Bridal Contest: Win Free Wedding Calligraphy for Your Reception!

Are you on a bit of a budget, but would simply LOVE the look of wedding calligraphy at your reception? Place Cards, Table Numbers, Wedding Signage - even "reserved" cards for church pews, you could win a complete Ash Tree Wedding Calligraphy: Reception Package by entering the bridal contest giveaway!

Calligraphy for Reception Table Numbers, $2 each

To enter the contest, follow these instructions:

• "Like" Ash Tree Designs on Facebook. Here is the URL:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ash-Tree-Designs/94738687971 

• Copy and paste the following questions and post the answers in a comment to this post: 
• You & Your Fiance's Full Name
• Wedding Date & Location
• Your Wedding Vision
• What is your color palette? 
• What are you looking to do specifically for your reception? (Place Cards, Escort Cards, Table Numbers, Wedding Signage, and any other ideas you have!) 
• How many guests at your wedding?

The contest will run for 30 days - with a winner being selected on September 1st, 2012. You will be notified via Facebook if you are the winner, so be sure you "like" the page so I can find you!

Calligraphy for Wedding Place Cards, $1 each

Remember, you don't have to be getting married in the next month to win! All brides with a wedding date are eligible to enter :)

The winner will have 1 week to respond after being notified via Facebook that they have won. If there is no response, another winner will be selected.

I am based out of Somerville, MA, but you do not need to be local in order to win! I do bridal consultations, but have worked with many brides all over the country. Please note that this giveaway is for calligraphy services only, and you will be responsible for getting me the materials - so I can complete and ship back for you just in time for your big day :)

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 :)

Featured Etsy Seller: RiceCakeShack!

This week's featured etsy seller is based across the pond in the United Kingdom. (Did you like that little pond-ocean reference? I'm so cute. :)

Speaking of cute, RiceCakeShack has just about the cutest freaking stuff I have ever seen. Her shop has these adorable little necklace sculptures brilliantly photographed on a hot pink background. Her representative shop image is a cloud, above, and she explains "a cloud is unpredictable and you never know what your going to get in life, just like you never know what your going to get with a new cloud: will it turn into rain or just float away so you can see the sunshine?"

Growing up, she liked to draw and was influenced by her favorite artist Alex Pardee. After some difficult life experiences, she found that her work was being influenced by them: in the form of mutants just wanting to be loved (Some of this is more evident closer to Halloween)

As you can see (and as subtly indicated I think by her shop name), she then began to look at Japanese imagery - and her products are purposely portrayed as happy as she feels that "behavior breeds behavior". She believes her greatest strengths are with her weather creations, as she has had much success in and out of her shop. Also, her favorite etsy shop is SparkleNGlitter, as she had a positive customer service experience with her. She loves the jewelry in her shop, and appreciated the personal attention the shopowner gave her after a purchase.

She also has different promotions every month - this month is a free gift with every purchase - and promotes herself through Facebook.

Below is my favorite item, a necklace of a "Star that Shines at Night", $13. I love both the concept and the fine detail work of the star itself, along with its adorable expression. Be sure to stop by RiceCakeShack, and support an international Etsy artist!

Promotion: Have all of your Invitations and place cards for your wedding done FOR FREE!

Sound good? Think of how amazing it would be to not only pay NOTHING for your invites to be flourished with exceptional hand-done calligraphy, but have one more thing checked off your insane stress-to-do wedding list for your big day. Um, pretty awesome!



If you or someone you know is struggling with their wedding plans, (maids of honor or best friends encouraged to apply!) copy and paste this simple Complimentary Calligraphy Form below and email it to me.

Already have your invites sent out? Two runner-ups will get their PLACE CARDS done for free!

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Name:
Name of Bride (If different from applicant):
Location:

When is your wedding?

Do you have your invitation envelopes already?

When do you want to send them out?

Number of invitations needed to be completed:

Would you like/need calligraphy for your place cards?

If you could have any three items on my website, which ones would you pick?

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Winners will be selected on July 1st, 2010! Get yours in today! (Deadline is June 30th! Or first 100 entries!) And if you are one of the first 100, get a free consultation and quote on calligraphy for your wedding. What have you got to lose?

*If winner is not local to Boston, they are responsible just for shipping costs.
**Job request must be given 2-3 weeks after receipt of envelopes to complete the work.
***Tipping appreciated! :)