Kelly Ashworth » real life

Reading is Fundamental

kelly — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:00:40 +0000

Are you on Good Reads? It’s great — like social networking for bookworms. I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately, so every time I finish a book, I can post reviews and see what my friends are reading. Here’s a quick look into what I’ve been filling my brain with as of late:

Want to join my book nerdery? Follow this link. Let’s be geeky friends.

Cookie Swap 2.0

kelly — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Not surprisingly, people take their cookies seriously. In the midst of planning our cookie extravaganza, I was delighted with the cookie feedback I received via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Deliciousness via social networking? Who knew?

So here’s a quick roundup of recipes. My oven is about to get a work out.

Christmas Wreaths: I know the green food coloring can be a bit off-putting, but once you get past that, (or just go au naturale and forgo the food coloring altogether) these treats are deee-lish. Recipe here. Photo provided by a trusty college pal who is THE authority on all things Christmas.

(Top) Oatmeal Cream Cheese Butterscotch Bars & (Bottom) Sunny’s Crunchy Peanut Butter S’more Bites: submitted by the one and only Heather Crabtree of Outstanding Occasions fame. I have not tried either recipe. Yet. But I know Heather and according to her Twitter page, she has cooked an entire Thanksgiving dinner by herself, which I consider a serious feat. So I will henceforth trust any recommendation she may have when it comes to cooking. Oh, and she’s also a doll.

Recipes here and here.

Magic Toffee Bars: My mom has a habit of digging up the most addictive sweet treat recipes during the holiday season. She calls these Magic Toffee Bars. I call them Crack on a Saltine. Plan on making several batches. You’ll thank me later. Recipe here.

I am throwing these last two selections in because A) I have made them myself, 2) they are relatively simple recipes and C) they taste good no matter how bad they look.

Raspberry Pinwheels: I found this recipe last year and the cookies looked so pretty and relatively easy to make. A fair warning – unless you bake on a regular basis, your cookies probably won’t look this pretty. But pop one in your mouth and SWEET MOTHER OF GOD ARE THEY DELICIOUS! I considered burning this recipe out of fear I would bake them every week and end up on one of those horrible TLC exposes. Half Ton Designer. So use this recipe with some discretion. Find it here.

Best Ever Butter Cookies: This is my best kept baking secret, are you ready? The best Christmas cookie recipe is not passed down from generation to generation, it’s found on the back of a Land-O-Lakes butter container. My mother-in-law introduced me to this wizardry when my husband and I first started dating and I have made these babies every year since. I add a little extra orange juice to the dough. Splash some into the frosting recipe, too. This is where I’ll start tomorrow – simple, basic and so insanely delicious. I can barely contain my excitement! Find it here.

Peace, Love & Cookies, peeps! Merry Christmas!

I Heart Cookies

kelly — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:00:00 +0000

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed this little gem last week:

I’m making good on my tweet. I won’t bake cookies until December 24th. Maybe even the 25th. In the meantime, I’ve been perusing my favorite magazines and websites for ideas and recipes for my cookie extravaganza. I’ll post the top contenders this week.

But my inquiring mind wants to know – what is your favorite cookie recipe? Leave me a comment or shoot me an email – info@kellyashworthdesign.com – and I’ll post your deliciousness for all the blogosphere to see. We’ll call it “Cookie Swap 2.0″. Yum.

{ image from Sweet and Saucy Shop. Did you gasp at this gorgeousness like I did? }

Slipper Love

kelly — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Hope everyone had a delicious Thanksgiving! I am in the thick of Holiday Card Season and loving every minute of it. But if I ever get around to designing my own cards remains to be seen. C’est la Vie.

When I picked up the mail on Monday, I found a new LL Bean Catalog and nearly tossed it. But then these cuties caught my eye and I just had to share. Say hello to the newest additions to my Christmas list. Santa, are you listening? I’m a 10.5.

Hearthside Beaded Moccasin, $39.95 and Hearthside Slipper, $34.95 right here.

My Sweden Adventure: Part 2 – Svensk Tenn

kelly — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

My apologies for the so-so photos taken with my phone, but check out these marvelous vignettes. I shot these at Svensk Tenn, the coolest, most difficult to pronounce design shop in Stockholm.

If you’re a fan of Josef Frank, this is a must see. You’ll find his designs on fabrics, lampshades, dinnerware and wallpaper. All equally fantastic. But a fair warning: bring your kroners. All of them. Nothing in Stockholm is cheap and this place was certainly no exception.

Because I hadn’t checked any luggage, I was only able to bring a few small pieces home with me, and they will serve as gifts. Which is all the better, because holy cow is that exchange rate brutal!

Check out the website for all of the loveliness. And enjoy my attempt at pretending I wasn’t actually an obnoxious tourist taking photos of everything in sight below:

Love this pillow arrangement!

My favorite. Love the sofa. Love the chandelier. And those green drapes? Yum.

Thank you, Svensk Tenn for convincing my husband that wallpaper might actually be awesome in our bedroom. But just on one wall. That’s the deal.

My Sweden Adventure: Part 1 – H&M Paradise Discovered

kelly — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

This year for my birthday, my husband surprised me with a trip to Sweden. This trip was a trifecta of aweseomeness: The Detroit Red Wings were playing their season opener in Stockholm, which was the main reason for the trip. But I have always ALWAYS wanted to travel to Sweden because it’s the land of my great-grandparents AND amazing design. So amazing surprise indeed, no?

We arrived in Stockholm at around 7:30am, jet lagged and delirious. The receptionist at the hotel was kind enough to let us check in early, so we took a delicious 4-hour nap, showered, dressed and hit the town for a little exploration.

In addition to checking out the beautiful architecture in the Old Town, my husband was also kind enough to indulge me in a little retail therapy. I knew we’d find some amazing shops in Stockholm, but I had no idea just how many there would be. The Swedes love to shop. (What can I say? It’s in my genes. Now I have a perfectly valid excuse.) I was particularly excited to see an H&M on just about every corner. Which makes sense, because H&M was born in Sweden over 60 years ago. Most of the shops had multiple levels, and at one store in particular, I noticed a level devoted to home accessories. And that’s when I knew I was in trouble.

Fun display with clock pillows.

Pillows and blankets and linens and textiles galore. At H&M prices. Here are a few of my faves:

Of course, none of this loveliness is available stateside. But you can join my drool fest right here. Perhaps if we ask nicely, we can convince them that we need these goodies, too? Anyone on board to sign my petition?

Go Green!!!

kelly — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:00:00 +0000

I’m posting this dress not because it is extremely stylish (which it is) but more so because of its lovely shade of green. Much like the green worn by the Michigan State University Spartans. If you haven’t heard, they’ll be playing in the NCAA Championship game this evening. If I were in Detroit to witness the spectacle, I’d like to think I’d fit right in wearing this gorgeous green number from JCrew’s wedding collection. But then I’d realize it’s a basketball game, not a wedding. So if you are in a wedding or attending a wedding, consider this lovely shade. Going green has never been more gorgeous. GO STATE!!!!

{ Silk chiffon Juliet dress, $180 right here. }

Stay Tuned

kelly — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Just wanted to say sorry for the blogging hiatus this week. I’ve been sick as a dog and have been busy reading up on the many different exotic diseases I might have on Web MD. Turns out it’s not dengue, so I’ve got that going for me.

But stay tuned for regularly scheduled programming next week.

Pumpkin rage and pretty lamps

kelly — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:28:00 +0000

I’ve started counting my calories again. In these tough economic times, it’s cheaper to lose weight than replace all of the tight jeans I suddenly find in my closet.

And of course it couldn’t come at a more ridiculous time — Halloween candy is everywhere, and all I want is a giant piece of pumpkin loaf and a caramel sauce latte. Liene didn’t help matters with her Pumpkin Creme Pie post. My whole mouth filled with saliva and I started seeing spots.

Bottom line…don’t be an idiot like moi. Diet after the holidays like a normal person.

In the meantime, I have been finding distraction in my catalog/magazine addiction. Check out these lamps:

{ $169 for bedside and $199 for table, right here. }

I love this idea for a wedding. For a more casual affair, wouldn’t they make a cool centerpiece? Fill them with personal trinkets, beads, buttons, seashells…you get the picture. I want one for every room in my house. And with all the money I’m saving by not buying new jeans…

4 Years

kelly — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:07:00 +0000

{ Photo by Chris Holford Wedding Photography }

Happy 4 years, babe. I love you.