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November 21, 2013

The Search for the Perfect Christmas Cookies

I was really excited when Bing asked me to partner with them to share the new Smart Search for Windows 8.1. I’ve always been a really visual person, which probably helps to explain why I’ve always worked in creative fields among other (more nerdy) things. It’s also why I love my job as an art and design blogger, but sometimes the internet doesn’t translate well for my type of folk. Smart Search is an entirely visual search that shows you a clean, graphic view of information from across the web – right up my alley. You can use it to check out the weather, get directions, or like me… find the perfect Christmas cookies!

One of my pet peeves about recipes in general is when no photo is attached. How do I know what the end result is supposed to look like?! Is this chocolatey blob accurate? Well, Smart Search eliminates that problem completely. I can now find the cookies that I’ll make to take home with me to my Grandma’s for the holidays by what looks most delicious. (All of them, obviously.)

It was no easy task, but after a major search I narrowed down the results to these eight. And I still need to take that down further, because my 89-year-old Grandma and I have an agreement that we’ll each make two kinds. (Though she’s such a cheater.) Which two get your votes?

Clockwise from top: Almond Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies by Running to the Kitchen // Amaretti by gnom gnom // Caramel Apple Cookies by Bakers Royale // Lemon Sugar Cookie Sandwiches by I Am Baker // Meringues with Rhubarb Curd and Rosehip by The Vanilla Bean Blog // Orange and Ricotta Crackle Cookies by Cook Republic // Pumpkin Shortbread by Cookies & Cups // Sweet Potato Ginger Cookies by Quick & Easy Recipes

This post was created in partnership with Bing. With a type or a swipe you can search the web, the cloud, apps, and your PC or tablet, all in one place using Bing Smart Search on Windows 8.1.

Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Design Crush going!

Posted In christmas, holidays, recipes, sponsored post

November 8, 2013

Apple Dumplings + West Elm

Almost every one of my favorite recipes has a story, so when West Elm asked me to share one of my favorite holiday traditions I knew just the one. When I was in elementary school my grandparents looked after me once school was out every day. My Grandpa picked me up at the bus stop and drove me the fifteen minutes to their house in the next town where my mom would scoop me up after work. Most days when I got into his car there would be a snack waiting for me – an orange we would share or a coconut macaroon cookie. But on really special fall days there was nothing until we got back to their house and I walked in the door to the sight of my Grandma’s apple dumplings, perfectly golden and smelling like heaven. Those apple dumplings meant that the holidays (as well as winter vacation) were right around the corner!

Now that I make my own I cut a corner or two, but the end result still gives me that same feeling of being cozy and loved. I picked up a Scape Oval Baking Dish (the perfect size for four apple dumplings) and a set of Universal Expert Wooden Utensils from West Elm Market to make the recipe all the more fun to pull together and share with you. I can already tell that these pieces are going to get a major workout over the next few months between casseroles and baked goods!

Apple Dumplings

• 4 medium-large apples (I used Fuji)
• 1/4 C quick cooking oats
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 pie crusts (I use pre-made)
• 4 tsp butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• granulated sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a large baking dish with cooking spray in preparation. Make or (or open) your go-to pie crust recipe (each apple will use one crust). In a small bowl mix together the oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon then set aside. Peel and core the apples. Roll out (or lay out) one pie crust and set an apple in the center. Fill the hollowed out core with the oat-brown sugar-cinnamon mixture all the way to the top, then place a teaspoon of butter on top. Fold up the edges of the crust, making sure to pinch the seams as you go along. Repeat the process with the other three apples and set each one in the baking dish. Beat the egg and vanilla together and brush all over each dumpling, then dust with sugar. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown. These are delicious served with Brown Sugar Sauce (recipe below) or served with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. One dumpling could easily be split between two people.

Brown Sugar Sauce

• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C water

Combine brown sugar and water in a small saucepan. Simmer until reduced and thickened.

This post has been sponsored by West Elm. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush going! West Elm is offering 20% off all tabletop items until November 26th.

Posted In house and home, kitchen, recipes, sponsored post

October 31, 2013

Insta October

October is my favorite month of the year, and it inevitable screws me over. It’s like a bad ex that I keep going back to year after year. 2013 was no different, but the second half at least threw me a bone to come back in 2014.

I found an old stash of senior pictures – definitely a case of baby face in the left one. The dogs have decided they much prefer a $50 hypoallergenic pillow on the couch to either a dog bed or blanket. Figures! I finally had the garage sale that’s been five years in the making, and I couldn’t be happier it’s over. (More on that later.) Took a fast weekend trip home to Pennsylvania and couldn’t not stop at my favorite hometown bakery. Three days later I was in sunny Palm Springs, CA soaking up some sun with a few of my favorite ladies. I also attended Camp Mighty and added a few photobooth strips to my ever-growing collection! Then it was back home to play a serious game of catch up and get some Bebe cuddles in.

Posted In my life

October 30, 2013

Bloggers Love Cats + Bloggers Love Dogs: A Calendar Fundraising Project

I couldn’t be more excited to finally reveal a little something I’ve been working on for the past month – Bloggers Love Cats and Bloggers Love Dogs: A Calendar Fundraising Project!

This was one of those ideas that came to me in the minutes before falling asleep one night, that I somehow magically managed to remember the next morning without having written down. That idea was to reach out to the incredible network of bloggers I’m a part of to create two calendars that would feature our much loved pets, with all proceeds going directly to The Humane Society of the United States. I decided to make both calendars downloads instead of printed in order to give every last dollar to the animals. You can choose from Bloggers Love Cats or Bloggers Love Dogs for $7 each or pick up both for $12!

Bloggers Love Cats features 13-months of felines from Sugar and Cloth, Joy the Baker, Design Crush, And Kathleen (also our cover model), Cupcakes and Cashmere, Paper & Stitch, Justina Blakeney, Fieldguided, Oh So Beautiful Paper, For Me, For You, TeenAngster, Lisa Congdon, and Jojotastic.

If canines are more your thing check out 13-months of Bloggers Love Dogs! Included are the pooches of Smith & Ratliff, sfgirlbybay (our cover girl!), Design Milk, House of Brinson, Cookie and Kate, Style & Pepper, The Broke-Ass Bride, Design Crush, Honey Kennedy, Dog Milk, Lisa Congdon, bigBANG studio, and Jojotastic.

Posted In calendars, do good, my design, paper goods

October 23, 2013

PS I Love You + Camp Mighty

Last Wednesday I departed on what was basically my first vacation in 7 1/2 years. I wish that were an exaggeration, but when it comes down to it I’m not the best at making time for myself. So a few months ago when a group of my favorite girlfriends decided to take a trip to Palm Springs I knew I had to join in or risk losing the small strand of sanity that keeps me going.

We stayed at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club, which made me feel fully indoctrinated into hipter-ism. The campy vibe was perfect and laid back, while everyone on staff was incredibly friendly and accommodating. Maybe more so than anywhere else I’ve ever stayed. I loved all of the little touches, from the teeny tiny cubed soap on a rope in each room to the heavy down duvet on my bed.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Ace used to be a rundown Holiday Inn that was given new life, and I love that the lobby/restaurant/bar on site are housed in a remodeled Denny’s!

The majority of time was spent lazily lounging around and in the larger of the two pools. I’m a reformed water baby and definitely lapsed during the five days spent in PS! And miracle of miracles not one of us ladies burned thanks to frequent reapplications of SPF (though I’m kind of convinced it has more to do with the Ace existing in a magical bubble in the desert). I came home yesterday with a lovely glow – sometimes a overdose of sun is just what the doctor ordered.

The grounds were so well designed, too. Combed sand, art installations, and fruit trees abounded. (I borrowed three Meyer lemons to bring home with me!) We’re already planning to revisit next year for another girls’ retreat.

The underlying reason for being in town was to attend Camp Mighty. Last year I was lucky enough to attend Mighty Summit, and the instant I left northern California knew I had to get more of the invigoration I felt afterwards. Camp Mighty is an annual retreat for bloggers, Go Mighty members, online content creators, and life list enthusiasts who want to do good for themselves and others. It’s where 150 individuals gather to trade ideas, get motivated, and start projects. And it’s just the place to be if you want to make things happen.

Highlights included a space themed party (with lots of dancing by this girl), a group workshop to highlight each person’s top five goals for the coming year, inspired sessions (including keynote speaker Piper Kerman of Orange is the New Black fame), and a beautiful closing dinner. All within about 20 feet of a pool. Not too shabby!

Each of us wrote down our five goals for the year and taped them to a massive board. Then everyone else read the lists and hung a tag from the pin if they could help you accomplish anything. Last year I went the tough route, but after a hairy 2013 I decided to take it easy on myself this round.

My 5 Goals:
1. Find my signature cocktail. (Really, I don’t have one.)
2. Get a tattoo with my mom. (I got two with my dad several years ago.)
3. Make an anonymous donation. (Truly anonymous, as in won’t tell a soul.)
4. Make spaghetti sauce from scratch. (I’ve never done it!)
5. Organize a charitable event. (It’s already in the works, so stay tuned!)

The trip turned out to be just what I needed after a very difficult start to the month. I came home exhausted, but with a renewed sense of getting my ass in gear. Are you a life list maker? Yay or nay?

Posted In my life

October 22, 2013

Creating My Holiday Cards with Zazzle

Plain with a Punch

Brought to you by Motorola Moto X: Thousands of combinations. Design yours.

Color is one of the biggest elements of my style, of most peoples’ really. You can choose to be moody one day while cloaking yourself in black, or fun and playful the next while mixing bright hues. Innocent and ethereal in white, or downplayed in shades of brown. The point is that color infiltrates our lives in every way and definitely effects our mood. It’s reflected in my home, my closet, and now technology as well!

Motorola’s Moto X has been blowing up all over the place, and with over 2,000 color combinations it’s easy to see why. I’m glued to my phone and I’m sure you probably are too, so it’s especially it’s nice that Motorola has realized what a huge chunk of the market thinks of their phone not only as a lifeline but also as an accessory! After really examining my aesthetic and style preferences I decided on a blush Moto X with lemon lime accents. It perfectly mimics my taste, Plain with a Punch! Neutral tones, casual style, with an unexpected touch to make it really special.

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Posted In accessories, bags, jewelry, shoes, sponsored post, technology, wear it

October 2, 2013

Confluence

Heeeyyy, Oklahoma City! Saturday, October 26th I’ll be speaking at Confluence, a conference celebrating OKC’s bloggers and digital influencers. Because you know what? We’ve got a lot of them. Confluence was created by David Christopher (an Oklahoman by way of Britain, funnily enough) as a way to bring us all together to meet, mingle, and learn from one another. Such a simple yet brilliant premise that I can’t wait to be a part of. I’ll be talking about growing your online community, but you can check out the whole Confluence lineup of speakers right here. If you’re in the OKC area and want to attend you can register here, use the code earlybird when doing so before October 12th for $10 off. Can’t wait to see you all at the end of the month.

Posted In oklahoma, shameless plug

September 30, 2013

Insta September

We’ve been doing some updates, here Peanut the cat gives his approval on a new armchair in the living room. I hung this sweet porcelain horseshoe over my front door for luck. Bebe was awful scruffy (how I like her!) before getting her semi-annual fur cropping. Oklahoma has some of the best sunset I’ve ever seen and brought out her best for the month. I visited Plenty Mercantile for the first time (I’ll be going back. Often.) and picked a few giant sticks of colorful taffy to ogle. Last month I commissioned this beautiful MCM-inspired coffee table and it was delivered last week. We updated the front door with some vinyl house numbers for a fun, graphic look. S’mores candy corn exists. For the record it’s good, but not heavily s’mores-y.

Posted In my life

September 23, 2013

Make My Crap Your Crap MEGA Garage Sale

The Make My Crap Your Crap MEGA Garage Sale has been moved to next Saturday, 10/5 due to a 100% chance of severe storms.

Believe it or not this garage sale has been in the works for over two years. I just couldn’t get my act together and had a million and one excuses. So instead my guest room was filled to the brim (literally, I could barely open the door) with every single unwanted thing I’d been corralling since I moved into my house. Five years ago.

I can thank Go Mighty for helping me get it done, this sale is actually an item on my Life List believe it or not. That’s how much I want to get it taken care of it. And because I’m attending Camp Mighty next month and in the process of raising my $200 for Charity: Water there was no better time to get my ass in gear and no better reason for you to come buy all of my crap.

One other thing. I’ve never had a garage sale before, so this is all off the cuff. I’ve got my permit, my tables rented, etc for the big day this coming Saturday but I’m kind of nervous. What if no one wants my stuff? So if you’re in the Oklahoma City area and would like to attend, just drop me a comment and leave your email address in the form. I’ll reply with the location the day before (you know, creepy stalkers need not apply and all). There might even be some snacks and beverages waiting for you! (There totally will be.)

Posted In my house, shameless plug