Salutations // Dwell Richly // Email Etiquette

I need a new salutation to close my emails.

Most of the time I write "Thanks!!" at the end of an email. Does that mean I'm simply thanking the reader for reading the [most likely] entirely long email I just sent? I want something fresh and challenging. Unique and purposeful. Bold and beautiful. 

After learning some Google tips from my friend Emily, I hit up the search engine looking for the best salutations. Normal ones include Best, Sincerely, Regards, Respectfully, and Cheers. The crazy ones (which are also my favorite) include Later Vader, Gotta Boogie, Onward and Outward, and Rock On. A lady that I dearly love and respect ends her emails with Blessings. 

This morning I tested out Dwell Richly which derives from Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." I think it's a winner! 

I've been uber inspired by my sister-in-law Jackie who has been creating some AMAZING calligraphic wording lately. I bought some new nibs and ink, and I've been practicing every day. Not perfect yet but I'm improving! Nib: Hunt 99 // Ink: Yasutomo Traditional Chinese Ink

What do you use as a salutation? Do you keep it professional or fun? 

Let's Get Real

You have a story. An important story.

It's a story you can share with others, encourage others and display God's glory when telling it.

Now is your opportunity to discover the purpose in your story. 

Join Shattered Magazine and the Daughters of the King women’s ministry of Lindsay Lane Baptist Church for a unique conference encouraging authenticity as we embolden one another to find the purpose in our stories on Saturday, September 20th!

The event has a dynamic lineup beginning with morning worship led by local singer/songwriter Rebecca Jordan and followed by a personal story from Shattered Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Rachael Jackson. There will be a guided art session ["Share Your Story"] with your own painted canvas to take home. Finally, women's speaker and author Jennifer Devlin will finish out the afternoon coupled with time for feedback.

Bonus: Jitney's Journeys will be one of the vendors for the event (you can shop around during lunchtime and after the completion of the event). We've been working long hours in the Jitney studio brainstorming and creating new artwork and products specifically for this event!! We can't wait to set everything up! 

The vendor shopping will allow you to meet local ministries and help them fulfill their purpose! Shattered will be selling subscriptions as well. 10% of your purchases at the event will go to support the Women's Resource Center in Athens Al. Other local vendors at the event include: Pottery By You | Sweet Home Coffee Company | She's All That Boutique | Tisa's Pieces Pottery | Aggie's Arts

 

Find more information on the event FB page or register on the Eventbrite page. 

The Renaissance Man // Papa Roy Adams

My Papa Roy (my dad’s father) passed away Thursday afternoon. I tried to structure some type of status to post on Facebook but I found that I was incapable of formulating anything that would suffice. Thanks to the suggestion from my wise husband, I took the weekend to process everything rather than put pressure on myself to post something quickly. Though I still feel that any words I could write will be unsuited for this occasion, I also feel that I would be denying you of a glimpse into the life of a romantic, adventurer, photographer, businessman, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and husband.

 

My brother said it perfectly when he gave Papa’s eulogy at the funeral:

“Papa Roy was one of the last Renaissance Men, a true eclectic who tried any hobby or talent he could get his hands at. He lived life with an unfettered tenacity and had an insatiable sense of curiosity….”
— Chase Adams

Side note: Please read the entire eulogy Chase wrote here. 

I loved hearing people talk about their memories of Papa this weekend. Most of them had to do with his horses, technological gadgets, love for wilderness, in-home dark room (old-school photography development), the oh-so-memorable indoor pool with the retractable roof, and his success in business. Every memory that was spoken was undoubtedly paired with, “And his love for his bride, BettyAnne.”

There are some moments in life that deeply ingrain themselves in your memory.

Papa’s love for his wife (Gingin BettyAnne) is stamped there. Maybe I wasn’t looking for it or maybe it was because I’m married now, and I examine other marriages more carefully, but JD and I witnessed their love for each other like I had never really seen before when we spent some time with them in July. They were deeply protective of each other. They needed each other. They wanted to be together at all times.  They were patient with each other.

They showed us a deeply rooted, unhinging love.

JD and I helped Dad move them into an apartment during the Fourth of July weekend this year. Papa was trying to get through physical rehab and Gingin was moving in to be closer to him.

We arranged two twin beds in their bedroom so that they would be in the same room but would have enough space to walk in between the beds. Gingin wouldn’t have it. She requested that we push the beds together to make one big bed.

She wanted to sleep beside her groom.

They loved each other so much that they actually planned an escape route out of that facility together.

Gingin said, “I think I’m ready to get supper. Let’s go get a baked potato. I’ll go with [nurse].” So Gingin and the nurse began walking out of the room and she looked back and said, “Come on, Roy.” We quickly realized her main intention was not to satisfy hunger, but to satisfy the desire to escape with her husband. You really can’t help but smile at a romantic attempt-at-escape story like that.

The last day I saw Papa (in August while JD was on travel), dad and I rode over to their house. Papa was sitting on their screened-in back porch. It was beautiful. Peaceful. Calming. The sky was overcast, the wind blew softly through the heavily wooded forest backing up to the house, the tiny waterfall gently trickled into the pond. Papa asked me how JD was doing, if we were enjoying Huntsville, and what church we were attending.

Gingin walked out and sat with us. She had recently found out about his cancer and she was hurting. I can’t imagine (nor would I even want to imagine) what it must feel like to learn that the love of your life has cancer. The look in her eyes spoke the words written on her heart.

Her husband was in pain. She did all she could to carry that pain on her own shoulders, to remove it from him. Less than two weeks later, Papa passed away.

In the past few months, I have seen their love for one another – a fierce love, protecting and shielding one another to any measure necessary. They had a sweet, rare romance; full of joy, adventure (venturing to a total of 33 countries), understanding and oneness.

Dad really knew how to rock the 'fro.

Dad really knew how to rock the 'fro.

My heart aches for my dad, who is one of the most flawless, wisest, patient, business-savvy, kind-hearted men I know. I don't know what I would do without him. He felt the same way about his dad. Papa Roy was his business partner, one of his best friends and his exploring comrade. Many of you have heard stories about the boar's head that hung in my parents' bathroom when I was young (only a few of you were "lucky" enough to have actually seen it / or be terrified by it). When this photo popped up on Papa's tribute video, words cannot express the warmth that flooded my heart. Papa took Dad on countless wilderness adventures, the same as Dad took Chase on countless wilderness adventures, and I hope JD will be able to take our kids on countless wilderness adventures.

I hurt for my Aunt Betsy who lost her dad and my Gingin who lost her darling sweetheart. Please pray for our friends and family in mourning, that we may cling to the sweet memories of Papa Roy and honor his life well. 

The last thing I said to Gingin when I left her Sunday was, “It was a wonderful day.” In hindsight, it was a terrible thing to say. She laid her husband to rest. It’s an awful thing, excruciating.

But I meant that everything was just as Papa would’ve wanted it. The ceremony was warm, full of laughter, full of sweet memories; the room packed with people he loved. The entire day was filled with friends and family honoring his life, his children and his wife. As we gathered around the burial site and prayed, a soft breeze blew under the tent. And as we departed, a flock of geese flew over us and a thunderstorm rolled in. God comforted us by sending small reminders of the elements of nature Papa Roy enjoyed most.

While it was an extremely tough day, it still proved to be a wonderful day.

Jitney's Journeys : Jeremiah 17:7-8 Custom Barnwood Piece

My friend Judy was at it again with another brilliant idea. (I should really make a "tag" for her so you can see all of the artwork we've collaborated on.) Her husband's birthday was coming up and she wanted to give him a custom piece featuring Jeremiah 17:7-8 with a tree of some sort and maybe a river running across it somehow. I'm not sure if this is what she had in mind originally but I ended up creating the artwork on barnwood with a typography mixture of my handlettering with a clean, sans serif font. I fell in LOVE with it and I'm hoping they did too! 

As always, I'm deeply encouraged by the scripture I have the blessing of working with. There is beautiful hope and pure Truth in these verses. Oh, I just love it.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
— Jeremiah 17:7-8

Find this and other custom artwork from Jitney's Journeys here. If you would like to order a custom piece of artwork or something similar to this, contact us here. 

Jitney's Journeys : Custom Nap Mat for Kindergarten

A dear friend, Rebekah, asked me to make a nap mat for her little niece Brylee a couple of years ago. It blows my mind that Brylee's little sister, Ruthee, started Kindergarten this year and needed a nap mat too!! [Rebekah -> they are seriously growing up too fast!!]

I followed Jenny Garland's nap mat tutorial but made a number of adjustments.

(1) I have a disdain towards velcro. I don't know what it is. Maybe it reminds me of a velcro wallet and it makes me cringe a little. I'm just not a fan. Then again, I'm not a mom yet so I may fall in love with velcro when that wonderful day comes to fruition. But back to the tutorial, instead of using velcro along the sides of the nap mat, I made an envelope casing across the back for easy removal of the foam. 

(2) I'm also developing a distaste for fiberfill stuffing. It always seems to get a little wonky when I use it to stuff pillows, etc. Instead of using fiberfill for the pillow, I created a pillow using a comfy, soft batting and created a little pillow case for that. I made another envelope casing for the pillow insert so that it could also be easily removed for washing purposes. I can only imagine that it will cut drying time significantly!! 

(3) Unlike the tutorial, I didn't use elastic for the arm strap. Instead, I added two buttons and created an extra buttonhole (room for growth). Thanks to my two tiny neighbors (Ava, 3, and Alyssa, 6), I was able to measure the strap accurately while still keeping it at a good length for the parents to carry too. 

(4) Instead of using the patterned fabric for the pillow, I used the minky fabric. It's so much softer than the regular fabric!!!

It looks super comfy, right?! Oh, how I miss the days of opportunities to take naps in Kindergarten (but if we're real here, we all know that more giggling and / or staring at the ceiling happens than napping at that age)! 

Jitney's Journeys : Proverbs 31 Fabric Collage

A sweet friend, Halee, asked me if I could make something special for her mom's birthday, specifically a piece focused on Proverbs 31. After brainstorming different ideas, we decided on a fabric collage with a neutral color palette and pops of pink and turquoise, as well as burlap and lace. I embraced the theme of threes (because of her mom's three daughters) then adorned the collage with three vintage brooches and three ivory buttons.

When my great-grandmother passed away, she left tons of boxes filled with lovely sewing supplies, lace, zippers, fabric... anything you can think of in the sewing department. I, of course, wanted to incorporate several of those things into the collage (this theme reminds me so much of her) so I used one of her unfinished fabric squares as the first layer of the collage as well as lace and some of the crocheted doilies I found in the stash.

Halee sent me two pictures to use, one of her and her two sisters when they were younger, and the other of her family at Disney World this year. A vintage spoon is the center of the piece with "mother" engraved into it (in hindsight, I was I had used larger-set metal stamps but I used what I had) and a vial of pink flowers laid on a paper flower made of tissue, sheet music and kraft paper.

My absolute favorite part of Jitney's is being able to make personalized gifts like this. I've yet to meet Halee's mother, but what an honor it is to create a piece for a woman Halee loves so dearly! 

Jitney's Journeys : Original Handlettering for Wedding Envelopes

Remember those lovely burlap centerpieces I made for Ashley, one of our Etsy clients? Well, after she received the package, she sent me an email kindly asking if I would be interested in addressing the envelopes for the Aguiar wedding. 

You better believe I responded with a resounding "YES!" From what she's told me, she and her fiancee love the outdoors and their decor will feature beautiful autumn elements (I don't want to ruin the decor surprises for her guests!). The wedding will be held at a charming, rustic lodge in a local state park (one of their favorite hangouts). With all of the inspiration she gave me, it was easy to come up with a quite a few options for address formats. After much deliberation, this was the design she decided on... 

Trying to Catch Up

I've gotten into a terrible habit. Procrastination. At one time in my life, "deadlines" meant that I should turn in the assignment days before it is due but now I'm relieved if I complete something by the due date / deadline.

Yet perhaps, maybe it's not so much about procrastination, but more about feeling overwhelmed and not knowing how to place things back in order. I push things aside because I begin working on something that I think is more of a priority at the time, not because I'm simply putting it off. Then things begin to pile up.

After we returned from Hawaii, I had grand plans to write biweekly posts but it just didn't happen. It's been difficult to simply "catch up" on everything. Unpacking. Laundry. Hanging out with friends. Eating healthy. Emails. Jitney orders. The blog. 

Like most things in life, the toughest part is figuring out where to start. You're sitting at the bottom of Mount Everest with hundreds of routes to choose between. You can strategize for months and months but you won't get anywhere until you actually start climbing. (Not that I've ever climbed Mount Everest but I would imagine it to be a similar strategic predicament.) You must take those first steps.

So here it goes... I have a lot to write about and I've been debating on where to start. I've tried to plan it out but then I get overwhelmed and push it aside. Over the next few weeks (fingers-crossed), I'll be posting, in no particular order, about what life has looked like throughout July (and some of June). This includes our Hawaii trip, an amazing baby shower I had the pleasure of hosting with some other fantastic ladies, creative days, and lots of finished / ready to post Jitney orders. 

Or at least... that's the plan. Hey, I'm getting started though, right?

What have you pushed aside that you need to start on? It's Tuesday - what better day to pick up where you left off and begin climbing again than today?

Consider it reconstructed.

Happy July!! 

JDWhitHawaii.jpg

Remember when we said we would be taking a break in June for Jitney's Journeys restructuring? Well, the main reason was because we would be spending the month in Hawaii for JD's job (thus, we wouldn't be able to ship any products out). We knew this time would help us to take a step back and analyze our plan in order to keep moving forward at a stronger pace. That was the plan, anyway.

Fast forward halfway into the trip... nothing. No direction. No new plans. No focus. I laid in bed one night praying that God would just let me sleep because as I tried to plan, I was only getting more flustered and confused. I wanted to start from scratch.

I was utterly discouraged. 

But instead of letting me sleep, God began to stir a vision. A plan. A direction. I started working on a new logo design (something that fit our style better) and moved onto laying out the new blog design. A few hours later (JD was getting ready to go into work at this point), it was complete. I would be ready to change up the design on Blogger and introduce our new logo that afternoon. (I will post about the new logo design soon!)

Thanks to JD's wisdom, we decided to hold off until July. (He knows how much I like to tweak things after I've "finished" them.)

The next day, I had the urge to switch from Blogger to learn Wordpress. I've been wanting to figure out the platform for years and I figured this would be the time to do it. I enjoy designing our blog but there had to be a better, cleaner way. As soon as I began trying to learn Wordpress, I immediately got overwhelmed. Then I went back to Blogger. It was my safety zone. At the end of the day, it simply wasn't minimalist enough for me. To add onto that, a lot of our visitors are mobile visitors and our blog looked horrendous on mobile. On the actual site, there were so many "pages" that needed to be changed, and so many graphics and HTML code that would need to be changed. While I enjoy the challenge, my desire to change up our design so often began to take up too much of my time, especially when I could be making new products for our business. It didn't make sense for me to focus so much on the blog design when I could focus on more beneficial ideas.

So I researched Squarespace, completed the 14-day free trial and fell in love with it. Squarespace is officially the first service in Jitney's that we've actually outsourced. Up until this point, it's been all JD and me working on everything without having to pay another person to do it for us. This was worth it though.

Even though it's a few dollars out of the Jitney pocket fund, it feels so good to know that I can "build" the website so easily, change it up whenever I'd like, and create a site people enjoy looking at. The Layout Engine is simple and super fun to play around with. The blogging platform is rock solid with tons of features. I could really go on and on about it.

So, welcome to our new website / blog / marketplace!

We're so glad you have joined us! Browse around and let us know what you think. We'd love for you to email us with any suggestions or "Ahhh!! This needs to be fixed ASAP!!" comments. In fact, you can do so on the Contact page (just so we can make sure it's working properly).

I'm certain there are many things I will need to edit or switch around for a more user-friendly blog / marketplace but for now, I'm overjoyed. 

What platform do you use for your blog? Do you outsource the design work?