macaroons

picture courtesy of bakerella, the new, better martha stewart. i love her.

i read somewhere that macaroons are the new cupcake. this would be alright with me. the first time i had a french macaroon was at papa haydn's in portland. they're affordable, elegant, fun, and the perfect portion. the kind i had was made with ice cream on the inside, which made it even better. plus, you can get them (or bake them! which i have yet to do) in lots of fun colors. the perfect dessert? maybe.

2. short hunter boots

photo courtesy of any one of a hundred online shoe stores

it took me a little while to muscle up $115 for these puppies. but now that i have, i'm so glad i did. i used to be dedicated to those cheap (colorful and fun) galoshes that turn up every rainy season. but when my third pair cracked and split after a year, i figured it was time to invest, once and for all, in quality rain boots. these are perfect for my west coast life, they're totally waterproof, and the glossy black is reminiscent of paddington bear. plus, the short style will look so cute with dresses and skirts in the spring.

3. knit caps made with baby yarn

i tried to take a picture of this hat, but everything looked like a myspace shot. this hat was made for me by one of my best friends. her reasoning was that baby yarn is softer and lighter, perfect for california winter wear! so far, she's been completely right. all my other hats left over from my connecticut life are way too heavy, but this one is perfect! last time i checked, knitting was still a thing so if you're crafty, you can make one yourself...but if you're not, consider befriending a knitter...

4. handmade stationary

another one of my christmas presents was an embosser with all the fixings. i've only just begun to play with it, but it's SO EASY. a little embossing powder goes a long way, stamps last forever with minimal abuse, and the embosser is a one time purchase! the possibilities with color, stamps, and textures are endless. rest assured that there will be more embossing-related entries in the future. everything for this embossing project was purchased at paper source, but this kind of stuff is also available at your local craft store.

5. star lanterns

last, but certainly not least, star lanterns. i saw my first star lanterns when i was in copenhagen last winter, and then again in england last spring (it turns out that when you're a grad student, people pay you to go places sometimes). i fell completely in love and finally bought my own at fuego in downtown portland. every night i turn it on and it instantly makes my little bedroom seem more homey. highly love.

so those are five of my favorite things. what do you love? leave us comment and let us know!

bisoux!