Happy New Year!!! I hope 2019 has started off in a good way for you, my friends! K and a friend baked these lovely macarons a few days ago, and they’re so delicious — a perfect way to begin the year. She tells me that they used this video and it must be a darn excellent tutorial because the macarons came out very profesh.
So I’ve been mulling over how to make this announcement. Typically, my first post of the year is all about the Secret Valentine Exchange and I was keeping my fingers crossed that 2019 would be no different. However, when the numbers reached over 500 last year, we were astounded and delighted but also overwhelmed by the amount of communication and follow-up such a large number of people required. We have loved loved LOVED hosting the exchange for the past five years. It’s one of the most beautiful and meaningful projects I’ve ever been part of, made extra special because it was a collaboration with Ute, who is one of my favorite humans on earth. But if you’ve been following either or both of us, you’ve probably noticed that our online presence has dramatically declined because a lot has been going on in real life. I tried to figure out a way to keep SVE rolling while working on two books and other projects that I don’t often talk about here, but I had to admit I would be setting myself up for a very stressful start of 2019. Ditto for Ute. A hiatus made a lot of sense for this year.
Somewhat related, “macaron” — according to Chowhound — shares a root meaning with the oft-confused and different cookie named “macaroons.” Both names are derived from the Italian word ammaccare, which means “to crush”. It’s crushing (in a not-so-great way) to put SVE on hold, but if we want to crush it (in a great way) in 2019, the extra time will be used productively and with a different kind of love.
From the bottom of our hearts, we are so very grateful for all the past participants. It’s called a “hiatus” because I truly hope that we’ll be back next year or the year after. On the upside, one of the things we discovered last year was that there is a veritable explosion of similar gift exchanges these days. Perhaps if you’d be so inclined, you could leave a comment with some of your faves as alternative options?
And for those of you that might be eager to do some sewing and want to get a sneak peek into my next book, I’ll be putting out a call for pattern testers in a few weeks. Stay tuned!!!!