2017 word of the year | wait.

Personal post! I won't personally blog much, but if I do, it will be here. My business and my personal life are so intertwined that it would feel inauthentic to share my words any other way.

Instead of making resolutions in 2016, I chose a word. I chose "courage" - basically whenever I felt God had placed something on my heart, I was going to courageously follow through. Not just dream. Do. "Don't just stand there. Bust a move."

So I did. In the first month and a half of 2016, I had launched my website and got a "real job" in addition to owning my calligraphy business. Sidenote- I still have a hard time grasping the Lord's faithfulness in placing me in the job that I'm in. It is the best and I am just in awe that i get to work there. The rest of 2016 had lots of ups, a few downs, but was overall a pretty great year. I actually have been too busy to even think about the word for 2017, so that's why I'm writing this at 2:30 am on January 3rd. ;)

The word I chose for 2017 is wait.
I have been thinking on what it really means to wait on the Lord. Spoiler alert: I've been doing it all wrong. There are certain things in my life that I regularly ask God for and He has continued to place me in a season of waiting. Sometimes, I am so selfish in my prayers. They come from a place of so much frustration and hastiness in my heart. "Dear God, show me Your plan for this. Better yet, give me this. Please. Don't You see? If I just had this, then I would be that, and ultimately I could serve you better, Lord." Wrong! Other times, I really do feel like i am being patient. You see, I think I am waiting patiently, but what I am actually doing is passively waiting. I'm just letting time and my days pass by without actually seeking after His heart.

I think waiting on the Lord means to serve Him; to literally wait on Him. I'm picturing a waiter or waitress here. It is to seek His delight, rather than what He can do for me. In actively waiting on the Lord, we are forced out of our complacency, worry and anxiety, and filled with His peace. His direction. His alignment.

"Seek His face, rather than His hand."

So, my word of the year comes with resolutions that I am going to be intentional about sticking to.

• Dive into His Word daily; studying ALL parts of the Bible... not just the verses about His infinite love and grace, but the nitty-gritty and hard to read parts too.
• Praise Him through worship and art
• Spread the Joy of the Lord to others through encouragement and service
• Spend time in silence and prayer - resting in His presence
• Community. Find a church home. Join a small group. (My legitimate excuse for not doing this already is that I was out of town for about 38/52 weekends this past year)

So I will be strong, have courage, and wait. And this kind of waiting is definitely not passive!

Here's to 20... wait for it... 17! Lol #wait

canvas cleanse.

so, i have good news and bad news. usually i go for the good news first, but i'll start with the bad this time.

i've decided to stop offering custom canvases. when i first started my business, 90% of my orders were for custom hand-lettered and hand-painted canvases. canvases were a really great starting place for me to learn the ropes of selling my work. over the past several months, i have taken a step back from canvases and moved almost completely towards other things. even though i don't post many canvases on my instagram anymore, i still get canvas inquiries weekly. SO for those of you who are all about a canvas with your favorite verse, quote, name, lyrics, etc... this is your chance. here comes the good news!..... i used to be a canvas hoarder. but now they are just in stacks all over the place. so, in cleaning out inventory to make way for new + exciting things (2017!), i have decided that the month of november will be all about commissions for hand-lettered, hand-painted canvases at a huuuuuge discount!

sizes + pricing:
each price includes a white, hand-lettered canvas with 15 words or less. other factors will add to the cost. these factors are: canvas color, number of words, flourishing (scrolls, swirls, vines + florals done with paint pen) & other artistic elements (flowers, vines, other hand-painted extras).

lettering colors available: black, white, gold, silver and red.

8x10: $10 (sold out)
9x12: $11 (sold out)
11x14: $12 (sold out)
12x12: $13 (sold out)
12x16: $14 (sold out)
14x18: $15 (sold out)
16x20: $16 (sold out)
20x20: $18 (sold out)

*i have anywhere from 2 to 16 of each size available. i will update & remove the size when each canvas has been sold.

additional costs:
paint a canvas a color other than white (8x10 - 12x16): $3
paint a canvas a color other than white (14x18 & bigger): $5
more than 15 words: $3
more than 25 words: $6
flourishing: $4
painted vines: $5
painted flowers: $8

example:
this canvas is 16x20, painted mint green with flowers.
size $16 + canvas color $5 + flowers $8 = $29. usually the price for this would be $55.

to order, email connarjoy@gmail.com OR use my form. when ordering, please be specific! include wording, size, canvas color, lettering color and if you want any flourishing or other painted elements. also, tell me your vision for what you want it to look like! i will then ask you any follow up questions, give you a final price, get your approval, and send a paypal invoice your way. once paid, i will begin your custom piece!

all orders will be shipped before december 10th. cost of shipping is not included in these prices! please estimate $5-$12, depending on canvas size. if you are local to lubbock, i will deliver your canvas to you to avoid shipping costs.

christmas is coming up and these make the perfect personal, custom-made, thoughtful gifts!  xoxoxoxoxo

crowns + cocktails | lubbock calligrapher

i got to provide signage and other hand-lettered details for a galentines flower crown workshop here in lubbock. it was hosted by carly potter of carly potter floral + event styling and alexandra joplin of alleej photo. unfortunately, i couldn't be at the event but it looked like so much fun! they had yummy treats and cocktail menus for a diy cocktail bar. carly taught the girls how to make their own flower crowns and they all turned out so amazing. everything looked beautiful and i just love that they did this in lubbock. so fun!

floral design + styling: carly potter
photography: alleej
calligraphy + hand-lettered details: connar joy calligraphy

vow-lentines giveaway + offer.

!!!!!!!

my first giveaway! because of the amazing outpouring of love, excitement and support of my website launch, i have decided to give a pretty big giveaway to one lucky friend.

i am giving away a set of wedding vows written in calligraphy! they will be 11x14 on white bristol board (like a heavy card stock) with black ink. limit for this giveaway is 180 words (not for both vows together, but for the lengthiest of the two). if you and your spouse said the same vows to each other, you can choose the option of two 11x14's of the same; each customized how you said them at your wedding (individual names / i take you as my wife / i take you as my husband) OR you can choose to do ONE on 16x20 art board. 

if you have not said "i do" - don't you even worry, you can win hand calligraphed lyrics to your favorite song, quote or verse.

how to enter:
1. follow me (@connarjoy) on instagram and like the photo announcing the vow-lentines giveaway and tag a friend in the comments
2. for two extra entries, repost the image and tag me. (make sure your profile is not set to private for this!)

the vow-lentines giveaway ends this monday, january 18th at 3pm!

**each name will be put in a hat either one or three times, depending on if you did both steps or just the first one. i will announce the winner via instagram on monday, january 18th by 5pm.

so good luck!!!!

EDIT: wow! about 90 entries later and we have a winner! congrats to bailley! @lewpartyof2

vow-lentines special offer.

having your wedding vows written in calligraphy is a keepsake that you can display forever. turn the promises you made to one another into a work of art and have it as a precious reminder in your home. buy it for yourself or buy for others. these make for great valentine's gifts, wedding gifts or anniversary gifts.

from monday, january 18th through friday, january 22nd, receive $20-$25 off the regular price of vows! these are guaranteed to get to you by valentine's day! after friday at midnight, the prices will go back up to their regular price and shipping will not be guaranteed by feb 14th. i am also offering $5 flat rate shipping for these!

custom calligraphy for a set of vows *special* prices:
0-50 words - $45
50-100 words - $65
100-150 words - $80
150-200 words - $95

^ these prices are for a set of TWO calligraphy pieces (one set of wedding vows). if you wish to only have one calligraphy vows piece, cut the price in half.

if you choose to order, please e-mail me a word doc or pdf with your vows (proofread!), your wedding date (if you choose to have it on there) and your shipping address. once you have paid, i will begin your vows and ship in time for your piece(s) to arrive by valentine's day!

happy valentine's season! my favorite color is pink and target always rocks a little more than usual during this time, so it's easily one of my fave holidays.

xoxo, connar

2016: the year of no fear.

starting with a website launch! connarjoy.com is LIVE. whew. tackled that one. y'all, this website has been my new year's resolution for the past TWO years. see that blog post below? it's from september 12, 2014. two thousand FOURTEEN. that's how long i've had my website under password protection. raise your hand if you've heard me say, "my website is coming soon! fall 2014! spring 2015. okay for real, fall 2015. no, for real this time it will be winter 2015." ...ugh, am i right?

so now it's january 2016 and my website is launched. still a bit under construction but it's out there for the world to see. how great is that? i'll take a diet coke as reward.

my word for 2016 is courage.

i am letting go of every bit of fear, anxiety and self-doubt struggle i have been weighed down with and i'm just going to go for it. i have dreamed so many dreams about my business. the Lord has placed a dream of being a full-time calligrapher on my heart and wow have i dreamed about it fiercely. for a really, really long time. i have stayed awake at night just thinking of all of the things i could do... who i could letter for, what i could write on, what new things i could learn, etc. i would get so caught up in seeing what all of these calligraphers i admire so much are doing, that i would quickly become overwhelmed with anxiety and fear that I am just not good enough or that i missed the boat. here is what i have to remind myself: comparison is the thief of joy. that is a truth i try my hardest to cling to.

so, i have now scratched the surface of what has been holding me back. going forward, i am prayerfully and intentionally going to follow through when i feel the Lord has really placed something on my heart.
first step: muster up the courage to launch my website. #DONE.

edit: my sister, carly, sent me some pictures of pages from for the love, by jen hatmaker, a couple days after i drafted this post. could not be more perfect. i'll share my favorite part.

"How many of us are trotting out that tired cliche - "I'm waiting for God to open a door" - and He is all I love you, but get going, pumpkin, because most of the time chasing the dream I put in your heart looks surprisingly like hard work. Don't just stand there, bust a move. (God often sounds like Young MC.) You are good at something for a reason. God designed you this way; this is on purpose. It isn't fake or a fluke or small. This is the mind and heart and hands and voice you've been given: USE IT."

i mean... i get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes when i read things like this because HE is constantly showing me signs that this is what i need to be doing and i am constantly making excuses of why i am not enough. so here i go. COURAGE. and because i am so passionate about lettering, it's going to be completely okay if it turns out differently than i had dreamed. i will still love it, because the Lord has planted that inside of me.

welcome to the connar joy calligraphy website + blog!!! thanks for reading! i am working to add some things, fix some things, etc. so please be patient with me while i figure all of this out! make sure you check back weekly for updates and follow me on insta. but only if you're into calligraphy, babies (more specifically, my nieces and nephew) and/or fun times.

xoxo, connar