For Boston Marathon Victims: New Peace-Theme Charm Bracelet Line

Dove Charm Necklace, $28

Like so many other Bostonians last Monday, I stared at Twitter, online video, and news reports in shock. I found out at work about the Boston Marathon tragedy, and when I got home I watched the news in horror as it began to sink in. From the hour long drive from my office listening to somber radio broadcasts and the number of injured rising, to a woman hysterical crying in her car asking me for directions to get back on the Tobin so she could get to Boylston, it really hit home.

Double Heart Charm Bracelet, $28

I watched, as I'm sure all of America did, the video of the bombs over and over again. It's disturbing and unsettling. I've lived in Fenway for five years, Somerville for one, and in Chelsea - right off the Tobin- for one. I've walked down Newbury and Boylston countless times, shopping or going out to eat / drinks. This was my home, and I felt powerless.

Shortly after we began to process the news, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Menino announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, the purpose of which is to raise money to help those families most affected by the tragic events that unfolded during the Marathon.

I found as an artist the best way I could process this was to donate as well. I don't have much, but I have seen success with my She's the First Cupcake Necklace design, of which proceeds go to support girls' education in the developing world. So I designed the Ash Tree "Peace" Bracelet Collection, where 50% of proceeds will go directly to One Fund Boston. I chose a dove and a peace sign, to hopefully promote the idea of peace in this world. The last charm is a double heart, designed to represent and remind us of our loss here, but give us the strength to move forward.

“I am humbled by the outpouring of support by the business community and individuals who are united in their desire to help; The One Fund Boston will act as a central fund to receive much needed financial support. At moments like this, we are one state, one city, and one people.”

 - Governor Patrick

Peace Sign Charm Bracelet, $28

I propped and photographed all next to my favorite Boston Red Sox visor, and got them up on my Etsy site as soon as I could. I'm hoping that something as small as this can make a bit of a difference and we can all move through our own healing processes.

Thanks to all of my customers for your continued support - we'll all get through this together.

God bless,
Ashley

NFL Logo Jewelry: New England Patriots Necklace

New England Patriots Necklace, $28

With football season in full swing, it's time for the perfect gift for that diehard Pats fan. And being one myself, I kickstarted this sports charm necklace line with my own Massachusetts football team: The New England Patriots. (We also beat the Jets yesterday, which I am both very happy and relieved about. Overtime, man!)

GO RED SOX!
Contact me to order
an MLB Charm Necklace!
(same price)

The official NFL licensed Patriots logo featured in this necklace is an enameled pewter charm, and is strung on a strong 18" black rolled leather necklace with 2" of extender chain (please inquire for larger sizes!). The Pats logo rests on your neck at approx. 27mm x 13mm in size. There's also an option for a stunning silver plate chain, if the black necklace isn't your thing.

This charm sports jewelry line is also not limited to the National Football League - you can order any Major League Baseball sports team logo necklace as well! Even though baseball season is out, it doesn't mean she's stopped thinking about her team :)

Order yours today - makes the perfect holiday or birthday gift for that girl who never misses a Brady game!

Ash Tree and Online Identity

I came across this really interesting blog topic about crafting an "essence of you" when creating a blog. I found it interesting that I had to stop to really consider what is my online identity. Right now, I blog for so many clients, companies, friends, that it can be easy to lose my way. But through it all, there's been the Ash Tree: my personal blog that is going on it's 3rd year now.

Reflecting on this post, I understand that I'm scatterbrained. I don't follow my own advice to clients: that is, to stay consistent and blog about one umbrella topic. This for some reason isn't satisfying for me - I find it much more exciting when I have a plethora of topics to write and comment about. The Ash Tree especially does bounce around a lot - I use the blog to promote several different things: first of which is my creative businesses, which are my wedding calligraphy business, talking about my handmade jewelry line, and my products available at 6 In the Shipyard.

Photo Courtesy of elhawk, Flickr

When nothing creative is happening once per week, I usually throw up some content on a recent experience I've had living in Boston, or recently completed book review. Sometimes my online marketing work even spills over, and I write posts on marketing tips or how to improve your business. Could all this be even more random?

When not trying to promote my business through content and new projects, I guess I just try to write about what I would want to read. I know some people write rambling thoughts about things that no one finds important (no offense, guys. God knows this is one of those posts.) So I try to stay more informative than opinionated.

My next step is to try and foster more online relationships, phase 2 of my online marketing advice that I don't take. I of course respond when I get comments on my blog posts, but generally these are few and far between. I'd like to change that: I'd like to have more of a conversation.

So what do you think? Is the Ash Tree a relate-able, believable online persona? Or am I just a crazy person who's all over the place and needs to get her shit together?

http://www.scoutiegirl.com/2010/02/the-art-business-of-crafting-your-online-self.html

Presidential Suite Photo Shoot

I was so excited to have another opportunity to shoot with Focal Impulse Studio this past month. This time, the company booked the Presidential Suite of the Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The view was breathtaking, and the shots came out gorgeous, as always!

During this shoot, I felt much more comfortable right away than I had the first time. I recommend to those who have only done one Quickie Slam with Focal Impulse to consider doing at least one more - the first time you are nervous, unsure of what to expect, what to bring, and not at all sure how you will react in front of the camera or what angles are most flattering to your body.

I found that during my second shoot, I was more comfortable with shooting and skipped the "awkward-get-comfortable" stage of the shoot, so I was able to get more shots sooner of what I wanted. I also felt more comfortable to voice my opinions of how I wanted to pose or look in a certain outfit, so I was able to get more of what I liked from my first set of photos.

In preparing for this shoot as well, I was more confident when packing outfits and shoes, as I knew having more is always better than having less. I also found that I browsed through magazines looking for poses that I wanted to replicate, and taking mental note of what poses would compliment my body type.

The Focal Impulse staff was great as always, and I was so pleased with my final product(s) once again. I also was able to take advantage of their retouching services, so my pictures looked absolutely gorgeous!

The rate for a Quickie Slam is $150 for a single, with hair and makeup available at an additional cost: which you should definitely go for as your pictures will come out MUCH better. I know for a fact that their February and March Quick Slams are completely booked, so you should contact Focal Impulse today to get slots for April and May...

So if you're on the fence about Boudoir Photography or if you want to see what the modeling experience is really about (hair and makeup done = gorgeous night out!) I definitely recommend that you check out Focal Impulse!

Press Release: Ash Tree Calligraphy Nominated for Bride's Choice Awards 2011

{Boston, MA} – {January 25, 2011} - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Ash Tree Calligraphy  has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for the "Invitations" Wedding Service Category!

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Ash Tree Calligraphy Nominated for Bride's Choice Awards, '11

Ash Tree Calligraphy stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s CEO. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Ash Tree Calligraphy for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that Ash Tree Calligraphy is among the very best of wedding calligraphers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit Ash Tree Calligraphy WeddingWire Storefront today.

Read what Ash Tree Calligraphy reviews are saying about this wedding calligrapher!

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Golden Ivory Handmade Blank Journal

Golden Ivory Handmade Journal, $12

Purchase a handmade journal for yourself or as a gift: this medium sized notebook is made with metallic golden paper squares contrasted against a soft floral ivory spine.

Actual book size measures 4 1/2" wide by 5 3/4" tall. Inside, it has 65 unlined pages, which are made from 100% recycled cream lightweight paper - perfect size for notes or sketching on the go. I made this book after seeing the gold square paper while on an art-supply adventure. I know. Art supply self-control issues.

Seriously though, I'm really happy with the end result. I decided not to play it safe on the inside, and instead line it with a beautiful textured hunter green handmade paper. Creating handmade books has been a passion of mine since taking Book Arts in my last semester at the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston. I fell in love with the meditative process, the process of hand sewing the signatures. My favorite part is covering the binder's board with my selection of handmade paper to make the book's cover. 

There's something about making hardcover books that is so satisfying. I guess it's the substantial quality and durability that I'm attracted to. I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy - maybe, but I'm damn good at making books.

Browse my Handmade Books available at The Ash Tree, if you don't believe me. And if you have a personalized project that you'd like to work with for a gift, holiday, or any other special occasion, contact me for a free quote and to get started!

Professionally Written Invitations

Professionally Written Invitations, $8 each

Have invitations for your next function, party, or special event professionally written by a calligrapher. My professional calligraphy services are not only affordable, but are also beautiful and deliver high-quality results. 

Pictured here was a recent full invitation - calligraphy job that I completed for a client who needed invitations written out for an event her club was hosting. 

The club's logo was a bee, so she purchased cardstock from the Paper Source (Crane & Co., one of my favorite vendors of high-quality paper products) with an embossed golden bee logo. She also needed envelopes addressed for the recipients, which I completed on the accompanying envelopes lined with deep purple and gold honeycomb paper for 30 invitations.

So, thinking about adding that extra something to your next function's invites? My calligrapher pricing is extremely reasonable: this job was completed for $8 per envelope, and $1.50 per envelope address. Read more at the full Calligraphy services listing at my Etsy shop. 

Contact me today for your free quote and consultation!

Calligraphy for Wedding Envelopes

Another recent calligraphy job for wedding invitation envelopes completed a few weeks back for a client that I actually met on Etsy, and did a Featured Etsy Shop Blog Post for! We connected when I interviewed her and featured her shop, ScrapHappyLyreBird, in a post over the summer. We re-connected when we found that we were local to each other, (Boston) and she happened to be getting married and needed a calligrapher to do her wedding invitations for her!

"Ashley did a fabulous job with our wedding invitations. We were so pleased with how they turned out. She was very easy to work with and we would highly recommend her to our friends and anyone looking for calligraphy services." - Tess, 2010 Wedding

I loved working with her envelopes: they were thick, and linked with a beautiful metallic gold scrolling detail on cream paper. I made the suggestion that she use the dots to embellish the spread out zip code (above) as it matched the theme of her invitations.

I've recently completed another outer envelope job and place cards over the past few weeks. Also in the works are commissioned professionally written invitations for a private party to be completed over the next few weeks on stationary. Stay tuned for updates and images!

If you are in need of calligraphy for a wedding, special event, or even to add a professional touch to party invitations, please contact me to get a job quote. Also be sure to visit my Calligraphy page to get more information!

Commission Drawing for Birthday

Remember my charcoal drawing I did of Papa and I last month? Well, after seeing it at my graduation party, (mom framed it. And I think stole it.) a family friend commissioned me to do a drawing of her two daughters for their father's birthday. I've known the girls forever, so I have to admit I was a bit nervous drawing them - would I be able to capture who they were? Could I make the drawing actually look like them? The last drawing was for fun: this one meant business.


I loved how this came out. Better yet, I loved having an excuse to draw again: I haven't too much since I graduated: and even then, my last semester of art school I didn't take any drawing classes. I also LOVE drawing people!

So here is the original picture (it's very hard taking a photograph of a photograph, P.S.) Do you think I got close? On the day I started working on this, I lost power in my apartment. At 4:00 pm. So it was fine, as I had window light. Then it got dark. I tried the ye-olde drawing thing with a candle, but that didn't last long. But I'm sure it would have been funny to watch if I wasn't so pissed about it that I had to stop what I was doing.

Anyway, this really is a cool, unique gift idea, and I've been doing drawings like this (commissioned and for fun) for years. If you're interested to find out more or to talk about pricing, email me!

Oh yeah - and for those who roll their eyes at those who go to "art school", I seem to be doing a damn good job now that I'm out. And I had a delicious breakfast this morning: not even starving at all...;)

New Apartment In Boston!

The Ash Tree's base of operations has moved ((only a few blocks!)) to a GORGEOUS apartment in the Fenway, Boston. The space and natural light in my room has already made a huge difference in my productivity and inspiration.

I've been busy working on wedding calligraphy place card jobs, and just finished a double portrait drawing commissioned by a family friend. It came out GREAT!

It's amazing how having a breathable, clean space to work in keeps you so much more organized and productive. My last apartment was fun, but I'm done with the crappy collegy apartments: well, I was done paying Boston rent for really crappy apartments. This place is a bit more expensive than my last place, but with the huge newly rennovated bathroom and huge 3 windows in my room, it's paid for itself. God I've been writing for realtors too much...lol. Below is my "studio" area - I should have taken a picture DURING THE DAY with the light and not in the throes of art-making.But oh well.

I also got a delightful mix-up from the company I ordered my mattress and bed frame from - instead of the "not too bad" Hazelnut wire frame, they delivered a gorgeous chocolate brown and gold Tuscan Bedframe instead, which was $400 more than what I bought. And since they would have lost money if they came to get it and give me my correct frame, this helped me justify keeping it and being totally stoked about it. I also bought a sea-green/blue comforter with velvet, chocolate brown scrolling all over it. It's amazing. And my cat loves it. Does that make me a crazy cat lady? Do I care?

Now it's on to decorating and moving on to the living room. My roommate is borrowing the great futon that I bought until her bed arrives in a few days, so I figure I'll work from there. Plus we have a miniscule TV coming (oh, yay) But still, it's a TV.

More updates to come! In the meantime, anyone have any cool, modern decorating ideas?

Sales and Marketing Experience: Career Treking

Oh how fondly I remember my Sales and Marketing Class at Tufts within the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. This class was at 8:30 in the morning; and for the commuting student (me) to get there on time, I had to wake up at 6:00 and be on the train by 7:00. Then I had to catch a shuttle to the building. Fun. The class was taught by the amazing Jack Derby, who I felt slightly intimidated by yet excited to learn from.

I remember sitting in the classroom of 30 Tufts students, brilliant, thinking, "How do I win over my professor, who owns his own multi-million dollar consulting company and has entrusted us with assignments from his own clients, who need a marketing plan?" About four weeks I had found it - my solution; “Disturbia”, by Rhianna.

I'll explain.

We were assigned to real companies (clients of Jack's) to work with as teams to come up with fresh ideas for marketing plans for them. Our company was Career Trekking, a company that specialized in assisting college students in finding their dream careers and jobs. While we definitely pulled all the usual stuff, I wanted to make our presentation awesome.

I came up with an idea of a video for Career Treking after Jack mentioned something in one of his classes: how can you appeal emotionally to your client to have them purchase your product? Well, emotionally, as a college student, I figured it was a safe assumption that college students were afraid. This was a scary time in the economy, and it is still a scary job market. So I took this notion of "Fear", and applied it to a video, taking images and icons from old movies adored by our generation and putting them to appropriate music by Rhianna - a song called "Disturbia".



The company loved my video and ended up putting it up on their website! They've since taken it down, but it was still a moment of intense pride for me, and it was when I realized that I would really love a position in marketing. Now I hold a marketing position within Boston Logic, I am looking forward to a great career in this amazing industry, and I do owe so much to Jack Derby and his intellectually stimulating and invigorating class.

Check out the video and let me know what you think!!

Jessica Rabbit Costume For Halloween

So I was in my annual Halloween costume obsession mode this summer, (and yes, I do put together my Halloween costumes the summer before so I have enough time for ultimate awesomeness. Now that I've graduated, that might have changed...) and I decided that this was the year I would be Jessica Rabbit. I've pretty much wanted to be Jessica for quite some time now: I was in Italy last year for Halloween (Yeah, I know, poor me ;) so this year it is ON.

I've even recruited one of my guy friends to come with me as Roger Rabbit!


So here was my issue: finding the dress. I am not as truly blessed chest-wise as Jessica, so that posed a problem of how to hold the dress up - although, how does that thing stay on her? Tape?!

The good news is that because I'm not as well endowed, I think I'll be able to pull this look off without being quite as tacky - because there's nothing to flaunt!

So what did I do? I really wanted to support my beloved fellow handmade etsy sellers, so I put an Alchemy bid on etsy for the dress, and was so pleasantly surprised to see the amount of talented seamstresses that responded! It's such a tough thing to custom-order, but it came down to a seller who had done the dress before and had images. I also didn't want a "costumey" look, because I feel that they look tacky.

I found MsMars, who has a great knack for costumes! I browsed through her Flickr account, and loved what I saw. She's also been great working with me to articulate exactly what I need. The next step is measurements! I hope I can get those right :)

I've also just bought ((and received yesterday EEEEEEEEEEEK!)) these Gabriella Rocha Dancy shoes from Zappos.com. You have NO IDEA how difficult it is to find red pumps that are NOT hideous in a size 10.5 wide. Totally obnoxious. And now thanks to adwords, every single web page I go on has shoe advertisements on it. Taunting me.

I tried them on, and I really like the fit - there's a reason they're called "Dancy" shoes. They come in black, too, for everyday interested-pplz. I wore them around today for a bit to try and break them in, and my feet are a bit sore :( hoping this goes away! The shoe goes in slightly at the widest part of my foot, but it really fits my foot perfectly, so I'm hoping that I'll just have to get used to it...if not, Zappos does free exchanges!

So this is my exciting Halloween project. It's never too early to be thinking about - especially when *Boston Costume Contests* are involved...stay tuned, and let me know what you think!

Featured Etsy Seller: ScapHappyLyrebird

In love of the Victorian aesthetic as so clearly represented by her shop, ScrapHappyLyrebird, the shop's owner loves scouring antique shops for cabinet cards and other 19th century photographs. Pictured above is her shop pick, which is a one of her keepsake boxes with an example of its contents.

"This photo represents my shop because it evokes a feeling of romance and nostalgia with ideas of what it could be used for."

Tess, 26, a huge Red Sox fan btws, is fascinated with faces of people from 100 years ago and glimpsing into their lives. With this, she also likes attaching stories to the photographs, trying to understand what they were like. When beginning a new decoupage project, she looks through her collection and tries to create something she thinks that these people would have used.

"Maybe a beautiful young girl would keep a mirror box on her vanity, or perhaps a gentleman would keep all of his travel souvenirs in a box on his desk. Doing this gives my pieces connections to the past, which I think is very important."

She considers her greatest strength to be the cohesiveness and overall aesthetics of her products. As far as weaknesses go, she thinks that her etsy photography needs some work, and hopes to reach for the high quality of photos that are now on etsy. Speaking of Etsy, her favorite shop is MamasLittleBabies: with the edgy Victorian jewelry that celebrates the Victorian obsession with oddities and curiosities.

For new artists, she advises them to never give up - while it's easy to doubt yourself at the beginning, if you are making something that you love and believe in, than other people will love it, too.

You can visit her blog here: http://lyrebirdfinds.blogspot.com/, and she features Victorian inspired artists on Etsy.

Below is my favorite item of hers, The Sweet Bee Keepsake Box, $17. I love boxes, period, and the look of this one makes me really happy. :D



Great work Tess, and holla for Boston Etsy artists!! :)

Yoga On Top of Boston!

Last Tuesday, my coworkers and I participated in a free offer with FP3, in collaboration with South Boston Yoga Studio and Plank at an FP3 penthouse! (I'm in the above picture on the bottom left, in the black tank top!) First was a fast-paced *warm* session of yoga, taught by very bendable and funny David Vendetti of South Boston Yoga. On the way out, there were some spa goody bags provided by Bliss: which had tote bags, facial samples, a book and a ton of other stuff. There was also amazing fresh-fruit-infused cocktails provided by Cold River Vodka. And yeah, after an intense session of yoga, a cocktail or two is required. I also got a FREE artistic and eco-friendly Plank yoga mat that was designed by a very talented yoga guru, Doreen Hing. And it was all free. Yeah.



Soooo you should check out FP3's blog for future events. Because, in case you don't remember, here's what I got:

• Free booze - fruity mango and strawberry drink with Cold River Vodka
• Free yoga lesson, in a PENTHOUSE overlooking BOSTON (see above photoness)
• Free yoga mat to do said-yoga on - mine was the plank design, and apparently these are $95 ea.!
• Free booze again
• Free hor d'oerves in the form of fruit, sushi, and chicken on a stick (not all on the same stick)
• Free gift bag with a book, facial samples, book, 2 tote bags, etc..
• One more free booze

:)

To Do Daily Agenda

New Item listed on Etsy! Handmade To-Do Daily Agenda book

I feel as though lately my life is nothing but lists and lists of things to do and things I didn't do that I should have. So, I thought that this may be a great way to better break down tasks: and I know that we are in a digital age, but turning a page is so much more satisfying and screams "accomplished!" than deleting something off of your calendar, or not doing anything to it at all.
This is a first edition book, so I did it in the classic black color scheme. I covered it with black handmade paper with silver "windows", that I thought looked very orderly and systematic looking - perfect for a daily agenda! Then I used a small strip of shiny, crocodile-textured paper to designate the front of the book. I recommend this book for artists, and at the discount price of $10, what have you got to lose?


Inside, there are 2 pages for each day:

-The left page shows the date, with lines for you to mark all of your tasks that you have to do for the day.-You come to the next page at the end of the day, where you carry over unfinished tasks.-There is also a helpful area with names and addresses that have to be followed up on, like clients.
-Additional notes to self!
There are approx. 200+ pages, and the pages are made out of recycled cream paper. Dimensions 6" w x 8 1/2" h. The pages are bound with hand sewn signatures, and the book is also lined with handmade paper. More editions, colors, and styles to come!

The Commonwealth Institute "Breakfast of Champions"

I just returned this morning from a The Breakfast of Champions hosted by The Commonwealth Institute at the Back Bay events center (gorgeous venue, check it out!) in Boston. The keynote speaker was Ellen Alemany, who is a Chairman and CEO of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. and RBS Americas. She was recently ranked by U.S. Banker and Forbes as one of the most powerful women in banking.

After receiving an invitation from a Tufts Professor to attend, I jumped at the chance to come to this event. Not only was this a fantastic networking opportunity, but I really believe in promoting and learning more about supporting women positions in business and senior management.


I felt as though Ellen was an accessible speaker, talking about her family and her roots working for her father in a Brooklyn liquor store. It was refreshing to see someone who had worked their way up (albeit via the corporate ladder rather than entrepreneurship) and not born into wealth and success that I sense to sometimes be surrounded by at events like these. And yes, I become frustrated when people do not know my parents or recognize and inquire about my last name, but I'm confident I will get there some day.


After recently being hired full time to work at Boston Logic, I am assessing my role there and what I am bringing to the company. The advice that Ellen gave was very helpful and applicable to my situation. Several points she made were:

• Don't think about your sex. Focus on the work and how to achieve what you want to achieve.
• Do not try and be something your not. Look at your strengths, and think of how you can apply them to your company to result in success for your personally and your company.
  
• If you are bored, ask for more responsibility! Your managers have no way of knowing that you are bored, and taking the initiative to ask for more work will not only give you greater job satisfaction, but also have you noticed by the right people.
  

Overall, I am glad that I attended, particularly to gain the points above. Though there was the typical master of the universe talk and suspended eye-rolling on my part to these elite people in all they know and have accomplished, I am nothing but privileged to be able to attend :)

Graduation from Tufts University and the Museum School of Fine Arts

Well, it finally happened. After four years of some of the best experiences and learning of my life, I officially became a college graduate yesterday, May 23rd 2010. I can't believe that it's actually over - that 16 years of education has come to an end (for now...maybe ;)

I've learned so much about myself and what I can do. I have started my own wedding calligraphy business, which has seriously taken off in the past few months. I currently hold a Marketing Associate position with Boston Logic, which was the location of my internship for my last Entrepreneurial Leadership Minor credit. I've applied the Search Engine Optimization practices that I've learned here to my own blog and website.

I've designed and sold countless pieces of handmade jewelry, and innovated recycled sail products that have been quite successful products of sale on my website. I also learned how to make handmade books and journals, and am excited about this new direction - as well as all the creative paths I have yet to discover.

So what does the future hold? I don't know. Does anyone, really? I am looking into constructing a gallery out of a family friend's barn, which could bring art and great culture to my hometown of Weymouth, MA. I want to expand my calligraphy, including raising prices a bit to compensate for my growth and the receipt of my newly received Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (p.s., there's still time to apply for my free wedding calligraphy giveaway, expiring June 31st!).

All I know now is that I feel accomplished. And yes, it is an ending. But it is also a beginning full of possibilities, and I'm excited to show this world what I can do.


Read Mom's reflections here.
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Sidewalk Sale: A Great Success!

I just wanted to thank all who came and checked out my work at the Sidewalk Sale last weekend. I hope that you all got something nice, for Mom or yourself!

It was a smashing success! I doubled (and then some) my profit from last year - which was amazing considering we had a freakin scary torrential downpour with scary thunder. Due to my busy-ness, I sucked at documentation :( But my table display was great!! I had a black tablecloth with my handmade jewelry scattered around. I also had my new handmade journals that I blew out of - once I make more, they will definitely be for sale on the website! Lastly on display I had a representation of my handmade sail products, like the sail notebooks and wallets.
As always, I had my embroidered necklaces, which did fairly well - the biggest hit were my $8 earrings, which were the perfect Mother's Day gift at the perfect price :D

I also did some trading at the very end, which is my favorite part - I traded earrings and necklaces for some awesome ceramics: I got two bright blue mugs, an earthy colored mug, a bowl, and a sterling silver wire ring. Fun!! (Pictured below is a piece by Sara Eustis: I custom made a pair of earrings for her mother for Mother's Day, and she traded me a mug that was similar in style to this vessel - I love the look of her pieces!!)

Here were some of the advertisements that we received for the event!

Boston Globe – Thursday, May 6

“Bargain Bin”

Circulation: 264,105

Going.com e-newsletter

“10 Things Boston is Doing this Week”

Style Carrot blog

“ARTevent: SMFA Sidewalk Sale”

Ash Tree Mentioned in Parent's Newsletter!

Okay, I'm no Master of the Universe. (For those who don't know, my reference to Tufts students.) I know that. What I do know, is that I have something different to offer and am willing to work like hell to accomplish what I need to.

So, I was interviewed a few months back for this Tufts parent's newsletter - sure, it was but a simple paragraph at the end of the article, but still! It's great!

Look what they wrote!! Lookit!! Ahh!!

"For Ashley Osgood, also a Museum student minoring in ELS, her classes have taught her how to market her own jewelry and products made from recycled materials. 'I have also been able to more accurately break down my expenses and profits. The classes have provided me with a formula (if there really is any) of how to structure a successful business. You can never do enough research and there's no substitute for passion,' she says."

Eeek!! Happy.

You can also read the full article as a PDF here.

Creative Problem Solving

So I just spent the last three days holed up in a Creative Problem Solving training course. And you know what? I LOVED IT.

It was a requirement for a job that I am applying for, and the three days flew by. I learned so much about how to think creatively, linguistic devices, and things that I do day-to-day that are not conducive to creative thinking.

For example: Questions are just hidden ideas or thoughts. There's no reason to ask them. And this creates poor communication. I know! Crazy. I'm not even explaining it right - if a speaker asks a question, all the person who hears it wants to know is "why do you ask?". Try it.


What I learned about myself is that I also like facilitation. I previously didn't care for giving presentations - but this was different. I was engaging a group of people, interacting with them and we came out with some great stuff.

When I first started, I thought that I'd have a bit of an edge going to art school and everything. NAY. Because there we are CONSTANTLY trained to critique and to criticize - which is not helpful when thinking creatively. You think of the most bizarre, outlandish wishes, and instead of thinking of why it won't work, they encouraged you use the linguistic device "how to..." in regards to overcome it. So if you are dealing with an abstract idea, you can delve into the concept behind it and then discover ways to make it real. All businesses should look into this!!

I know I'm not making any sense. Thanks for reading, though. It really was an amazing experience.