Grateful month of December - Happy New Year!

In the spirit of it being Christmas week, I'm feeling deeply grateful .....

Via

Living life as an artist is a dream come true and I'm grateful for every single day.

I'm grateful for every single person who is moved to purchase my art.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my art and experiences with other artists and entrepreneurs who might want to live their own dream too.

I am so grateful to share my artistic creations with people all over the world.

I'm so grateful for God's guidance that has made me who I am in the world.

I'm mostly grateful for the support of family and friends who believed in me and my dream and tirelessly support my life.

... and this year I can say I am grateful and excited to carry my dream to the next level.

This year has been groundbreaking for me professionally, with my art available to customers in several unique and exciting ways!  And I may have broken a record here at Lana's Art Studios for most sales in one month this month alone!  But the most special thing is the people behind all those sales.  So this is my love and gratitude back - THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart and I hope to see you all in 2015!

Thank you thank you every single one of you who has touched my life in so many ways through my blog, shop and personal reach....

Enjoy your holiday my friends! and I hope all your lovely wishes will come true!!! My biggest hugs!

Cheers 2015! xx, Lana 

Merry Christmas!!!!

Hello my dear friends!  How was your week?  First of all I like to say all of you thank you so much for your kind messages about my beloved Nikki last week. It means a lot to me.  Many of you have pets and you know how hard it is to say goodbye from your personal experiences.  But now on to the magical time of Christmas and I will be enjoying it with loved ones.

I opened my Instagram account @LanasArtStudio couple of days ago, and I'm probably the last person to join it :) ... I found all of my friends from FB, Etsy, and Pinterest happily sharing their lovely pictures with the world already!  I have tons of questions and more ideas ahead .... but now hear from the pros how to avoid mistakes there .... so far I found this week:

• An Instagram account I wish I'd thought of: Wenevermet. Pictures of strangers (who aren't facing the camera) and tiny, imaginary caption stories of their lives. Here
• I found a printable (free) WOODLANDS gift tags I may be using for my presents here
• Ultimate guide for my new Instagram adventure here
• Came across this site  for you friends with cats - Top 10 toys for your holiday!

 And, last but not least I would like to sharing my weekend small getaway to a lovely old city St. Augustine with Nights of Lights. This is our yearly holiday tradition and I'm so happy to sharing it with you.

 During Nights of Lights, St. Augustine glows with holiday magic - from the ground to the rooftops. Selected by National Geographic in 2011 & 2012 as one of the ten best holiday lighting displays in the world, St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights feature millions of tiny white lights that create a magical atmosphere in the Nation’s oldest city.

Tracing its origins to the Spanish tradition of displaying a white candle in the window during the Christmas holidays, the spectacular lighting reflects the city’s 449-year history and illuminates the beautiful setting for lasting holiday memories.
 

The best way to enjoy the popular holiday lighting display is to park in the Historic Parking Facility located off Castillo Drive and enjoy the sights in one of many different ways – on foot, by bicycle or pedicab, on the Old Town Trolley or the Ripley’s Red Train, or by horse and carriage. - via  

Christmas only a few days away and I'm looking forward to spend this days with a quiet and restful last minute cooking and enjoying time with my family! Merry Christmas to All and Lovely Sweet Wishes!

With Love, 

Lana

Lost dear friend and companion

 

Starting this week with a ton of catching up to do as last week we lost a dear friend, our little dog Nikki (in the foreground in the picture above).  If you follow me, you probably know she was with me for 17 wonderful years, but unfortunately the time had come to say goodbye.  I am reminded that Father Time is undefeated and in this case it is surely true.  She was my walking partner and sweet companion for all those years and we all will miss her a lot! 

I had to take a few days off to regroup. Though I must admit, staying distracted and busy helps me to somehow begin to get past our loss, otherwise I would be overwhelmed thinking about how sad it really is to lose her.  The grieving process is difficult but necessary, otherwise it has a way of forcing its way out on its own.

I will be back shortly with more lovely news and updates! Happy weekend ahead my friends! xx, Lana

Happy December!

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you had a blessed week and nice family celebration during this Thanksgiving week (at least for those of you in the US).  Now it's time to start preparing for a lovely holiday season and getting ready for more joyful times with family and friends!

As for me I'm going to be short and sweet this week, because I'm swamped with custom orders, sales, packing and last minute freelance work.  Also, I'm really excited about my recent collaboration with large retailer ....  I cannot wait to reveal!  This is will be a lovely surprise just before the New Year!

my commission for a lovely client packed and ready to be shipped

Getting away this holiday season?  Next year I would like to return to Paris and spend a week in Provence ( but I will have to wait till June so see the beautiful  lavender season :) so in the mean time...

Paris in bloom from my trip this year

- little sparkles from Tiffany's for Christmas ... in my "Santa's list".... a girl can dream  - N'est-ce pas?

New Tiffany's store in Manhattan 

- it never hurts to dream about a far away destination or shopping on 5th Avenue in NYC

New Custom Illustration for client I completed last week

.... What is your dream destination? Share with me.... and for now my favorite quote:

" Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks" - Plutarch.

I hope you can see my story from my paintings... my dreams, and my inspiration... so go ahead dream up your next vacation, and make it happen! - xx, Lana