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9 Comments» Continue ReadingA few weeks ago, I became the mother of a ten year-old. Number 1 is such an easy boy to celebrate. He is unassuming, humble in heart, thoughtful, genuine, responsible, teachable, and down-right charming. How could I not grant him his birthday request for a party including all his favorite things… Here’s how it came together: My father-in-law owns several copies of Popular Mechanics magazines dating from the early to mid 1900s. They are amazing to read…oh how much has changed! (and…how much hasn’t…) Scanned pages from these antique copies (with a little help from Photoshop) made for great decorations: …and laminated placemats: …and a Happy Birthday banner: The birthday boy requested a fave-food menu: grilled cheese homemade tomato soup huge assortment of pickles chex mix twizzlers salt and vinegar chips cantaloupe krispy kreme donuts After some Grandpa-led fun with pulleys… …and motors… …we ended the party with a build-your-own catapult […]
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» Continue ReadingEvery year around this time, the school The Preacher and I helped to start hosts a dinner and silent auction gala. If you’ve been reading here for long, you may remember the photos of previous years, and the past paintings I’ve done for this fundraising event. I’ve posted about my painting process before. A good painting (in my own opinion and aesthetic) always has many many translucent layers, built one on top of the other. I inevitably loathe my painting at some point, and declare it a failure. And…without exception, it turns around, and I know the painting is complete when I start thinking of ways to redecorate or repaint my house in order to keep the painting for myself. So it was with the cherry blossoms this year. I began with various hues in the blue-green family. I knew this layer would be covered several times over, so I […]
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» Continue ReadingI’ve been meaning to share this with you since before Christmas, when I made these as handmade gifts. They are worth sharing because it is a craft that is super simple, affordable, and meaningful. Not only are handmade gifts precious to give and to receive, your favorite sentiments, in this case Latin proverbs, make these coasters heartfelt conversation starters. Here’s what you need: Set of tumbled travertine tiles from a home improvement store a Sharpie…or stamps if you are a stamper. I’m a Sharpie-er. cork drawer liner glue clear acrylic fixative spray Cut the cork drawer liner so that each square measures 1/4″ smaller than the size of each piece of tile. Center and glue to the back of the travertine tile. Place a book or two on top of the tile for added weight while the cork dries and adheres to the tile. When your set of tiles are […]
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» Continue ReadingIt was a homeschool day. The question for Number One’s history assignment was: “Write a summary describing why or why not General “Stonewall” Jackson was virtuous.” Lots of facts, a plethora of impressive achievements, scholastic prowess, success in war, a noteworthy resume…Number One’s summary was coming along nicely, he thought. However, a conversation quickly ensued between he and I, upon revising and editing. He was less than pleased…and ready to be done with school. I ask him, “Does excelling in school and success at career mean that one is virtuous? What defines a virtuous person? “If he was an excellent student, what evident virtues in his life resulted in being a notable academe?” “If he was a success in his career as a general, what virtues were present in his life that earned him the nickname, “Stonewall”? Was there evidence of virtue in his life that made him a noteworthy […]
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» Continue ReadingMy lovely mother-in-law taught me how to crochet. She has blessed our home with several handmade quilts and crocheted afghans. To see the immense work that goes into creation each time we use it is a reminder that we are much loved. Each stitch, each crochet. And so it is when you give a gift like that yourself. It is love poured into each and every stitch, each and every crochet. It is thinking about the person you are making it for with every turn of the hand, each quickening of the fingers…until the last stitch is complete, thinking continually of the joy it will be to gift the blessing. This year for Christmas I chose the most challenging pattern a novice like me could handle, and determined to complete it as a labor of love for my mother-in-law. A lovely shawl for a lovely lady. Blue is her favorite color, […]
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» Continue ReadingIt’s always a privilege to shoot photos of a newborn babe. A week in this big world. A week in mother’s arms. Sigh…how I adore babies. Here are some from a recent session.
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» Continue ReadingHello there lovely GraceLaced readers! My name is Heather from Life Made Lovely and I’m excited to share a new tradition my family and I have begun just this year. During Advent we do all kinds of things to share God’s light with others, but for me that’s only a small portion of the season. I want my kids to connect to Jesus so that they can embrace the light He placed inside of them. I want my kids to feel bonded to Jesus in a way that is real and tangible to them. One way I’m trying to nurture that relationship is through our new nativity scene tradition. You see, I’ve been struggling for years to find a nativity scene that was special enough, and then I happened upon an empty wooden stable in the dollar bins of Target. Perfect!! I decided then and there that we would […]
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» Continue ReadingChristmas is just two weeks away, but it isn’t too late to bring a little handmade to your Christmas list. I’ve been on the receiving end of such significant creations, as well as the giving of lovingly handmade. Regardless of what side you are on this Christmas, handmade just feels lovely, doesn’t it? My talented cousin, Grace, is here today to share a fabulous tutorial with you for a necklace that would make any girl swoon. the pearl statement necklace tutorial grab your jewelry-making supplies and get ready to craft this gorgeous pearl necklace! if you don’t have any, grab a friend and split the materials, because the jewelry findings usually come in large quantities! what you will need: + jewelry pliers (here) + your choice of ribbon (i used 1/2″ cream colored ribbon) + about 40 antique bronze finish headpins at 35-40mm in length (here or here) + […]
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» Continue ReadingGood morning, friends! What? You’d like to know who won the $25 Gift Card for a Kelly Moore Bag? I’ll gladly oblige. Congratulations, Alicia! Check your email! Thank you for participating, everyone…and thank you, Kelly Moore Bags! And, in anticipation of the first day of the Advent In The Heart And Home guest post series tomorrow, I thought I’d repost last year’s homemade stockings post. Enjoy! ************************************************************ The preacher and I have been married for almost 13 years, and we’ve had kids for 8 of those years….and never have we put up stockings for Christmas. We’re not Santa people; in fact, we support the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and Santa Claus about as much as we enjoy dressing up and stocking up on candy. I know, we are a wild bunch. This year, however, I made stockings for the whole family. Just for the fun of it. The coziness of it. The […]
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» Continue ReadingThe weather’s turned around here, and with the brisk cold and the grey skies, I’m almost tempted to put on Christmas music. Almost. My mind is thinking ahead, though, to the short 7 weeks left before Christmas. I’m thinking about keeping it simple, about meaningfulness over grandeur. I’m making plans for Advent, for leaving a Christmas impression of steady and significant, rather than whirlwind and worldly upon my kids. I want to teach them to wait, to anticipate, to witness with wonder. Which is exactly what transpires when Christmas bulbs are abloom indoors just in time for the holiday season. If you love the beauty of paperwhites and amaryllis at Christmas time, now is the time to plant those forced bulbs. Don’t delay…they take weeks to bloom! I used bulbs that already had their “winter” and come with roots already sprouting. If you are using un-winterized bulbs, you can trick them […]
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» Continue ReadingI have so much respect for photographers who do newborn sessions. It is not as easy as it looks…that’s why I never did one for my own Cinco! I had the privilege of shooting a friend’s newborn baby at 10 days old this week. Here’s a little preview of the shoot. Hopefully, these images will be a sweet memory of the first days of baby Luke’s life. I’m not sure I’d ever make it as a baby photographer, but it sure was fun!
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» Continue ReadingWe spent our Labor Day weekend enjoying mountain air and grandparents. While The Preacher ran a chainsaw with his dad… the boys were outside being boys, building a fort… and defending their territory! If you’ve always dreamed of building a fort or treehouse, check out my Pinterest board, where I have been collecting some ideas myself! Feeling a little less ambitious? Try out this DIY by Ana White: It doesn’t matter whether it’s grand or simple, the most important thing about a fort is that it’s yours, and that it’s heavily guarded.
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Hello, friend...I'm Ruth. Welcome to GraceLaced, where you will find my imperfect, but grace-filled musings on the Gospel, motherhood, crafting, art, domesticity, cooking, and the often-times overlooked joys of finding grace in the everyday of life. Read my full profile here.
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