woolly love

"We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.  God is the friend of silence.  See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence...We need silence to be able to touch souls."  
                                                                                                                        - Mother Teresa

            

It is in the most unlikely places that we find deep meaning.  

Our homes/studios are so much larger than our four walls, they are where we are, the places we find ourselves.  This is one of my holy studios.

The sheep are where I find my great inspiration, divine words and meanings to my questions, and simple moments of peace.  I thought to share one of those moments with you~



In God's woolly love,
jj

sketching trust

Trust. 

My art always starts just this way:  I sketch, I feel the pull of images and words in my heart, and literally my life spills out onto the pages of my art journal.  Sometimes it is silly and carefree and other times it is laced with deep personal meaning.      

As my life has changed over the past couple of years, my trust issues have grown exponentially.  I know that growth with God doesn't always feel good -- wrestling, pushing through things (like a little sprout), prayerfully holding onto hope & trust in hard situations isn't an easy path for anyone.  It isn't easy for me!

I have lived in God's covering of grace during tender times. He doesn't leave us alone (ever).  God's love rains down on new growth, it is His growth, and it is always a time gifted with hidden treasures and miraculous joys.  But the necessity of holding hard onto God's strong arms (trusting) is always there.   

I often tell myself that I wrestle with my worries, doubts, insecurities for no reason.  But I still do it. 

Why the uncomfortable struggle when it comes to trust?

Learning, remembering, growing, believing, honoring, living in...Trust.  


It is honestly how our relationships grow, isn't it? We push against each other's personal space and it changes us.  It is how our marriages struggle and thrive.  It is how my boys know I see and hear their hearts - our lifetimes of trust together.  It is why I lean into my mother's hugs.  It is how I know that Spring will bring the lambs and that the littlest buds will bloom once the snow is gone.  Trust grows more trust...and it also grows greater depths of love.       

And  we know this ...God loves to grow love~

Are you on a path of nurtured growth?  Do you feel the nervous transitions of trust, too? 
Yes, we are sisters in this place.

It is time for some early Spring stretching...allowing new space for growth to happen.
Our hearts are anxiously ready to push out of this fallow ground into greater love and adventures.

I am right here with you~ let's hang on tight and see where it trust takes us?  

In His love & with his lambs,
jj

a daily cup

A day to catch up. 

A great deal of things don't get done when I don't feel well - such a hindrance to calmly sitting still & sipping green tea - I have deadlines, catching up, and filling in the blanks!  In the midst of pulling things together, I did have a few moments to use my last "cup sketch" to create something fresh and new in my art journal.  With a few things already on the counter that seemed to speak to me -- some book paper, a paper bloom, and a used up lunch sack, I just added paint.  Isn't that what you would do with those things too? (lol!)  

It feels just right, it is right now...and it is me.  

Every time I have a week like this, I come back to the importance of simplicity in my home (family), business, and schedules.  It would be so much easier to get help, do the work, feel inspired if I was more organized.  Do you go through this struggle to simplify too?

Perhaps it is just time for a bit of Spring cleaning~

It is also time to be thinking about the sheep.  I can hardly stand the wait, they are coming home at the end of the month and I am giddy.  Do you have spring loves you are anticipating as well?

Do you want to meet my spring sheep?  I know you do! 
(I have been so obsessed with the sweet things, I added new sheep art to my *originals* listing above -- all needing names & new homes -- take a peek? Here.)

What are you experiencing this week that you can paint, glue, write, capture?
(Look on your counter top for inspiration, it is all there!)

I hope you will share~

love & lambs & loads of wet paint,
jj

loves to you~

 My sketchy little gift to you sweet friends~ arms full of sweetness, goodness, and love. 

May your Valentine's day (week) be blessed *to overflowing* with God's abundant love!!!

I am thinking, hoping, and praying all good things for you.  

I am sorry for being so quiet this month.  

I had a wonderful trip to the desert with my DH.  A perfect trip of warmth, delicious food, and sleep.  Every minute was blissfully fun. We were like kids again!  

And then... I came home sick.  (I don't do sick well...so sad to be sick.)  

However, I am finally on the mend and enjoying all of the beautiful & brilliant things I see from my winter windows.  It is good to pause (right?) and for a few days -- feel the quiet peace of hibernation.  

tea and piping hot oatmeal anyone? 

I wish you a beautiful and peaceful week of love~

xxxooo

jj

living the gifts

Live as though heaven is on earth~ 

Let's think of ways to fill this day with God's gifts of grace and sweet peace.  Let's let our hearts be filled with joy-full-blessings from God's creation.  Let's step out and be a blessing to others with a smile, a hug, a sweet note of love.  Every day is a gift and we can live them as gifts!  

Hugs and loves and prayers to you sweet friends!

love and lambs, 

(seriously...only 47 days until lambing!)

jj

feeding sheep

Feeding sheep.

I have been a bit out-of-the-loop this week.  Spilled out.  Unraveled.  Not a bad thing, just a bit too much goodness...inspiration and creative work...on top of family responsibilities.
You have weeks like that too?  

The best thing that I could have done today -- was exactly what I did -- I went out to feed sheep.  I  realize this is a deep message to myself,  feeling purposefully timed for just right now, just when I needed it the most.  Feeding sheep ~ always ends up feeding me.  I have missed the time I have spent with these girls.  They are so calming to my spirit. I always feel more myself - my feet are firmly grounded.  The warm winter morning was so beautiful, too.  And with the farmer, horses and dogs along, it made it a farmy adventure~  

feeding sheep from Junelle Jacobsen on Vimeo.

I even used my new skills (video!) to bring you with me.  I hope you enjoy~
(the last few seconds are a bit bumpy, as I am trying to get away from a wild mustang)

grace & peace~
jj

"May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you:  wherever he may send you;

may he guide you through the wilderness:  protect you through the storm;

may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;

may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into these doors."

Joyously grateful for the privilege of being a daughter, a sister, a mother, and a friend.  Overwhelmed by the life gifted to me~ with all the storms I have been guided through and the wonders I have seen.  Looking back on just one year is a treasure of emotion!

May your heart be lifted by the blessings this past year has given you, too.  All of the growth, the inspiration, the love, the work!!!  Remembering that hardships are hidden blessings as well~  

Yes, yes and amen~

  

I am also being hopelessly homesick for the sheep, too!

grace & peace

to you

jj 

Text from Common Prayer, A liturgy for Ordinary Radicals.  

finding center

scarlet lime's newest kits

Finding center.

This time of year leaves me a bit off kilter.  How about you?

The holiday's deliciousness of colors, activities, foods have made their way to my heart (and hips!) and I am a bit tearful putting away the last sparkling things.  I suppose it is just this way the older you get and the more memories you have?

The holiday-afters are unique in their bittersweet gifts, aren't they.

A new look at life as the year begins.  A letting go and grabbing hold of what it is God is gifting.  Are you feeling this too?  Too full and still hungry?  A new page, chapter, or a brand new book in life to open, but haven't yet?  An anticipatory excitement for what is coming -- but deeply quiet, too?

I don't know what it is, but it seems to cover this time of transition every year.

I guess I am a bit tender-hearted this week -- overwhelmed by God's goodness, feeling that holy anticipation of newness, open-hearted to what I am experiencing.  All of it brings me to my knees.

Holding last years treasures close to my heart one more time...and getting ready to turn that next page.  Perhaps I just needed the extra day to find my center~

I am thinking of you my sweet friends, hoping you have found yourself centered (lol) and excited for this new year!  It is going to be good~ 


In His grace & peace,
jj

two boys & a sweet story

Thought I might share a collaborative project I did with my little boys last week. 

This is also an art journal -- in photo form.  There are no rules (remember?). 

Brainstorm ways you can use photos in your art journaling for next week~ 

Our take on the sweet storybook~ 

Harold and the Purple Crayon   (Crockett Johnson)

One evening, after thinking it over for sometime, 

Harold decide to go for a walk.  

He made a long straight path so he wouldn't get lost.

And he set off on his walk, taking his yellow paintbrush with him.  

He cut across fields, watching the flowers, weeds, and dragonflies light up as he approached.  

Reaching the trees the leaves brightened into buttery yellows, 

and led his path straight to an azure lake. 

He walked along the shoreline, softly brushing the water and creating a soft glow.  

 He loved painting his world with happy color and imagined his paintbrush 

mending the broken places he found...

...and bringing happiness to others. 

Surely more adventures await this little boy and his golden brush.  

Goodnight Harold. 

silly fun~ thank you boys!

(and now you are famous on Mum's blog)

jj

blessed to be (right) here

"his teacher" - a photo assignment this week

This is what you should do: Love the earth and sun and animals, 

despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, 

stand up for the stupid and crazy,

devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants,

argue not concerning God, 

have patience and indulgence toward the people...

reexamine all you have been told in school or church or in any book, 

dismiss what insults your very soul, 

and your flesh shall become a great poem.

 - Walt Whitman 

*     *     *     *     *

I have had comments lately on how blessed I am to live where I live~
(I am still laughing)

It is a gift to see the beauty in your own life some days, isn't it?   

I think this place is quaint and quiet, a homey little pioneer town in the mountains.  But it is definitely not as beautiful as other places I have lived.

I have lived in the heart of the Midwest (Northern Indianapolis) where the haze lays over the fields and the fireflies bounce around in the dark evenings.  I have lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where *quaint* originated -- the beauty out my doors was breathtaking -- lavender wisteria blooms falling from pine trees, honeysuckle growing wild across the back fence and the humidity softening hard edges.  

I have also lived in the east valley of Phoenix, Arizona, in cotton fields and wild desert.  I fell in love the starkness of sand and twigs, and the expansive open spaces.  Warm reds and oranges against the purple of the Superstition Mountains ~ gorgeous.  


I have lived in visual splendor.

And now, I am in a tiny farm community with dust, rust, and sheep...

Every move has been a hardship and a great learning experience.  I don't regret a single home.  Each stepping stone on this path has been an great upturning of fallow ground, seeds planted and watered, and harvests of understanding grace, real friendship, and divine truths.  Do you know these blessed gifts in your life, too?  


Some lessons are only learned when our hearts are fully ripe to hear...

Now, as the seasons are changing and the sheep are getting ready to come home (remember they have been up in those high mountains camping), I am again grateful for the chance I have to live in this sweet (sheepy) place.  


It is great teacher, a visual liturgy, and a messy canvas for my head and heart~


It is also a perfect fit for a silly girl like me.    I am home.

(one of my sweet puppies last year)

May you see the beauty in your life today. Take a sketch pad or a camera and gather an image that inspires you.  Our God loves to put His glory on display!

love & lambs to you,

jj

art loves art

I really dig into a study that is topical.  "Stones" are one of those kinds of things my head likes to swirl and spin.  This time however I am letting my heart do the speaking ~ a language that is sometimes hard to hear.  (shhh...)

*     *     *     *

I wanted to share a couple more ideas for getting out and learning something new this season.  

Art loves art.  

When I am in a place creatively where I am afraid/unable/blocked, I do something rather extreme -- I go see what others are creating (and usually get involved).  I am still the artist that I am, it just gives me a new layer to explore, and I think it pushes out the boundaries that I didn't know I had.  

So my journey this fall took me into the local college's art department (An amazing resource!)  I wanted to try a class that was *out of the box* for me, something I could do when my boys were at school and something that I hadn't done before.  I chose a 3-Dimensional art class ~   

I am immersed in lines, color, and form. The materials are all new to me~ electrical wiring, aluminum conduit, and finding unique ways to connect pvc pipe to create a lamp for my photo studio.  The teacher is a brilliant sculptor, so the class is very informative (and silly, too).  I am loving it already.  Use your local Universities for inspirational classes!  

Pinterest.  <the link) If you aren't already addicted to this pinning idea, you should be.  It is a great way to excite the sleeping artist and get you motivated about hundreds of new ideas.  I am in love with it.  Make sure to find me and let's be friends?  I would love what your eyes see, too. 

Sketching. <the link)  I am loving this simple, tiny, easy to try book by Alwyn Crawshaw.   It is a really little book and it doesn't go into everything, but it has perfect vignettes to try and watercolor helps, too.  I am keeping it close.    

After my *Holy* post I had a lot of emails/comments about the book I was reading.  I love to share good gifts and this definitely is one of them. 

The Artist's Rule.  <the link)  This sweet book is full of creative good.  Christine is a brilliant writer and the material is perfectly suited for my journey right now.  You know those kinds of reads? 

If you are a Christian that hasn't been exposed to much of the Monastic life of Monks/Nuns, this book may be a reach for you.  But, If you understand the love language of lectio divina, the prayerful depths of contemplative living, and love the inner workings of a monastic life ~ you would love this book.  

I really don't know how better to state it. 

For a bit of background, my reading is deeply entwined with experiences of the divine from many places and people, I love to read.  I love the deep spiritual depths of St. Teresa of Avilia and the life-in-God-lessons of Brother Lawrence.  At the same time, I am also a great devote of Shane Clariborne's writings on The Irresistible Revolution:  Living as an Ordinary Radical, Beth Moore's bible studies, and all of the wonderful books by Julia Cameron (combining a creative life + the Creator).  I think reading other's encounters with God opens up all kinds of brilliant connections in your own life~  

I am sure for some this is a wild mix of authors.  It's okay, I am a wild adventurer ~

Just remember that *art loves art* and your creative life can be enriched and fed through engaging in new things.  Don't ever be afraid to try~  

new piece of music

a poetry reading 

trying a fiber art

visiting a working farm

watercolor

knitting

visiting a quilt shop

jewelry class

making a video clip

collage

laying in the fall sunshine (not creating!)

sketching 

a day of quiet prayer

looking into an art class 

taking an online art class 

...

I am excited to see what you are doing, your art always blesses me.  

Love and lambs (and lamps!),

jj

with my friday studio peeps...

Holy in the mix

Divine moments~ 

I seem to be lost in them this week.  I am not sure how they happen, but happen they do, and I am in quiet expectancy of more.  I see them right now as *holy touchpoints* :  little treasured gifts from God to keep my heart open and my head up.  

Do you feel this at times too? 

Part of my narrowing of choices for this fall season (last post) has to do with being brave, trusting, and spending time with others.  I wrote it several times in several places.  They each call to be included in this fall mix.  

Can I tell you something brilliant? 

It is happening.  Every one of those sweet words is making her presence known.  

I am joining a group of lovely ladies for a semester workshop on the unique pilgrimage between the contemplative life (the life of a nun/monk) and a seeking artist.  Sound sweet?  (Joan...I have the book for you! xo)

I am so thrilled, nervous, excited, and captivated by it -- at the same time.  

*  brave  *  trusting  *

If you feel strongly in your life's journey that you need a strong spiritual grounding, you can have one.  It is here beneath your feet, above your head, in your hands, in your eyes...holy is here.  It is right here with you and me right now.  God is with us and God is for us~ 

I am a spiritual person, and for me God's goodness and mercy are life altering every day ~ a new adventure awaits!

And of course, as I promised you...the sweet lambs in their green goodness.
((Look at all of that grease I get to clean off your mug))

love & lambs to you,
jj

More ideas for fall projects tomorrow!

the early ones

In the morning light~

In the morning light~ 

what was so beautiful
in last night's
 soft-glow,

is now bathed in sparkling
shimmering (divine) newness

...oh, yes.

Get up early, grab a camera~

I will be right there with you!

grace & peace,

jj