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

a love of lettering.

my love for lettering sparked when i was three and got my very first magna doodle. if you don't know what a magna doodle is, i am sorry for you. it is only the best invention ever created.

see? that's what a magna doodle is. still have one. and i'm serious when i say i got a new one every other christmas until i was like fourteen. however, i would rarely use my magna doodle to draw pictures... i used it so i could write. i would practice my cursive, print, bubble letters, block letters, crazy letters, you name it. i'd write names, words, my future children's names and every thing in between. i could spend hours on end writing on my magna doodle. shout out to fisher price for sparking the extreme love for lettering i have today.

another reason lettering is my thing is because the only award i ever got in elementary school was the handwriting award. every single year. who cares about "perfect attendance" or "best reader" or "smartest" or whatever other awards they hand out when "the handwriting award" is an option?? right?? also, my third grade teacher taught us cursive and called me up to her desk and told me she loved my cursive and it looked just like "teacher handwriting." i took that odd compliment and ran with it. those elementary examples are what gave me confidence in my lettering at a young age and fueled my interest in having the prettiest penmanship possible.

another quick story that's going to make me sound crazy: the first time i ever dipped the nib of my calligraphy pen into the ink pot and drew my first letters, i teared up. and then i literally started crying. and then i tried to explain out loud the overwhelming feeling of pure JOY i got when i was doing calligraphy for the first time and straight up bawled my eyes out.

so from then on, i have loved to letter. there's no other way to describe how i feel about it, but that i love it. i just love it. i love that the Lord has graciously given me something to be so passionate about.

i made this website so i can showcase my work, blog about it, and connect with people through lettering and calligraphy. xoxoxo