I was so excited to get to learn more about my friend Ash Stamper of Laynie and Belle, who is hilarious and talented in her own right, and has amazing talent in hand-lettering. I had the opportunity to meet her in person at WPPI, and totally adore her! Here's more about Ash:

[R.E.] How did you get started as a designer?

[A.S.] This is a tough one, and a little embarrassing! About 10 years ago I had a mild obsession with having the.best Myspace page. I was a new mom and a hair stylist part-time, so I had the time for this 😉 Fast forward 6 years, a job offer for my husband moved my family and I half way across the country, and it gave me the opportunity to stay home with our girls. So I committed myself to offering design services to creatives like me! I've grown so much over the years. I started as an etsy artist, and now my business is the full blown brand experience. I even dabble in the IT side of websites, because it's apart of the territory!

[R.E.] What is your specialty and something that makes your business unique?

[A.S.] My specialty is brand development from the ground up! I love to work with clients that need the branding because they are changing their business name or structure. I have a very distinct style that is whimsical. I hand letter the logo, and all elements involved in the design are hand-drawn, scanned in, and rendered into the computer. Quite the process. The majority of my clients are women with families! I love to help them streamline their business workflow by offering advice on anything from gallery apps and packaging, to bookeeping apps. We are all busy! Anything to help them run their business successfully with less time involved!

[R.E.] Do you offer any workshops or mentoring?

[A.S.] I do! During the summer months I hold my Polished Retreat! Leading up to the retreat my clients are presented with homework assignments, and we work on developing the concept for their brand! The retreat is 2 and half days long. We take the approved brand concept and go into full speed branding mode when they come visit me. We work on creating their website side by side, talk business, and lounge in the pool! It's really the best time, and my hope is that people leave feeling inspired in their business! It's a great opportunity to grow as an artist, plus it's tons of fun!

[R.E.] What are some of your favorite projects that you've worked on?

[A.S.] Erin Witkowski was a dream to work with. Love her and her work to pieces!

I had so much fun creating a new site for Elly Bean Photography! Her site has a lot of fun animations.

Brandi of Balee Images was one of my very first design clients, and we just refreshed her brand for the 3rd time!

[R.E.] Describe your ideal client. What are they like?

[A.S.] My ideal client has thought long and hard about branding, and they have put off pulling the trigger on the investment. As a business owner, it takes years to grow into your style. Your style evolves over time. You learn to say no to the services you are not passionate about offering, and that is when you are ready for the process. When you have reached the high point in your business owning career with a specialty and style that sets you apart from your competition. Then you just need me to create your presence! The hard part of branding is coaching someone on their brand when they are not ready for the process. That leaves way too much room for indecisiveness, time wasted, and ultimately frustration with the process. Branding is huge! It's the biggest investment you should put into your business, and as a designer there is nothing better than someone who is ready for the process and appreciates it! Oh, and you must.must love watercolor, hand drawn, whimsical goodness!

[R.E.] You have lots of cool things going on the side, too – what are some of those?

[A.S.] My husband and I launched our very own natural skincare line in March of this year! I've struggled with my skin since I had our youngest, who is now 6! I'm an obsessive researcher, so I started making my own products, perfecting them along the way. 18 months after I invested my free time into creating my own products, I knew I had something to offer to women just like me! I couldn't do it alone, and it took some bribing to get my husband on board. The Oily Lady is our line! We develop, make, and package everything up ourselves in small batches right out of our in home lab! It's a been a whirlwind since March, and we are still trying to adjust to our demand! It feels the absolute best to hear the testimonies from these women who use our products. If there is a product that a woman is going to use on her face, they want that instant result. We offer that with our Night Serum. It's our best seller, and after just one use, you can see and feel the difference in your skin texture! Nothing but raves, and I seriously want to pinch myself daily.

[R.E.] Tell me a little bit about your family.

[A.S.] We are always busy! Nobody knows our busy like we know our busy. My husband and I have been married 10 years and we have Alayna who is 10, and Annabelle who is 6. We also have a long haired Chihuahua, Missy and a Lavender Siamese, Mr. Skippy Jon Jones (he was named after a children's book series). My girls are my world! My oldest is evolving into this amazing videographer. All she does is create videos for her YouTube channel! She is also a crazy talented singer. No clue where she got her voice, but I tell her all the time she is so lucky to have found her talent so young! Our youngest is our entertainer. Her whit and humor is something else. Oh, she doesn't walk either. She dances everywhere. We have no cable in the house, and rarely ever watch TV. We do have an amazing surround sound throughout our house though, so we are constantly listening to music! We also love to travel, especially to the beach! Our coastal pick of choice is Amelia Island in Florida.

[R.E.] What is something people may not know about you?

[A.S.] I was voted Graphic Designer of 2014 on Lemonade and Lenses!

[R.E.] What would your ideal day off look like?

[A.S.] My ideal day off would be doing absolutely nothing. Laying around with a perfectly clean house, no work to catch up on, and a craft beer in hand. Ha! A girl can dream, right 😉

[R.E.] What's on your bucket list?

[A.S.] I want to see the Aurora for myself. I worked with a client who lived in Alaska, and she would take these amazing images of the sky at night with the Aurora. It's definitely on my bucket list to see it in person.

See more of Ash's work at Laynie and Belle HERE

Rachael Earl

Rachael Earl is the owner and lead website designer at Earl & Layne, and is a Showit Design Partner. She has been using Showit to design websites and online identities for creative professionals since 2009, and is also a professional photographer. Rachael has been married to her amazing husband since 2000, and they have 4 incredibly adorable offspring together. They call Gilbert, Arizona their home, which is affectionately and alternatively known as "the surface of the sun."