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Bright Winter Stripes

It's been rather dreary in Arizona lately. We had a humdinger of a storm that dumped loads of rain on the Valley and even resulted in a tornado watch. The storms are gone, but the warm temps we enjoyed the week before seem to have disappeared. And while we're not as cold as the rest of the country, I still get the feeling that my fellow Valley dwellers are more than ready for spring.

Luckily none of us have to wait for spring to punch up our wardrobes and homes with some brightly colored (and striped -- of course) accessories. Take a look at these wonderful winter options that are sure to make you chipper.

Clockwise from top left: Uptown Coat, $138 here, Wellie Magee Bag, $195 here, iPhone 3G Cover, $30 here, Ojai Orange, Green and Yellow Dinnerware, $101.20 per set here.

Cakes for a Cause

I was contacted over the holidays by Ohio wedding planning superstar, Emilie Duncan. Emilie and I "met" over Twitter and have recently decided we may have been separated at birth. Our paths have seemingly crossed many times over the years, and we were completely oblivious. We both attended Michigan State University, roomed in the same dorms, got married at the same place, etc, etc, etc.

Anyway, back to the holidays: Emilie needed a logo for a charitable event she was spearheading. I happily volunteered, mainly because I was helping Emilie, helping hungry people, and because there was cake involved.

Here's the gist:

Cakes for a Cause is an evening of fun and networking benefiting the Mid Ohio Food Bank and Operation Feed. You'll find something to satisfy every sweet tooth, including live and silent cake auctions and raffles. In a word - YUM.

If you are in Ohio, you can get all the details right here.

I tried a few different logo treatments for this event, and this design won out. The only real requirement was something in a fun orange shade, so I chose bold typography paired with a more delicate scalloped cake platter. I think the juxtaposition works well -- it's a serious cause, but it's also going to be fun and delicious.

Thank you, Emilie, for this wonderful opportunity. If you're in Ohio, please consider attending this event. Something tells me your tummy will thank you.

Happy Belated New Year!

Happy New Year, peeps!

Apologies for the lack of posts, I had some big work-related projects over the holiday so I decided to give myself a bit of a break.

But now I'm back and ready to share my most favorite gift from the holidays. Aside from my new MacBook Pro (which is really a business expense...but rocks nonetheless), I am completely smitten with this little number:

small egg crate, $12 right here.

I can't tell you how long I have coveted this. Anthropologie apparently wants me to use it as an actual egg crate (it's ceramic), but I'm going to use it as a new home for my rings, earrings and extra buttons. It looks so pretty on my dresser, you have no idea.

It also comes in aqua. I may need one of those, too. We'll see.

Cookie Swap 2.0

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

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? }

Pretty Floral Gifts

Have you heard of Olive and Cocoa? I received their catalog the other day, and now want everything they sell. This is what I want the most:

Snow arrangement, $108 right here.

In addition to some lovely floral prettiness, they also offer an amazing array of gift ideas. I'm somewhat averse to the idea of sending food (it seems a bit overdone, no?) but their packaging is so pretty and if you're a business owner you can have it customized with your logo. Swoon.

PS - Olive and Cocoa has not paid me for this post. They just put out a lovely catalog and I felt the need to share.