BryanaJoyStudio
Buyers are raving!
This shop got multiple 5-star reviews in the past 7 days.
Announcement Welcome to Bryana Joy Studio, a shop for intricately-illustrated old-fashioned monthly subscription letters about the Great Books! If you're looking for original paintings or literary fine art prints, you can find them in my shop at www.bryanajoy.com. There are also a host of other subscriptions options available over there for the Letters From The Sea Tower, including auto-renewing subscriptions and past letters. [However, Paypal payments are not yet enabled there, so if you need to pay through Paypal, you may wish to continue using Etsy in order to subscribe to the letters.]
Announcement
Welcome to Bryana Joy Studio, a shop for intricately-illustrated old-fashioned monthly subscription letters about the Great Books! If you're looking for original paintings or literary fine art prints, you can find them in my shop at www.bryanajoy.com. There are also a host of other subscriptions options available over there for the Letters From The Sea Tower, including auto-renewing subscriptions and past letters. [However, Paypal payments are not yet enabled there, so if you need to pay through Paypal, you may wish to continue using Etsy in order to subscribe to the letters.]
Items
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Reviews
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Patricia on Jan 23, 2021
5 out of 5 starsI just love these letters and the beautiful and colorful drawings. Bryana is so very talented!
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Mary on Dec 28, 2020
5 out of 5 starsI just cannot say enough good things about Bryana's writing and art. Each time I receive a new letter there is something in it, absolutely perfect for the time. Her letters are so well written and provide a quiet place of thought and reflection in a tumultuous time. They are little bits of sanity in chaos. Everyone to whom I have also sent a letter finds them to be meaningful and speaks to them on a level which provides a time for calm and reflection.
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Michael on Sep 29, 2020
5 out of 5 starsA really thought-provoking and moving original poem, beautifully printed on hand-made paper. A keeper!
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Mary on Jan 22, 2021
5 out of 5 starsI enjoyed this letter very much. It was quite thought provoking. I liked enough to order copies to send to friends, as well.
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Mary on Jan 22, 2021
5 out of 5 starsBryana's work is simply beautiful. I received the original travel sketch this week and it was magical.
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mgigliotti on Dec 26, 2020
5 out of 5 starsThis letter was so beautiful. It was one of the few things that made it through the post to arrive for Christmas, and we read it under the tree. My twelve year old in particular was very taken with the discussion of how sometimes the magic seems to fade. This has been a year where a lot of the magic seems faded or hidden, but your letter brought us back a little bit at a time when we needed it most.
Such lovely art work, and the thoughts in the letter were truly heartwarming and made us think.
I really appreciate that you got it out immediately after my order, in this season of backed-up shipping. We have ordered more, can’t wait for them to show up too! -
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Patricia on Dec 16, 2020
5 out of 5 starsMy friend is absolutely delighted with this letter! She sends her sincere thanks!
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JenupAut on Dec 14, 2020
5 out of 5 starsWhat a beautiful and moving introduction to Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory." I ordered this letter for my (teenaged) children...who really enjoy all of Bryana's illustrated letters. From this letter, my children learned about Truman Capote and something of his childhood. Afterwards, we found an audio recording of Truman Capote, himself, reading this very touching and poignant Christmas reminiscence. This was a truly special experience for my family. I think this would make a great gift for yourself or for friends or family who enjoy books, reading and Christmas.
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Michael on Dec 1, 2020
5 out of 5 starsGreat as always! The envelope, with lots of interesting stamps, is beautiful. And the seller is very pleasant and attentive -- a great experience all round.
Updates
About BryanaJoyStudio
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The letters are posted using genuine vintage postage stamps and global shipping is free!
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My monthly illustrated letters are based on literary classics, such as Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Ulysses."
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A peek at Letter #6, with personal reflections on Antoine de Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince."
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I offer a number of small literary fine art prints in my shop at www.bryanajoy.com, such as this Tolkien-inspired set.
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Watercolor sketches and original paintings are periodically listed for sale in my shop at www.bryanajoy.com.
About the Letters From The Sea Tower
I believe there is transformative power in stories and in beauty; and in a world that's increasingly digital and virtual, I believe in the value of the handmade. This is why, in the summer of 2018, I decided to start creating handmade monthly letters that celebrate art and literature and how it matters for the Great Battle of Our Time, and mail them out all over the world. My aim in creating each month's letter is to produce a work of art that fills people with courage and creativity and to contribute to the revival of beautiful, meaningful, and unique hard-copy mail.
The letters are handwritten and painted by me and then carefully scanned and reprinted in my own home on heavy, archival quality, 100% cotton paper. I personalize them by hand for each recipient and mail them out monthly in an epic old-fashioned envelope with ink stamps and unique postage stamps. The letters are filled with watercolor paintings and sketches, field notes from nature or history or my travels, and illustrated poetry or quotes from my commonplace book. They are designed to be a well of stories and ideas that inspire others to take heart and remember their callings. Because the world is sometimes so dark and courage is what we chiefly need. This work is made possible through the continued support of regular subscribers all over the world. Join them today to get courage and creativity sent straight to your mailbox every month!
The inspiration for the name of this subscription comes from an essay J.R.R. Tolkien wrote about literary criticism of Beowulf. In his essay, Tolkien tells a little allegorical story about a man who built a tower on his property. His friends and neighbors thought the tower was a waste of valuable material, but they didn’t know that the man had built it in order to be able to see the sea. My hope is that these letters will offer a similar vantage-point as the tower in that story, that in the middle of our often dreary and monotonous lives, they will be a reminder of glory and unseen reality and a fleeting glimpse of “Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.” My introductory letter, included as a bonus with every first-time subscription, includes a full-color sea-tower illustration along with the full text of Tolkien's parable that serves as the inspiration for the Letters From The Sea Tower.
In addition to the letters, I also create literary fine art prints and occasionally offer small original paintings and travel sketches on my personal website at www.bryanajoy.com. You can subscribe to the Letters From The Sea Tower there too, and auto-renewing subscriptions (something Etsy doesn't yet offer) are available over there.
If you're interested in what I'm working on right now, I'd love to see you over on my instagram page, @_bryana_joy, where I post progress shots, share new pieces, and host frequent giveaways.
Shop members
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Bryana J Beaird
Owner, Maker
I believe there is power in the fusion of language and art. And in a world that's increasingly digital and virtual, I believe in the value of the handmade. Also, I like Narnia, poetry, Tolkien, British humor, J. S. Bach, old books, & thunderstorms.
Production partners
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Giclee Today
Pottstown, PA
My fine art prints are produced by Giclee Today using high-resolution scans of my own original artwork.
Shop policies
Accepted payment methods
Returns and exchanges
I gladly accept cancellations
I don't accept returns or exchanges
Returns and exchange details
Shipping
Because the Letters From The Sea Tower are shipped as first-class mail using vintage postage stamps, I cannot track them once they are posted and I am not able to provide status updates. While I have found that the letters usually reach most locations within two or three weeks at the most, longer delays do occasionally occur. However, if your letter doesn't arrive within a standard time frame for your location, simply contact me and I will happily resend it to you.
Additional policies and FAQs
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