39 | LOVE LOVE LOVE

| L&A love packaging . designed 2010 |

I knew there had to be something different about me when I spent an entire weekend hand-making valentines in 2nd grade, rather than buying the boxed set at the market. Don't get me wrong, I love mini M&Ms and My Little Ponies as much as the next, but I somehow got greater pleasure out of cutting and folding red pieces of paper for everyone in my class.

The tradition continues today with the 2010 Collection of Valentines.... hand-designed and handmade for those L&A cares about most.

| L&A Valentines 2010 |

| I like you (lots) |

| you make me feel all floaty |

| permanent valentines | << this one goes to my father

| love you more than ... |

| you complete me. |

may your valentine's day be filled with lots of love & paper.

www.lotusandash.com

35 | GIVE THE GIFT OF WRITING

this year, give the gift of writing by creating custom stationery or greetings with LOTUS&ASH for those you care about most.

check out festive creations at the new holiday page of lotusandash(dot)com

: : : LOTUS&ASH : HOLIDAY : : :

and remember, for every order placed this season, L&A will donate 10% of your order so that we can give a california kid the chance to read and write.

L&A gifts can be customized for any holiday - just specify what you're celebrating and your order will be wrapped with the perfect ribbon. (and for extra sweetness - a candy cane or some gold gelt!)

place your orders early!

for custom designed stationery, allow two weeks for the design+print process. to order an existing style, allow for the one week typesetting+print process.

email ashling(at)lotusandash(dot)com with order inquiries

(the shirt design gallery... finally!)

LOTUS&ASH : WEAR

and if you look extra closely around the rest of the site, you'll notice paper and design updates scattered throughout.

34 | HOLIDAY PREVIEW & A SPECIAL GIFT

It's almost LOTUS & ASH's favorite time of year...

Look forward to a seasonal catalog next week, featuring gift tags, 2010 calendars, new stationery designs, and special deals for you.

And, this year, a gift from LOTUS&ASH is also a gift to a boy or girl, who may be having a little difficulty trying to figure out that ei and ay can make the same sound.

It's my hope that our gift will let them write and read (with confidence) about the sleighs and hip hip hoorays of the holidays.

www.readingpartners.org

30 | SUMMER SNAPS { no. 3 }

FOCUS

across the world greeting card, custom designed for a daughter, to her mother.

it's no secret that LOTUS&ASH loves custom correspondence, the kind that makes a person think this is something that could not have been sent to anyone else, or mean as much to anyone else.

when a friend came to me with a special request - to send her mother a 46th birthday card on her behalf, since she was in uganda and wouldn't be able to - i saw it as a perfect opportunity for a custom greeting...

|| vintage par avion inner envelope ||

|| 45 hugs, calls, and kisses, strung together in an attempt to reach across the world ||

|| the 46th card for the 46th birthday girl ||

summersnaps no. 3

23 | NEW YEAR, OLD BLOG, SAME PAPER&DESIGN PASSION

LOTUS&ASH wishes you the happiest new year.

& CELEBRATES its website's FIRST BIRTHDAY

It's difficult to believe that lotusandash.com is one year old this week. Between the lines and photos capturing so much paper, design, travels, and aesthetic adventures, a pure love for all of the above remains. 2008 marked the beginning of LOTUS & ASH. 2009 holds the opportunity for more explorations, including an improved website, a CUSTOM PAPER : ORDER page, and a more comprehensive CUSTOM DESIGN space. And, of course, LOTUS & ASH is excited to continue sharing all those explorations at lotusandash.com.

| TUCK ANYWHERE CALENDARS designed for 2009 |

but before we move onto the new year, we can't forget christmas...

It's no surprise that the holiday season is the MOST FUN time of year for LOTUS & ASH. With plenty of opportunities for paper love, the season becomes filled with hours at the printer, cutter, and tying brown paper packages up with strings (this year's present-wrapping theme) Since I was abroad this past fall, holiday designing and printing fell ALL in the month of December with a flurry of cards to design and print. Below, a few spirited snapshots of that favorite season:

| CHRISTMAS EVE taken 12.2008 |

| THE SIMPLE BRUNCH MENU designed 12.2008 |

| FLORENCE designed 12.2008 |