Better known as “Blue Christmas”

I have recently seen on social media or heard in conversations that several people aren’t feeling it this year, or having a hard time getting in the spirit (or mood) for their usually “fun old fashioned Christmas.” I decided to approach this subject in an effort to bring some good cheer to my fellow friends and family on the subject.

WARNING: This is an opinion piece and may contain some of my usual humor served up with a side of sarcasm.

Let’s not beat around the bush. Every single Christmas is different, and let’s face it- some are way better than others. You know what they say about vacations; you can’t appreciate the good times without having any bad times. We’ve all experienced a bad vacation that was supposed to drag our ass up to the summit of our happy place only to fall back down to the reality of life sucking the happy out of ya! The bottom line is this, Christmas will come and go and not all of us will be on the happy train when it blows thru. (Can you hear Chevy Chase’s voice in your head right now?)

Let me dig down a little deeper here by going back to our roots of Christmas. What does Christmas mean to you?

To some, it is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, which brings tidings of great joy to everyone. To others, it may just mean you have to spend a wad of money buying presents for everyone. (You know this is true.) Yet, others are entrenched in the value it brings. Retailers and wholesalers spend big money to make more money off of us every year. I think the majority of us would agree it is a fun time of year with colorful lights and festive gatherings that brings us all a bit more joy and happiness- no matter the reason why. Knowing what it means to you is a good place to start in order to understand why you may feel the way you do.

If you look at it through business eyes, you are not going to feel good if sales are tanking and supply chains fail. If you look at it as a chore to buy presents, host parties, attend family & friend’s gatherings; you are going to feel stressed when things don’t go as planned. If you look at it from the religious side as the birth of Christ, you have nothing to fear because a birthday is a birth date and nothing can change it- not even death. We are a society of wishing dead people a happy birthday in heaven because we never want to let go of them. Memories of the ones we love is what helps us through some of our worst times in life, so do whatever makes you happy.

Here is some reality. There are people that are steeped in family tradition that enriches their holidays when they relive the best ones over and over again. By enacting those heartfelt traditions throughout a lifetime, joy always seems to fill them to the brim during the most festive time of the year. Eventually, those traditions will change, as life inevitably changes when loved ones move out of state, serve in the military, or much worse- people die and permanently leave a void. These realities leave us with a huge gaping hole in our hearts at Christmas because the ones we love are no longer here with us to continue the fun-filled sentimental traditions. Some of these traditions will fade when lives are lost. Those left behind are forced to start new ones or let go of them and Christmas may lose its grip over us to make us feel the “happy” we yearn for every year.

Have you ever noticed what usually makes a scroogie person a scrooge? Why don’t they like Christmas? Why don’t they feel festive or like the celebrations? Perhaps it is because they have never felt the joy or happiness it can bring. It could be because of living a lifetime of loneliness with no one to celebrate with or losing loved ones that started the traditions and now they’re simply lost without them. Some people don’t have any family traditions or have never learned the true meaning of Christmas or believe in Christ. There are too many reasons to list here, but I believe it is okay to be a scrooge. Retailers are making huge profits off of The Grinch merchandise, so there’s that. As long as the Grinches out there are not trying to convert you to grinchism, let them be.

So ask yourself this; what feels off this year? Are you missing someone in your life? Are your finances or job affecting your thoughts and decisions? Is your health failing? Is your relationship over or off kilter? Did your children move away from home? Are you missing your Grandchildren?

You get the idea here. Christmas is coming and maybe you’re not feeling the joy because someone or something is weighing heavily on your mind. Let’s face it. Christmas is not a cure to end all sadness and it’s perfectly okay to feel sad during the holidays. It’s OK to be a Grinch when you feel the urge and you don’t need permission from anyone to do so.

I speak from experience and from the heart. If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you already know this. So let me say this to anyone listening. When someone says they aren’t feeling it this year? Don’t try to make them feel it or play the fixer. You can’t fix the way someone feels. Try listening to them instead. Ask them if they would like to share what’s on their mind or in their heart. If they say they don’t know why they are feeling down? I’m guessing it may be something instinctive or depressing and they may not be able to put it into words or share it.

My friendly Holiday advice would be to listen. Open your hearts, your eyes, and your ears and just listen. Be present if someone is in need of your ears, but don’t try to fix them. Smile or do something kind instead. It is the best medicine for anyone who is struggling through Christmas. These are the people that need our gifts most; a cup of coffee, a gift card, flowers, a small token of appreciation- anything that gives them a little hope that someone gives a damn is what they need. Most of us have all been there at some point in our lives, and no matter what you’ve been raised to believe about Christmas- it truly is about giving of yourself.

Forget about that list that seems to keep growing. Once you hit your sixties, you’re happy to be experiencing another Christmas and you should be celebrating every day your feet hit the floor! Not everyone makes it to 70 or 80, and even if you do, you might not like the condition of your body and health when you get there! So start a new tradition called saying No when you don’t want to do something. You don’t have to explain why if you don’t want to. A simple “No, but thank you” is the only response required.

I have many friends and family members that are cancer survivors, but I also know many snowbirds that didn’t survive to make another trip south. Many of us have lost both of our parents or a spouse, or even a child. We owe no one an explanation for the decisions we make or the feelings we may have. But showing an act of kindness and giving someone a small token of appreciation or a little gift is priceless! A simple pat on the back, or a hug, a phone call, text or hand written note could be the one tiny act of kindness that turns this Christmas into a better holiday for someone in need. Big, costly or fancy is not on this list.

So here’s a tip for you: If you’re on social media like Facebook, spend a couple of minutes “liking” what friends have to say and show you care- if you do. Sometimes we spend a lot of time on unimportant things like reading an entire article that leads to hitting the laughing face or angry face. But seeing one short post from a Facebook friend you care about gets a big fat nothing button. Is it really that easy to make someone feel unnoticed or unimportant? Yes! It is. Making a difference in someone’s life is as simple as hitting a button that shows a thumbs up instead of searching for stupid meaningless crap. We’ll follow a politician or a corporation like Amazon, Walmart, or news stations, but we’ll ignore someone we know that has “liked” your small business every time you’ve asked. Which person are you? The asker (taker) or the one that always hits like and follow (the giver)? Let that sink in for a second.

Show someone you care the next time you hear they are feeling out of it this year. I know people that are my Facebook friends that I hardly ever see in person because I moved away, but these people that I see doing good for others are always present and on my mind. I call them the “Do Gooders” because I know they care. I comment, share or “like” their posts. Then there are those I see doing absolutely nothing but taking up air. As I said before…take the good with the bad, but be the reason someone smiles today.

Make the effort to be a Do Gooder and bring a smile to someone’s face this Holiday. I promise I’m the one that will “like” and “follow” you if you’re that person.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

It’s just the little things

Over six months ago, I scheduled a flight to return home to Ohio. My little Sister’s youngest child- my Nephew, was getting married in October 2022. It would be a chance to enjoy a lot of my family for this happy occasion and my favorite time of year. Fall colors would start to glow amidst the deep blue skies with cooler temperatures. I would be home wearing sweaters and jeans and that was exciting to me! I immediately started planning what I was going to wear. My big Sis said “OMG! It’s six months from now and you’re already planning your outfits!” We laughed on the phone, but that is how excited I was!!

I got sick with Covid at the end of April and it was not pleasant. It took a full week for my health to round the bend, but after 10 days, I was confident I was going to kick Covid’s butt and live to see my family once more. This might sound a bit melodramatic to some, but this was serious. My immune system is not good, and it was my Mother’s lungs that failed her in death, so it’s like a bad case of PTSD for me. If I can’t breathe, well, you get the idea. Panic sets in. But I survived.

May 13th (yes, it happened to be a Friday!) I took a bad fall on the concrete floor of our garage when a rug snatched my shoe and tackled me to the floor. I was still gripping the screwdriver in my right hand when my chin and nose became the last body parts to make contact with the floor, but my chest had already taken the full impact. Luckily, 4 weeks later, my bruised ribs were fine, but I learned how a nanosecond can make the difference between life and death or serious injury. I was very lucky that the hand with the screwdriver never made contact with my chest or my face. I also fell perfectly aligned between the car, the riding lawnmower and the tool box- a remarkable feat, I might add.

June 29th was another extensive surgery in my mouth to extract 3 teeth and repair my receding gums for a couple of future implants. Anyone that knows me will know that surgery in my mouth is a very high anxiety situation, and this was number 2 of 3 total surgeries. To increase my anxiety, I had an infection set in on day 4 after surgery. Just when things should have been getting better – they got much worse! Excessive swelling and pain increased my recovery time, but after another ten days of strong antibiotics, I was in pretty good shape. I would be making the trip home with less teeth, but I was ready for a much needed vacation with my family after a stinking hot and not-so-fun summer.

My outfits were planned for the rehearsal dinner and the wedding day and everything before and after! Life was good and my trip was just around the corner. I could hardly wait!

But then…

Saturday September 21st, a prediction of a disturbance below Cuba was given a 70% probability to become a tropical storm or hurricane on our local evening news. I don’t know what it was about this forecast, but I had a bad feeling in my gut on that very night that this could be a bad one and the first to affect Florida during this mild hurricane season. I literally was watching history in the making and somehow I knew it. My husband told me not to worry about it, but my gut was right. I had every reason to be worried.

A couple of days later on September 23rd, the disturbance was named Tropical Storm Ian and strengthened into a hurricane by the 26th. My bad feeling about this hurricane had slowly become my scary reality. By Tuesday September 29th, we were directly in the bullseye of what was to become a historic and deadly hurricane. It was predicted to make landfall in Tampa as a strong Cat 4 and move up the center of the state wreaking havoc on everything in it’s path. We were prepared with water, non perishable food, batteries and prepared our house and pool. We chose not to live on the coast, but slowpoke Ian was about to dump enough rain to cause rivers and lakes to overflow their banks and create inland flooding.

I was scared and nervous Nelly had to do all she could to keep it all together. I called the airline to see if I could change my flight and get out of Florida ahead of the storm, but fleeing vacationers filled every single seat on every flight out. I had no choice but to ride out Ian and hope for the best. We had people calling and texting us to see if we were prepared.

I saved 15 screen shots of the predicted cone, but only one matters now. We went from the bullseye in the north central area to the far left (West) of the cone. Now it was Orlando and Daytona Beach in the path after Ft. Myers, Captiva/Sanibel and Pine Island (St. James City) took the deadly surge of landfall. I don’t need to tell anyone how horrible this hurricane proved to be, as you’ve all seen the tragic results play out on TV. It was indeed a historic hurricane and several people we know were seriously impacted by the damage.

We dodged the bullet, but I was scheduled to fly out of Daytona on Saturday October 1st. The airport and surrounding area suffered from surge and flooding (St. Johns- for one) as predicted and was closed. I felt that all hope was lost in flying out to see my family. My heart felt another punch from the blows of Ian.

CNN was reporting Tampa/St. Pete, Bradenton/Sarasota, Orlando, Ft. Myers, Jacksonville and Daytona airports were all closed. We heard that Daytona wasn’t to re-open until approximately 10/5, yet my flight had not been cancelled by the airline yet. I called twice (one hour wait times with no option of a call back) to try and confirm my flight. I was advised to call DAB to find out directly from the airport if they would be operational on October 1st, but no answer on any phones by anyone. I was now prepared for more bad news. I would have cried, but I felt too guilty and selfish to do so after lives were lost and properties destroyed. “Chin up!” I would say to myself. “We survived unscathed and that’s enough.”

But I just wanted to get the hell out of Florida. I wanted to go home!

I called my Sisters to let them know it was looking pretty grim for me to get out and that I would most likely be caught up in the thousands of folks trying to get in or out of Florida after so many flight delays and cancellations. This was just too much for me to bare at this point. The stress of this hurricane and seeing and hearing the devastation all around us was gut wrenching and I could not stand the thought that I was about to be robbed of seeing my family when I felt I needed them most. It had been 3 years since I last visited my family where I grew up and I was trying to hang on to that one little bit of joy. It seamed the tiny thread was about to break!

I packed my suitcase. I prepared a carry-on bag. I showered and I was ready to go.

Finally, I received a message from the airlines after midnight! They advised me that I could reschedule my flight with no penalties, due to the inconveniences of the hurricane, however, my flight was NOT cancelled. Only the first flight out before mine was cancelled and the airport would reopen for commercial flights at 9am on one October.

We arrived safely in Daytona as we drove past some flooding by the St. Johns river areas and alongside the roads. We passed hundreds of electric utility trucks in the parking areas of Daytona Speedway. My flight was late departing, but shortly after noon, I was on the first flight out of DAB headed for my Atlanta connection, then landed safely at my final destination after flying through the remnants of Ian in the skies over Pittsburgh. I was only a little late arriving and my Sisters both greeted me at the baggage claim!

I have searched for the right words to tell you what it felt like to see them both there with great big smiles and hugging me tightly. I can not explain it. Relief and calm, yet excited and exhilarating. I was home for the next 10 days and nothing could be better in that moment.

In the following days, I got to spend time in my younger Sister’s new home. We went to an Oktoberfest, shopped at my favorite boutique, ate at my favorite restaurants, watched movies, laughed and drank wine. I was reunited with Nieces, Nephews, extended family and friends at the rehearsal dinner. The wedding was absolutely wonderful and I danced with everyone and enjoyed visits with so many people. I got to enjoy a huge event the day after called Christmas in the Woods with my big Sister’s family, and resumed visiting at an open house gathering at the Bride & Groom’s house that evening. Did I mention it was an Italian wedding? If you’re Italian- you know how much food and cookies were there! I have never seen more traditional wedding cookies in my entire life! I have also tasted more homemade cookies over the past week than I have in my entire life. LOL!! No joke!

One of my all time favorite things besides the wedding was spending time in a local park with my Photographer Niece being our tour guide. Me and my big Sis were photographed in this place hundreds of times as children, and then as teenagers with boyfriends, and finally as adults with our own children. The memories here are endless and the beauty of the Fall Season is bountiful with backdrops of the Lakes, the Falls, Lanterman’s Mill (est. 1845), the Lilly Pond, and of course, the Fellows Riverside Gardens.

We wrapped up my trip with a second siblings dinner and my tears were hard to hold back as I thanked them for hosting me in both of their beautiful homes and carting my ass around all over town to all of my favorite places (got to visit Whitehouse Farms too and checked a bag with two large bottles of my favorite sauce- Sweet Bourbon Glaze. They made it home safely!) I also hand carried home a teapot that I bought for my Mom when I visited Leavenworth, WA when I was 16 years old. Later in life, my younger Sister and her family would visit that same Bavarian Village where I bought this treasured souvenir for my Mom.

It was a wonderful trip and oh how sweet the memories! Ian could not break our family bond and is in the rearview mirror for me now, but so many people in my state will be dealing with the damage for years to come.

In the end, my final word is “Family.” If you survive tragic events, it is family that will come to your rescue. It is a bond like no other on earth. We grow up together, we live together, we laugh, love, and sometimes disgust each other. But we are bonded by flesh and blood till the end. We accept each other’s faults and shortcomings with forgiveness and celebrate the strengths and triumphs with kind hearts. We learn that time heals and separation can be both good and bad. But we will always hear the words of our Mother, Father and Grandmother; “In the end, all we have in this life is each other…”

Tis the Season!

I wanted to roll out the last two little artworks before October so that everything I have done is available for the shopping season. I call the last ones my Charming Snow Globes.

The first one was inspired by just about any farm you see, but in the south, I used sparkle instead of snow. The second one is inspired by the World Equestrian Center’s Chapel. It is really quite impressive inside, so if you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it if the opportunity presents itself. They host weddings and the grounds are beautifully maintained. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful venue close to us that sponsors many events and host horses from all over the country.

The original paintings are on a wooden plaque that measures 6.5″ in diameter, so they are very small and tedious. The chapel only measures about 2″ x 2″, so much smaller than it appears. It was fun to do, but no easy task.

I will be unavailable to ship anything out from September 28th thru October 12th. However, any orders placed will be shipped out upon my return. I made them all available in plenty of time to receive orders for the Holiday, so please keep me in mind if you are looking for something special this Christmas!

I’m also adding the prints below from last year’s Holiday series and they are available upon request.

Please remember that the watermark I use in NOT actually on the prints when they are ordered.

These artworks can be ordered in 5×7, 8×10, or 11×14.

St. Augustine at Christmas:

I have always had a thing for lamp post lit streets since I was a child. I love them in movies, in pictures and paintings, and of course, in every small town I have ever personally visited in my travels. It is fitting that one of the back streets leading into our neighborhood is lit by lamp posts.

A vintage lamp post, in my opinion, is the hallmark of any town giving it a genuine feel of warmth and welcome and distinguishes it from the ordinary. We have walked the downtown streets in too many towns to recall each and every one of them, but a few stick out in my memory: Bardstown, KY, Van Buren, AR, Elk Rapids, MI, Medina, OH, Roscoe Village, OH, St. Mary’s, GA and Mt. Dora, FL. I would also highly recommend St. Augustine, FL, the oldest city in America.

If you find yourself in St. Augustine, be sure to visit the active, working lighthouse and Maritime Museum at the north end of Anastasia Island. It is the first established in Florida by the American Government in 1824. Walking around this area at Christmas was one of the highlights of our first trip to the area for me because of the rich history and the decorations.

It is here in St. Augustine that my next painting combines a lamp post fashioned similar to the one pictured above with a farm styled landscape. It also features a small log home in the background, which is another thing I truly enjoy. I call it Lamp Post Farm.

My painting is very similar to an area near the Ocala Forest where you will find many farms buried deep in the woods on back streets barely visible to the main road. Most of them are behind beautiful and majestic gates, proudly bearing the name of their farm.

It’s ironic that we live in a state that is best known for it’s beautiful beaches and oceanfront properties, but after much more exploring in the central areas, you might be surprised to find miles and miles of wooden rail fencing, live oak trees dripping in Spanish moss, cows and horses spread out over miles of pastures and some of the most beautiful farms in our country. They are far less touristy and you will find that boots replace flip flops, Stetsons replace beach hats and a tractor just might be the cause of a traffic jam instead of the beach. It is the best of both worlds and is probably why people have been flocking to central Florida. This doesn’t make me happy, but I was once a tourist too. I just don’t want to see our farmlands being replaced with housing developments where they stuff them in there like marshmallows between two crackers!

This print is #79 and is available for order in 11×14 (8×10 or 5×7 available upon request).

Visit LT Gallery by clicking on the menu.

Prince is a horse, of course!

My favorite subject to date for my Holiday series A Charming Southern Christmas was my husband’s old barn that he built with his Dad when he was just a young boy. First- because I have fond memories of that southern trip we made to his old homestead in West Virginia. Second- because a beautiful blond cow was staring at me from atop the hill while I photographed the barn giving the moment even more comical charm.

The things that tug most at your heart once you’ve reached an age over 60 is anything that reminds you of your childhood and simpler times. Before the days of cell phones and computers when you entertained yourself outdoors and played outside with your neighbors till dark. For some reason, this old barn encapsulates that moment when I could see my husband’s past come to light right before my eyes. That moment when the stories we shared about our childhood, when we were young and had our whole lives ahead of us- became a reality.

Growing up on a farm is in his DNA and so is this old barn. Inside this barn is where you would find two of the animals that were very important to the success of their farm. A work horse named Prince and a milk cow (presumably named Betsy.) They also had a large chicken house with a bunch of domino chickens to produce eggs and plenty of white chickens that ended up on the supper table. Across from the barn was a hog pen where they raised a couple hogs every year for fall that would end up in a smoke house, and eventually on the table.

This is what you called living off the land. This was life. You were poor, yet, richer than many. You grew your own fruits and vegetables, you needed a horse to help clear and plow the fields, a dairy cow for milk and butter, and raised hogs and chickens to put food on the table. And of course, you walked over a mile just to catch the school bus every day with chores both before and after school.

This barn is the reminder of simpler times, yet hard work and perseverance of a family. It is proof that you can do anything if you set your mind to it. It is the good old days and a stark reminder of the bad days you suffered through. It has weathered many storms and is still standing strong from over 60 years ago. That is what this barn means to me.

So I would like to introduce you to Prince inside the barn today. He was a big fellow- and probably not nearly as handsome as I pictured in my painting, but this is my rendition of peeking inside the barn and what Prince looks like to me. It is quite a plain and simple picture, yet so much prettier than an old barn truly is. It was challenging for me to capture the essence of an old barn with the warmth of “tis the season.” It is also safe to say that a Christmas wreath never hung by the entrance of this old barn with poinsettias down below. That is a little gift from me to his family to add a little charm and a bit of cheer!

My rendering below of the actual picture taken of the old barn entrance

I’m talking Cows!

Back home in Ohio where I used to live, we often drove past a farm on Route 3 where several Highlander cows would be grazing in a pasture. I looked for them whenever we drove by, but sometimes they were in the barn or out of sight. You will also find these types of cows in the Midwest, Texas, Georgia and here in Florida.

The Highlander is a Scottish breed of hardy rustic cattle notable for its long horns and long shaggy or hairy coat giving it the ability to withstand intemperate weather conditions. They are raised primarily for their meat because it is lower in cholesterol, but how often have you ever seen on a menu that their steak is a low cholesterol beef from Highlander cows? My theory on this is; they’re just too damn cute and no one wants to send them to slaughter!

Here are eight fun facts about Highlanders- which I have nicknamed Hairy Cows:

1. Oldest registered breed of cattle in the world

2. Nobody is sure if these cows can actually see where they’re going or just have 4 other sharp senses.

3. It is said that due to Queen Victoria preferring the red colored cattle, selective breeding of the reddish color is why we see them most often today. (I guess they’ve reserved black for Angus cows.)

4. If you were seeking to find them roaming in their native land in Scotland, you would have more success if you asked a local to point you in the direction of the “Hairy Coos.”

5. The Queen has her own herd of Hairy Coos, as it is rumored to be the only kind of beef she will eat.

So I bring to you my version of a Merry Hairy Cow in my latest painting and hope you will enjoy him. I call it a “him” because I gave him a Santa’s hat and I believe that Santa is a he- not a she or some other gender; assigned or unassigned. Yes, that is my serving of sarcasm. Santa Claus was, is and always will be a man no matter how else you or anyone else would like to picture him. NO woman would ever want a pot belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly! Period. The END.

Remember to visit LT Gallery by clicking on the menu if you would like to purchase an artwork. This will be available with 3 background colors in 8×10 or 11×14. The 5×7 would have no background matting. This would make a wonderful gift to someone you know that is inspired by the Cow. Or perhaps one of my other Holiday paintings featuring small town charm.

11×14 prints are $60.00 (comes with backing board and packaged in resealable clear plastic)

8×10 prints are $40.00 (comes with backing board and packaged in resealable clear plastic)

5×7 prints are $20.00 (comes with backing board- and packaged in resealable clear plastic)

FREE SHIPPING FOR 2022!

I offer interactive artwork with Old Florida Charm. What is interactive art you ask?

It’s the nickname I have given certain paintings where I swap out a few natural elements I use for dimension (and what my clients have grown to enjoy about my artworks.) It is a form of communication between us and gives me feedback for future artwork. It gives my customers some choices to personalize my art to their liking and to specific colors of the season.

The third painting I introduced today in my Southern Charming Christmas series is one of my interactive pieces.

One of my favorite charming little towns that I have written about recently during our day tripping is called Micanopy (pronounced- mic uh no pee). It is reported to be the oldest inland town in Florida known as “The Little Town that Time Forgot.” If you were walking down Cholokka Blvd past the antique shops to the Herlong Mansion B&B, you would walk past an antique rustic carriage that was once a beautiful Surrey (I imagine with fringe on top) drawn by one or two horses and very elegant in the 19th Century. I don’t know any history on this antique sitting in the woods, but I am calling my painting Hidden Charm, as it is almost hidden now in the brush and probably many years later after the photo below was taken.

I love this classic carriage and wanted to make it the subject of my painting, along with the Herlong Mansion in the background.

I included my rough draft drawing below and have 3 options available for the fall and winter seasons. I also offered two background colors in neutral tones to blend nicely with most any décor.

The dried leaf is one that I picked up in a campground in Max Meadows, VA from a Sweetgum tree. The acorns are from Ohio, along with the miniature pinecones from our seasonal summer campground.

I picked up so many natural elements in our travels that my husband gave me a storage compartment (referred to as the basement in our motorhome) so I could store them as we traveled for future artwork. He always said “I’m probably carting around an extra 25 lbs of seashells. What are you going to do with all that stuff?” I answered “I’m not sure, but I do have ideas.”

I still have some of those items from our first trip to Key West in 2013, but I think I am long overdue to return to the island and stock up!

These prints can be purchased on this blog by clicking on the Menu and LT Gallery

Let me tell you who’s making the money.

If you follow my Blog, you know that I have recently introduced 2 of my artworks from the new Holiday series called Southern Charming Christmas.

I thought since I have an established following on this blog site that this would be the best place to show the pieces, but I also invested a tremendous amount of time researching E-Commerce sites to possibly open a storefront online business.

Well let me share with you what an enlightening experience it has been just in case you might have the same idea for something you want to sell.

First thing is; you need to establish a name for your company or for what services you’ll provide. I’m an acrylic artist and found out that there is another artist and writer with the exact same first & last name- which complicated the very first step for me. I have been going by “LT Land & Sea”, but I Googled Land & Sea artists and so many others show up! I don’t need to be invisible among such a large group of artists, so for now, it’s just LT Gallery. I use my initials for all my paintings, so there’s that.

Next; you need to decide if you want to be a sole-proprietor, LLC, Corporation, etc. that requires paying Uncle Sam his fair share of whatever money you make. If you skip this step, you could end up surprised by unexpected tax issues, so I chose sole proprietor and I will receive a 1099 in the event I make any profit. Ok. Got the complex part figured out. Did I mention it’s the only option without associated fees?

People ask me all the time if I do Art/Craft Fairs to sell my art as a Vendor. Well, if you want to do it correctly, you need to have an inventory of product, a credit card reader, a TIN (Tax Identification Number), and a vendor’s permit for your state or a license- depending on where you live to prove you are legitimate. Then you have to pay for a table or a booth to sell from (some are mighty hefty). You better hope your first couple of shows are successful so that you can break even.

Building an inventory to load up your car with is no easy task. It is is exhausting thinking of all the work that needs done to turn a room in my house into a warehouse of art and the money I would need to spend stocking up on prints and merchandise without knowing who my audience will be or what they might be looking for. So I will try the online route with a larger audience and keep a very minimal inventory.

First things first; I need to have a constant supply and you can’t do that with just original artworks, so I needed really good photographs of my artwork to have prints made. That takes hours and hours of work, especially since the sun has not provided a good natural light source lately with our frequent thunderstorms and rain events almost every afternoon. Once I had quality photos and downloaded them, I spent endless hours researching companies that could print them on quality paper and that wouldn’t cost a fortune: Canvas Pop, Miller’s Professional Imaging, Bay Photo Lab, Candela Fine Art printing, LokTah, Finer Works, Printkeg, Blazing Editions, White Wall, Prints Giclee Shop- just to name a few. Keeping overhead costs down is the key to offering an affordable and competitive retail price to my clients.

Once I picked a company and had the first 6 prints, I realized I needed to package them professionally, so onto another search for back boarding and clear resealable bags to place the prints into. Thankfully, I had a good recommendation that saved me some time.

“Now I’m ready to sell” I thought to myself. WRONG!

I need a venue (a website) to sell online and a method to accept payments on that site, so more research for the safest and best plan for a business site that I could set up a PayPal account on. I won’t bore you with all my lists and details, but I got tired after researching about 24 sites. Here is what I learned:

Don’t waste your time unless you have a bunch of money to spend on a great E-Commerce or storefront site! I upgraded this WordPress sight to a Premium site for now, which gave me access to a pay button.

Yes, there are a few places that are free, but free means fees or NO services without upgrading and the reviews were not favorable. (You get what you pay for; so pay nothing- get nothing.) You can pay a company a monthly/annual ($50/$600) subscription, or you can pay fees per every transaction. They can add up quickly because they are a percentage of your retail sales price and then some.

I am not impressed. My Dad always said “It takes money to make money.” It took me a lot of research to learn that he was exactly right even before the days of internet business began. Some things never change. The investors and web designers will be profiting from your talent and hard work from DAY ONE while you remain in a state of wait and see. Will you reach the right market, or make any profit after time and money spent, and do you have what the majority of folks are looking for? Wait and see, but they can’t lose. They have thousands of you that have already paid! The reviews of some of these companies can certainly give you pause to press that button.

I learned it takes four things to sell Art successfully online:

1. The right art gallery website
2. The right marketing plan
3. The right community (providing the right audience)
4. Guess what the forth thing is????? You guessed it! MONEY to pay for the online subscription.

Here are 10 things YOU NEED TO KNOW about me:

1. I offer affordable and professional artwork.
2. It takes me approximately 2 weeks to get it to you (if I don’t have it in stock).
3. I can offer popular sizes- 5×7, 8×10 or 11×14 on most prints.
4. I offer different backgrounds on some of my work giving you options to fit your home decor.
5. Some of my artworks have a matted look without putting additional dollars toward a custom job. All you need is a frame to fit your taste.
6. I offer ‘interactive art” where you can choose what seasonal décor you would like as an added special touch.
7. I pay the shipping (yesterday’s cost $25).
8. I have never had an unsatisfied customer since I started in 2013 selling face-to-face while camping.
9. I am well known to many in the RV world and Key West friends and family. I am considered unknown in the Art world (not in any Galleries), so I charge accordingly.
10. I have sold over 80 original pieces and around 80 prints and canvas artworks.

I’ve spent my entire life supporting the local small businesses in my communities, even when I traveled. I hope you will consider supporting the little art business I have and just tell me what it is that you’d like without me running a fancy storefront business that only puts money into the pocket of the website.

I am always grateful for the beautiful comments I receive on Facebook and would appreciate your recommendations to your friends and family to help me grow my audience. I am also open to any suggestions for something in particular you are looking for and thank you in advance! Also; if you have recommendations for a successful business site that you have experience with, please do share.

I will be showing my next artwork soon, but here is another view of The Old Barn my husband built with his Dad and my interpretation of it during the holidays.

A Southern Charming Christmas:

Last week, I introduced the first artwork in my new holiday series called Christmas at Grandpa’s. This week I would like to show you my second artwork called The Old Barn. Click on LT Gallery (Menu at the top of this page) to purchase this 11 x 14 print.

The inspiration for this painting comes from two things: an old car photo similar to one I saw on a Facebook post combined with the backdrop of the actual barn my husband built with his Dad on their farm in West Virginia.

The story of The Old Barn:

When Roger and I first met, he took me to his family reunion the following summer in NC. I got to meet more of his family and hear childhood stories of them growing up on the farm. Times were tough back in those days and life was full of many struggles just to put food on the table and clothes on 7 children. His Dad worked in the coal mines and his Mom passed away when he was 10 years old, so life certainly was full of grief and challenges for his family. He planned to take me to see his childhood home in West Virginia on our return trip where I would meet his best friend, who now owns the property and resides there with his family. It’s not very often that someone can still visit their childhood home 64 years later.

He first took me on some of the smallest back roads of West Virginia that I had ever seen to view some landmarks and the coal mining area his Dad once worked at. I got to see his local post office, what’s left of the general store, the property where his school once stood, the cemetery, and of course, his house and the old barn. Something about this barn stole my attention as he told me a story of him and his Dad building it when he was quite young. All the while, I had the strangest feeling as though I was being watched and a bit distracted. And then the spying eyes revealed themselves to me as I heard a chomping chewing sort of noise coming from behind me. I turned around and there it was above me. A cow! A big beautiful blond cow was staring down at me while we stood below the hill by the barn. I snapped a photo of it to capture the moment, but it’s not every day that you have a cow looking down on you!

We had a nice visit before we left and I have fond memories of that first time seeing the family homestead deep in the backwoods and down in the holler.

A Southern Charming Christmas

I am introducing the first of my new Christmas Series artworks today. This painting has a special story behind it and I chose a special day to introduce it- Happy Birthday to my Husband!

This Country Christmas series features specific places or things in my life, all of which are in the south and in a country setting. You will also notice that there is no snow in the paintings, as we are in the deep south where we may see only a heavy frost a couple of times in January. I also did not use any seashells in these paintings, but the originals do have some special touches- like sparkling trees, wreaths or decorations. This painting is acrylic on a primed wooden plaque and prints are 11 x 14. There will be 50 prints available and 5 Artist Proofs.

The inspiration for Christmas at Grandpa’s comes not from actually visiting this old house, but rather, the many stories my husband has shared with me over the years. The only actual picture of the old homestead I had for a visual image is a small black & white photo that our Nephew had printed on a refrigerator magnet. (It was the only way we could enjoy seeing it in the small space of an RV.)

The Story of Grandpa’s House:

Roger’s Grandma & Grandpa lived on a hill looking down over the farm where Roger was born and raised along with his 6 siblings in West Virginia. His Grandma passed away in 1954, and sometime in the mid 50’s, the little house on the hill burned down to the ground while his family looked on helplessly from below. Grandpa moved into the house of his birthplace just further up the hill about a mile or so within walking distance.

It is this 1800’s house with no electric and no running water that I featured as the backdrop of this painting because it is so intriguing. I left out a few items that sat on the porch, but are faintly visible in the black & white photo below. There sat a gas powered washing machine, a wash table & towel for dirty hands to be cleaned before supper, and a #3 wash tub. Grandpa passed away at age 97, but his memory lives on in many stories.

Roger shared how he would sit for a time on the front porch with his Grandpa and how he seemed to have a remedy for everything. Who knew that chewing tobacco could help reduce the swelling of a bee sting or help heal a cut? Roger helped his Grandpa grow tobacco and vegetables in the garden, he helped haul logs with a team of horses, cut firewood and hunted rabbit, squirrel and deer. Most of his farming days were spent in some fashion working with his Grandpa.

This old homestead slowly melted away into the dirt and brush after Grandpa passed in 1979 and no longer stands where it once was, but the memories are tucked away deep in the woods on a hill in West Virginia. I brought it back to life complete with a 1950 Chevy pick up truck. Roger’s Dad owned a black one, but I imagined it as an old rusty red one to give this image some life for the holiday season.

You can purchase this print by clicking on the menu at the top of my page and click on LT Gallery. It is available in the actual image and also a Vintage inspired version. The Vintage print has a more earthy feel with green & brown tones, and the actual one is more cool with grey & blue undertones. Either way, I hope you enjoy the painting, and please let me know if you like it even if you don’t purchase it.

Thank you!

My rough sketch drawing for the painting. Remember- the watermark LT is used for posting purposes only and not actually on the prints.

Grandpa’s actual birthplace homestead in the hills of WV