Check Yes or No

Prom time! Last weekend I saw some of these decked out high schoolers in action as they strutted through Market Square. I'll admit--my flashbacks of working in a nice restaurant in college and having to serve high schoolers who spent all their tip money on shimmer lipstick and cheap wine coolers came back for a second--and it was oh so good to experience this parade without being broke afterward. :)

I saw 3 girls dressed in punk-meets-glam-rock dresses, another tearing her hose as she walked through the Square with her shoes in hand, and a couple that looked older than ME who were dressed for a Seventeen covershoot of "Why My Prom is the Coolest Evah". Ah, to be in high school again. I still have my friends' prom pics somewhere in my high school keepsake box, but I'm a little apprehensive to bring those bad boys out. I'd like to remember us as we thought we were instead of what I might see if I took another look!

So my most recent design project was for (big suspense) a local high school's prom invitations and keepsake aluminum water bottles. Their "Enchanted Evening" is coming up this Saturday, so there's still time to catch some prom kids this season. Here's the invitation:

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As for me, prom night 12 years later isn't quite as exciting--and thankfully so. The highlight of my weekend consists of sending time with the family as we celebrate my Mom & mother-in-law for Mother's Day and my cousin graduating. No high heels, no sticky lipgloss, no stress. Bliss.

Ashley.


"We do not remember days; we remember moments." --Cesare Pavese, The Burning Brand

Freaky Friday

My New Year's resolution this year was to transition to a 10-hour, 4 day workweek and spend Fridays on personal development. Yes, I realize that it's Tax Time, and I still haven't quite mastered that whole "honor thy resolutions" thing... However, I do have a pretty perfect Friday in mind that I am working towards:

• Get up at 8 (sleeping in 1.5 hours!),
• Head to the gym for morning Pilates,
• Work on my art side business (graphic design, woodburnings, etc),
• Volunteer at the Humane Society for a few hours,
• Read,
• and then find a patio somewhere to enjoy the evening & have a "shift beer" with Josh.
  

Ohhhhh, I cannot wait. Right now it's most of that, minus animals & art, plus a lot of work, family, and activities all back-to-back, 7 days straight. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Yes, I thrive on busy, productive, fulfilling days and enjoy them perhaps more than I should. Friday has nothing to do with time off. It's more about having the structure in place to include even more important things in my life. My schedule is always booked anyway; at least now I'd have a few hours already penciled in for me-time instead of a million other things. Otherwise, I'll never get around to it.

I have, however, done a few art projects for others on the side. My most recent project was to design a logo for a start-up company. A girl who went to my high school is starting her own photography business, and she asked me to create a logo for her. She is focusing on babies and children, so it needed to be casual, organic, and fun. Here's the finished product:

Once she gets a Web site set up, I'll post a link so you can check her out. It's so encouraging to see people pursue their creative passions. Speaking of passions and photography, I'll leave you with a few photos my friend, Paul Hassell, took on his recent Patagonia trip.

He is absolutely amazing. If you love photography and the outdoors, you need to check out his Web site. Not only is he a phenomenal photographer, but he offers workshops as well. One of the kindest guys you'll ever meet. And fearless, which all photographers must be.

Enjoy your weekend. It's springtime!

Ashley.


"It's not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?" --Henry David Thoreau

Pitcha Perfect

Are you one of those people with millions of photos on your computer that you just haven't gotten around to printing yet? I've fallen victim to the digital graveyard more than once with a crashed computer. However, I always had a hard time printing out each photo. Sure, that shot may tell part of a story about a trip or experience, but it just doesn't stand on its own enough to warrant the huge effort of printing out (and storing it in a box that will hide under our coffee table for another few years until it sees the light of day). Plus, I hate those huge, bulky photo albums. Plastic sleeves, no thanks. And I've never been one to properly align the sticky plastic sheet back and often wear out the tackiness by the time I smooth out the wrinkles.

Enter MyPublisher, a program that lets you create customized bound books. I've used MyPublisher for a number of projects, from small paperback books (5.75"x7.75") to the classic & deluxe hardcover books (upwards of 11.5"x15"). When I first started using this, their templates for page layouts were pretty rigid, but the upgraded version now allows for complete flexibility. I've heard others using similar programs, like Shutterfly, but my heart is with MyPublisher. I get discounts and promotions e-mailed to me a few times each month, and the prices are already fair to begin with. Plus, I have a bookshelf of all of my projects, so if I ever lose a book--not that I would ever be so careless of course--I can buy a new one without doing the work over.

Here's a shot from a small paperback I made on our trip to Florida last summer:

Here's a peek at a bigger book I made as a Christmas present to family members after our trip to Hawaii in September:

So photos, fear no more. You will not be forgotten along with old school papers and Excel budget sheets from 2003. Welcome to your new home.

Ashley.


"A good photograph is knowing where to stand" --Ansel Adams

Once Upon a Time There Was an Ocean

Okay peoples, I'm back. Sorry for the Houdini moves the past several months; life hasn't been very bloggable as of late. But all that has changed because I just finished editing my photographs from a recent road trip I took with my dad and sister down to Charleston, SC.

We rented an RV and camped out at James Island County Park, a wonderful spot minutes away from Folly Beach and downtown Charleston. If you're an outdoorsy person and happen to be down that way, it's worth checking out (bike trails, rock climbing wall, kayaking). Good stuff. We settled in the first afternoon and then explored via bike for a few hours. We found this spot just off the trail that opened up to a view of beautiful marshland:

The views were beautiful, so we went back a few nights later to catch the sunset:

We headed over to Folly Beach to paint/draw/photograph landscapes, and we happened upon an old lighthouse. Apparently the Morris Island Lighthouse has fallen victim to serious erosion; it stands alone in the sea, surrounded by water on all sides.

While I walked along the beach, my sister and Dad did some acrylic paintings of the lighthouse. (I'll need to post their finished artwork soon.) I later joined them to do some graphite drawings with acrylic washes.

The weather at Folly Beach couldn't have been better. I'm OVER winter, and it was such a treat to be out in the warm sunshine. There have only been a few family vacations to the coast when it isn't 100° or more with crazy humidity, so this was such a nice experience in contrast.

We also went downtown to check out a few art galleries and find a spot to do paintings. We were inspired by Charleston's historic architecture to do some landscapes of the homes, so we set up in a small park with the water behind us. Aren't these trees beautiful!

These trees were my favorite part of Charleston. For whatever reason, I just couldn't get into drawing/painting, so I listened to music and read Rules for Radicals under the shade of these gigantic trees. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.

I also learned about what it's like to create in a public space. Where do all these spectators come from?? I guess Heather and Dad are used to it, but I admit that I would have been a little unnerved by people hovering over my shoulder watching my every move.

We later tried to get a Charleston-style meal at Slightly North of Broad, but we caught them in-between lunch and dinner. I was a little disappointed since our friends Brian and Heather recommended it. However, after seeing all Charleston has to offer, I'm now looking forward to hitting SNOB up on my next visit to this beautiful, historic city.

Hummmm... other happenings. We painted by campfire, listened to Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, and had a wonderful time glamping out in our little rented RV. I shot most of our photos with the Nikon SLR, but it was nice to have the smaller Cannon P80 for bike rides. And that, my friends, concludes my photo-tour of our latest adventure.

Ashley.


“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”--Mark Twain