the
sign in my kitchen reads "open daily" it reminds me to.... ...
open my heart and serve my husband, children, family, friends & neighbors
as if serving Jesus himself.
open my hands and allow God to take from them and fill them according to His
will. i've experienced His faithfulness in this so many times and yet am always
surprised.
open His word. read my bible daily. for me, it doesnt matter where the clock
hands are pointing, or how many pages get flipped, but to open my bible and
connect directly and be encouraged by my Creator.
my
sweet and faithful friend jessica of joyframeworks is the artist behind the sign. my home is adorned with a few of her pieces and i often find myself asking, how much antique ceiling tin is 'too much'? to say that
her friendship has been a joy in my life is a major understatement. one of the things i love most about her is the confidence she stands on in christ. not above others, nor above receiving instruction, but
deeply rooted in her faith & her family. another thing i love is our shared fondness of all things vintage. an afternoon cruising through
antique stores & thrift shops in downtown phoenix with this woman is as much fun as disneyland to a 6 year old. her kids are pretty
amazing too. and her husband has a double major in
goofiness and musical awesomeness. check out his new band
some dark hollow (he is the one with the longest & kewlest beard.)
ok, where were we? so, when i saw her 'bon appetit' sign in her
etsy shop i knew
i wanted it, and
i knew just where to put it...but it wasn't quite right... so after a few custom changes we had it.
open daily.
the best seat in the house - in my opinion. where i sit for my quiet time, 'most' days.
the view from the best seat in the house. see i can't help but be reminded and humbled when it is in bold all caps print right in front of me.
note: it also serves as a life line when i fall (so so easily, in my kitchen) into the martha trap.
notice the clock is not in view from the best seat in the house. this is on purpose. there is joy found in this.
i'll be the
first to admit that i don't achieve this open heart, open hands, open His word, every day. and i realize it looks different for each of us.
my prayer is that you will be
encouraged and
inspired to open your heart, hands and His word. wake up each morning, sit up in bed and literally
open your hands.
be filled with amazement at all that he has and will give you
this day and all that he will faithfully remove and take away. commit to
serving & loving those around you, with no strings attatched.
find the best seat in your house.
create a view from that seat that will point you to Him.
gather only the necessities and
remove distractions.
then go for it...open daily.
the who.what.where.when.how & joy behind it all
me: who did/do you admire and why?
jessica: "hmmm.
as i consider this question, i'm amazed at how blessed i am to have so
many admirable people in my life. though i admire many accomplishments
& traits of those around me, the people I admire the most are those with a
steadfast desire to walk with the Lord. my mother-in-law always stands
out as one of these people."
me: what is/was your favorite childhood toy?
jessica: "the sesame street peoples set. i still love sesame street!"
me: where do you find inspiration?
jessica: "i find most of my inspiration through music, history and art. they all
create emotion for me in their own unique way."
me: when did you last do something 'daring' - what was it?
jessica: "i
like to be daring on occasion, though it actually makes me nervous. the
last daring thing i did was boogie boarding in the pacific ocean during our
last vacation. i tried to go kayaking with reef sharks, but the tour was
sold out."
me: how do you drink your coffee?
jessica: "my
husband says i ruin it, but i add a little almond milk and the tiniest bit of
brown sugar."
me: how did joyframeworks begin?
jessica: "i started making decorations for my kid's rooms. i wanted to create a nice home for my family. somewhere along the line, i stumbled across ceiling tin and found that i could combine my appreciation for history and my love for art and i haven't turned back since."
me: who taught you to paint or sparked your passion for art?
jessica: "i've
never been "taught", it has always been a form of expression for me.
my passion for art definitely began as a child. i have fond memories
of my sister organizing craft projects for me and my other siblings. i
was always encouraged to be creative and if it created a mess, that was okay.
i will say, creativity runs in my family. m mom is a writer / artist, my
brother's a musician and my other siblings have dabbled in art, photography and
painting. my dad was a history teacher and the countless tours of civil
war battlefields must have made an impact on me as well!"
me: please share with me about finding joy in this where you didn't expect it.
jessica: "i
rarely stand still, so taking a moment to really be still and ponder on these
questions was a blessing for me. it's neat to look over how you've grown,
whose been an influence in your life and what your next chapter may be like.
thanks to a dear friend who made this happen!
giveaway
details.
included in the
giveaway is:
- one handmade by joyframeworks, open daily, antique ceiling tin sign.
(the winner will be notified with choices of background paint, and hanging ribbon)
-i will cover shipping for those of you that are
not local.
to enter.
leave a comment sharing a chore or complaint that you flipped & found JOY in today = 1
entry
follow my blog /comment letting me know you are = 1 entry
got to
joyframeworks and 'like' her facebook page, comment letting me know you did = 1 entry
check out her
etsy shop and then leave a comment with your favorite item = 1 entry
***please make sure i know how to contact you if you win. leave an email
giveway is open until
thursday 10/11/12 @ 1pm (az time)
i'll pick a winner randomly and announce it before 4pm
that day.
the winner is.... LAURA R.!!! i'll msg you with color choices. congrats my friend.
