Out with the Old...

I am finishing up the month of February with a Make an Offer Sale. I'd love to clear out all the old inventory and have empty spaces.... ready and waiting for the new art and jewelry I will be making in March. Spring cleaning has begun! :)

Come on over to my little sale blog and see if there's something you'd like...
Make an Offer Sale.

Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~

New Printer = New Prints

I LOVE my new printer! I recently ordered an Epson Artisan 1430 from BHPhoto and it came by UPS yesterday! I didn't get it set up until today but so far it works wonderfully! Thanks to all the orders from my Junk Sale (which is still going on) I was able to order a better scanner this week. I hope to get it next week and then I will be ready to scan and print all of my new artwork! Well... as soon as I can get started painting again. :)

In the meantime, while I am learning the ins and outs of the printer specs, printer profiles, different art papers, monitor and printer calibrations, etc., I thought I would offer 5" x 7" prints of some of my past artwork. These are at a special low price of $5 each for a limited time!

 All prints are 5" x 7". Printed on 68lb. UltraPro Satin paper using an Epson Artisan 1430 wide-format printer and Claria® Hi-Definition Inks which create smudge, scratch, water and fade resistant durable prints. These inks "deliver unsurpassed image quality and superior prints that last for generations."
The gray borders are not on the prints. These are photos of the actual prints and the prints are slightly brighter in color and look better in person.
If you wish to order, please visit my Etsy shop:
Simple Joys Paperie

1. Heart in Hand Print

 

2. Blue House Print

 

3. Neutral House Print

 

4. Queen Anne Doll Print

 

It's a Birthday Sale!

Hello everyone!
I must say, I am enjoying my time off so much that I am going to be off work through February and into March for a while. It's nice to be able to take time for things here at home even though I know this means I'll really have to work overtime for a month or two once I do get back to work. During my time off I've dreamed about things I want to do / make / accomplish and have ordered more art supplies and have drawn up a plan on paper to completely rearrange my workroom studio! I'm really excited about it! :)

I turned 46 today and I feel so blessed! I went to bed just after midnight and it took me a while to slow my brain down enough so I could get to sleep. I was thinking of all the things in my life that God has blessed me with and caught myself lying there in the bed with a huge smile on my face. I think I went to sleep like that. Life is wonderful and I am curious to see what the rest of this year holds for us.

I'm spending a quiet day at home doing housework and in between chores I am listing items on my selling blog. If you want to see all the things I'm clearing out, just click this link: http://hlshop.blogspot.com/. I have many, many things listed including an antique wallpaper covered wooden box, ironstone butter pats, antique daguerreotypes, doll stands, and several odd items that I had purchased over the years to repurpose but never got around to it --- sound familiar? ;) Feel free to tell your blog and facebook friends about the sale. I'm using the proceeds to buy a scanner more suited to scanning artwork! :)

Oh, one more thing --- I have done some serious thinking and re-thinking about my business name. It's been quite hard to make a final decision which was surprising to me. Some of you are new to my work and businesses (Honeysuckle Lane and Simple Joys Paperie) and some of you have been with me from the start and I value all of your opinions. In the future I'll be doing watercolor and acrylic paintings, wool applique and embroidered needlework, soldered jewelry, and paper items such as the wreaths and heart in hand love tokens. I can't decide between Honeysuckle Lane and Lana Manis Designs.
So...
Which name do you like best?
1 - Honeysuckle Lane
2 - Lana Manis Designs


Thanks so much!


Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~

Trying Something New

I just couldn't wait any longer! I have very little acrylic paint tubes left, my brushes are mostly cheap ones from Walmart, and I didn't have a space ready to paint.

Despite all of that, I dropped what I was doing, shoved things over on the table, found a canvas that had already been textured, and proceeded to paint.

I really had no plan, just use what colors I had on hand and to get the feel of painting with acrylics again. I had worked with watercolor for quite a while and hadn't painted with acrylics in a long time. It certainly is different!

I added a little more depth and detail with oil pastels and charcoal.
And ended up with this:

It's not exactly what I was going for but it was fun to play and learn, knowing I can always paint over it if I decide to change it.

I was a little embarrassed to show this first painting, but hopefully I (we) can look back after a while and see lots of growth and improvement! :)

I think I have a book called Acrylic Revolution. I need to find it and see what tips the author has shared in it. Do you have a favorite art reference book... maybe on the subject of acrylic painting or abstract art?

I'm so glad you stopped by...
Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~

On the Verge

Did you ever feel as if you were on the verge of something wonderful happening but you were afraid to open the door and take the leap? I feel like that. I told my youngest (adult) son that I thought 2013 was going to be THE year for me. Great things were going to happen. Things that I have been holding my breath for ages for were finally going to take place. Do you feel that way?

I'm dying to start painting again... something different.... abstract art... maybe abstract art with a familiar folk art design here and there... I don't know. I just want to clear out a space for my easel and start painting... filling up a canvas or two or three... I want to see where it takes me and if it takes me somewhere unknown... well, then, I'll just have to learn as I go and find my way around!

{Yes, this is my pitiful collection of Golden Paints. I really need to stock up on more soon.}

I am sad that I was somewhat comfortable with where I was in my handmade art for so many years. I think of how far I could have come in the last 10 or 15 years if I hadn't been afraid to open that door or to take that leap. What would have happened if I had returned some of the messages from well-known companies? I didn't have faith in myself. I thought I'd fail. I thought because I was self-taught and didn't have formal training or go to college that I wasn't good enough. I thought I'd look like a country bumpkin among all the artsy, city girls --- no offense to the artsy, city girls... I love you and your style and your fearlessness! Here I am, a 45-year-old woman, and still feel intimidated by the "in" crowd. I still feel like the shy, backward girl in grade school that was afraid to speak out loud in class, who hoped and prayed the teacher would never, ever call on her. I still feel like the high-school girl that felt as if people were making fun of her or laughing at her because nearly everything she wore was out of style hand-me-downs or because she was a preacher's girl or because she came from the little grade school near the end of the county or because she usually didn't have the money to do all the after school things the others did. Don't mistake what I'm saying. I loved my childhood and loved my family and really didn't realize most days that we had much less (materially speaking). And I had some very good girlfriends in school. We weren't the popular ones but we were very popular amongst ourselves! :) But sometimes I desperately wanted to fit in but just couldn't quite make it work. Maybe it's because deep down I didn't want to be like all the others? Maybe that was the "artist" in me wanting to come out! ;)

Now, back to not wasting any more time... I have decided if I want to win the lottery, I have to buy a ticket! I don't play the lottery but you get the idea! I recently bought the premiere issue of Where Women Create Business and have been inspired to continue with my dreams and to take it seriously as a business. I have been reading blogs of women artists that were not afraid to reach for what was in their heart and soul. I have been writing dreams and plans in my notebooks and vow to work towards making them come true.

I don't know how far I'll get in 2013, but I'll be on my way. I feel that it's going to be a great year, not just with my art and business, but with many other aspects of my life, too.

Is there something you want to accomplish in 2013? Please share it in the comments and please leave a word of encouragement for those willing to share. Perhaps we can check back in 2014 and see how everyone's doing.

Thank you so much for stopping by...
Take care and God bless,
Lana
~*~