Getting Back to Nature

Ashley's combined love of Physical Geography (thus her beautiful nature-based artwork ) and beautiful paper is where her inspiration comes from. She dabbles in flocking, stamp carving, embossing and a little bit of computer-aided design. Enjoy a visit to her quaint Etsy shop...a must visit (I'm going there right now!) http://www.ashleypahl.etsy.com/ .

by AshleyPahl

Although I have been crafting since early childhood, it was the experience of creating my own wedding invitations that led me to stationery design. With some training in screen printing, the Print Gocco was a good place to start. I also dabble in flocking, stamp carving, embossing and a little bit of computer-aided design. Although I was working as an office assistant and finishing my degree in natural sciences, I could not quiet my creative side. I set up shop as http://ashleybug.etsy.com/ on Etsy in October of 2007 to test the waters.

The ball got rolling pretty quickly, and in December of 2008 I opened http://ashleypahl.etsy.com/, changing my business name. Around this same time I had my first baby and moved to Chicago, where I currently work.

My design space, which started out as a closet in my student apartment, has morphed into a system of labeled Tupperware bins, re-labeled and re-used baby formula cans, and shelves in contained cupboards in our new family apartment. To keep my life less hectic and more organized, I try to pull out only what I need for each project as I work at my desk in my living room. It's my dream to have a room dedicated solely to my craft someday, but until then, I enjoy working at my desk near the windows with a view of the Windy City.