Feeling Festive

 

 

Hey everyone!

This is my first fashion blog post, so I’m going to give a quick overview of “kind” leather, what to look for on labels and what to avoid. The shoes and purse featured are made from plastic (PU), but they look just as great as any leather made from animal skin. When shopping for shoes and handbags on your own, keep the following in mind to identify those items that harm animals, versus those that don’t.

Don’t Buy

Common Keywords: Leather (upper or sole), patent leather, suede (unless it states artificial), nubuck, saffiano, goatskin, kidskin, calfskin, ostrich, etc. — sadly the list goes on.

Do Buy!

Common Keywords: Pleather, faux leather, vegan leather or patent leather, textile, polyeurathane (PU), poromeric, cork, naugahyde, ocean leather (kelp), synthetic or man-made (upper and sole for shoes).

Fortunately, most bags from Guess are made of faux leather! The handbag showcased is sold out, but I have linked others below.

The boots are from Sam Edelman (also linked below), a brand that heavily manufactures animal leather shoes and handbags, but this goes to show that you never know what you might find as long as you take the time to carefully look!

Please let me if you guys have any questions about faux leather or any other kind-lifestyle related questions. I’m here as a resource for you!

Guess clutches // Sam Edelman – Paloma OTK Boot // Blondo OTK Boot

❤ Melissa

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Polvorones (Mexican Wedding Cookies)

The kind alternative to one of Christmas’ most popular cookies! Yum.

 

Polvorones or in other words “Mexican Wedding Cookies,” “Russian Tea Cakes” and “Snowball Cookies” are the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and nuttiness that melt and crumble in your mouth, similar to a shortbread cookie. It’s a fairly simple recipe and requires few ingredients, which is a plus during the hectic holiday season.

I first heard of this cookie recipe way back in my 7th grade Spanish class when we were asked to choose one Mexican or Spanish recipe to prepare and bring in for a Christmas potluck. I wasn’t a huge fan of nuts at the time (this recipe contains nuts), but decided to give this one a shot and it immediately became one of my favorite Christmas cookies. The recipe I was given in 7th grade contained butter, but I have been subbing plant-based alternatives for dairy butter and it has no effect on the taste or texture of these cookies. Hope you enjoy them just as much as I do!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter (I recommend using Earth Balance buttery spread)
  • 2 cups all-purpose white flour
  • 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  • < 1/4 tsp table salt (slightly below measure — a heaping measure once ruined my cookies).
  • 1-1/3 cup crushed pecans (or nut of choice) Dislike nuts? Sub with mini choc. chips (Ghirardelli semi-sweet, Trader Joe’s semi-sweet or Enjoy Life variety).
  • Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp each).
  • Confectioners sugar set aside for dusting

Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees.
  2. Cream butter and vanilla until fluffy.
  3. Add sugar, creaming well.
  4. Mix in flour and salt.
  5. Stir in Pecans.
  6. Lightly form dough into approx. 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
  7. Bake at 350 for 10-12 mins.
  8. Once lightly golden on top, remove from oven. Cookies should appear slightly gelatinous as though they need to cook longer, but should firm up once cooled.
  9. Let cool for 5 minutes then, roll in confectioners sugar. Set aside to cool another 5 minutes and then roll a second time.

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