August 30, 2013

the davidson family illustrated



oh how i love illustrating families... it's so very special and happy. they always make me smile, and i think it makes them smile too, with rosy cheeks and all. :)

xo!

August 28, 2013

danielle bacon photography logo!



this girl was a blast to collaborate with!! the very fun/friendly/creative/talented danielle and i became instant friends over email and the vision came quickly for her new look.

i wanted it to feel strong yet feminine while having a clean + more modern feel to it... something that she could stamp on all her packaging and use as a watermark on all her images!

i'm so excited for danielle's new branding and all that's ahead for her! thanks so much for collaborating with me danielle, loved every minute!!

you can browse her lovely work here...

xo!
ash

August 22, 2013

a lesson in planting, pt. 2



isn't it amazing how all of creation exemplifies a very detailed, personal, wise God? i love it. i love that i can glean life lessons from something as seemingly simple as garden plants + weeds.

after living in our new home for a week, we noticed our grass withering and our pretty flowers slumping over. so we bought our first hose! [things that first time homeowners get excited about... i may have to keep of list of these...]

we've had discussions about what time of day is best to water, how often we should water, if a sprinkler mist is better than a jet stream... we've been putting a lot of thought + effort into caring for our newly adopted landscape... but you know what's frustrating? weeds grow without any care whatsoever! and sometimes weeds look a lot like flowers, you can't even tell the difference unless you really look closely... i bet you can see where i'm going with this....

it made me examine what's being planted in my heart - am i letting the weeds of my flesh jealousy/bitterness/annoyances/stress/doubt/anxiety overrun the fruit of the Spirit? am i spending enough time in the Word, with Jesus, to easily spot weeds of envy + worry when they spring up? because a lot of times, those weeds go unnoticed, they blend in until they're choking out the fruit of love/joy/peace/patience/kindness/goodness/gentleness/self control....

 it's difficult to keep weeds away, especially when they're so deeply rooted in my heart, i need to constantly keep my heart + mind in check... it's not just a one time job, as you gardeners know, it needs to be a daily [sometimes moment-by-moment] task that is crucial to our relationship with Jesus - because that's where He resides and that's what He cares about.

there are hundreds of verses about God seeing our hearts, asking for them entirely, not just a section or a piece, but the whole wounded/prideful/wicked thing, so that He can transform it.

i love this prayer in psalm 119... i want this to be the anthem of my heart...

"i have chosen the way of truth;
your judgments i have laid before me.
i cling to your testimonies;
O Lord, do not put me to shame...
i will run the course of Your commandments,
for you shall enlarge my heart.
teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,
and i shall keep it to the end.
give me understanding, and i shall keep your law;
indeed i shall observe it with my whole heart.
make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
for i delight in it.
incline my heart to Your testimonies,
and not to covetousness.
turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
and revive me in Your way.
establish Your word to Your servant,
who is devoted to fearing You."
[v. 30-38]

August 21, 2013

yay it's here! august desktop + wallpaper!

well, i don't know how it's already the 20th of the month - oh wait, yes i do, life happened + here we are! it's been a great/crazy/exciting/full month... with us buying our first home!



see us? that's us in our ugly moving shoes, too excited to care that we're wearing ugly moving shoes, opening our front door for the first time together! he even carried me over the threshold... which, i'll just say, was not my most graceful moment....

anyways, besides all the home buying stuff, kelli's sister-in-law got married, and well, we both have businesses to run! as much as we tried to get together and work on this, for one reason or another, we couldn't meet up as early as we had hoped but we were still determined to get one out for august... and i'm so glad we did!!



i have such fond memories of the fair as a kid, going with my parents, then later going with my friends on those sketchy rides, to now staying clear of the 'zipper' and other rides that shall remain nameless... and going for the fun of the rodeo and the best-in-show bunnies... yes, i'm that obsessed with rabbits, that i go to the bunny barn at the fair and try to convince my husband that archimedes needs a friend [hasn't worked yet].

one memory in particular always sticks out when i see a ferris wheel, the one where i was sandwiched in between my mom and dad in one of those seats, a little 4-year-old me looking down from the top and being terrified out of my mind. apparently i was shaking the entire time, say my parents. no wonder i had a fear of heights for so long!

as a kid, i had no idea how i was going to get out of there alive. it was the unknown, the fear of falling, the fear of no going back.... but guess what? i made it down just fine.
this rings so true of life for me. living a life of faith is scary at times, it's uncomfortable, it's risky, it's a daring adventure... but God is faithful. He stays by our side, in control of everything.

one of my favorite quotes from c.s. lewis is "do not dare, not to dare." so simple, yet so easily forgotten or ignored. it's easy to be comfortable, to get set in my ways, to stay 'inside' so to speak, but adventure is how we grow, it makes us courageous by trusting in God because we can't see what's ahead but He does. He knows exactly what awaits us, and He'll get us through it.

such a perfect quote as one season ends and another begins... love to you all, praying you find strength to step out of your comfort zone and step out in faith!

xo!
ash


August 20, 2013

wedding invites for aaron + shauna!

oh i how i dream of visiting the french countryside, in all its romantic glory... so i can't think of a project i'd love more than with that very inspiration! as soon as i read those words on shauna + aaron's questionnaire, my heart almost fluttered out of my chest... as i was listening to the midnight in paris soundtrack. see? francophile.

it wasn't just the inspiration that i loved, but the people even more so. i had the lovely opportunity of meeting shauna + aaron when they were just dating a couple of years ago. aaron is truly one of my favorite photographers, his work is stunning! so naturally, i was giddy when they contacted me. 

can't wait to see all the photos from their beautiful wedding [with all the lovely details by their star-studded team - jesi haack, jl designs, sweet and saucy, braedon flynn...] ....

a huge, heartfelt thank you to shauna + aaron for having me illustrate + design their wedding invitations... i loved every second of the process! so much love + happiness to you two!!

xo!!




August 16, 2013

friday fun day



in case you missed it on instagram.... nic and i just bought a house!! homeowners for the very first time and simply giddy, even as we slowly plow our way through mountains of cardboard.

our new home is full of old charm [it was built in the 1930s] but needs a little updating, which we'll be doing on a budget... i can't wait to dive into the world of home interiors!! dreams really do come true.

hope you have a lovely weekend!

xo!

p.s. i wish i knew where these photos came from... just gathered from pinterest.

August 15, 2013

lavender + peaches, oh my!



such lovely things to illustrate!! i can't wait to show you guys the full, gorgeous shoot... hopefully i'll be able to very very soon! ;)

happy thursday to you, i'm off to the rodeo! yes, you read that right... i'm going to a rodeo, where kids ride sheep and tribes race horses, bareback!! 

xo!

August 9, 2013

wallpaper repinned by free people!!

i got a text from my sister this afternoon saying - "your thing was pinned on free people!!" and i'm like "what what what???" ha! i thought it might be the wallpaper from last month, but had to check, and i did....



ah!! it was one of those oh-my-gosh-that's-so-cool moments! it doesn't link back here or to kelli's site, but you know what, i don't even mind, because i love that so many people are being encouraged by it!! that's all that matters!

thanks for all the love guys.... and yes, there will be a desktop this month!! thanks for your sweet words and patience!

xo! :)