lindsaybellejennings.com

Well on Wednesday I was finally able to open my own bank account! David and I have decided that this will be dedicated to my Etsy/online profits and purchases, so we can keep it all contained and see how I am doing. I will get a debit/credit card in the mail next week, allowing me to configure the paypal account to the new card, and then I will post my art up on Etsy. Sooooooo mid to late next week my prints will be available to purchase. I am so totally excited! I can’t wait to get that credit card hehe

I uploaded some pictures of our new bathrooms and latest buys for our house on my Picasa page (which is THE best web album program out there) and sent them to friends and family. Included in this selection of photos, are some pictures of a bench I painted a few months ago. My Aunt Christy, who has been a super huge inspiration to me since I was a wee child, and my parents think that I should totally paint more and sell them too.
Here is a pic of the completed bench

The only real concern I have, is that it took me a long time to paint, since I am still a bit of a perfectionist, and so the cost of the bench would have to be in the $100s…..but would people pay that? I mean, its just a bench lol I keep it by the front door and use it to hold shoes. My Aunt is an artist and used to sell her work in small galleries, so I totally respect and trust her opinions (not to mention that she is in absolutely fabulous person too). I am just not sure if it is worth all the effort… I would definitely have to find a place that would make the benches cheaper….and I would have to design more painting layouts……plus put aside a ton of time to actually paint them…..hmmm lots to consider. I guess it is a possibility!

Another thought that I have been playing with, is to sell my pillows and bookmarks on Etsy as well. A few years ago I made a ton of pillows and bookmarks to sell at a local Craft Fair, but I didn’t sell them all. They are all sitting at my parents house, getting no love Etsy might be the perfect place to sell them!

As you can see, I LOVE checkers, stripes, polka dots, and bright colours!! Those are just a few of all the pillows I made - I designed them, cut out each saw-tooth boarder, stuffed them, and sewed them. The only thing I did not do, was make the fabric. I used flannelette, with some normal cotton here and there and the boarders are made from felt. I love my pillows - they make me happy hehe
I would one day love to make my own duvet covers and shams - I have made pillow cases and they have been great! I love sleeping on cozy flannelette, even in Texas lol

At this rate, my Etsy shop will be filled with odds and ends of things I like to make…I mean, there is nothing from stopping me from having a diverse selection of goods!

hmmm but I think I should focus on the prints for now - test the water to see if people are even willing to buy my art. I gotta start somewhere and I think the prints are good beginning.

Soooo off I go to “work”!
Er, well after I take the doggies for a pee…
and make a cup of tea….
THEN its time to work

Wow! It’s been a while since I last wrote something!

But in my defense, things here have been busy busy busy!! We drove up to Oregon with our two doggies, taking up the month of July. August was filled with house renovations, including getting both bathrooms resurfaced (and hooo-boy do they look good) and painting many rooms. David’s parents came down to visit us for just over a week and they just left, leaving us one more week in September.
My goodness, how time just soars on by!!

Now that things have quieted down, I can once again focus on my art! I have ten drawings completed and ready to be printed out - meaning I am finally going to open up an Etsy store!!! I am super excited! I think I will put up all ten and see how it goes…I will continue to make more drawings so I have a reserve of art in case it goes well *fingers crossed*
Here are a few of the drawings I will be selling

All my drawings are done in either Adobe Illustrator or in Macromedia Flash. I am going to be printing them out on Epson Velvet Fine Art Paper on my new Epson Stylus Photo R2400, and they will all be 8×10″ on 8.5×11″ paper - so there will be a boarder for framing. I will also sign each print using an archival ink pen.
Oh! and I should mention that the colours may be a little different depending on your monitor settings

It seems like perfect timing for me to sell my art, since I just received my work permit!! I am originally from Vancouver Canada, but moved down here to Texas to be with my husband. I have been here for over a year now, but without that work permit I was unable to work; however, it has been a great opportunity to let me work on my art and explore different mediums. Yet, now with this work permit, I will be able to legally sell my art here in the states. This is my first US ID card, meaning I can use it to get a drivers license and put my name on the bank accounts too!! It is all very exciting *hehe*

Now if only that Green-Card would just pop-up in the mailbox too…..

On a completely different note, David and I are back on weight watchers - we lost a bunch of weight before our trip to Oregon (15 pounds for me and 20 for David), but once we got back home we gained a bunch of that nasty weight back. I find it hard to keep the weight off down here in Texas - I am not used to the heat, so going outside is not a pleasant experience. Back in Vancouver I walked all the time - to the movie store, to the beach, to work - but down here everything is so spread out and not pedestrian friendly! It really is hard to adjust to. So old habits have to die since I am not getting as much exercise as I did back home.
Weight watchers really is a great program though! It is easy to stick to and it teaches you how to eat better. The problem for us is when we get really busy we throw all those good habits out the window and go back to eating easy, quick meals….
I hope to loose the weight I gained back, plus a few more pounds. We renewed our gym memberships, and today we make our grand entrance - I am sure that Elliptical machine has missed me lol.

Anywho, I will update this more frequently now and put up my Etsy store link on the side once it is up and running!!
Have a great day tout le monde!!