Category: Faith

Creating A Vision Board for 2019

On By Styld by GraceIn Design, DIY, Faith, Home Decor1 Comment

Today is National Vision Board Day! Who knew this was a thing, right?

Well, I’m glad it is because that means we can get our creative juices flowing. And we get to imagine and envision our goals and dreams becoming a reality.

There is so much power in painting a picture and creating a world that isn’t here yet. Imagination and dream casting reignites our passion for life. It helps up create our future.

You know, sometimes our routines and responsibilities make us forget to dream, to have fun, to get creative, and to build our future. Being present is necessary. Being responsible is necessary.

But once in a while, it’s good to become a kid again. Break out the glue, scissors, and glitter! Let’s imagine and pray over the goals and dreams God has placed in our hearts.

For some reason, when we start seeing it and creating it and putting it on paper (or board in this case), these things start to seem possible. What we’re basically doing with this creative exercise is fanning into flame the gift of God, which He has given to each and every one of us (2 Timothy 1:6-7).

So, what do you need to create a Vision Board for 2019? Very simple:

  1. A cork board or large piece of construction paper
  2. Your word(s) for 2019
  3. Markers and pens
  4. Scissors
  5. Inspiration from magazines and/or Pinterest
  6. Download Styld by Grace hand-lettered words
  7. Download Styld by Grace illustrations
  8. Ribbon, glitter, fabric, anything you can find at home that inspires you
  9. Arrange all the inspiration, printouts, verses, etc. on your board
  10. Place it in a space where you can see it every day.

Bonus: brew a cup of coffee, pick your favorite mug, sip on it while creating. This is just to set the mood 😉 Some music may help too.

this is my old vision board… will be updated after the FB event I’m hosting 😉

The most important thing is to be honest with yourself. Ask yourself what you want 2019 to look like. Maybe that means fitting into an old pair of jeans. Maybe it means finally having the courage to get that haircut. Maybe it means starting a business (what does that look like?). Maybe it means starting a family. Or maybe it’s refurnishing and designing a room in your home.

Whatever you see, whatever you’ve written down as goals, translate them into pictures and visuals, and put them on your board.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with! I’ll be sharing more tips, pictures, and sharing videos of my process on a Facebook event today from 11am-2pm. Hop on between that time to join and share your board!

Choosing A 2019 Word Of The Year

On By Styld by GraceIn Culture, Faith, Relationships, Updates11 Comments

This may seem kind of redundant year after year. But it’s an activity I really enjoy and sets the tone for my year.

If you’re choosing a word for 2019 as I am, I want to encourage you to let go of all the pressure to perform, be perfect, and meet every single goal.

It’s my mission through Styld by Grace to inspire you (and myself) to choose grace over perfection. We work our butts off to do our very best AND we let go of all guilt and shame when we fall short. Because guess what, we are human, we are are not perfect little robots. Remember that in our weakness, God shows off His power (2 Corinthians 12:9-11).

As I started to brainstorm how’d I pick my word of the year, my first step was to ask God to give me clarity and perspective for the coming year. At first, I thought of the word ‘Adventure’ but that just didn’t feel right.

So I decided to do two activities in my journal. The first was sort of like a retrospective of 2018 and a forecast for 2019. The second activity was a list of all the ways I will implement my word of the year.

I started thinking of the thoughts and behaviors that overwhelmed me in 2018. So many times I shied away from things, I became discouraged to pray big prayers, I fell into the mentality that what I’m doing is insignificant.

After thinking and doing these activities, I chose the word ‘BOLD’ as my 2019 word of the year. In 2019 I want to learn to live with boldness and conviction. Bold steps of faith, bold action plans, bold prayers.

Below I have listed tools you can use for these activities yourself. As well as the questions and prompts for both activities.

Tools:
1. A journal
2. Pen, pencils, markers
3. Washi Tape

Activity #1
One Word Questionnaire:
1. What worked for me in 2018?
2. What didn’t work for me in 2018?
3. What would success look like in 2019?
4. Word dump (write down any and all keywords that stand out)
5. One word (choose one word as your word of the year for 2019).

Activity #2
How can I ______ in 2019?:
(Example using my word ‘bold’: “How can I be bold in 2019”?)
1. Definition of the word chosen
2. Categories:
• Relationships
• Finances
• Faith
• Career / Business
• Dreams / Aspirations
• Health & Fitness
• Education
• Fun
Add or remove as many as you’d like.

Simple, right? I’d love to know your word for 2019. Let me know in the comments below and if these activities helped.

Favorite Advent Calendar for 2018

On By Styld by GraceIn Design, Faith2 Comments

This year I really wanted to be more intentional about focusing on God during the Christmas season. 

So I went on a search for advents online and was only finding advents for kids or advents that have little gifts each day. And most of the advents that were devotionals as well, were not tangible products. 

FINALLY, I found an advent from one of my favorite brands, All Good Things Collective. This advent comes in two options. One for families with kiddos and one for women in general. I LOVE THAT! Options are good. 

What I really love about this advent is that it has prompts each day, starting December 1st until the 25th, with Bible verses, activities, questions, etc.

Taped some string on the back of the frame so I could clip the Advent Calendar on the strings
At first I used washi tape but it didn’t stay so I had to use strong tape for the strings to stay put

You can use it every year if you want, switch up the cards in any order, or if you like a new each year, you can repurpose it by using the cards as gift tags the following year. You know I’m all about repurposing and making the most out of stuff. 

But what I love MOST about these cards are the designs. I bet you’re not surprised 😉 They were designed by one of my favorite artist, Morgan Harper Nichols. Having her beautiful words and artwork in my home makes me sooo happy. 

I also purchased the scripture guide to go with the advent calendar. Which is great because I love diving in a bit deeper with the Bible. I’m a nerd like that. 

The minute I purchased these, my wheels started turning on how and where I’d display them in my home. I remembered I had a couple of gold frames I could use. I didn’t really like the actual paintings in them but loved the frames. And I thought it’d be cool to display all the cards within the gold frame. Modern meets traditional! 

Don’t they look great?! I love shopping around my home. Looking for treasures I’ve put away to repurpose and use for another time. This frame was waiting for this particular project.

You don’t have to spend a ton of money to make your home look nice. It just takes some creativity, patience, and looking for hidden treasures. 

Retro – 15 Things You Should Know By 30

On By Styld by GraceIn Culture, Faith, Relationships1 Comment

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I’M 30, GUYS! “I MADE, IT! I MADE IT, MOMMA!”

Yeah, not really. At least that’s what I thought I’d say by the time I hit 30. But I do feel like I learned A LOT in the last decade (geez, that makes me sound old)!

The other day I was talking to someone who said: “yeah, I wouldn’t talk to like, a 30-YEAR-OLD, about that kinda stuff”. OUCH!

Actually, it’s probably a good idea to talk to someone who’s “been there, done that”, because there’s some pretty good insight and wisdom that can be shared.

So here are my 15 Things You Should Know By 30:
(and if you’re 30+, let me know if you can relate and say “Amen” to any of these)

O N E : If he’s not that into you, doesn’t give you the time of day, if he blows you off, cheats, lies, or in your gut, you have an icky feeling about him, DUMP HIM ASAP. Be a little savage about this. Know you’re worth. God has so much better for you.

T W O : Don’t allow pettiness to create a wedge between you and your friends. Get over the offense. Forgive. Ask for forgiveness. Move forward.

T H R E E : If you’re engaged and planning a wedding, remember that it’s just ONE DAY. Yes, a very important day. But the real stuff starts right after. Prepare your heart, spirit, and mind for marriage, not a wedding. It’s all going to turn out amazing anyway.

F O U R : Open a savings account. Have automatic withdrawals go into it and don’t touch it! I wish I would’ve started saving money the minute I started working. Instead, I spent so much money on shoes. Shoes that don’t fit me anymore. My student loans, though? Those are still around.

Just take the first step. DO IT!

F I V E : Education is so important! I am a first generation college graduate and I’m so dang proud of that. Both of my parents are immigrants and only wanted the best for me. Going to college was not optional for me. Even if you don’t know what degree or with what money you’ll start, just take the first step. DO IT!

S I X : Yes, education is amazing. Having a degree is a great asset. But don’t feel boxed in or forced to use that degree FOREVER. You may want to do something else down the road. THAT’S OKAY. A degree, going to school, is a must. It teaches you so much. But it’s not meant to box you in. It’s meant to open your mind to new and wonderful opportunities. Even if that means not doing the same thing forever.

S E V E N : Comparison will kill you. Stop trying to keep up with others. Just run your dang race. It’s not always greener on the other side. Your life is enough. YOU are enough.

E I G H T : Go to church. I spent the beginning of my 20s trying to get back to church after a few years of completely removing that from my life. I was hurt, disappointed, and felt no desire to go to a place “full of hypocrites”. Guess what, we can all be hypocrites sometimes. I’ve met my best friends and husband at church. Just give it a try.

N I N E : Romantic relationships are hard. Even when you find the best person. So make sure they love and serve Jesus.

T E N : Make sure you love and serve Jesus. Yes, there are so many responsibilities and distractions. But nothing matters more than your relationship with God.

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E L E V E N : Sex. It’s the most amazing thing. It’s a gift from God. But it’s meant for the safe and sacred boundaries that marriage provides. Yes, many will say this is an outdated way of thinking. But I’m alright with that. I believe and take to heart God’s word. AND I know what it feels like to experience heartache and baggage after compromising my beliefs. Take it from me, NOT WORTH IT.

T W E L V E : Don’t chase marriage. Be content and make the most of your single years. GO TRAVEL! When the time is right, if it’s God’s will for you to be wed, it’ll all happen so fast and you’ll realize the striving was so futile.

T H I R T E E N : Again, make the space in your life to travel. Whether that’s overseas, or a town nearby, or on a missions trip. There’s nothing like seeing life through someone else’s perspective.

F O U R T E E N : It’s ok to fail. It’s ok to be disappointed. It’s ok to not have it all together. Allow yourself to grieve your losses in life. Life is hard and contrary to years of misinterpreting God’s word, God never promised us perfect lives. Actually, He never promised to give us every single thing we want. He gave a MUCH better promise. That he would be our reward. That he would NEVER leave us or forsake us. Take heart! He is more than enough.

F I F T E E N : LOVE YOUR BODY. I’m still working on this one. There are so many days that I hate what I see in the mirror. But I’m getting sick of feeling this way. In the past year, I’ve really started to appreciate and love myself right where I’m at. Even if I’m not at the weight I ideally want to be at, I’m thankful that I’m healthy. I’m not going to conform to the standards this world puts on me. Healthy is better than skinny.

B O N U S : Make sure to go to the doctor when something feels off. Trust your gut. And if you have insurance and you’re not sure if a medical procedure is covered, JUST CALL THEM. You never know if you’ve overlooked a benefit.

Not Today, Offense!

On By Styld by GraceIn Culture, Dating, Faith, Friendship, Marriage, RelationshipsLeave a comment

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Picking up the phone, sending that text, inviting someone over, letting someone stay the night, listening, being honest, forgiving. Those are things that build relationships.

But offense… Offense is the one things that can destroy and unravel relationships. Offense is no respecter of relationship. Offense can affect our friendships, marriage, workplace, extended family, and even church.

It creates separation and causes us to think the worse of people. It leads us to notice the bad instead of the good. When offense starts to creep in, our thoughts get clouded and soon we feel lonely, isolated, left out, and at it’s worse, entitled.

How about we flip the switch on offense? Let’s stop to think of the last time we took the first step. Or expressed how we truly felt. Or the last time we showed up for others in ways we long for others to show up for us.

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You know, the cure to mend a broken relationship is to say no to offense. To do the opposite of what it’s whispering in our ear. To do the thing that feels least natural to our flesh and most freeing to our soul.

When I’m in the thick of it and my mind is out of control, God’s Spirit intervenes and reminds me to be the peacemaker, the hospitable friend, the listener, the gatherer, the one that’s quick to forgive.

Is there someone that comes to mind while reading this? Do you need to let them off the hook? Do you need to start noticing the good versus the bad? Do you need to let your pride down and make the call? Do you need to show up for them today?

Today I’m saying, “Not today, offense”. I’m saying, “Not today, devil”. Clear mind, open heart, willing spirit. God’s way, not mine.

Download the artwork below, Not Today, and feel free to share on your social media accounts. There are two sizes to choose from, square and vertical. Tag me if you use them, I’d love to see them on your feeds 🙂

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