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

Grace at Home No. 431

Hello, friends! I am glad to see you here after some time away. If you follow me on Instagram (and I would love to connect with you there!), you may already know last week I hosted a reunion of two of my favorite college friends. What fun!

It had been 36 years since we'd all been together. . . so you can imagine how much talking and how little sleeping we did!

Meanwhile, many of you have been busy! I'm so glad to host 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 our last party.

Want to spruce up your screened porch to make the most of these summertime days? Libbie at A Life Unfolding shows you how.

Got an old footstool that could use some love? Megan at Makeable Crafts shows you how to reupholster one.

Does your carpet need some midsummer freshening? Crystal from Crystal and Co. shares a homemade freshener that also kills fleas. 

I love eating salads in the summertime, so I was glad to get this Cobb salad recipe from Carol at Comfort Spring. Doesn't it look delicious?

Need a story of inspiration? Check out "A Broken but Beautiful Smile" from A Day of Small Things. 

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 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