ASH Interiors

“Live with Art – Its Good For You.” (from 20×200) Art is a design element that really can make or break a space.  I like to paint, but in NO WAY claim to be an artist.  I do, however, love great art!  I am not at all a collector of anything intentionally, although I seem to be when you experience the mess that is the back room of my house (work in progress tho!).  I joked the other day that there are only two things I would collect and those two things are jewelry and art Yes, jewelry.  Ha!  For a southern belle who loves her bling, art is getting a really high place to be paired with jewelry!

Here is a site for great inexpensive art.  Maybe there will be a time when I buy expensive originals, but until then, these are really a great way to customize without breaking your budget.  NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING is worth going into debt over besides a house and an education.  This site is 20×200.  It is really fantastic.  The prices range from $20 a print to $5000 a print – seriously.  Below are some of my faves.

We recently had the pleasure of working with photographer/artist Tate Tullier and am so excited to share some of his work!  We had very gloomy weather and almost rescheduled, but I am so glad we did not.  Sullivan is a few days away from 9 months in these pics.  What a fun age… I cherish this time of him being like a fun little sponge soaking up everything in his world.  Tate and Sarah came and did the shoot at our house, which was extra fun.  Here are a few of my favorites.

I am so late posting this!

In an effort to further understand Sabbath, I asked myself this question.  What nourishes my soul?  What does a perfect day of re-charging look like for me?  It is certainly not laying around and watching TV.  In fact, that drains my soul.  I am a busy body, so my “rest” is sort of atypical.  I have been really bad at scheduling these things into my week, and when Sullivan arrived on the scene, I have a more keen awareness for the need of this time.  This is something I (we) want to model for him.  Work hard and rest easy.  First comes the list and then I will try and figure out how to incorporate it and guard it weekly (at least!).

• Time with Kyle – I will start with the obvious.  I find it impossible to be around Kyle and not feel more alive!  He’s just too much – in such a good way.
• Time with Sullivan – Another obvious that needs no explanation.  The smiles, the cheeks (all 4 of them), the hugs, the eyes.
• The water – beach, lake, river, pool, anything.   This looks all kinds of ways.  I could take a beach trip, spend a day/night at our camp, sit on the levee and watch the river flow, install a pool (haha), or even a long bath.
• The camp – the camp is one of the few places I can really unwind.  There is nothing that has to be done or renovated or remodelled or scrubbed.  As a designer, one of my “curses” is that I have a very difficult time relaxing at my house.  I see all of the things that need to be done.  A house in the middle of a multi-year renovation only exacerbates this issue.  So, in comes the camp and solves this little problem.  An ideal day there includes cooking on the grill, reading on the pier, watching the sun come up and/or go down, and taking naps.  Another wonderful thing is that Kyle’s parents are usually there and they just crack me up and make me happy, but also help out so much with Sullivan.  Kyle and I usually go for at least one boat ride by ourselves.
• Being alone in a big city – I love a day by myself in a big city.  I am 49% introvert, so this time to me is precious.  I sometimes can sneak away for a day in New Orleans and try to have no agenda.  This includes reading in a coffee shop of on the levee, having a fabulous meal by myself, and always some shopping!  I have gotten to spend quite a bit of time in Chicago by myself for work and it is always pretty wonderful as well.  New Orleans is so easy!
• Painting – I do not craft, and am not really very crafty, but I sure do love to paint.  I get lost in it.  A good playlist and some blank canvases equals a happy Ash.
• Hosting and cooking for friends – I love nothing more than to get up early, go to the grocery store, and cook for hours.  A perfect group is usually around 6-8, because we can all fit around the dinner table.  One day I would like to make my front room more of a large dining area – table for 10.  I love meals that include passing the food around and serving from the table.  I love meals that include appetizers and end with dessert and coffee.  I love meals that include wine.  I love meals that include real conversations and real friendship and real getting to know each other.
• My family.  No one encourages and loves like my mom.  No one radiates stability and wisdom like my dad.  Add to them Leslie, Reagan, and Vianne and you have yourself one big room of awesomeness!
• Plane Rides and Airports.  Love.

Here are a few pics that nourish my soul.  Doing this was good for me, because each of these pics shows the things that are not perfect.  The dirty hands and feet, the messy counter tops, the stains, and pretty much all the things that are on my to-do list.  They just do not matter.

This is not a typical interior design post, but rather a post about me.  It affects me as a designer though, so I figured I would share.  I have been on this weird journey of wanting to simplify my life.  I am not only talking about cleaning the clutter out of my closets and streamlining my schedule.  It started out being about those things, but now it is becoming much deeper.  It is starting to feel like a quest – a mission to be more of who I was created to be.  As much as I want to believe it, I was not created for chaos.  Life sometimes seems chaotic, and when I am honest, most of that is because of my own doing.  I will now proceed (in an orderly fashion. haha) to go through a few of the ways this has affected me.  Feel free to chime in and share any of the ways you enjoy living simply.

• Cancelling Memberships – This week I cancelled the YMCA and Netflix.  I have started attending a fabulous Hot Yoga/Pilates/Cardio blend that is really rocking my world!  I love it so much!  There is no reason for me to have a YMCA membership if I only go once/month.  The excuse used to be that it was too hot to work out outside, and so me finding happiness at a hot yoga class is pretty ironic and hilarious.  So, today I went over there at lunch and cancelled our membership.  I also cancelled Netflix.  I just do not need it.  I had the free on-line version, but still do not need that.  We are old school and do not have a DVR either!  Believe that!
• Slimming Down Our Week Night Schedule –   There have been weeks in the past few years that we would not be home one single night.  There were many weeks that we were only home one night.  This is fun and exhilarating, but honestly exhausting.  It drains me.  I am 51% extrovert and 49% introvert, so the introvert always loses (just by 2 measly points!) and I give in to plans.  Am I addicted to this?  Who knows.  I am in the process of figuring out what this means, but as of now we are going to make a couple of nights a week sacred family time or at least down time.  I pride myself in exposing Sullivan to many experiences, but sometimes I go overboard and we just run the roads too much.  I am looking for balance.  I do want him to have the experience of just being in the backyard with us, the dogs, and the BBQ pit.
• Re-Evaluating the Role of Social Networking in My Life – This is out of control.  I know it is a common problem, but it is just becoming a monster hanging on our backs.  I deleted my Linked-in today.  I mean, that is by far the most boring and useless!  I think Twitter is good and life-giving to me, so that one will stay for now, and I am currently torn over Facebook.  I hate it, ya’ll.  I do not know why I keep my account and am an active participator.  I think I may just put some super big restrictions and do a brutal friend purge.  I am tired of the pressure to keep in touch with people who have no connection to me in any other way.  I am tired of the time wasting.  I am tired of the constant requests and pressures to do this and do that.  It is just an huge crazy beast.  So, this one is still cooking in my mind and heart for now.  I do love photo sharing and easily being to check in with folks who would otherwise not be in my cell phone contacts.
• Adding in Sabbath - What is Sabbath and how can adding something to my life simplify it?  Well, it is “doing what nourishes your soul.”  I sure wish I could remember who said that.  For me, I have never viewed the Sabbath as something sacred.  I booked up every day so fast it is crazy.  I need to add Sabbath into my life.  Because of our involvement in our church, we are there a lot on Sundays.  I am still not sure, but maybe for me, it is the fact that I am going to Yoga at 5:30 am and starting my day with peace?  Maybe it is sitting in the back yard by a fire with Sullivan and Kyle?  Maybe it is going for a walk?  Maybe it is a day in the French Quarter all by myself?  I know one thing though – even just a couple of weeks of “honouring” this commandment has been wonderful for me.

Well that is all for now!  I have many more thoughts, but I have to pick up my little man from daycare.  Here is a pic of a truly simple life moment.