out + about: planting workshop

last week, kelli + i found ourselves on a spur-of-the-moment adventure to a planting workshop. we had containers we'd been meaning to fill, so it sounded like the perfect outing, especially in the rain!

neither one of us had heard about this nursery, so we were giddy when we arrived -  the place was adorable!! with iced lattes from the red caboose in hand [+ baby ezra in tow], we began to explore the aisles of pretty plants until the workshop began.

we were unofficially assigned to employees who taught us how to fill a pot, 'tickle' the roots, and press in the soil.

ok, i can't help but apply this to my spiritual life. with the may desktop adorning my computer screen, i've been constantly reminded that pruning is necessary for growth. most of the time, pruning hurts and far from a pleasant experience, but think about if it never happened... we'd be in the same spot we were ten years ago or even one year ago.

when i picked out my lovely little plant, i took it away from its home, roughed up the roots a bit, and put it in my own container, by itself, a foreign place. have you ever seen a plant fresh out of its container? its roots are compacted and molded to the shape of whatever container it lived in.
that's me! i thought. there are moments when i feel 'out of place' here in montana, when i just want the comforts and familiarities of california and my family nearby, when i feel like my roots are having a hard time acclimating to the new soil, but in those moments, God is so good to remind me that He's the one that's transplanted me and in the midst of my discomforts, in His hands i'll flourish.

xo!

[ all pretty photos taken by kelli trontel ]

hand illustrated album title!

i've always wanted to create album artwork and getting to illustrate christina falub's album title was such a dream!! so excited for its release, and not just because i got to work on it, but because 100% of the proceeds will go towards building a school for orphaned children in kenya, africa. this team is so humble that they didn't even tell me about that part; i only discovered it after the project was completed!! check out her facebook page for more details!

xo!!

info cards for izzi ray!!

i had the loveliest pleasure of making these info postcards for izzi ray, a fantastically talented [+ beautiful!] singer/songwriter. you should take a little trip over to itunes and listen to her music; you'll be so glad you did!!

xo!

p.s. have you played with the new app from the brilliant girls at a beautiful mess?! it's oh so addicting!

as ever photography logo!

when jenny and i first emailed back and forth about a logo for her photography business, i knew we were going to make such a great team. she was so friendly and honest and her love story was like something out of a nicholas sparks novel, i practically cried when i read it!! i'm convinced someone will make a movie out of it someday. :) 

even the meaning behind her business name is romantic - her grandmother used to sign every handwritten letter with 'as ever' instead of 'sincerely' or 'truly'... so naturally, all i could think about was drawing a quill and i'm so glad i ran with the vision! funny enough, it was something that jenny had thought about too, but didn't mention it to not hinder my brainstorming process, ha! [how sweet is she?!]

after the logo had been created, we dove into design elements for her blog - the social media buttons, background, and a blotted line underneath the menu [which is one of my favorite parts!]... and i just love how it all came together. jenny was an absolute dream to work with, and i'm so honored i had the opportunity to do so! thanks again jenny!! :) xo!

check out her gorgeous photos here!!

from the nest: currently reading...

about two weeks ago i was in barnes + noble, perusing the endless shelves when i stumbled upon this little beauty. i've heard about a wrinkle in time ever since 5th grade - the title always sounded intriguing but for whatever reason, i never chose to read it until now... and i absolutely love it!!

every night i read a little, refreshed by her style of writing. it's a smart sci-fi fantasy novel and i'm pretty sure that if i read it when i was 11, i wouldn't understand most [if not all] of it. children must've been more intelligent in the 60s...

but in the words of c.s. lewis - "a children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest."

so yes, i'm enjoying it. :)

xo!

blog elements for the lovely kelli trontel!

yes! i know you've seen her name a lot on this blog [since kelli and i have put together a monthly desktop + iphone wallpaper every month for the last year] and i'm once again honored to show you a few of the blog elements [social media buttons + sidebar headers] i've created for her!!

kelli has been one of my biggest cheerleaders... it was after just a few conversations with her that i really felt like i could take my art to a new level and start creating for others... so i love every chance i get to supply illustrations for her.

if you haven't visited kelli's blog before, you should take a little break and browse/read/enjoy her work + posts... she's the real deal and i'm blessed to call her friend.

xo!
ashley

fashion illustration class

ok, this is so out of my comfort zone.... well, honestly anytime i put my work out there i feel somewhat uncomfortable! it's difficult to be vulnerable, but i guess this time is especially hard because it's my first stab at fashion illustration so i really didn't want to post these ha!! thank goodness i said i would share it, because that's the only accountability that's motivating me to show my class homework i did about a month ago... or has it been longer?! ah! time always has a way of escaping me! i digress....

i've been meaning to share these sooner, but i haven't had a chance to put glitter + embellishments on these yet!! so i guess that'll be another post... i continue to digress....

anyways, i wanted to encourage you to do something out of your comfort zone today or this week or month... taking paperfashion's class on skillshare was extremely valuable, enlightening, and fun!! it pushed me to do something new, it made me vulnerable to others' critiques, which in turn, helped me to let go of some fear and insecurities.

i had an amazing experience and i plan on doing more things like this in the future!! any other fun classes i ought to know about??

a feature + an art piece

i feel like it's almost a cliche to say that i adore all my clients, but i can't help it, it's true! i've been really fortunate to be paired up with so many inspiring, encouraging, talented people that have really become friends... i'm so grateful!

last summer, i received an email from sarah teeter, who was interested in logo design... and now almost a year later, we've become email pen pals -  chatting about everything from design to vacations, it's a friendship that i cherish!! just today i received a sweet email from her, saying that she had featured me and a painted verse i did for her last year. might be the best way to start a work day!! :)

sitting on her desk, this verse is a lovely reminder to do everything in love as she builds her business... such a great way to go about life and business!!

thanks for the feature + such kind words sarah!! so happy to know you.
xo!!
ashley :)

may desktop + iphone wallpaper!

spring has sprung!! i can't believe it's been a year since kelli and i began this collaborative download... and hopefully it's just the first of many to come!! every month has been so different, with such a unique vision + story behind each one, and i can honestly say that i've loved them all! this month is no exception... 

we wanted to incorporate flowers for spring + our lovely mothers' day, of course! so we roped in our sweet friend, floral designer + shop owner cara [of mum's flowers, who i recently interviewed!], to collaborate with us... aren't her floral picks just stunning?! 

the quote [from christine caine] is so encouraging to me in this season. i never like or ask for the pruning process, but God knows i need it to grow - it's the only way i'll bloom into the person that He wants me to be. after all, pruning produces much prettier things. :)

thanks so much friends for being a part of this year of collaboration! your notes and comments of encouragement + kindness have made my heart so very happy! hope you continue to enjoy these little monthly gifts, from our hearts to yours!!

xo!!

[ iphone 5 wallpaper ]

[ iphone 4 wallpaper ]

family illustration + blog header for the cosa family!

you might remember the little sailor mascot i painted for the cosa's [closer to love] photography workshop... and i recently had the pleasure of illustrating their adorable growing family!! love them!!

take a little trip over to their site and look at all their beautiful work! thanks so much sammy + natalia for having me illustrate your family, what an honor!! :)

from the nest: shopping on a budget

i posted this photo on instagram this afternoon + realized that everything combined only cost me $52, yes, shoes included!! the thought sent me back to the places i found each item and the victory felt when i snatched them up.

i was never wealthy growing up, and my mom is one of the best bargain shoppers i know, so naturally i've been groomed to be a 'sale-only' kind of shopper... which has proven to be the most satisfying kind, in my opinion. :)

so, here's where i found each item + what i paid for them... shopping on a budget is not as hard as it sounds!! just be patient, browse the sale section, and take a little excursion to your nearest thrift/secondhand store... it's so worth it!! i just found a 5x7 rug for $10 at urban outfitters last week!

riding boots $25 - a local secondhand saddle shop
grey jeans $10 - forever 21
horse print tank $5 - urban outfitters [sale section]
button-up chambray $12 - target [sale section]

rough sketch: cara of mum's flowers!

happy monday friends!!

hope you all had a lovely weekend! my weekend was spent the comfort of my home, diving back into work after a nice long week in california... i'll be sharing photos of my trip soon and recs of my favorite places... oh, and i can't wait to share what i've been working on lately!! :)

today, i'm so so so happy to introduce you to the lovely cara [of mum's flowers], an amazing floral designer + shop owner here in montana!! i would probably sit in her shop all day if i could.... it's adorable, and her work is absolutely stunning!!

thanks cara for taking the time to chat with us!! :)

q. // when did you get into floral design, + what prompted you to start?

[ a. ] I bought Mum's Flowers almost exactly 3 years ago with absolutely no background in floral or design. I have always enjoyed design (my dad and my grandmother are both artists/painters), fashion, decorating, and throwing parties but I knew nothing about flowers.

After graduating from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego with a degree in business, I moved back to Whitefish and started looking for a job. A friend of mine saw that Mum's Flowers was for sale and recommended that I look into it. I immediately saw an old business (it's been in Whitefish for over 50 years!) that needed some TLC and thought that I could give it a face lift. In addition to rebranding the business, I immediately fell in love with floral design.

q. // what inspires you + where do you find it?

[ a. ] I find inspiration in so many places! For the gift shop side of my business I'm inspired by Anthropologie and West Elm. I want to create a space that people love to come hang out in, always offering creative ways to display products, fun do-it-yourself projects, and of course incredible scents.

From the floral side, I'm inspired by my product. When you're working with beautiful flowers every day it's so easy to see color and shape and texture in new ways. I like to carry unusual florals and botanicals that you can't find in your average grocery store.

A huge part of our business is wedding design and I love following wedding blogs, talented photographers and pinterest for new ideas. Oftentimes my brides inspire with their vision and excitement for their own weddings.

I'm always receiving inspiration from friends and family who see things that remind them of me; they send me photos, articles, blog posts, scraps of moss from the forest etc. I love having everyone in my life involved in my creative vision.

q. // when you're not putting pretty flowers together, what's your favorite thing to do?

[ a. ] I love to travel with my husband, have dinner parties, and spend time in the outdoors hiking, skiing, running, and surfing.

q. // if you could give one piece of advice to fellow creatives, what would it be?

[ a. ] Be confident in your style. It's taken a few years to develop a style that I love and now I'm confident that others love it too! If someone is paying you to do what you love, they must love what you do so embrace that and consider yourself blessed. I've developed a signature look that I hope people recognize when they see my work. This can be carried throughout your personal style, your home decor, and the color palate that you live by. My staff has named a whole monochromatic mint to turquoise palate "cara teal" - it reminds me of the Caribbean Ocean

fill in the blank:
i have a penchant for a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning, having sand between my toes, a photo that captures a moment that you want to feel forever, sunshine on my face, Sunday am snuggles, and coconut curry.