gracefully made designs

big day for a little blog

2013-08-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

today is a big day for this little blog of mine.

i'm excited to announce my very first website!

[mental snap shot for the baby book]

tadaaaaaa!!!

eeeeeeeeeeekkk!!

pinch me,,,,this can't be real!

please take a few minutes to check out the new www.gracefullymadedesigns.com and bookmark, star, or sticky my new blog address: www.gracefullymadedesigns.com/blog.

i'm so excited about this new adventure for Gracefully Made Designs,

and i can't wait for you to come along with me! :)

what i'm loving today

2013-08-27T22:28:00.000-05:00

today, i'm loving a beautiful shop called sea and asters.

i discovered this lovely shop through a treasury listing one day last week and immediately fell smitten.

i just think these teeny tiny plant pods are adorable.

sea and asters via etsy

and polka dots. duh.

sea and asters via etsy

and this lovely little terranium is my favorite.

pretty sure my little office needs this asap.

sea and asters via etsy

what are you loving today?

a makeover story: k batty design and stationery

2013-08-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

the last few weeks, i've been working with the talented ms. kerry batty on a little blog refresh!

kerry is a graphic designer up in new york, and has some of the cutest stuff up in here etsy shop!

i was so honored that she would reach out to me to help her with this project.

she has great taste and beautiful sense of style. working with her was a joy!

visit kerry's blog and etsy shop. i promise you won't regret it!

what i'm loving today

2013-08-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

my name is sarah grace, and i love etsy.
i love seeing the beautiful things that people create,
and i love adding them all to my wish list!

today, i'm loving these beautiful water color prints by caitlin mcclain, designer and owner of little low studios in austin texas.

i can't get enough of her "man's best friend" illustration print.

although personally, i think raider would be a perfect candidate for the letter "r"! :)

little low studios via etsy

if you're an etsy addict like me, you should probably sign up for this super fun swap over on my friend amy's blog! i can't wait to see who i'm paired with!

what are you loving today?

cheers to the birthday bub hub!

2013-08-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

dear bub hub,

you are my super hero, my adventure partner and my best friend.

you are a loyal friend, a great dad to raider and fantastic husband.

i'm so grateful for you and for the way you love and lead our family.

here's to one more year of adventure and laughter!

an itty bitty baby announcement

2013-08-13T07:30:00.000-05:00

warning:

cute baby alert

a few weeks again, my sweet friends mandy and travis welcomed their baby girl, amelia belle, into their family. when mandy first posted the newborn photos, i couldn't stop scrolling through them.

putting together this baby announcement for them was a breeze!

seriously though. could that baby girl be any cuter?

my iphone photos don't do her justice!

photos by more than an image photography.

this might just be my new favorite project.

#myversionofbabyfever

a houston family photo

2013-08-05T08:47:00.003-05:00

saturday night, we had one last get together before we started packing.

the last few years have brought us such sweet friends and fun memories,

and we wanted to have everyone over one last time.

of course we had to take a family photo.

#teammomforthewin

when i first came to houston, i remember wondering how i would ever have the type friendships i had in college. the Lord provided friends so much sweeter than i could have ever imagined.

i'm so blessed to call these people forever friends.

and i can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us in our new city.

see ya later houston!

2013-08-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

if you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you should know by now there is never a dull moment in the chastain household. bub-hub, raider and i are leaving the beautiful city of Houston and making our new home in Grapevine.

we are excited to be close to our family and sweet friends,

but we are sad to say "see ya later" to the fantastic life and memories we've made here.

here's to new adventures!

training update: weeks 5 and 6

2013-07-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

i finally feel like i'm reaching the point of "not dying" at the end of my runs. looking back, it's crazy to think that my regular daily runs are longer than my first week's long run! progress is definitely a fun achievement!

during one of my runs last week, i got caught in the middle of a mini-rainstorm.

at first, i felt a little bummed, and a lot stressed that my iphone was going to be ruined,

but then i realized that there was nothing i could do about it, except enjoy the refreshing surprise!

so i just kept running till reached my goal and made it home.
what a blessing from the Lord. it was just the cool down i needed.

slowly but surely we are getting there!

i'm a bit nervous about next week's 5 miler, but fingers crossed! :)

#justkeeprunning

a glamorous opportunity

2013-07-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

a few weeks ago, a sweet friend asked me to participate in a styled shoot.

remember sarah carpenter?

the lady behind our adorable one year anniversary photos?

she partnered up with emily at petals couture and put together the most glamorous layout.

i designed the invitation and the macaroon box tags,

and they coordinated the rest of the beautiful tablescape.

all photos were taken by sarah carpenter of sarah carpenter photography and design.

didn't they do a fantastic job?

i feel a little more fancy just looking at the photos!

i feel so blessed to be a part of such a fantastic project.

pretty in purple

2013-07-18T15:36:00.000-05:00

of all the projects i am blessed to be a part of, i think bachelorette parties are the most fun.

i love seeing how excited the bridemaids are to shower their sweet friend with love and attention.

this bride's favorite color was purple, so we updated the invite to match accordingly!

we also included a lingerie shower card and a weekend schedule.

the schedule piece is definitely my favorite part.

every girl loves to be prepared when they go off for a weekend with the girls, so we paired the set with a weekend schedule card! this piece is completely customizable, whether you're hanging by the pool, having a spa day, or taking on the town, the schedule pieces can be updated to match the occasion.

need a custom invitation?
check out my etsy shop!

puppy party in the pool

2013-07-16T14:38:00.002-05:00

ever since raider joined our family, i've wondered if he could swim.

i grew up with a yellow lab that loved the water more than land and couldn't walk past a puddle without jumping in it.

raider could not be more opposite.

last weekend when we were visiting our family back home,

we threw raider in the pool to see how he would react.

pretty sure we scarred him for life.

after a bit of doggy paddling, raider swam back to us on the side of the pool and bub-hub put him on the floatie for safety.
raider loves to soak in the sunshine!

lesson learned from our weekend of fun:

all puppies can swim,

but that doesn't mean they enjoy it.

training update: week 4

2013-07-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

one more week of training in the books!

even though the miles are not exactly a breeze, i can feel myself getting stronger.

here is what this week looked like:

the training schedule calls for strength training on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. since i'm not exactly good at self-motivation, i've loved attending classes, especially body pump.

body pump is a fantastic strength training class that is offered at my local YMCA. i really love this class because i'm able to get my strength training in without the boredom of circuit training on machines.

also, being surrounded by people who are working hard definitely serves as a great motivator. it's harder to work away when you have a room full of hardworking people holding you accountable.

i would definitely recommend checking out a body pump class.

how do you stay motivated during a work out?

are you a self-motivator or do you prefer group classes?

training update: week 3!

2013-07-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

this week, our training schedule was pretty similar to last week,

we just moved a few things around for the holiday.

the miles are getting easier!

i just can't wait for this heat and humidity to settle down so we can do more of our runs outside.

last weekend, bub-hub and i took a trip to luke's locker and invested in some new gear!

i ended up with a pair of ghosts by brooks.

so comfy.

i can definitely feel the difference already.

one week closer! but we still have a long way to go.

fruit pizza for the fourth of july!

2013-07-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

happy fourth of july everyone!

i hope you have plenty of sunshine and relaxation on your schedule!

recently, i've been loving fruit pizza!

just in case you're looking for a last minute sweet treat,

i highly recommend this yummy one!

deep dish fruit pizza

[adapted from the pioneer woman]

what you need:

one roll of pre-made sugar cookie dough

handfull of strawberries

handfull of blueberries

half a nectarine

8 oz of cream cheese

1 jar of marshmallow cream

what to do:

place the sugar cookie dough into the base of your pan. you can use a pie pan like i did,

or you can roll it out flat, or just make cookies like normal!

bake the dough according to the package directions, or, until it's golden brown.

set aside and let it cool down completely.

while the cookie is cooling, cut up your fruit!

in a mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese and marshmallow cream.

be careful not to overmix!

spread the cream cheese mixture over the cookie, and then top with the fruit!

see? easy!

what are you making this fourth of july?

gracefully made re-designed

2013-07-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

i'm so excited to to introduce my new logo and blog design!

i've been wanting to make a change for a while, but couldn't quite figure out what i wanted.

change is hard sometimes, but in the end, it feels so good!

i've also added a gracefully made designs facebook page!

i'd love it if you like me! :)

are you afraid of change?

what have you updated in your life recently?

beep beep!

2013-07-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

i am excited to introduce my new toy!

last weekend, bub-hub and i traded in my SUV for a fiat! :)

it's tiny and cute and it makes me feel like i'm racing around in mario kart.

i absolutely loved my suv, but this car was just too fun to pass up.

new cars are so fun. i am one lucky girl!

and in case anyone was worried, raider loves his new ride. :)

am i the only one who picks out cars based solely on their appearance?

training update: week 2

2013-06-30T20:45:00.001-05:00

we have officially survived our second week:instead of a plain jane long run on saturday,

we participated in the electric run!

guys, houston is hot.

it was 9 at night, completely dark and 107degrees.

i was sweating buckets.

#notevenabitcute

but it was so fun! and all the hot, sweaty running was worth it because at the end,

there fully air conditioned dance party!

how was your weekend?

any fun 5k races to recommend??

snack attack

2013-06-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

i have a confession:

i'm a serious snacker.

granted, my favorite snacks are relatively healthy:

greek yogurt and blueberries,

frozen yogurt,

grapes and bananas,

chocolate ricecakes,

frozen yogurt...

yummmmmm.

but still. i need to get myself under control.

i think the check out girl at menchie's knows my name.

does fro-yo anonymous meet in my neighborhood?

what i'm wishin' for

2013-06-26T15:10:00.002-05:00

[clockwise starting top left: 1, 2, 3, 4]

i'm trying really hard to distinguish between wants and needs.

for instance,

i really want all of these yummy things,

but do i really need a super adorable iphone case or fabulous necklace?

and do we really need to replace our current christmas-themed welcome mat
with this fantastic one that says "howdy"?
and does raider really need a new collar?

silly bub-hub's "let's save money"
brainwashing techniques must be working.

what's on your wish list?

i love snail mail: watercolor stationary

2013-06-25T09:30:00.001-05:00

everyday when i get home from work,

i take raider on his little walk,

go to the mail box,

and hope i have a surprise waiting for me!

usually it's just junk mail,

but every so often, a beautiful envelope will be there waiting for me.

i love snail mail!

i love having cute stationary to send notes to friends or include with gifts.

i know how much a little note can change my day,

and i love being able to share that feeling with others!

do you still write letters?

does snail mail brighten up your day?

visit my etsy shop here: gracefully made designs

wilderness weekend

2013-06-24T11:13:00.000-05:00

hello monday, here so soon??

this was such a great weekend.

so much fun, adventure, and relaxing.

and just like that, it's monday again.

friday afternoon, bub-hub and i played hooky and snuck away from responsibility to go see monsters u! we might have been the only ones in the theater over the age of 8 without kids. #noshame

too cute to handle.

saturday morning, we headed out to woodlands lake for some kayaking.

bub-hub and i are adventurous and we love sunshine! but we not outdoors-men by any means.

this little 1 1/2 hour trip down the waterway was the perfect amount of exploration for us.

about 15 minutes in i was already looking forward to lunch and a margarita.

#mexicanfoodmotivation

how was your weekend?

any fun adventures to share?

training update: week 1

2013-06-22T10:30:00.000-05:00

bub-hub and i have signed up to run first half marathon together.

#seemedlikeagoodideaatthetime

the race is in october, but considering neither of us are regular runners, we decided to start training now.

our first full week of training looked like this:

i'm not sure if we picked the best time of year to start this endeavor.

with temperatures climbing higher and higher every day,

and humidity averaging 60%,

we might die before we hit the end of week two.

#powerofpositivethinking

but we're pretty competitive people.

i definitely won't be the first one to quit.

let's celebrate with confetti!

2013-06-20T23:40:00.000-05:00

nothing says "we love fun" more than confetti!

this suite is a perfect fit for a couple looking to spend their wedding day with friends and family. weddings are a celebration after all!

there is also a coordinating save the date!

i am in love with this new design.

it's so versitile and would be adorable in so many different color combinations.

the little polka dots just make my heart so happy.

forever honeymooners

2013-06-20T09:46:00.001-05:00

bub-hub and i were fortunate enough to celebrate our anniversary in beautiful(ish) cancun!

i only say "ish" because our visit occured in the middle of tropical storm.
we didn't even bother to check the forecast before we left.

mexico always has perfect beach weather right??

so needless to say, we were surprised to be greeted with dark stormy rain clouds instead of clear blue skies.

despite the rain, we were so spoiled all week.

when we arrived at our room, we were welcomed with a fun anniversary banner on our door!

each evening, we came back from dinner to find our room was decorated with towel animals and rose petals and they even gave us a special "romantic" dinner. #awwwshucks

we spent our rainy days drinking lots of coca-cola light,

eating yummy yummy food,

playing mexican animal bingo,

trying new drinks at the martini bar,

getting fantastic massages,

and learning how to play chess.

#youknowyourejealous

our last full day in mexico, we were blessed with blue skies and sunshine.

more sunshine than our sunscreen could block,

but we soaked up every minute we could!

i can't wait to go back again.

i loved getting to spend the week being lazy with my bub-hub.