Joanna Hawley created Jojotastic as a place to spotlight everything from runway-fresh fashion to home interiors. Fellow animal hoarder and blogger, Joanna spends her spare time indulging in wanderlust, climbing rocks, and questing for the perfect apple pie.
Hailing from Detroit, Shinola is a long-time favorite for beautifully crafted leathergoods and watches. Recently, they partnered with photographer and animal-lover Bruce Weber on a collection of pet accessories. Like the rest of their pieces, the pet accessories are hand-made in America and made vegetable-tanned leather with brass hardware. Shinola also hopes to raise awareness with this collection for all rescue organizations, including the Michigan Humane Society and Best Friends.
Long-time golden retriever lover Bruce Weber also lent his photographic eye to the project. His strong belief that pets add meaning to our lives truly comes through in the photos, don’t you think?
I’m absolutely thrilled for Kelly and her gorgeous new home. Congrats! Ample spaces means room for visitors, right?!
While Kelly is busy settling in, I thought I’d do a special edition of This Girl for Design Crush. This Girl is a series I do on my blog, The House that Lars Built, and I had to try my hand at creating one for someone else. Welcome to This Girl!
I’m the kind of gal who goes weak in the knees for a perfectly paired color combo… Something tells me you Design Crushers can relate?
Sweet slices of citrus go swimmingly with the soft shade that falls somewhere between dark and light. A swoon-worthy set that instantly brightens up everything from fall fashion to furniture to fabulous feathers.
Happy to lend this stunning scheme while dear Kelly is off getting settled in her new place, and to see more of my Color Crushes you’re welcome to visit me over on Style & Pepper anytime!
Hi Everyone! I’m Billy from Wit & Vinegar and I’m helping out with a post while Kelly moves/buys a house. If it were me in that situation we’d play a game called how many margaritas can we drink before we stop packing boxes and cry uncontrollably in a corner.
Since I kind of dabble in food over on my site I thought I’d have some sort of food involvement in what I brought over here. It’s an Instagram account that I’ve been obsessed with ever since Kelly posted about it in a roundup a while back. I figured we could showcase the goodness!
Tommy Perez works with food, paper, and type to make all sorts of magic that he posts on Instagram and every time it happens I freak out a little bit and double tap as fast as I can.
Hi! Kate here, from Cookie and Kate. I offer fresh, vegetarian recipes on my blog. I had the pleasure of getting to know Kelly when I was new to blogging and living in Oklahoma. My dog, Cookie, and I moved up to Kansas City a couple of years ago. Since Kelly is in the process of moving back to Pennsylvania, she asked me to share a few travel-friendly snacks. Safe travels, Kelly!
Almond Honey Granola: This is my go-to granola recipe. It’s a great, wholesome snack for the road. You can eat it as is or stop for some yogurt and turn it into breakfast.
Lebanese Lemon-Parsley Salad: This simple bean salad is packed with flavor. Store it in a spill-proof container and don’t forget your fork! It should last at room temperature for a few hours, but pack it in a cooler if you intend to wait any longer before eating.
Apricot Almond Bars: These knock-off Larabars are easy to make in a food processor and feature one of my favorite flavor combinations. They keep hunger pangs at bay in between meals.
Banana Coconut Muffins: These tasty muffins are more wholesome than most. They’re made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey. Pro tip: Don’t leave your dog in the car with an open bag of muffins.
Dane Horvath is an artist, illustrator, and designer living in Pittsburgh, PA. She is the founder of the popular blog Steeltown Anthem, which she launched in 2009 as a way to showcase the creative energy of Pittsburgh’s burgeoning arts scene through local design, architecture, craft, furniture, decor, and interiors. You can find her artwork and illustrations in her shop.
If you take a drive in or around Pittsburgh, hand-painted ghost signs are common to see on the sides of buildings or barns. The faded signs tell us what businesses or products once existed here and are a constant reminder of the city’s rich history, the way things have changed, yet, stayed the same. As a designer and artist, they are a huge inspiration to me. I try to step back and think of all the hard work and detail that went into painting them.
Hey there. Brittni here from Paper & Stitch. I’m excited to be guest posting today, while Kelly is busy moving. Admittedly, I have a lot of design crushes, but one in particular has really impressed me recently. So, I thought I would write about that today.
I’m always searching for new independent designers that have a similar aesthetic to my own. Minimal, modern, and a tiny bit trendy. And since I’ve been on the hunt for a few more specific pieces to add to my collection lately, mainly in the textile department, my casual search turned into a more specific quest to find the perfect shop. Shortly thereafter, I stumbled across Swift. After reading the background of the designers behind the label, I bookmarked the shop immediately and started adding things to my wish list.
Textile designers Michal and Roni are melding modern design with traditional textile techniques, like tie-dye, block printing, etc. So, in that way, each piece is one of a kind, which makes these designs all the more special. And puts this shop at the top of go-to list for all things textiles.
Hello! It’s Susan from House of Brinson stopping by Design Crush while Kelly completes her big move. I’ve been knee deep in renovating our 1850s historic home this summer, living in dust and piles of tools. For a visual person, this is hard, and sometimes depressing! I normally keep a neat home and living in a constant mess is really difficult. To keep me in a positive mood and focused on the end result I dream of what our finished space would look like, and look for color and interior design inspiration around every corner.
I discovered Eric Blum’s work online, and it has been an endless source of inspiration. First, his color palettes are soft, yet saturated. The inky blue and light pink color palette are so appealing. I love the combination and was inspired to use it in the interior design of our house. Eric’s use of texture feels so sophisticated to me, I could just get lost in the layers. He uses silk as a surface, applying ink and wax, which I’m sure in person is lovely.
If you have a moment, visit Eric’s site, this is a small sample of his large body of work, which includes drawings and prints. He also has an impressive list of galleries he’s appeared in.
Hi folks!!! Kirsten from Simply Grove here! I am so thrilled to be guest posting for Kelly as she travels the wonderful wide world. Kelly has created such an amazing movement over here on Design Crush. Only amazing things are coming her way!
I am an interior stylist so naturally I wanted to share interior design with you today. With the air getting colder for most of us, the home should be getting warmer inside. This is the time of year that the fireplace becomes a hot commodity. Mostly because of the warmth it gives but also for the mad design detail that it gives out. I’ve been seeing quite a few pretty fireplaces surfacing on the web. Here are a few of my favorites. 1, 2, 3
Hello Design Crush readers, I’m Elizabeth – so pleased to meet you. Along with my husband Brian, I write Brooklyn Supper, a food blog dedicated to seasonal eating and living the good life. It is downright thrilling to be a guest here on Design Crush, and I really want to win you over. Experience has taught me the best way to do that is with cake.
These little apple upside-down cakes were inspired by a recent trip to the apple orchard. Like always, we made it late in the season and all of the red apples were mostly gone. But happily, there was row after row of big, crisp Mutsu apples (also called Crispins). These pale green apples have crisp flesh, and a bright, mildly grassy flavor. I love baking with them because they don’t lose their texture after a stint in the oven, and their mild flavor accommodates notes of vanilla and orange beautifully.
Which brings me to the cakes. Tiny, moist, and dotted with flecks of cornmeal, these little beauties are infused with real vanilla bean and specks of orange zest. The apples have just a bit of bite, and since they’re lightly sweetened, the essence of the fresh fall apples comes through wonderfully. If you don’t have access to Mutsus, try another sweet, crisp, mild variety like Fuji, Macintosh, or Gala.
Apple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cakes
makes 5 eight-ounce cakes
for the fruit
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3″ section of vanilla bean, split
2 large apples (1 1/2 cups sliced)
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
pinch sea salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set out your butter, eggs, and milk to come to room temperature. Liberally grease five eight-ounce oven-proof ramekins.
In a medium-sized skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the bubbling butter, toss in the pods, and turn to heat to the very lowest setting. Allow vanilla and butter to steep over low heat for 10 minutes. If butter starts to brown at all, remove the pan from heat.
Meanwhile, core and slice the apples to 1/4″ thick. Using a diagonal cut, halve the slices.
Next, bring the heat back up to medium, and add the apples, sugar, orange zest and juice, and salt. Sauté for 5 minutes. Set aside while you prepare the batter.
for the cake
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, or using a paddle attachment and a stand mixture, beat the butter on low speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the sugar, and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the milk and vanilla extract. Finally, fold in the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Discard the vanilla pod. Divide the apples and their cooking liquid evenly between the ramekins. Next, spoon the batter over the apples, dividing evenly. Set ramekins on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached.
