• 12.01.2009 Grand Opening
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    It’s in the shop! I’m excited to announce that GraceLaced Shoppe is {finally!} open for business! For all you locals who’d like to see the handmade goodies up close and personal, I am currently featured as the “Artist of the Month” for December at Hip Stitch. Thank you to those of you who’ve encouraged me toward this little endeavor. I have always dreamed of sharing my artistic giftings for both inspiration and financial contribution. There is a season for everything, and in every season a different focus.  I read through Proverbs 31 today, asking the Lord to grant me the balance, wisdom, and diligence seen there, in this endeavor and all others. My season continues to be motherhood, but am blessed to see ways in which I can learn to model the industriousness and priorities of the Proverbs 31 woman. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. […]

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  • 07.21.2009 Linked
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    My friend, Tara, and I have been dear friends for 15 years. Linked continually through the many seasons of life, our friendship is a testament to unity in the Spirit. And so, fittingly, for the birthday girl this year…some pretty links.

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  • 07.01.2009 Real (and unreal) Life
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    This last week without the Man Of The House was not nearly as triumphant and memorable as the last time. Unlike previous occasions that were marked by visits with family and friends, this last week felt lonely and isolating. God was gracious, however, to turn many cloudy moments into bright memories…and to give victory over the nagging shadows that can so often creep in uninvited. One afternoon, after experiencing a morning of disappointments, the boys and I sat down at the kitchen table and purposed to have fun. The kids purposed to make a creative mess. I purposed to enjoy it (the inevitable debris, that is.) Armed with a hot glue gun, craft sticks, sheets of foam, and googly eyes, we set out to create a little world where potty training was a breeze, brothers never fought, and mothers always had the right attitude. In this little world, 7 yr. […]

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  • 06.11.2009 Jasper Rose
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    A vintage copper necklace made with red jasper for the birthday girl who loves roses.

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  • 01.29.2009 Shells and Pearls
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    My dearest friend from my very first year of college celebrated her 33rd birthday this past week. She lives a few states away, and with seven children between us, we’ve not seen one another in two years. I enjoyed sewing aprons for her and her three girls last year for her birthday. This year, I turned to beading, knowing that if I had three daughters, I would find it sweet to have matching necklaces. A combination of shells and freshwater pearls were the beads of choice for my beach-loving friend.

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  • 12.06.2008 Sweet Home
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    I love miniature houses.  I don’t have room for a Christmas village.  That’s why I love to make gingerbread houses.  Do you remember these from last year?  It would have turned into the street I live on had it not been for my waning energy and patience. This year, with even less energy and time, I purchased a kit.  The kids enjoyed themselves immensely, and Mama got to remind herself that it doesn’t have to look perfect.  Drips are charming.  Mistakes are memorable.  Ginger-people don’t care about color balance.  Candy is a treat.  They can brush their teeth.

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  • 08.27.2008 5 Tidbits
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    I have been so behind in sharing the tidbits…let’s catch up: Tidbit #1: Our friends delivered a precious baby boy 10 days ago. His name is Ashon Isaac. Isn’t he adorable…I’ll share pics of his new diaper bag (made by Auntie Ruth) in the near future. Tidbit #2: We found our turtle taking a walk on the sidewalk in the backyard after fearing that he was lost once more–and have not seen him again since! Tidbit #3: Nesting is full-swing again. Here’s an in-process photo of our bedroom, getting a makeover from greens and reds to grey/black/white/and a pop of yellow…the big reveal will come later. Tidbit #4: I’ve finally put up a vinyl decal I’ve had for six months, of Matthew 6:21, in our front dining room. They are not as “easy and simple to apply” as they claim. Nevertheless, I’m enjoying that this truth is the first thing […]

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  • 02.06.2008 Not For Joni To Read
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    One of my best friends from college is having a baby boy next month. It will be her first. She is a musician, a writer, a comfort-food cook, encourager in Christ, and a loyal girlfriend. Naturally, I’m subjecting her to one of my homemade maternity gifts. The homemade part was mandatory, though she had a choice between a breastfeeding cover-up or a diaper bag. She chose the latter. As you know, a woman’s purse or handbag is not just an accessory; it heralds one’s interpretation of utility and visuality…it is a significant piece. You can imagine, therefore, what lengths I went to to secure the perfect fabrics for this special occasion. Yet, my choices may have proven to be more hassle than fashionable. I used a chocolate decorator fabric with pale blue flocked flowers. Flocking is messy. For the lining I found a silvery-blue ribbed chenille-like fabric. Translation: stretchy, slippery, […]

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  • 12.26.2007 Revealed
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    Christmas always turns out to be a bigger blessing than expected. Our family was showered with needs and wants and much love. Among our favorite gifts this year were: a new vacuum cleaner, espresso machine, wooden pretend kitchen for number two, LEGOS, and this DVD set. It’s unbelieveable how blessed we were by each of our loved ones! This year, many of my family received handmade gifts, most of which were purses, aprons, or tea cozies. The kids received blankets and some colored-pencil rolls . I think (and hope!) they were well received and loved. Much love was stitched into each piece. In fact, on my last project I managed to run the needle through my index finger for the first time. Blood, sweat, and a few tears. Note to self: Next time, don’t yank your finger out when you’ve run it into the sewing machine. Ouch. For my sister-in-law, […]

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  • 12.21.2007 Sewing and Thinking.
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    I’ve been sewing….a lot. Sewing, ripping seams out, fixing broken needles, ripping more seams out, messing with the tension…and, ripping more seams out. For the amateur, self-taught seamstress, this often-times tedious pastime is a labor of love and not necessarily that of leisure (especially if there is no such thing as “free time” in one’s career as mom and wife.) Nonetheless, this year’s Christmas handiwork of choice is sewing. Lofty goals for gifts on a very basic, very dated sewing machine. Despite my efforts to adjust the machine properly, I found myself fighting continuously with inconsisitency and erratic stitching. Homemade should not be junky, but it should look homemade right? Well it’s gonna have to be this year as my propensity towards perfectionism is being buffered by an uncooperative mechanical elf. I rest on the hope that each of my loved ones knows my love for him or her apart […]

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  • 12.08.2007 Curious George
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    It was an eventful day today. Most of the day was spent building a Curious George birthday cake for our friends’ little boy, who turned three yesterday. His mommy and daddy were planning a Curious George birthday party but were devastated last week with the loss of their little girl at 30 weeks in the womb. Our friends from church hosted the party today for them instead. It is a blessing to share in the lives of friends–in both easy times and the difficult. George is made of rice krispy treats, and the big yellow hat is a lemon cake filled with lemon curd and whipped cream. Despite many reconstructive surgeries, George still ended up looking like a hunchback… I stitched a colored pencil “roll” with a little blank journal for the birthday boy. It folds up neatly with velcro, and is the perfect size for a little boy on […]

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  • 12.01.2007 Gingerbread Lane
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    To get our minds off the sadness of the events of the week, the kids and I took pleasure in our yearly Christmas tradition of building gingerbread houses. The process of erecting an architectural structure out of icing and gingerbread graham crackers is a bit much for little fingers, so Mama usually ends up completing the project. This year’s gingerbread neighborhood ended up looking much like the street we live on. The flat-roof adobe in the middle is my favorite, inspired by local architecture in these parts. Wish there was a clever way to make luminarias…

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