Goodbye 2014... Hello 2015!

Today is the first Monday in January and my first post of 2015.  I made a new year's resolution and I will be starting a year long project " tips and tricks of blogging for artists" ... and I hope you will come along for the fun and we all learn some new things along the way ... stay tuned!

My Etsy Shop

I realize that I'm not a professional blogger ... and it's not to in my plans to be such.  I love to just do art, but creating art is not the only thing artists have to do.   As any professional artist will tell you - there are many hats to be worn.  So, this year I will share my blogging tips and tricks on a monthly basis with the goal of helping new artists or bloggers with the challenges they might face.

I don't like to be predictable in my blog posts, but I would like to be more cohesive with my postings schedule.  Last year I tried to post weekly and sometimes failed and it brought guilt, then disappointment ... so this year I will commit to twice monthly postings.  Also, as you noticed, my blog is about my art and the things that inspire me.   I will continue to post my museums trips, and my personal work ... all of which will be seen thru my life experiences and my personal travel plans.  Right now I have 3 destinations in my plans for this year : San Francisco in early spring - I'm looking to create a series of romantic pieces and hope to be inspired by the things that I see and feel there.  A European tour in May (Paris included!) ... I'm certain that many new memories and inspirations await me there!  I hope to end the summer in Russia with my mother and enjoying her delicious cooking.  So until then I continue to plan and dream and of course hope for many surprises and opportunities to come along as well!   So as my 2015 begins, I'm reminded that the journey is not about the destination, it's more about enjoying the ride! :)

Lana Moes Umbrella

Last year I had amazing opportunities work with the White House Black Market team. You never know who might be seeing your work online! As you see from my FB or Instagram posts, WHBM has created several items based on my Paris related art that are now appearing nationwide in their stores and I'm so extremely happy and thankful for this great collaboration with WHBM.
 (Credit for photos below belong WHBM website )

As for my friends and followers - May your coming year be filled with magic, joy, and great memories! I hope you kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful ... and don't forget to make some art - draw, or write, or build, or live as only you can.  And I hope somewhere in the next year, you will surprise yourself. May you have a peaceful and focused week ahead and see you around! with love, Lana

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New Year Resolutions - Organized Office & Studio Space

  

Hello My Friends! It is hard to believe, but January is here - and with is it my first blog post of this new year I decided to start with organizing my space. As you can imagine, I spend most of my working time in the studio or at my desk...( when I have break from my traveling:)

So, it is crucial to have an inspiring, creative space and organized at the same time.  Here I would like to share my tips on how to stay productive at the optimum level:

• Clean the Clutter Weekly

I used wait till an occasional guest visit to clean my desk area. But that only resembled more like tossing all my stuff in the closet and closing the door. This year one of my new resolutions is to spend Friday tossing old papers, organizing and labeling supplies, and putting all unused objects where they belong!

• Find Storage Solution 

Not a priority in the past, but it can be a lot of fun to decorate storage areas to fit your decor.  Check out lots of DIY ideas on how to dress up your old file cabinet or bookshelf  (both in my studio need more attention).
P.S. Updated studio pictures are coming soon :)

• Keep Cords organized and Out of Sight

Via

Tip from Martha Stewart: Eliminate tangles under your work area by feeding all cords through a hole drilled in the desktop. Then plug the wires into a power-surge protector strip mounted on the underside of the desk. Keep cords in a coated wire basket (available at housewares stores) suspended under the desk with wire hooks. Tags identify where each machine wire comes from.  

- Great ideas!

Duni Studio
(I wish I was as organized as her)

more here from Invisible Crown 

• Pick Pretty and Fashionable Stationary and Accessories for Your Desk 

Maybe it just old fashion but I still love to use handwritten notes and thank you card for my friends and customers. I feel more connected and more personal about good old paper and pen. During the holiday shopping I found so many stylish accessories for my desk .... 

can't wait to dress up my desk in the new more updated modern style:) 

via

• Make Inspirational Boards

I know what are you thinking .... another pinterest advertisement.  And of course you are right about .... I love the ease and convenience of my handy tool Pinterest.  But in time .... and I'm totally doing it .... I would like to create a real visual board.  It's nice to be surrounded by an inspiring wall while you are working!

via

Do you have your favorite organizational tips? 

I would like to share them if you have something on your blog just give me a link to add them here.

xx, Lana

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OCTOBER What To Wear in FLORIDA

I made this for my friend who lives in NYC.   We laughed about the winter season and the cold, dreary weather that will soon be afflicting her there in NYC.   We also talked about making plans for her to visit me here in Florida.   Fall & Winter is the best time to come and enjoy Florida!  The weather and opportunity to be outside without the oppressive humidity is just perfect!  She asked me what to bring -  I just could not resist to make this welcoming poster for her :) 

Lanasartstudio.blogspot.com

Also, I added more to my Etsy stores this week...so please stop in and see more of my new original watercolors and floral abstracts. 

                          GIVEAWAY

This is a giveaway for any of colorful prints made by me for my print shop!

i love all things colorful + abstract

+ now i have these!:) travel wanderlust 

just leave your name + (email or shop name or blog ) in the comments section below to enter!

+ your name will be counted 2X i will randomly pick a name next weekend + announce the winner on next monday's blog post ! in the meantime + all the time, more prints can be found here

Also,  there will be one more other giveaway in the next month...just would like to give thanks for all the blessings I had this year and if you like my art you can pick any items and I will make a special print just for you!

Good Luck! 

with much love 

xx, Lana

Comments are closed and the winner is Kim! Thank you for cooperation and I will be doing it every month, so stay tuned! 

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TRAVEL is about gorgeous feeling...

I found a couple of interesting quotes referencing traveling/vacations while posting my blog this week.

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”

 Terry Pratchett, 
A Hat Full of Sky

Aurora 2013- lanasfineart.etsy.com

in studio progress

I liked this one: 

"When one is traveling, everything looks brighter and lovelier. That does not mean it is brighter and lovelier; it just means that sweet kindly home suffers in comparison to tarted up foreign places with all their jewels on."

 - Catherynne Valente

Image via

Image via    

As much as I love traveling, there’s nothing like being home.  I’ve missed my bed, my art studio, and full access to all my beauty products and wardrobe :)  

I’ve even missed my yoga routine!

What are you missed most about when you away from home? Comment below and let me know!

xx, Lana

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Moscow - Love/Hate Relationship - Part Two

Part 2:   You know you’re in Moscow when…

....People also seem quite happy to sit, relax, and enjoy each other's company on a more personal/intimate level: 

Lana's Art Studio

…there is a deep admiration for luxury brands – conspicuous consumption is very prevalent.

Lana's Art Studio

…even in the red "brick" square you see impossibly high stiletto heels finishing off the infinitely long legs of impossibly beautiful, blue-eyed, blonde and brunette, model-esque Slavic women (look closely, see how skinny the heels are).

You know you’re in Moscow when…

…the skyline is a mix of steaming power station chimneys and beautiful multi-coloured onion-domed churches.

Russian Churches 

…no-one is running down escalators to catch the next train – not so much because the escalators are very deep (although they are), but because trains come along every minute, so no need to rush. People also seem quite content to sit, relax and read their papers in the beautiful marble hallways before 

boarding their train.

…taxis include private cars that are flagged down beside the road, with fare and route negotiated on the spot.

…moody-looking men in leather jackets are holding meetings in hotel lobbies.

Hotel Sovetksii

 …the neo-20s buildings are larger and more beautiful than you’d expect, whilst the military and Soviet era statues are even more over-the-top than you’d expect.

statures in red square 

…you can buy vodka in the ‘alcohol corner’ of a butcher’s shop, and it’s quite common to see well-dressed young men and women drinking from brown paper bags.

…borscht, dill and cream are on daily menus, as is mushroom soup, although pizza is now just as ubiquitous.

I would like to sharing some of my favorite recipes I found from pinterest here:

jennasaisquois.blogspot.com

Borscht – Beetroot Soup from Green Kitchen Stories: 

2 tbsp ghee or cold pressed olive oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 lbs / 500 g raw beetroots, any color, coarsely grated
4 cups / 1 l vegetable broth
2 bay leafs
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Horseradish Yogurt
4 tsp freshly grated horseradish, or more to taste
1/2 cup / 120 ml plain yogurt

Heat ghee in a large saucepan on medium heat, add mustard  and cumin seeds and stir constantly to prevent from burning. Fry until fragrant. Then add onion and fry until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the grated beetroot, vegetable broth and bay leafs. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the Horseradish Yogurt by combining both ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Add apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to the beetroot soup and let simmer for another minute or so. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve in bowls with a dollop of Horseradish Yogurt.

greenkitchenstories.com

This is from Oliver Magazine - beautiful photography of  Russian food  by A. Montgomery:

Russian Salad

You can make this authentic Russian potatoe salad called “Olivie” and it is delicious! If you love shrimp or chicken, you’re going to love this dish!  And it’s so easy that if you can buy some pickles, a can of peas, boil 6 eggs, peel a few potatoes and cut up some carrots…..your friends will think you’ve become a master chef!  Here is original post on russian cuisine!

So, the true Soviet version of salad Olivier includes the following basic 5 ingredients:

• hard boiled eggs, diced
• boiled sausage, diced (or use dised canadian bacon) 
• boiled potatoes (usually boiled with peels, my Mom also boils carrots in peels, and then the peels are removed), diced
• marinated (or fresh) cucumbers (usually home-made freshly salted , from home-grown cucumbers), diced
• canned green peas, whole
• green onion, diced

Dice everything, except for peas=), season to taste … and add loads of mayonnaise, the amount depends on your decency (which can also be ‘lightened’ with sour cream or greek yogurt)
Enjoy! Let me know if you tried this and what is your opinion on it)

Have a great week! 

This is it for now! Stay with me and do more recipes, stories, hotel tips, and more in my part 3 of Russian trip next week,

xx, Lana 

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Thoughts for Today

I love to paint.
It is vital to my life.
I paint wherever I am.
I paint from a feminine, fresh, youthful and very passionate perspective.
Fashion is my muse. The colors of summer are my delicious palette.
The subject in my personal work is predominantly a reflection of my thoughts at the moment.
I'm fascinated by faces, the inner beauty of the woman and by the beauty that surrounds me.  This is how I choose to create my life and my art.

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Subtlety

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