Warmest Wishes

The finished product from our little preview here. 

Happy Holidays lovelies! Taking a few days off, see you in the new year!

Proud Wife

Hey peeps! Just a quick little post to let you know my husband's tea company, Royal Tea Co. is a featured deal on Gilt City and I wanted to share it with you! The offer, $25 for $50 worth of Rare Loose Leaf Tea, is available until 12/30/2010 at 12pm CST and good through March 23, 2011. You've worked hard this holiday season, treat yourself to a relaxing blend, an energizing brew or immune boosting infusion! All available at the Royal Tea Co. website.

P.S. Gilt City is the source for coveted products & experiences at insider prices. Be sure the check out their other offers and experience your city for less! Not a member? Email me for an invitation.

Weathering the Storm

Dear readers, I try to keep this a positive place but sometimes crappy things happen and it's hard to keep a great attitude. I continually debate how much personal info to share on this blog, more for safety & privacy reasons above anything else. However, I do feel so close to many of you who visit faithfully and inspire me with your stories and comments and it doesn't feel right not to be honest with you. Without diving into details, I'm putting it out there that some of my loved ones are going through some rough spots right now in several different capacities and while I do believe all will eventually end well, it doesn't make the middle of the storm any easier. Coincidentally, just yesterday I read an article about resilience and a quote that stuck with me said, "If you fall 7 times, stand up 8", which is what we intend to do. However, if you have it in your heart to say a little prayer of peace or send a warm thought through the universe I would greatly appreciate it.

It's the season of love and gratefulness and you know nothing makes my heart smile more than spending time with my family. Fortunately, I'll be with them soon but in light of recent developments may need to take a little blogging break for the holiday. Hopefully this isn't my last post of the season but if it is, I hope you know how much you mean to me. People who aren't bloggers may not understand how you can care so much about people you've never met. But I know you get it :) Thank you for reading, thank you for inspiring, thank you for sharing.
(Here I go getting all weepy...)

*Hugs*
Ashleigh

P.S. The picture above, titled "Mini skirts in Snowstorm" (found here), captures perfectly how it feels to be caught in the middle of a life storm - helpless and uncomfortable.  Luckily, storms always end, and the sun shall return!

It's the Little Things - #9

Salted Carmel Hot Cocoa on a freezing day.
Made with Dark Chocolate - score!

Style Secret

Let's play a little guessing game!  See this dress...

gorgeous isn't she?

This is me wearing the dress to the Chicago Fashion Foundation Christmas Party last weekend.  I cinched her up with a black leather wrap belt...

 (You remember Brooke, right?)

and added these Carlos platform sling backs.

Here she is with the group...

Now tell me Fashionista's - where is she from??

Popular guesses were:

 Lanvin for H&M

Forever 21

The Limited
Ann Taylor Loft

Answer revealed after the break...

Christmas Card Outtakes 2010

Last weekend we ventured into the cold to capture a suitable photo for our Christmas card this year. Of course, as common with projects of this nature, there were more bloopers than suitable but the silliness recaped the day perfectly.

Have a little look, don't blink or you'll miss it!
(P.S. There's a little tune in the video, just in case you need to adjust your volume.)



Update: See the finished product here!

Oh, Deer.

I'm smitten with these photos taken by Feather Love Photography for the 'Girls with Glasses' feature in the holiday issue of Rue Magazine. Coconut (my favorite!), little deer cakes and shiny tinsel...yes!
How sweet is the deer in the first photo, it's like he's looking right at us!

Black Swan

How amazing is this film going to be?? Anyone else chomping at the bit to see it?? We rarely go to theater but once in a while a movie comes along that begs to be viewed on the big screen. The previews look intense!!



I'm pirouetting for the costumes designed by Rodarte...

Sketches via Russian Vogue

Happy Weekend Ballerina's!

Sequin Stunner

I can't get enough of the sequins lately.  The product description calls this jacket 'kinda Vegas grandma'. Aaaaaand iloveit. Perfect for a 'Let me look fab-er than necessary while being comfortable" moment.

 Available at Swirl by Daily Candy.