Good Ol' Goals.

2012 is here.  The world hasn't ended yet. Before it does, I suppose I'd like to make the most of my time. (Not that I believe it's going to end on December 21st anyways...)

Last year I made a list of Resolutions.

I actually accomplished a few, so I'm going to take a stab at this again.
Turquoise is code for unaccomplished | Lavender is code for accomplished.

1. Have a more consistent quiet time. I'm not gonna lie. I could have done better in this category.
2. Blog 30 times more than last year. So, I'm aiming for 66 posts. After watching "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog", I feel that I need more of a web presence and honestly want to meet more people through the internet. Plus,it reminded me that I really need to break out into song next time I'm having a dilemma. Wow, I had a grand total of 135 posts. That's a new record for me.
3. Handwrite more notes to people in my life. Not e-mails. Real notes. Let them know I appreciate them. There weren't that many notes, but I feel like I could successfully cross this off. 
4. Send "An Ode to the Sundance Kid" to Robert Redford with a note, of course. This happened. I didn't hear back from him...yet.
5. Mosaic. In other words, use all the mosaic supplies that I have been storing up over the years. Well, I made a few things. I need more time with this though. It's definitely a skill that I'd need to improve.
6. Sew my "Saga" pillows. Katie Lindberg, I'm counting on you.  If you haven't seen my "Saga" pillows of a Twilight nature, here they are: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4
7. Finish re-upholstering the chair that I've been working on for a year. Well, this happened too! Here's the post on the chair.
8. Take guitar lessons. Definitely didn't happen. I think I actually became a worse guitar player in 2011.
9. Upload a music video to YouTube. I really need to figure out what song to start with first. It's such a daunting task.  I actually uploaded two videos featuring original songs and will never be able to live down my little "fun fact". I've been getting flack from my best friends ever since. Apparently I sound like Mandy Moore when I say the word "Concentrate" and they won't let me forget it. I think one of them even made a ring tone or something out of it on their iPhone. I hate iPhones.
10. Play out at 3 open mics. I actually only played out at 1.  You can view it here. All I have to say is, could they have ZOOMED IN any closer? 
11. More Books, Less TV. By no means could I strike this. I'm really good at watching TV and quite a terrible reader. 
12. Talk Less, Listen More. I'm such a jabberjaws. This was not fulfilled by my standards.
13. Co-write a song. Didn't happen. Though I don't know if I'm terribly disappointed by not meeting this goal. It's a touchy subject.
14. Bake cookies. chocolate chip.  BOOM ROASTED.
15. Get a head start on memorizing my lines for "Into the Woods". Yes, I guess this happened.
16. Arrive to events on time. I'm habitually tardy. This seriously needs to change. This is a life long goal. If I let up, it will only get worse. 
17. Refrain from Splurging. So long, Amazon & iTunes! hmmm... if my bank account could talk, it would say that there was no evidence that such a goal existed in the first place.

Here's the list for 2012...for now. I will add on to this, I'm sure.

1. Find a church to attend on a regular basis.
2. Go to Moldova.
3. Illustrate a children's book written by my cousin, Katie.
4. Design www.JanaLaPine.com and launch site.
5. Paint a pomegranate.
6. Read The Hobbit .
7. Refine the next 8 cards for the 2012 Line of Ice Box Cards.
8. Wear dresses more often.
9. Have a Titanic Party on April 14th, 2012.
10. Go water skiing.
11. Go rock climbing. hahahaha I know, I can't picture it either.
12. Record: "The Stairwell", "Photographs", "It's Christmas Time", "Sad Song", & "Overtly Overly."
13. Beat my blog record from last year! (136)
14. Call my grandparents once a week.
15. Become friends with James.
16. Draw my friends and family.
17. Host 3 giveaways on LaPine Design.
18. Finish reading all the books I am in the middle of; Out of Africa, The Way of the Master, Anna Karenina (ughhhh. this is never going to happen), Sherlock Holmes: Volume 2, & Tom Jones.
19. Make truffles.
20. Be quite.
21. Spend more time in prayer.

So long 2011! Hello, 2012!

Happy New Year, Readers!

Dear, Sweet November

I'm quite fond of November. It's the month before my birthday which allows me to contemplate what I will include on my wish lists. That's always fun. November also marks the beginning of when the radio stations start to play Christmas music. And it obviously contains Thanksgiving which may arguably be the cosiest of the holidays. Am I right?

It also happens to be the month when Breaking Dawn: Part 1 is released.

I'm starting to get somewhat excited. That may have had to do with the fact that they have been airing steamy Volvo commercials while I've been slaving away on the Breaking Dawn Pillows that lapinedesign will be giving away this month.

They will be featured on Book Nook Club & Bacon Time With The Hungry Hypo!

K-trix (My Die-Hard-Twi-Hard Best Friend) has been keeping me posted all throughout the year of the current developments. She's read the book several times, when I've only read it once and that was awhile ago. So I'm anxious to be reminded of portions of the novel that I have forgotten since the first read-thru. How could I forget that Bella's diamond hair clip contained sapphires?!?! I don't even deserve to call myself a fan these days! I'm expecting quite the cliff hanger. Do you think Part 1 will end as it does in the book or will they keep us hanging in suspense prematurely?

So I have 11 goals for the 11th month.

1. Send off the Breaking Dawn Pillows to the winners.
2. Post the enthralling Breaking Dawn Treasury that K-trix (Super Fan) and I created on Etsy. Just you wait, Enry Iggins, just you wait! It's gonna be legen...wait for it...dary.
3. Make clever necklaces for the group that will be attending the midnight show.
4. Finish the poster for Rubber Chicken Theater's Holiday Revue.
5. Finish writing the 2nd pre-chorus of my new Christmas song.
6. Record my Christmas song.
7. Photograph my latest Breaking Dawn Pillows.
8. Record a sad song with my talented friend, Hannah. Here's her myspace. She rocks and agreed to sing a song for me!
9. Continue to work on the illustrations for my cousin's children's book concept.
And if time permits
11. Paint a pomegranate.

Please, let me explain number 11.

I've been watching a bit of Modern Family and couldn't help but notice the pomegranate painting in the Dunphy's kitchen.

The Modern Family in an Edwardian beach scene which I love a bit too much!

The Dunphy's kitchen.

Amy Runyen's artwork adorns the Dunphy wall.

If that wasn't enough inspiration...

Barbara Andolsek's masterpiece.

John Singer Sargent. Sigh.

Sandy Burr. I'm not sure if this is a photograph or a painting. Either way, it's enticing.

An interesting twist to a classic, by Pat Koscienski

They're almost vampiric if I may say.


Ah, and I love this Q/A between Reckless Bliss and artist Nathan Rohlander:
RB: What advice can you give to budding artists?



NR: Keep the dream alive! To do that you must never give up. Excellence is the result of hard work, practice and experience. A person who is willing to work hard will out perform a person with talent who isn’t. Focus on surrounding yourself with inspirational people and images. Embrace passion! Be gregarious and feed yourself with museums, galleries and travel. Create boundaries for yourself and within those boundaries try to break free. A decision is better than no decision at all. Worry not about what to create, respond to the world around you and produce!

Now if I can only apply that advice.

Reader, I hope your November is off to a sweet start!

Planting Seeds

Maybe I've fallen out of my tree or off my rocker, whatever the case, I'm exhibiting odd mental behaviour. I think it could be classified as that thing some call confidence. For the past few days I'm actually believing that I can conquer whatever I set my mind to.

I want to write songs for a living. Heck, I'm going to be a songwriter. I'm going to passionately dive into a career that I have wanted to do for a long time.  I'm striking while the iron's hot...if that's the saying.

I'm going to accomplish what I can while I have the time. I'm knocking out goals that had almost faded away.  I'm absorbing information like I've taken some sort of power pill that makes me crave knowledge and has a side affect that makes me feel like I could swim the English Channel, if I really wanted to. (I don't even know how wide it is, it doesn't matter, I bet I could do it!)

Of course, I'm entirely aware that my mind will eventually persuade me to fall back into the trap that I can't do anything. That I should just give up trying. That this career goal is completely out of my reach and that I should settle for something lacking creativity because it's easier, pays better, and leave the songwriting to the truly talented boys and girls that were born into the music industry.

In the meantime, I'm working on a music website, mastering songs that I've recorded at Inland Sea, writing more songs, recording more songs, searching everyday life for inspiration, plotting video concepts, and searching for songs to cover to refine my craft. I'm contacting people I know in the industry, I'm reading every sentence I can on songwriting. I've even got my sights set on a songwriting competition here in Duluth this September.  I won't back down.

May you find the courage to swim your English Channel today!

The Stairwell LP

So this weekend I finally got off the couch and threw a few of my MP3s on discs for family and friends and made the accompanying artwork for said discs. Some of these songs have been in my lexicon for nearly 7 years and this is the first time that I have created a tangible product to share with others (I'm quite the procrastinator at times).

Yeah, SO here's the cover of what I'm calling "The Stairwell LP" which features most of the songs on my myspace (that sounds redundant...) and two covers (one a Lennon & McCartney number, the other a George Harrison gem) . The songs were recorded in three places: Inland Sea Recording Studio care of Dave Hill, my bedroom (I think you can hear my dog, Snickers enter the room at one point) and my upstairs bathroom. (What???It has good acoustics!). Oddly enough, none of the songs were recorded in a stairwell...but it would be safe to say that they were all written/practiced/modified in one.


Also, I would like to thank my best friends for lending their talent to this project. Hannah Lindberg's lovely voice is featured on the tracks "Oh Boy" and "Regret". And the wonderful Sarah Lindberg gracious plays classical guitar on "Regret".

If you would like a copy, you can e-mail me your address and I'll do my best to send you one!

With love,
Jana