Blog
Posted on February 28, 2016
by Ashley 
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Introducing jewelry designer Shaesby and his latest Isla Collection. Drawing inspiration from nature and travel, the Isla Collection is an exploration of oceanic textures, mixed metals and celestial patterns. Each piece of jewelry is hand cast and made to order in his Austin studio and can be customized by metal or stone (depending upon the design). Pricing then varies based on what you select.
Shaesby invited me to the studio for a personal tour and to witness first hand how certain pieces are made. In particular, my Isla ring. I was introduced to Travis, the master jeweler for Shaesby.
We started off with melting pieces of silver, shown below. He used an incredibly hot blow torch to melt the bowl of silver and then poured it into a cast. (Did you know it has to be 1,763 degrees Fahrenheit to melt silver?) Multiple rings could then be produced off of this single ‘tree.’
Next, the cast was taken to a tub of water to cool. In a matter of seconds the metal was cooled and ready to be examined. As you can see, this cast produced 4 rings, one being the Isla ring I am wearing. Once the silver cools each piece of jewelry is then removed from the silver ‘tree’ and smoothed. From here, the finishing touches were put on my ring; diamonds!
We also experienced how each and every piece of jewelry produced is hammered and shaped, by hand. The attention to detail in each and every piece is simply amazing. You can see Travis working on an earring. He used several different types of hammers and tools to shape and create detail from a raw piece of silver.
Next, I was shown how a custom wedding ring/band is produced. First, the diamond is selected and a custom design is then made. The diamond is placed on a wax mold that will create the actual ring setting. Then, the band is shaped and sized with a wide array of tools to create a mold for the final product.
The jewelry making process was an unbelievable experience. Witnessing first hand how multiple pieces of jewelry are made, from start to finish, was a true treat. This has really allowed me to appreciate the craftsmanship of all handmade jewelry, especially my Isla ring. Each jeweler is trained to create a piece from start to finish so there is no lag time in the process.
Custom jewelry is one of Shaesby’s fortes. Ranging in style and price, they can create anything your heart can imagine. Even producing an engagement ring in under 24 hours for one man eager to make his girlfriend his bride on their upcoming vacation.
More About Shaesby:
Born and raised in Louisiana, Shaesby Scott attended Colorado State University where he pursued his passion for fine art. He began his career as a sculptor and furniture maker. While living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Shaesby soon discovered his calling for jewelry and in 2001 he decided to dedicate himself to the craft, launching his namesake brand. From a modest start, setting up shop in his garage to moving into his current studio, which now employs a small team of talented craftsmen, Shaesby has been on quite a journey; one that has been intertwined with his hometown of Austin, Texas, where he finds inspiration for the creative process.
Each piece of Shaesby jewelry is comprised of responsibly and ethically sourced materials and is created by hand utilizing old world techniques such as hand forging and lost wax casting. Shaesby believes it is the relationship between the maker and the wearer that give purpose to his process. Jewelry takes on new life, when worn. A selection of Shaesby is available in Austin at Eliza Page, Anna Gray or Neiman Marcus.
Find the full range of collections available for purchase at:
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Beyond excited to finally share this fun, Chicwish outfit with everyone! This is definitely something I wouldn’t normally see myself wearing, but once I saw it on the website, I knew I had to have it! And shockingly enough, I think I can pull this look off, along with everyone else second guessing themselves!
This entire look is beyond affordable (besides the Louboutin’s, but I linked similar below) and a perfect transition into Spring, especially if you live in Texas! I mean, how crazy is this weather… 80 degrees and sunny one day and 45 and hurricane winds the next?! No bueno. Ashley not happy.
Thankfully, I will be headed to the beach at the end of the week to celebrate my 30th birthday!! Lots of sun, bikinis and yummy food and drinks!
Outfit Details:
Shirt – Chicwish // Skirt – Chicwish
Shoes – Christian Louboutin (Similar HERE) // Hat – Nordstrom
Sunglasses – ASOS
Could this striped, blush pink mini be any cuter?? I think not! Once I saw this dress online, I had to have it. Most people saw me wearing this and quickly noticed this was something I normally wouldn’t wear. And everyone is definitely right, I wouldn’t normally wear pink! But there’s still some black, white and stripes mixed in, so it totally works!
Quite a few people have commented to me that they have no idea where they would be able to sport this cute dress around or what they would even wear with it to accessorize. Let me tell you now, this dress is actually extremely versatile and will go with practically everything! Well not everything, but anything black or nude! I paired this dress with black accessories so the blush pink would pop a little more.
This is a great transitional dress into Spring too. I paired this dress with OTK boots and a fedora since it was still somewhat chilly outside in Austin. Once temps warm up a little more I would definitely throw on a pair of cute open toed heels or sandals! This dress is made of a felt material, so I wouldn’t recommend wearing it in the summer! But there are still a couple of months for most of y’all to get some great wear out of it! AND it’s only $53!
Outfit Details:
Dress – Chicwish // Handbag – Chanel (Similar HERE)
Boots – Steve Madden // Hat – Nordstrom
Photos by Caleb Kerr
I love my job.
I don’t know many people that can genuinely say they absolutely love their job and look forward to work every single day. I am one of those people. It was a long and hard road to get to this spot in life, but I couldn’t be happier.
One of the reasons being I get to travel all over the US to style some AMAZING people! As many of you know, I was in Charlotte a few weeks ago on a super secret project with NASCAR! And now, I can FINALLY reveal the big news to everyone!
I had the pleasure of styling Danica Patrick for the notorious Undercover Driver videos with Lyft! I’m sure you’ve seen them… With Kris Bryant, Jerry Rice and now Danica!
Let me start out by saying how much I LOVE Lyft. No, they did not pay me to say that. I have worked with them on some really amazing projects over the last year and have to come to absolutely adore this company and the people involved. If you haven’t tried them, DO IT.
Now, back to the important stuff. 🙂 From Austin to Charlotte I went, many suitcases in tow! The next day, I headed over to the NASCAR Hall of Fame to get everything set up for a day of styling Danica. Film crews piled in and immediately started rigging up a car with what seemed like 20 GoPros inside and outside of the car. Danica arrives and we get her in hair and make-up and immediately into wardrobe as our “test riders” are awaiting the filming of, what they think, is a Lyft training video.
We head outside where Danice is mic’ed up and ready to drive! She was a natural, btw… Once she was ready to go, we got in our chaser van to monitor everything that was going on with all of the video and sound. Pretty badass experience if I do say so myself!
Surprisingly enough, NO ONE knew it was her until the very end!! The video says it all, so scroll down and watch! Hilarious!
Finally getting around to posting one of my quick shoots from my Charlotte, NC trip. What a whirlwind that experience was!
I was hired by a company (name can’t be released yet) to work on a production for wardrobe styling with NASCAR out in North Carolina for half of a day. I flew out in the afternoon, got to my hotel and quickly began prep for the shoot day. In the meantime, I figured I might have some free time to actually shoot a couple of outfits after we wrapped the shoot, but had no idea of who to reach out to in Charlotte. I had never been! Thank goodness for social media… I quickly started browsing Charlotte photographers and found someone who fit my entire Instagram aesthetic to a T! I mean, it was literally the most perfect fit EVER. I was pleasantly surprised with how many amazing shots we ended up getting in such a short amount of time.
The next day, I wrapped up work earlier than expected and hauled ass back to the hotel to get ready to shoot with my new friend, Will! We immediately hit it off and he knew exactly what locations would be ideal to keep everything cohesive and grey! I mean, what a winner!! We shot for an hour before I had to head back to the hotel for meetings and to pack up for my early flight the next day.
Beyond excited to show you some of these photos! It was a chilly day, so I’m definitely glad I had packed this super cute, asymmetrical zip, SheIn hoodie and BedStu lace-up boots! I had been looking for an excuse to get some good wear out of them and this was a perfect opportunity!
I have one more outfit to post from our shoot that shows off some of gorgeous Charlotte! If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it!!
Outfit Details:
Hoodie – SheInside // Jeans – AG (More affordable HERE)
Boots – BedStu // Beanie – Nordstrom
Welcome to the very first look into my newly renovated house in Austin, TX! I am so excited to have partnered with Joss & Main to design one of my bedrooms to show off to all of my lovely friends, family and readers! Before you scroll down to see the finished project, I want to give everyone a little backstory on this house.
I started house hunting back in March of 2015 in Austin. As most of you Austin residents or future residents know, the market is out of control here and you are almost guaranteed to pay thousands upon thousands more than asking. Which is exactly what happened in my case. This house was the very first property I looked at and wasn’t convinced it was really for me. I put in an offer that day anyway and quickly realized I didn’t get it. I looked at 5-6 other homes in central and South Austin, put in offers, some over $30k over asking price and LOST them all! Finally, the financing fell through on this house (the first house I put an offer on) so I swooped in and I made another offer. The next day, I got the good news that it was mine fully knowing I would be spending way more than this house was actually worth being built in the 70s and also understanding I would be undertaking a full renovation.
Coming from an architecture and home renovation background, I quickly began ripping this place apart. Every single room was demolished, every inch of floor space was torn out and we went through 6 weeks of popcorn removal on every ceiling and WALL in a 2 story house… It was everywhere. We were also living in this mess the entire 6 month renovation. Fun times!
The room I am about to show you was actually the last room we actually got set up. We were waiting for the right time and right furniture that just made it feel perfect. And sure enough, I got the opportunity to work with Wayfair and we put together one cute, little room!
The design of this room is quite awkward. It was used as an office by the previous owners and you can somewhat see the popcorn and the nasty carpet. Currently, there is no popcorn, we retextured and painted everything white, added new trim, a new fan and now have polished concrete floors. The room has a cut-out to the left of the doorway which houses a dresser and some decor. We do have an amazing window box that we ended up keeping to enjoy all of the natural light that pours in that room everyday.
Check out the before and after below!
Furniture Details:
Bed – Joss & Main // Nightstand – Joss & Main
Propeller – Joss & Main
Rug – Wayfair // Chest of Drawers – World Market
Candle Holder – Target
Fur blanket – Wayfair
Grey Blanket – UGG
Star Wars Walker – Lego // Fan – Home Depot
Star Wars Blue Print – Oliver Gal
Lamp – Target (Similar HERE) // Longhorn – Target
When renowned Austin street style photographer, Shelley Neuman, reaches out to you to shoot, you obviously drop everything and immediately say YES! We found a quick 30 minutes to meet up and shoot a fun, street style outfit on South Congress.
Once we had picked a cool, hip spot in Austin, I knew exactly which outfit I wanted to shoot. I had just scored an amazing leather jacket and fringe leather bag from Linea Pelle and knew those pieces would be absolutely perfect.
I’ve linked all of my outfit details below for easy shopping! This outfit is definitely an easy transition into fall with the crop on the leather jacket. Wear a cute tank or tee underneath if you get hot with the leather outerwear. Think about throwing open toed sandals along with these jeans for a cooler option.
Outfit Details:
Jacket – Linea Pelle (Similar HERE) // Jeans – H&M
Shoes – Christian Louboutin (Similar HERE)
Shirt – H&M // Sunglasses – Ray-Ban
Watch – Chanel J12 // Hat – Nordstrom
Bag – Linea Pelle (Similar HERE)
Bracelets – Chan Luu, David Yurman, John Hardy, Loren Hope, Kori Green
Necklace – Roberto Coin
Photos by ATX Street Style
HAPPY “GALENTINES” DAY from DTK Austin and Kelly Wynne!!
It makes me so happy someone came up with the term Galentines… I think it is so appropriate and something all of us girls need from time to time! Especially when all of our boys are actin’ a fool!
But more importantly, since I’ve started blogging I’ve noticed how extremely ridiculous girls are, which makes absolutely no sense to me at all. Being in this industry for years as a stylist, things have never changed as I had thought they eventually would… I had hoped blogging would give me that sense of having a girly friendship that we all see posted on social media. Sadly, that wasn’t the case, in most instances, so I jumped at the chance to finally meet Kelly after chatting over social media for a year or so! She was absolutely amazing, and so are her bags, if you aren’t familiar! We instantly hit it off and planned a super fun Galentine’s Day shoot for all of the awesome ladies out there! We all need to stick together and support each other. I mean, why else are we doing this?? To be a show-off?? NO. To help others! Help others with what to wear, what to buy, where to buy it and build amazing connections in the process; a support system.
SO, go find YOUR Gal and have a wonderful Galentine’s Day full of love, laughter and lots of wine and chocolate!! <3
Outfit Details:
On Ashley:
Dress – Chicwish (Similar HERE and HERE)
Shoes – Christian Louboutin (Similar HERE) // Handbag – Kelly Wynne
On Kelly:
Dress – Jill Jill Stuart // Handbag – Kelly Wynne
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I have found the cutest LBD and it is beyond affordable! Just price at $15, this super cozy dress is sure to turn heads! It is the perfect length for a black mini and is made of extremely soft cotton. What sold me on this dress was the amazing attention to detail on the sleeves. I fell in love with the white pleated cuffs and the dainty, black ribbon bow.
Not one for showing legs? Throw on some tights and you will be good to go! Over the Knee boots are another stylish option to keep you warm and covered up! I mean, you just need it anyway because it’s only FIFTEEN dollars!! You can’t even get a healthy meal for that cheap! 🙂
Outfit Details:
Dress – SheIn // Shoes – Christian Louboutin (Similar HERE)
Clutch – Louis Vuitton (Similar HERE) // Watch – Chanel J12
How many of y’all are familiar with Maumero Shoes? For those of you who aren’t, let me introduce you. I came across Maumero while searching for leopard flats and was instantly drawn to this amazing brand. Not only do they have fabulous shoes but they are also a charitable company. 10% of each shoe sale will be donated to one of the participating charities of your choosing. Now, who doesn’t love that?
Maumero’s goal is simple. To make shoes that make a difference in the way you feel with every step. Each shoe is outrageously carefully constructed for comfort with special padding and leather lining. I got my leopard flats in and was hooked! They weren’t only comfortable but they were catching the eyes of other Austinites too!
While you’re here, stick around and check out there website!
Outfit Details:
Shoes – Maumero
**Under $100 and 10% is donated to a charity of your choice!**
Jacket – Burberry // Beanie – JCREW
Jeans – AYR // Bag – Chanel (Similar HERE)
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