ABOUT

Welcome! My name is Ashley and I’m the face behind Curated in Carolina. I was born + raised in Wake Forest, NC and am now living in Franklin County with my husband. North Carolina is my home and I can’t imagine (and don’t plan to be) living anywhere else.

The only time I moved away from my hometown was to attend college in Boone, NC. Even then, I only survived a year due to homesickness and ended up coming back to Raleigh to finish college at NC State (go pack!). I still LOVE visiting the mountains any chance I get (specifically Banner Elk) and in fact, it feels like a second home to me. My husband and I love traveling all over the state and exploring new places. Outside of NC, my bucket list goal is to visit all 50 states, so this is a platform where I’ll also be sharing those trips and recommendations!

If you know me, you know I’m not the biggest fan of the recent growth Wake Forest and the surrounding towns have been experiencing, since the small-town feel (and everything that comes along with it) is getting lost in the thick of it. HOWEVER, I do realize people are moving here for a reason - it IS such a great place to live. Everything I love about NC, everyone else clearly loves too.

Most of my time right now is spent at my “9 to 5” job. I work in healthcare as a practice manager while also handling marketing for our local community hospital. Additionally, I have another small business (Downing Designs!) that I started back in 2019 when I was a sophomore in college. Over there, I make clay earrings and custom gifts, and enjoy doing pop-up shows across the state and meeting new customers. Altogether it’s a lot, and I’m learning everyday, I’ve still just been craving something more.

One day at the end of 2023, I came across the idea of starting this blog, mainly because I refer to so many blogs for other things, inlcluding recipes, travel inspo, DIY projects and more. I’ve had a Pinterest for as long as I remember (pretty sure I started planning my wedding on it back in middle school), and I like to think of myself as being pretty creative. I’m also big on things that give me the best value for my money, so that ties into a lot of things. I decided to take my creativity, my love for all things North Carolina, projects, travel, and more, while pairing it with my prior business knowledge I’ve gained from owning Downing Designs, and ultimately, Curated in Carolina was born!

Follow along as I share my tips, recommendations and favorite things that are of course, Curated in Carolina (and beyond)! My hope is that you can gain something valuable from this. Oh, and THANK YOU for being here!