By Design Podcast

In this week’s episode we chat about waiting… and not just in line at the store… but in those seasons of our lives when all we can do is WAIT. Be it in a relationship, a job, or really any circumstance, how we react in those times says a lot about our view of God.

We also chat about using patterns and prints in your rooms, and we give you a few simple tips to help you mix it up! It’s another fun one!

As always, don’t forget to leave a review and subscribe on iTunes if you’re enjoying this! It helps others find the show easier and keeps it visible on the iTunes podcast page.

And make sure to follow us on insta @lynfelsman @dannettegora @bydesignpodcast

Ok friends! Enjoy!

Lyn & Dannette

{ you can listen here or thru the player below ↓↓↓ }

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LINKS & THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT 

Isa 40:31 “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Psalm 130:5-6 “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”

James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

“Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.” quote by Jonathon Edwards, 1722

Ann Voskamp … she wrote a gem of a book called One Thousand Gifts.

DESIGN CHAT: Mixing Patterns

A little recap for you all…

#1 – Number of pillows. There’s something magical about odd numbers in design. So consider using 3 or 5 pillows or even 7 (eeek!), depending on the size of furniture you’re accessorizing.

#2 – Start with the biggest and boldest pattern. This is the one you want to make the biggest statement in your room. And odds are, this should be your largest pillow. Bigger patterns need a little bit more size to be effective.

#3 – Next choose a pattern (most likely a different one altogether) that is about half the size of the “statement pattern” you started with.

#4 – For your third pillow, bring a texture to create a little visual weight and depth. Maybe it’s a chunky knit fabric, a sparkly sequin detailed pillow, or something fuzzy with faux fur.

#5 – One good piece of advice is to find a common thread between the pillows. Maybe it’s a pop of color that flows thru each one…this will help pull the look together and make them all feel like they belong together.

#6 – Contrast! Don’t forget about this lovely little detail (like we did in the podcast, ha!).

#7 – Remember design is all about layering, and the same goes for when you’re attempting to pull together pillows. Just remember to layer a good mix of size, color, and shape when picking your pillows.

#8 – Mix in some neutrals or solid pillows if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

#9 – Get rid of those pillows that came with your sofa and the ones that just don’t work! Our advice is to not use a pillow that isn’t right, just because you have it. Either send it off to goodwill or consider recovering it. Pottery Barn always has some great options if you want to purchase a new cover.

Or,

Hey friends…SO on today’s episode we laugh alot! Dannette shares a snake story, attempts a Chewy impression, and we discover that Lyn had a wrong and hilarious understanding of “stoning” in the bible…for what, 25 years??? a.k.a. “Hans Solo-ing”… {Seriously, we don’t make this stuff up!}

We do get serious and talk about a friend’s very real struggle with family and how she’s dealing with untrue things being said about her. Dannette also shares a bit about what she’s been learning in the book of Acts, and we chat about what it looks like to turn the other cheek in real love and leave a little room for God to fight for us and plead our case. He’s the one who really has the power to bring the truth to light and change the hearts of those who hurt us anyway, right?

We also share a little DIY on beaded chandeliers. Listen in and then check out our website for all the deets!

Don’t forget to leave a review and subscribe on iTunes if you’re enjoying this! It helps others find us easier, and keeps it visible in the search query! And of course, make sure to follow us on insta, our fave social media platform… @lynfelsman @dannettegora and @bydesignpodcast

Enjoy!

Lyn & Dannette xo

{ you can listen here or thru the player below ↓↓↓ }

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LINKS & THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT 

Pastor Josh Reasoner The Gospel: Changing Lives Forever

Psalm 37:6 “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

read all of Psalm 37 … such good stuff!

Lyn’s pretend bff… Jen Hatmaker

Pics as promised…the camping incident that involved a certain snake, a large tree, two toddlers, and a momma who was just NOT having it…

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DESIGN CHAT: Beaded Chandelier DIY

SHOPPING LIST

* Hanging garden wire basket from Home Depot … they’re only like $12 !

* Beaded necklaces…lots and lots of them

* We like to get ours at Party City because you can buy them in large quantities.

* Picking a light color is usually best because it’s easier to spray paint. We also prefer black, gold, white or silver beads.

* Or if you see a color of bead you like as is, no need to paint!

* Spray paint…whatever color you want your chandelier to be.

* Silver floral wire and/or hot glue. You can get it at Michaels, Joanns, Hobby Lobby…or really any craft store.

* Dannette prefers to hot glue the beads instead of tying floral wire, but do whatever is easiest for you.

Hi friends! Can you believe that we’re at Episode 10?!!! Seriously…we are having SO much fun!

Today’s episode is about resting our very busy minds and hands and truly learning how to be still. We talk about spending time with God in the quiet and how hard it is to really settle in to those moments, unplug, and embrace the silence…especially when the norm for so many of us has become the exact opposite.

We also catch up on life this summer, and how it’s important to let ourselves off the hook a bit as moms and let go of the guilt of not giving our kids the “perfect” summer. Lyn shares a bit about her summer travels to the UK and the lovely day she spent at Pemberley {for all you Pride & Prejudice lovers out there}.

And design wise we chat about texture and how it that can totally take a space over the top. We also share some practical ways you can add visual weight and texture to your home.

Just to keep you in the loop, we release a new episode every Tuesday… so look for something new from us each week on Itunes or subscribe below and you’ll get them automatically 🙂

And if there’s a decorating or a life question you’d like us to take, feel free to email us at [email protected] and we’ll try to discuss it on a future episode!

Mucho Love,

Lyn and Dannette

 

{ you can listen here or thru the player below ↓↓↓ }

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LINKS TO THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT 

Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton

Seated with Christ by Heather Holleman

for funsies… Jim Gaffigan on Camping

and for you Pemberley fans…it’s time to do a load of laundry and watch Pride and Prejudice (1995 Colin Firth version, of course!)

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Here’s some pics of Lyn’s travels to the UK, no Mr. Darcy, just Mr. Felsman for her 😉

Hey friends! This week is an easy one for us all… we keep things light and chat about color and how it can affect our moods. Although there’s deep science that proves much of this, we just graze the surface a bit, and Dannette shares some of her experiences using color in the design field.

Don’t forget to leave a review and subscribe on iTunes if you’re enjoying this! It helps others find us easier, and keeps it visible on the page.

Also check out our wildly talented friend at @ashes_ashes_design ! She creates the most darling clothes and accessories for your wee ones. You can find her and the sweetness she sews on Etsy at { ashes ashes design } .

Make sure to follow us on insta, @lynfelsman @dannettegora and @bydesignpodcast

Ok friends! Enjoy!

xo,

Lyn & Dannette

{ you can listen here or thru the player below ↓↓↓ }

In this week’s episode we talk to our dear friend Kelly Lackey about the design of our bodies and why we need to take care of them. She is a Revelation Wellness instructor and truly has a great balance of wellness in her home and her life. She shares a bit of her inspiring energy with us and gives some encouraging tips to keep you moving your body!

We’re friends who laugh {a lot!!!} together, encourage one another, and sometimes even cry big ol’ tears together. And honestly, it’s not always easy to let yourself be truly known by others, is it? But all three of us can attest to the blessings of hanging in there and doing the work in friendship and allowing others to speak into your life! Don’t miss out… tag a friend here to listen, and we’re praying you’re encouraged by it today!

And we’d love to connect with you on Instagram, it’s our fave social networking platform! @bydesignpodcast @lynfelsman @dannettegora

xo,

Lyn & Dannette

{ you can listen here or thru the player below ↓↓↓ }

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LINKS TO THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT 

Restless by Jennie Allen  – Lyn and Kelly read this book together and totally loved it

Revelation Wellness – find a class near you or subscribe to Revelation Wellness TV

Way Less to Feed More – one of the Revelation Wellness programs Kelly talked about

http://www.popsugar.com/fitness  – great online workouts and healthy resources

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Today we chat about surviving the summer with our kids home… {can I get an amen?!} and how much stock we put into our body image. Lyn discusses her struggles with overcoming anorexia, and we talk thru how our thoughts on our negative appearance can skew our view of God and who he has designed us to be. We also talk about not living a checklist faith, but living for the audience of One.

Hopefully this encourages you today to love yourself and the way God made you and those around you as well. We also talk gallery walls and share some thoughts on how to pull what you have together and get them up on the wall 🙂

Make sure to follow us on Instagram… It’s our favorite!

@lynfelsman @dannettegora and @bydesignpodcast

We’d love to connect with you there!

xo,

Lyn & Dannette

{ you can listen here or thru the player below ↓↓↓ }

 

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LINKS TO THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT 

Undaunted by Christine Caine

Simply Tuesday by Emily P. Freeman

Read the story of Esther here

The towelettes Lyn loves to wash her face with at night! { Burt’s Bees }

Our post about the Influence Conference with Jess Connolly

This book is a wealth of goodness & encouragement for your home: The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith { www.thenester.com }

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DESIGN CHAT: Gallery Walls & Collages

START BY PICKING THE WALL

* Try to choose a wall that will make a great focal point in your room.

* We also like to “ground” our gallery walls. Which means hanging them above a table or sofa or a piece of furniture. So if you find that something isn’t quite right about one of your gallery walls, try moving a piece of furniture under to see if that helps.

* You can also build  a gallery wall that goes all the way to floor, and in that case, you obviously wouldn’t need furniture under it!

LAYOUT YOUR COLLAGE OUT ON THE FLOOR FIRST

* Go grab all the items you plan to use in your collage.

* You may want it to be an eclectic mix of different frames & objects, or more streamlined using all the same size frames & matting.

* Clear a large space on the floor and start laying out all of your items in front of the wall you’ve chosen.

* This will help you determine the length and height in relation to what is below it or next to it where it will actually hang.

* Move things around until you feel like it’s balanced. Once you find a layout you like, TAKE A PICTURE!

* This will help you remember what was working. A lot of times you end up swapping something out or making slight modifications as you go and it’s hard to get back to the layout you started with and liked without this picture. Don’t skip this part! It’s so helpful.

* Create paper templates of your frames & items.

* Take newspaper, craft paper or old magazines and cut & tape them together if necessary,

In this episode we talk about parenting and Dannette shares her very real struggle as she parents a strong willed child. We talk about how it truly does take a village to parent well and share some resources to turn to for encouragement and direction.

We also chat about all the clutter and “stuff” that comes with having kids in your home {especially during the summer}, and we give some tips on how to manage and contain it all.

Make sure to subscribe and leave a review on iTunes! It helps others find us!

And check out our blog post as well…we share some photos and extra tips there.

Thanks so much friends! Enjoy!

xo,

Lyn & Dannette

{ you can listen here or thru the player below ↓↓↓ }

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LINKS TO THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT 

Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch

The Strong Willed Child  by James Dobson

Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson

Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp

Dannette shares a little bit about how baby Rage got his name… Another Wave in This Storm

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DESIGN CHAT: Decluttering Tips

Whatever is out in your home becomes your DECOR

Think about the things you have out on your counters, your floors and tucked into the corners of your home. Whatever those things are, you can be sure of this… they are either adding to or taking away from the look and style of your home. Our advice is to try to find ways to contain them {in a stylish way} until they get back to the shelf or closet they belong in. And it’s safe to say that a lot of the things that we have out, are things we use daily anyway, and they might not have a final spot to go to.

So what do we do with the stuff that is taking over our homes?

START BY PICKING ONE THING

* Start with one task. Pick one thing and get it done (like your kitchen countertops, your foyer, a random overstuffed corner, or even a simple ole’ drawer). The trick is to just get started. You’ll spend a half hour at the most and feel like you actually accomplished something!

* The key is to do one big thing a day, or every other day or once a week…whatever works for you. Make it part of your routine and before you know it, you’ll feel like you’re on top of it.

DON’T FORGET YOUR FOYER

* Try to make sure the entry point of your home is organized and tidy. Or maybe it’s your back hall or mud room. Either way, keeping these spaces in order sets the mood for when you and your family come home.

* Add some fresh flowers or the prettiest yard weeds you can find {like Dannette did ↓}…a pop of color and some bins to organize the necessities.

* And let’s be real, it won’t always look clean and well kept either! But if you have some nice looking containers to hold the mess, it’s an easy toss to get things put away and out of sight.

In this episode we talk about identity and what really defines who we are. Lyn also shares a little bit about a time in her life when she was broken and hurting and caught up in believing that she would never be more than her past. So many of us can relate to that, right??? We chat about some of the pitfalls of believing the lies and the power of believing the truth.

And our design chat is on how to make your house a home. Because we’ve all walked into those homes that are super cozy and comfy… and well, who doesn’t want that feel for their own?! We give some practical tips to help you cozy up your space.

{ you can listen here or thru the player below ↓↓↓ }

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LINKS TO THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT 

Good Good Father – by Chris Tomlin

Intro Episode #1 where we talk about “owning” how God made us

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IDENTITY… Have you ever given it any thought?

Like, who are you, really? Who am I? And how do we see ourselves?

Is it thru the lens of our accomplishments, our jobs, or the things that we think are good about us?

Is it thru the lens of our failures and our past hurts?

Or do we see ourselves thru the lens of the people around us? Who they think we are?

What we’ve come to realize is that when we look at ourselves thru anything other than the lens of our creator { the one who made us and loves us }… we get let down. People and circumstances are imperfect and inconsistent at best.

Instead, let’s go to the one who made us and fully knows us to find our fulfillment and identity. Who does HE say we are?

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1

“I have engraved you on the palms of my hand. You are mine.” Isaiah 49:16

When people call us by name, it means they know who we are, right? It’s the same with God. But when God calls our names, He knows us fully. All the ugly and messy parts and the parts we hide. He sees them and still… he calls us by our names and even goes so far as to write them in the palm of his hand. ? Wow.

God doesn’t address us and say ‘come, all you, whoever you are’. He calls us by name; it’s personal. And that’s kind of a big deal.

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.” Ephesians 1:4-8

We are adopted into his family and called by his name. HIS family name. We are seen and known and our identity is wrapped up in Him! 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Cor 5:17

Our old names, the ones we used to answer to…the ones we thought defined us…they’re gone. Wiped away. They no longer have power or claim over us. I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s freedom right there. In Christ we are made new and we are HIS. We bear his holy, perfect name.

THAT is who God says we are.

Chosen-Loved-Adopted-Set apart-Daughters of the Most High … !

It’s wedding season friends! And on today’s show we chat about some of the good and hard things involved in the planning process, wedding favors, some “musts” for the bride, and lastly, what’s really important for your big day!

Whether you’re a bride to be, hope to be one soon, or a mother of children you hope to marry off one day, you won’t want to miss this one! We even squeezed into our wedding dresses … because, you know … that’s normal right???

There are { of course } a million special details we could discuss regarding weddings. Like wedding decor! And at some point here soon, we’ll totally be going there. These were just a few of our thoughts and things we’re hearing and experiencing in our circles right now. We want to be real…and these are real things we’d say to you if you were sitting across the table from us having coffee… Hope you enjoy!

LINKS TO THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT:

{ and a few things we meant to talk about! }

CONSIDER SIMPLIFYING THINGS …

* BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES — Try keeping the cost under $100 for your attendants.

* Consider off the rack options … shop the sale racks! Just get all your bridesmaid’s dress sizes before you go. That’s how I bought mine…I bought 5 dresses off the rack, in all the right sizes and it worked great!

* Look into bridesmaid dress rental sites. It might sound crazy, but you can rent dresses at some sites starting at $50…and then no one has to pretend they’re going to wear them again {ha} !

* https://www.renttherunway.com/

* https://lendingluxury.com/

* http://www.vowtobechic.com/

* Go simple. Pick out bridesmaid dresses that aren’t over the top. You’ll shine like a star and they’ll be relieved. Believe me 🙂

* If you’re picking out their dresses…maybe let them pick out their shoes? One’s they WILL wear again. Just give them a color and style suggestion so they can see what you like and let them each pick out their own shoes. It’s worth it! No one will ever remember or really care about the bridesmaids shoes.

* WEDDING FAVORS …

* Save yourself some time and money, and consider just NOT doing them. Just have chocolates {or donuts!} on the reception tables. Win. Win.

* Or consider GIVING BACK by bestowing true favor on someone who really needs it. Leave place-cards or a note on the reception tables explaining how you’ve paid it forward.

* Kids Alive International: http://www.kidsalive.org/

* Buy a chicken or some goats or shoes or some mosquito nets for families that need them: Kids Alive Catalog

* Donate to your local food pantry. Buy some groceries and necessities and just drop them by. Take your bridesmaids along!

TAKE CARE OF YOU…

* Make sure your make-up and hair are done by a professional…or someone who will have the TIME that day to do it justice. You looking your best and feeling your best is worth the cost.

* Drink lots of water leading up to your big day. Lyn says so!

* Have a heart to heart with God, your future spouse, and someone who has your best interests at heart a few months before the big day. With all the time that’s spent designing the event, you shouldn’t be afraid to do the same for...

It's wedding season friends! And on today's show we chat about some of the good and hard things involved in the planning process, wedding favors, some musts for the bride, and what's really important for your big day! Whether you're a bride to be, hope to be one soon, or a mother of children you hope to marry off one day, you won't want to miss this one! We even squeezed into our wedding dresses ... because, you know ... that's normal right???