Memorial Day

{MEMORIAL DAY}

Thank you to all of those brave men and women who daily put their lives on the line to give us freedom.
Yesterday (and everyday) we remember and honor all of those who have given their life for the sake of freedom.
Thank you.

. . .

We celebrated Memorial Day by spending a morning at the beach.
How did you celebrate?

{building sandcastles...}

{eating sand... and not liking it...}

{trying to figure out the art of building a sandcastle}

{and looking adorable, as always... don't you just want to squeeze them both?!}

Inside Look: Baby Fireman Shower!

A few weeks ago I posted a peek at custom baby shower invitations I was working on.
They turned out super adorable, as did the shower. Take a look!

Three generations of beautiful ladies!

Welcome Baby Okley!

The tables were decorated simply with blue tablecloths, mason jars holding white carnations,
white tea lights and a bright red fireman's hat.

The details were well thought out and planned,

even the table/food labels coordinated with inspiration found in the invitation.

Isn't the cake adorable?!

It was yummy too!

A Reprieve

The last few days have been really sweet. We have spent time with my family out in the peaceful country. I grew up in a small town where there are fields and cows... and it is beautiful. This little reprieve has been wonderful, full of naps, laughs, and some card playing too.

I realized this morning, as I was anxiously trying to find something to do, that over the past 6 weeks of pure craziness I seem to have forgotten how to relax. haha. So, I read a book and went for a run. It was amazing.

The next few days will be a slight whirlwind but I am looking forward to those as well as we attend the 2nd annual Aletheia Network Retreat: Reflect.

A few inspiration shots from the country:

I'll actually be back here early next week (back to the country I mean)
and I hope to get some photos of where I took my early morning run today.
(Insert: Gorgeous!)

Mommy's Little Helper

I was busy working away this morning and Drew was playing quietly alongside me...
although, he is in a state of constant conversation so when I say quiet, I mean he was whispering some crazy little adventure to himself.
I looked over and found him using a client's wedding invitations (not to worry they were misprinted throw away ones :)) as an airport.
It was the cutest thing ever.

Being a work at home mommy has major challenges but it also has major advantages...
like getting to play airport with your 3 year old.
I would not have wanted to miss out on that sweet moment for anything.

He said he was trying to 'make air.'

I love him so much.

. . .

If you are a work at home mommy I would love to catch up with you some time...

especially if you are anywhere near the Tampa, Florida area.
Give me a shout info (@) ashleeproffitt.com

Inside Look: Book Design & Layout

In this post I mentioned that I have spent the last month working on a very wide variety of design projects. Today's feature is very dear to my heart. My father-in-law, after much persuading from all those who love and respect him (and very much appreciate all his vast knowledge), wrote his first book (of many I hope!)

A very talented and amazing artist, Ace Cosner designed the cover and from there I went to work laying out the inside. It was a lot of work, but I definitely learned a lot and know what I will do differently next time.

Below is a photograph of the mock up that we printed at a local copy store just to make sure the margins, chapter titles, page numbers, etc. were working... good thing we printed the mock-up because they weren't correct at first. ha.

I would love for you to read more about this great man and this new book; check out his website here. You can see my husband's announcement about the book release here and you can enter to win your very own hard copy here. If you, your spouse, or anyone you know is in ministry of any kind (especially collegiate ministry) they will love this book.

I would love to hear from any of you designers:
Have you ever designed a book before?
I would love tips on your processes and things you have learned along the way.

And I would love to hear from you readers:
What do you look for in a book design?

Inside Look: Firetrucks!

I have had the wonderful opportunity to work on about a million different projects over the past couple months... I have designed everything from vinyl banners to printed books. It has been a crazy month! One of my favorite projects that I got to work on was a baby shower invitation for a future fireman. :) The above invitation was inspired by the below photograph of a real firetruck (my brother is a fireman and was taking my oldest son for a ride on the firetruck = the highlight of Drew's life.)

Andrew giving some love to his Uncle David. So sweet.

. . .

I think the invitation is adorable and I can't wait for the shower!

Danielle, I love you and it was blessing to be able to work on this for you and baby Okley.

. . .

{This invitation is for sale in my shop! Check it out here.}

{Note - This invitation can easily be customized for your little one's birthday as well.}

Weekend Wardrobe: New Bicycles!

{Bike Ride}
This weekend we bought bikes and a bike trailer for the boys!
Thank you tax return, best money we ever spent.
I am pretty sure I smiled for the entire 7 mile ride.

We went for a long ride on Friday and Saturday (about 22 miles total!)
We would have gone again on Sunday, but I think my body needs to rest. :)

A basic white tshirt, athletic shorts, sunglasses, and a sweet pair of Nikes
(thanks to my hubby before my big race a month ago)

Here are the cuties in their little trailer. Have you ever seen anything cuter? Nope.

Our first bike ride was to the post office to ship one of your packages! Fun & efficient!

What did you do this weekend?