5 Things this week is brought to you by Ashlee, our Sizing Team Lead. Quite simply, New Mexico native Ashlee is a beam of light here at Submaterial – she loves everything and everyone. Endlessly curious, she’s always asking questions and coming up with creative problem solving. As you’ll see, she’s also currently pregnant at 34 weeks! We’re so excited for her upcoming arrival. Enjoy her 5 Things!
1. Gratitude has been something I’ve been turning to a lot lately. One way I practice gratitude is through my beauty routine. I am beyond in love with local company drylands wilds and I use their deodorant, lip balm, hand balm, and soap, but I think my favorite self care treat is their beauty oil. 3-4 drops of sagebrush + snakeweed applied to a clean face and neck is pure magic to the skin and senses! I cannot get enough of what Cebastian and Robin have created and I am always trying to convert people 🙂 And if you click the workshop link on their site, you just might catch a candid pic of me at one of their workshops! I seriously love this company!!
2. I’ve been reading a lot this past year or so to prepare for the birth of my first baby (OMG!) so when I’m not devouring Ina May Gaskin or birth staples like Birthing from Within, I find poetry to be so soothing. The clarity I get from Yung Pueblo’s inward and how what I read aligns perfectly to what is going on in my life at the time really helps me feel grounded.
3. I am a huge homebody and one thing I can’t get enough of are my new favorite house slippers. Born from a tradition thousands of years old, Kyrgies are wet felted and made for cold, wet winters as well as hot summers. I love the tradition and usefulness of these skillfully made slippers. They fit so perfectly, look amazing and they practically clean themselves! Wool is such a beautiful, useful and meaningful material to so many people all over the world, and I am so happy to support a company like this.
4. I’ve always been a maker and have loved crafting things with my hands. My mother taught me to sew at a young age and both my parents always encouraged me to explore my creative side. Doing graphic design for almost 10 years before using my making skills full-time guided me into the amazing world of art and production and what design can really do for people. I’ve always known my strengths lie in how I see the world and what I can create so when I found punch needle (aka rug hooking) I knew I was onto something worthwhile. Eyes are a big theme in my work and they appear in almost all my designs.
5. Before I joined the Submaterial team I was completely blown away by not only the products created, but how something so wonderful could exist where I live and I felt a huge desire to become a part of it. Almost 100% of the products we make go through my department, so I get to inspect, process and compose so many beautiful pieces. My favorite thing to work on are the jobs that go all out with color. The wool we use is such high quality and the colors available are so rich and mesmerizing. My favorite color combos are warm and bright–yellows (like my favorite 274 Senf) oranges, and reds mixed with neutrals. You really can’t go wrong with this library of colors! I love to see these come to life in our Index Color Block and Ribsy products.
