Grace at Home No. 435

Hello, friends! I'm so glad to welcome you to the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes and spheres of influence places of grace.

Here are some highlights from last week:

Ever want to make something useful out of a found treasure or an antique? Libbie from A Life Unfolding created this plant stand from a vintage crate, and now the wheels in my mind are really turning!

Looking for ways to transition to fall decor in your home? Cindy from Cloches and Lavender shows you exactly how to add filler to lanterns for a beautiful look that can change with the seasons.

Would you like a wonderful new wreath for fall but don't have much money to spend on one? Jennifer from The Everyday Farmhouse shows you how to make one from foraged grasses.

I've been trying to be more careful about my eating lately; some of my clothes had grown a little too snug. So I was delighted to get this recipe for Garlic Herb Grilled Salmon from Carol at Comfort Spring Station.

Speaking of grilling, I confess that I'm a real neophyte at using our gas grill, so I was glad to get some tips from Lisa of Drugstore Divas.

If you're interested in losing weight, you might be surprised to read these thoughts on embracing a weight-loss plateau from Wendy at The Inspired Eater.

If you're like me, you've longed recently for people to act with more kindness. There's just so much meanness in today's world, isn't there? In the spirit of "Be the change you wish to see in the world," I was blessed by this post from Michele Morin at Living Our Days.

Thank you to everyone who linked up!

Now for today's party.  Here at the Grace at Home party, you can link up any post you've written that demonstrates how you're filling your space with truth, goodness, and beauty. I invite you to link posts about

• DIY projects
• decorating
• recipes
• hospitality
• homemaking tips
• parenting
• marriage
• faith
• self-care
• soul care

Whatever you do to make your home or sphere of influence a place of grace, I'd like to hear about it. Here's what I ask of you.  Please include the permalink to your post, not your blog's home page.  Please let people know that you've linked up.  No more than three posts per person, please.  Note that if you link a post here, you are giving me permission to share your post, including a photo.  And visit at least one of the other party participants--that's what really makes it a party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Grace at Home No. 434

Hello, friends. I write today feeling a bit overwhelmed, like I know so many of you do. The terrible situation in Afghanistan, the earthquake in Haiti, the tropical storms and wildfires and continued bad news of the virus that are rocking the U.S.—it's a lot, isn't it? That's why I was particularly glad to see this sight this week:

In the Genesis story of Noah, the rainbow does not appear in the sky after a carefree time, but after a time filled with difficulty and destruction. The rainbow symbolizes the fact that even though people may not keep their promises, God always does. I'm clinging to that fact right now, aren't you?

And I'm so grateful to celebrate alongside you some of the wonderful things you're doing to make your homes and spheres of influence places of grace and beauty. We need that, don't we?

Here are some highlights from last week's party. 

It's clear that many of us are ready for summer to be over and are transitioning to fall decor. If you find yourself also longing for fall, here's some inspiration for you.

Carol from Blue Sky at Home makes some simple changes to prepare her living room for fall.

Paula from Sweet Pea shares some simple ways to transition to fall decor and includes illustrations from her beautiful home.

Joy from Artful Homemaking shares some timely tips for decorating for fall on a tight budget.

For specific fall decorating ideas, you might like to see the things Regina at Saved from Salvage made from a flannel shirt—this clever bottle wrap is just one of her creations.

Or perhaps you'd like to make a wooden leaf garland; Julie from My Wee Abode shares step-by-step instructions.

If you have kiddos heading back to school right now, you might want to encourage them to read by making one of these treats shared by Pam at An Artful Mom.

If you're enjoying a few more days of summer vacation, you'll be inspired by reading how Denise from My Home of All Seasons finds beauty all around her. 

And if you find yourself in need of some encouragement during hard days, you'll want to read this post from Donna at Soul Survival.

Thank you to everyone who linked up!

Now for today's party.  Here at the Grace at Home party, you can link up any post you've written that demonstrates how you're filling your space with truth, goodness, and beauty. I invite you to link posts about

• DIY projects
• decorating
• recipes
• hospitality
• homemaking tips
• parenting
• marriage
• faith
• self-care
• soul care

Whatever you do to make your home or sphere of influence a place of grace, I'd like to hear about it. Here's what I ask of you.  Please include the permalink to your post, not your blog's home page.  Please let people know that you've linked up.  No more than three posts per person, please.  Note that if you link a post here, you are giving me permission to share your post, including a photo.  And visit at least one of the other party participants--that's what really makes it a party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Grace at Home No. 433

The dog days of summer. When we're in them, it's easy to see how that expression might have originated, isn't it? My husband and I have retreated to our little mountain getaway to escape the worst of the heat, and boy am I glad! What's it like in your neck of the woods?

I'm so glad to welcome you to the Grace at Home party, where we celebrate all the ways we make our homes and spheres of influence places of grace and beauty. Here are some highlights from last week's party.

Do you have a laundry space that needs some freshening up? Check out this laundry room makeover from Marty at A Stroll Thru Life—you'll be inspired!

Do you need some additional storage in a bedroom? Angela from Simply Beautiful by Angela gives you step-by-step instructions for building under-bed storage boxes. Such a great idea!

Do you have a bench that needs a new cushion? You can make your own very simply with this no-sew tutorial from Carol at Blue Sky at Home.

Have you picked or purchased some blackberries this summer? Paula from Sweet Pea shows you how to make delicious blackberry jam and provides free printable labels for your jars!

If you're mentally DONE with summer and looking forward to Autumn decorating, you'll be glad to get these Fall watercolor printables from Julie at My Wee Abode.

If you have kids headed back to school, you can help them answer the "What can I wear?" question. Melissa from Everyday Savvy created a capsule wardrobe system for girls. The latest is based on clothing purchases from Old Navy, and Melissa supplies a shopping list plus formulas for mixing and matching. Such a wonderful idea!

Last but not least, this post from Lisa at Lisa Notes. . . on Seeing God will stimulate your thinking and challenge you with this post: "Is the Word of God a What or a Who?" I highly recommend this read!

Thank you to everyone who linked up!

Now for today's party.  Here at the Grace at Home party, you can link up any post you've written that demonstrates how you're filling your space with truth, goodness, and beauty. I invite you to link posts about

• DIY projects
• decorating
• recipes
• hospitality
• homemaking tips
• parenting
• marriage
• faith
• self-care
• soul care

Whatever you do to make your home or sphere of influence a place of grace, I'd like to hear about it. Here's what I ask of you.  Please include the permalink to your post, not your blog's home page.  Please let people know that you've linked up.  No more than three posts per person, please.  Note that if you link a post here, you are giving me permission to share your post, including a photo.  And visit at least one of the other party participants--that's what really makes it a party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Grace at Home No. 432

Hello, friends! Happy August! I'm finding it hard to believe that we're already in the month of August—this summer has passed so quickly.

This past week was a bit of a blur for me. I got to go with my husband on a business trip to Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado. Although I travel to Colorado fairly often in my work for Renovaré, I'd never been to that part of the state before. It's beautiful!

I'll confess that I had mixed feelings about traveling. At first I was really glad to get away, but the airports were so very crowded that I began feeling nervous about being in close proximity to so many people. I'm praying that the recent surge in virus cases settles down quickly, but I have a feeling that I may be skittish about crowds for awhile. What about you?

Even if I'm feeling a little nervous about traveling, I am eager to have guests in my home, so I was tickled to see how Niky at The House on Silverado did a guest room using family keepsakes. Lots of great ideas here!

As the summer winds down, I find myself wanting to freshen up my home decor. So I was glad to see the step-by-step instructions for making this grain sack table runner from Joy at Artful Homemaking.

Is your yard or garden looking a bit tired these late summer days? You'll be inspired by the way Penny from Penny's Vintage Home refreshed her flower beds.

If gardening isn't your thing but you enjoy potted plants, you'll be glad to see how Julie from My Wee Abode created this succulent planter in just a few minutes—and these are all artificial plants!

Looking for some yummy late-summer noshes? You might want to try this piquant white cheddar pimiento cheese from Jenny at Not Entirely Average.

Last but not least, I was grateful to read how Barbara from Random Thoughts battles impatience, frustration, and anger.

Thank you to everyone who linked up!

Now for today's party.  Here at the Grace at Home party, you can link up any post you've written that demonstrates how you're filling your own home with truth, goodness, and beauty. I invite you to link posts about

• DIY projects
• decorating
• recipes
• hospitality
• homemaking tips
• parenting
• marriage
• faith
• self-care
• soul care

Whatever you do to make your home or sphere of influence a place of grace, I'd like to hear about it.  Here's what I ask of you.  Please include the permalink to your post, not your blog's home page.  Please let people know that you've linked up.  No more than three posts per person, please.  Note that if you link a post here, you are giving me permission to share your post, including a photo.  And visit at least one of the other party participants--that's what really makes it a party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter