We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ashley Echavarria . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ashley below.

Ashley, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

My love for creating started at a young age and was inspired by the strong maternal influences in my life. When I was a child in Mexico, my grandmother and I would make bows for Christmas baskets. To this day, I remember how carefully she crafted every single bow. The ribbons, the little pine cones, the berries – it was all a work of art.

My mother is one of the most creative people I know. She is a costume designer in Mexico. I spent many late nights as a young teen helping her finish up ballet tutus (I barely knew how to sew!) or hair style brooches for recitals. Back then, I thought there’s no way I would do this for a living!

After college, thanks to my diligent saving and the gracious support of my family, I had the opportunity to study in Florence, Italy and earned my visual merchandising certification.  Everything came full circle when my mom and I started a boutique, where I absolutely loved fixing up & designing window displays. This is when I realized my true passion for creating and decided to turn my passion into a small business.

Here I am, 15 years later – I absolutely love creating, it makes happy (especially for holidays).

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born in Dallas,TX and moved to Monterrey, Mexico at a young age. This is where I received my B.S in Business Administration at Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. Fast forward to today, Denver is home for our family. I am a mother of two young girls (Amelia, 8 & Elisa, 5). They inspired my business name, Ameli Designs.

I can’t tell you enough of how grateful I am to have found the most amazing and supportive community when we moved to Denver. I started making arrangements for friends just for fun. A wonderful friend of mine recognized my talent and starting posting my work on social media. This is when my passion for decorating and creating became a business. I am a mother of two young girls (Amelia, 8 & Elisa, 5).  They inspired my business name, Ameli Designs.

When I first started, I was handcrafting paper flowers for Christmas trees on my kitchen counter, then wreaths, and finally full arrangements.
After the pandemic, I’ve had the most wonderful customers invite me into their homes with different requests that challenged me to pursue new projects. From decorating homes for the holidays to hosting wreath workshops around Denver, I’ve really expanded beyond my initial countertop projects!  After three busy years, I finally have an in-home studio, where each product is carefully hand-crafted.  I am proud that every piece that I make is unique – no two products are alike.  And of course, they are hand-crafted with so much love.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

From a personal perspective, it’s tough to balance being a mom and an entrepreneur.  My days are busy with the business, and my afternoons and evenings are full with the girls – from soccer practice, to dance, to dinner, to bed, phew!    However, when it comes to creating, I get to focus my energy on something that truly fills me up.  Creating has always been a form of therapy for me. I love working from my home studio, with christmas music playing in October (it’s my own time… so why not, ha!) If it’s accompanied by a nice cup of coffee, then that’s a wonderful day!

At the end of the day, the most rewarding aspect of all is to see a happy customer! The connection I make with each customer and to see them love and appreciate what I’ve just created for them, that’s what keeps me going. It doesn’t matter the size of the project – from one small arrangement or a beautiful custom garland to decorating their entire home for the holidays.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to handcraft one of a kind designs that will bring beauty into your home.

I truly take the time to select all my faux and dried materials for each arrangement – ensuring the best quality that will last a long time. When customers reach out and ask if my designs are real, that makes me so happy!

Another goal is to keep learning and challenging myself with new things. When Covid hit, I enjoyed making beautiful pieces for homes. It was a way to provide a little bit of cheer in tough times.  When the pandemic ended, I think we were all ready to see everyone face to face again. This is when my in-person workshops started. I had never given a class in my life, so when I had a wonderful local boutique invite me to give a class, I was so worried that I would mix up my English and Spanish. This learning process has definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone…for the better.  I think it is very important to keep growing and challenging yourself. I have to say, I’ve really enjoyed meeting clients in a different way at workshops – it’s wonderful to meet amazing people and create together!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amelidesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameli_designs
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmeliDesigns

Image Credits
Limeinterior_Photodecor, Leah Blanche Photography