Today, we are so excited to be sharing an artist collaboration with Sugar+Cloth for Hallmark Signature’s 2016 Mother’s Day offering. Ashley Rose, the lovely artist behind Sugar+Cloth, clearly has an eye for art and design. The Signature team had the opportunity to ask Ashley a few questions about herself, her process, and the inspiration behind her fresh and colorful Mother’s Day collection! Thanks for sharing Ashley!
How would you describe your collection in 5 words?
I would say the cards are bright, colorful, meaningful, reusable keepsakes.
What was your inspiration for it?
I wanted to create colorful cards that I’d be naturally drawn to when purchasing them for friends and family, and I also wanted something that could be kept and serve as an ongoing reminder of being well loved!
Can you talk about each of your 4 cards—their inspiration and how you see the mom who gets them using each one of them?
Each of the cards can have the perfect home with just about any mom! The leather and metallic heart pin card was made with mom and daughter style lovers in mind; the metallic gold Lucite clipboard and gilded notepad are great organizing aids for on-the-go moms, and the ‘Happy’ banner card is right for everyone!
Who are your biggest design inspirations?
Right now I’m really inspired by Tom Dixon, Joy Cho of Oh Joy!, and Ellen van Dusen of Dusen Dusen.
Any design trends you’re particularly loving right now?
I’m loving all things retro!
What inspires you?
I’m really inspired by traveling and visiting places, even if it’s just the local coffee shop or antique shops around town. It’s a great way to find unexpected color combinations, or ways to reinvent old ideas with a new, colorful touch.
Your blog’s tag line is DIY Inspired Living–talk to us about what that means to you and what you hope your blog inspires its followers to do.
DIY Inspired Living is meant to inspire readers to put their personal touch into every day, whether they’re hosting friends, traveling, decorating their home, or even making pretty desserts and recipes!
Tell us about how your blog came to be?
I was going to school for graphic design but wasn’t quite sure what I really wanted to do as a career. After a string of odd jobs and a few tough life lessons, I wound up waiting tables to make quick money after moving to Houston. I started Sugar & Cloth while I was working there as a way of staying accountable to being creative. I knew if I wanted something more, then I was going to have to put myself out there and create the path I was looking for.
What do you love most about your blog?
Getting to constantly dream up new things to share with our readers!
In 2014 you took the leap to leave your day job and be 100% devoted to Sugar & Cloth. What an inspiration–tell us more about that process!
It was definitely a scary jump to move to Sugar & Cloth full-time, and it’s still a steep learning curve as a small business owner, but I love getting to build Sugar & Cloth into my dream career each day. Though being solely responsible for my own income and the people on our small team is an intimidating role to have, it’s a very, very rewarding risk that I’m happy I took!
Jared–tell us more about your partnership and coffee breaks!
We definitely love working together everyday! Not everyone can work with their significant other, but in our case, our personalities complement each other, which makes for productive & fun workdays in the studio. Plus our coffee breaks are the best. We are very fortunate in that our studio is right above a great local cafe, which makes it super-easy and tempting to grab coffee…or macaroons…anytime we want.
Macaroons–you seem to love and adore them? True?
Yes! They’re my little blank dessert canvases 😉 I basically always have some on hand in the studio fridge. We do lots of DIY’s with them.
What’s been your favorite blog post in 2016 so far?
Probably this wild DIY floral cake!
Any funny DIY fails to tell us about? (We’ve all had them…)
Oh man, where to even start… we’ve had a lot of DIY fails, but the one that was most embarrassing was when I went on live television for a local Houston morning show to share a few Spring DIY’s and when I went to cut a piece of fabric to show a how-to step, the scissors were too dull to cut through the piece. Probably should’ve tested and sharpened them beforehand. Oops!
Are you a night owl or an early bird?
Definitely a night owl!
What is your studio like?
It’s bright white and full of natural light with pops of color. We tried to keep things as neutral as we can so we can use the space for lots of differently styled shoots and projects while also keeping it interesting for day-to-day.
If you could design anything, what would it be?
I’d love to design party cookware for entertaining!
What kind of child were you?
Crafty and a little all-over-the-place. Basically I’m still the same person, ha!
Any special moms in your life you’d like to give a shout-out to?
My mom Julie, my Grandma Betty, and my Texas mom Nancy!
What is your favorite piece of art you own–either yours or someone else’s?
I’m really loving Gray Malin prints right now and we have a few in the studio that we photograph often!
What’s your perfect day look like?
Lounging by a beach with crystal clear water and a frozen drink in hand 😉 Or maybe that’s just my current mood, haha!
Do you listen to music when you create your artwork? If so, what’s on your playlist these days?
We play music almost all the time! We’re big Spotify fans, and right now my favorite playlist is Broods Radio or Top 100 tracks in the U.S.
Favorite snack or treat?
I’m always a sucker for ice cream.
Run, don’t walk, to your nearest Hallmark Gold Crown store to check out Hallmark Signature’s collaboration with Sugar & Cloth! Or shop it online here. Be sure to tag us if you share your favorites on Instagram. (@think.make.share @hallmarksignature @sugarandcloth)
Photos by Sugar+Cloth