Understanding File Formats (the ones you need to know)

Understanding File Formats (the ones you need to know)

File formats can be tricky if you are not used to working with them often. As a designer, I use all of these files on a daily basis and sometimes forget that my customer might have no clue what I am talking about when I ask for a vector file or I am sending them a ".PNG file". I thought I would take a couple minutes and break down some of the most common file formats, what they are used for and some other tips & tricks that might be helpful for you!

Some other tips & tricks that are good to know:

Hopefully, this little description helped you to understand some of the most common file formats! So when you are working with a designer (whether for business or personal) you know what we are talking about! These tips are also great to know when printed images, creating little graphics for social media, etc.

What file formats do you use the most?

Party Planning: Ideas for your football themed parties!

Party Planning: Ideas for your football themed parties!

Y’all…football season is almost here! Who else is planning football parties? We always do a big annual Texas A&M Aggie football kick-off party at our house every year, so the planning is in full force! There are so many fun football themed party ideas on pinterest right now. Whether you are doing a kick-off party, birthday party or just a fun game day party I have rounded up some fun ideas to help you plan!
First…naturally an invitation! My football invitation has been super popular in the last couple months and the colors can be changed to match your favorite team!
Second…ideas & decorations. All of these ideas I found on Pinterest and are so much fun! I have been collecting ideas for our kick-off party which is coming up quick!
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Now where do you get some of these cute decorations? Well you know my favorite place is Amazon and they had some great deals on prime (free two-day shipping…no brainer!)
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Now that you have some fun decorating ideas and a cute invitation to work with….download my FREE party planning sheet and get to work on planning the best football party yet!
Party Inspiration: Trolls themed Birthday Party for your kids!

Party Inspiration: Trolls themed Birthday Party for your kids!

One of the most recent popular kid’s movie is Trolls! I have been seeing tons of trolls parties popping up on my Instagram & Pinterest feed and thought this would be a fun post to put together with my Trolls party invitation.
Trolls is such a fun & colorful theme to celebrate your kid’s birthday! There are so many creative & budget friendly ideas I found on Pinterest to make this not only an easy party to put together but one that your kids will love.
Check out some of the fun ideas I found on Pinterest:
Need any coordinating paper goods to match the invitation? No problem! Just shoot me an e-mail and we can talk about your options.
Happy Trolling!
August 01, 2017 — Ashlynn Elliff
Why I don’t like to use Facebook Messenger for my business

Why I don’t like to use Facebook Messenger for my business

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I am not a Facebook Messenger fan. I am not a fan of it for business or for my personal life. Why, you ask? I’ll give you a couple of reasons.
Number 1: I am honestly kind of over Facebook, if I didn’t have my business page linked to I don’t even know if I would have my personal facebook. My social media platform of choice is definitely instagram! I know that Facebook is a great way to connect with people but at the same time why can’t you just call or text them? I am rarely on facebook unless I am on my business page editing something or checking messages on there.
Number 2: I feel like there is a sense of urgency with facebook. For example, I might have logged on to check something on my business page really quick or check a notification and when I get a message I feel like I have to respond right away because it shows that I have “read” it. I might not be able to answer the question right away (I get so many business-related questions sent to my personal account and sometimes need to check a price, etc. before I can give a good answer) and I feel so awful when I can’t respond right away because I don’t want the person messaging me thinking I am ignoring them. I typically have started replying with asking them what their e-mail address is and try and continue the conversation that way but it doesn’t always work (see number four as to why I like e-mailing better)!
Number 3: I hate that you have to have a separate app… I deleted my messenger app a LONG time ago. So the only time I check my messages is when I’m logged in on a desktop (which is rare). I could have zero messages on there right now or a thousand…my best answer, e-mail me to get the fastest response!
Number 4: My last comment on this is that I have dubsado which is a CRM system in which I run most of my business on. It makes my life 10 times easier! By visiting my website and filling out the form not only will it go straight to my e-mail, it will also set you up in my system so with a couple clicks of a button I can easily send you info & quotes. Meaning less time for you to be waiting and easier for me to get you the info you need ASAP!
When you run a creative small business solo it can be hard to manage every detail so having a streamlined process is KEY! The fewer things in between the better while I definitely do my best to respond to every message on every platform it’s definitely easier to get more accomplished by following my streamlined system than trying to figure out which platform I need to respond to!
What are your thoughts on facebook messenger? What is your favorite way to communicate with people?
Party Inspiration: 4th of July

Party Inspiration: 4th of July

Y’all 4th of July is just around the corner! Who is planning a fun BBQ or party? I have put together some fun ideas to help make your 4th of July bash a success!
    1. Of course we have to start with the invitation! I have a couple different 4th of July themed invitations to help fit your party needs (plus if you don’t have enough time to mail them out, all my invitation designs are also offered as a digital file on my etsy shop with a quick 1-2 business day turnaround so you still have time to e-mail and/or text them to your family & friends!

2. Party Decorations (Amazon Prime for the win!)
Some of my favorite ideas:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

3. The perfect & healthy (for those of you that don’t know I live a paleo lifestyle—if you want to know more about that or see more recipes comment below!) recipes to make for either your party or to take as a side dish:

Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings with 5-ingredient Paleo Ranch Dressing!

Cassy from Fed & Fit is one of my favorites to follow! She is also a fellow Texan and has great recipes & is so fun to watch on Facebook Live.

I hope that you got a little bit of inspiration & some ideas from this party planning post! I also have 2 FREE printables for you for your 4th of July Party!

Boho Wedding Styled Shoot

Boho Wedding Styled Shoot

I recently had the privilege of working with some very talented ladies in the wedding industry lately on a boho styled shoot. When my friend Katie from JaneRae Event Planning reached out to me about designing the invitations for the shoot, I, of course, said yes! She sent me a few inspiration pictures to get a feel for the vibe and colors they were going for and I’m so thrilled how it all turned out!
This was the first styled shoot I was apart of and definitely won’t be my last, it’s so fun to see multiple vendors work and visions come together in these photos from the photography angles, the styling, the flowers, stationery and all the beautiful decorations it was definitely a home run for this styled shoot!
This is such great inspiration for brides (and soon-to-be brides) out there if you are wanting to a beautiful bohemian style for your wedding. Here are some of my favorite images from the shoot:
Here are some of my favorite images from the shoot:
Thankful for all these vendors who volunteered their time & creative skills to make this styled shoot beyond amazing!
Florist: Bella Rosa Floral
Make-up & hair: Biz Word at Vanessen’s
Jewelry: Midwest Antiques Galleries
Decor/ Rentals: Prairie Lane Vintage Rentals
Stationery: Ashlynn Elliff Designs
Cake: The Cake Lady
Venue: Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum
Photography: Chelsea Jean Photography
Wedding Planner: Jane Rae Event Planning
Dress & Tux: The Bridal Gallery
May 01, 2017 — Ashlynn Elliff