By Design Podcast

In this episode we chat with Joanna Ivey about her awe-inspiring story of adoption. And yes, it’s awe-inspiring dear friends! Joanna shares her family’s over two year journey thru domestic adoption to bring home their sweet son Sutton Justus. {and isn’t that just the best name ever?!!!}

We talk with Joanna about the long road they walked waiting, the “plans” they had for their adoption and ultimately what they learned about surrendering the comfortable places and laying down control. She also shares the most beautiful story about her son’s birth, his birth mother, and how they had to have faith bigger than their fears… some of which you’ll hear in the next episode (part 2 of Joanna’s story).

Joanna is also the Creative Director at Project Free 2 Fly, a non profit organization committed to helping women in their Tennessee community who are unemployed but desire to rise above their current circumstance. It’s really an amazing organization, and we’ll be sharing more about this in our next episode as well. So stay tuned!

As always, make sure to follow us on insta @lynfelsman @dannettegora @bydesignpodcast. And if you’re enjoying our podcasts, we’d love for you to hear from you! You can email us at [email protected] or go all out and leave us a review on iTunes. 🙂

xo,

Lyn & Dannette

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

LINKS & THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT

Follow us on Pinterest for easy links to everything we share each episode…

{by design} pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/bydesignpodcast/

Connect with Joanna: Facebook || Instagram || Twitter || Project Free 2 Fly

Joanna’s adoption agency: Bethany Christian Services

In this episode we chat with Joanna Ivey about her awe-inspiring story of adoption. And yes, it's awe-inspiring dear friends! Joanna shares her family's over two year journey thru domestic adoption to bring home their sweet son Sutton Justus. {and isn't that just the best name ever?!!!}

We talk with Joanna about the long road they walked waiting, the "plans" they had for their adoption and ultimately what they learned about surrendering the comfortable places and laying down control. She also shares the most beautiful story about her son's birth mother, some of which you'll hear in the next episode (part 2 of Joanna's story).

Joanna is also the Creative Director at Project Free 2 Fly, a non profit organization committed to helping women in their Tennessee community who are unemployed but desire to rise above their current circumstance. It's really an amazing organization, and we'll be sharing more about this in our next episode as well. So stay tuned!

This week Lyndsye shares what she’s been learning about being seated with Christ. We talk about what that looks like for us as brothers and sisters in Christ, and the freedom that comes from realizing there’s a seat at the table for each of us, that we’re worthy of it, and we don’t have to strive to attain it.

We also chat about our Giving Keys and share a little of the stories behind how Spirit moved in us to pass them on.

And the design chat portion is all about Dannette’s farmhouse kitchen facelift. She shares before and after photos and some creative ways to beautify your space on the cheap.

As always, make sure to follow us on insta @lynfelsman @dannettegora @bydesignpodcast. And if you’re enjoying our podcasts, we’d love for you to hear from you! You can email us at [email protected] or go all out and leave us a review on iTunes. 🙂

xo,

Lyn & Dannette

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

LINKS & THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT

Follow us on Pinterest for easy links to everything we share each episode…

{by design} pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/bydesignpodcast/

The Giving Keys

Seated with Christ – by Heather Holleman

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” Ephesians 2:6

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30

“But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God…” Hebrews 10:13

Design details:

* cabinet paint color: Sherwin Williams – Window Pane SW6210

* wall paint color: Sherwin Williams – Agreeable Gray 7029

* trim and wainscot paint color: Sherwin Williams – Incredible White SW7028

* entry door color: Sherwin Williams – Naval SW6244

* light fixture – metal bulb guards from Menards

* rug – Threshold Multi-colored Runner

* magnetic knife rail from Walmart

DESIGN CHAT: Dannette’s Farmhouse Kitchen Face Lift

A few years ago we bought our own little fixer upper farmhouse. And I had big dreams for a BIG kitchen. But life happened, and my hubby got very ill, very fast,

On today’s episode we talk with Shannan Martin, author of the new release, Falling Free: Rescued From the Life I Always Wanted. Shannan is a blogger, speaker, and writer who found her voice in the country and her story in the city. She and her jail-chaplain husband have four funny children who came to them across oceans and rivers. Having sold their dream farmhouse, they now enjoy neighborhood life in Goshen, Indiana. She blogs at www.ShannanMartinWrites.com

Shannan shares some of the back story behind her new book Falling Free and her still-unfolding story of surrender.  We chat about what success looks like thru the eyes of faith and how God’s more oftentimes looks like less. She truly has a beautiful-weird and upside down perspective on what living out the gospel looks like in the every day, and that just might be what we love most about her !!!

We also talk design with Shannan and cover everything from her cool, quirky aesthetic, to her new ingenious shower curtain … and she even shares a few of her design obsessions! Seriously, she’s a lot of fun and is just plain old inspiring in all the best ways. You definitely don’t want to miss this one!

As always, make sure to follow us on insta @lynfelsman @dannettegora @bydesignpodcast. And if you’re enjoying our podcasts, we’d love for you to hear from you! You can email us at [email protected] or go all out and leave us a review on iTunes. 🙂

xo,

Lyn & Dannette

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

LINKS & THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT

Follow us on Pinterest for easy links to everything we share each episode…

{by design} pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/bydesignpodcast/

Connect with Shannan: Blog || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram 

Her new book: Falling Free: Rescued From the Life I Always Wanted

DESIGN THINGS

Whatever with Meg Duerkson – one of Shannan’s inspirations for color & home decor

Dreamy Whites – French Farmhouse Inspired Living

The Nester – And we all love the Nester! She’s also such great inspiration for all things home decor

Shannan’s delightful mug rack

Shannan’s design obsession with plates

Shannan is also the shelfie queen, if you didn’t know…

On today’s episode we share an encouraging word for mommas of little ones. We chat about what we wish we knew and share some funny stories about potty training, family pictures, and feeding our kids cheese and crackers for dinner {because that totally counts we’re told}! We do dig a little deeper though and try to get to the heart behind why we wear ourselves out as moms and share ways to rise above.

And the design chat portion is all about help for ceiling fans…because let’s be honest, they need help! We share our favorite diy’s to pretty up the ones you have and resources for some beautiful new ones if you’re looking to purchase.

As always, make sure to follow us on insta @lynfelsman @dannettegora @bydesignpodcast. And if you’re enjoying our podcasts, we’d love for you to leave us a review on iTunes! It will totally be an encouragement to us, and it will make it easier for other people searching for new podcasts to find our show. A win-win in our book. Here’s the link if you’re up for it 😉 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/by-design/id1123366674?mt=2

xo,

Lyn & Dannette

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

LINKS & THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT

Follow us on Pinterest for easy links to everything we share each episode…

{by design} pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/bydesignpodcast/

Potty training – the undies 🙂

Dannette’s family picture from a few years back where her kids were smiling thru the tears …

DEAR MOM OF LITTLES: WHAT WE WISH WE KNEW

#1 Surround yourself with people who can speak into your life. And be teachable.

If you’re the one who always has the answers, then you {probably more than anyone} need to find someone else who does. Because truly, we all need people speaking into our lives. And if you’re not being led and encouraged by others, that’s a place where pride can grow. Maybe ask for advice from women and mommas who have went before you and that you respect. And we don’t mean the people we read about or follow online… let’s learn from real life people. The ones who can look into our eyeballs and check our hearts. We all need that. It might seem scary, but it’s so worth it.

Consider mentoring. If your kids are grown or nearly grown, try to find a younger mom you can encourage. Your words of wisdom could be balm to the soul of a young struggling momma.

Or if you’re a younger girl, maybe unmarried or without kids, consider offering to help a mom in your circles. And do it for free?! Yep. Let’s love and serve because we’re called to, not to earn a buck.

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children… Titus 2:3-4

#2 You are ENOUGH.

On today's episode we share an encouraging word for mommas of little ones. We chat about what we wish we knew and share some funny stories about potty training, family pictures, and feeding our kids cheese and crackers for dinner {because that totally counts we're told}! We do dig a little deeper though and try to get to the heart behind why we wear ourselves out as moms and share ways to rise above.

And the design chat portion is all about help for ceiling fans...because let's be honest, they need help! We share our favorite diy's to pretty up the ones you have and resources for some beautiful new ones if you're looking to purchase.

Today we chat with Pastor Lionel Young about God’s design for design… and how it’s grounded in beauty, just like God himself. Pastor Lionel unpacks the significance of that and what it means for us as image bearers, and in essence gives us permission to enjoy beauty as God intended. (Which I think some of us need to be encouraged in, don’t we?!) We talk beauty in creation, in our homes, in our work and even it’s purpose in the church. Pastor Lionel has such an inspiring perspective, and is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. We know you’ll be blessed by this one!

And our design chat is all about Pastor Lionel’s home office remodel which we designed for him last year. He has a love for books and history and old world things. So we came up with a plan to transform his ordinary office into the coziest little English feeling library/den imaginable.

Pastor Lionel oversees preaching and vision for the Calvary Church in Valparaiso, IN. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies (Grace College), a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Theology (Grace Theological Seminary) and a Master of Theology in the History of Christian Thought (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School).  He is currently completing his PhD studies in Global Christianity at the University of Stirling (Scotland).

GIVEAWAY!!!

This week if you head over to iTunes and leave us a review, you’ll be entered to win a free book! Woot!

Two lucky reviewers will win either a SIGNED copy of Bianca Olthoff’s new book “Play With Fire” or  a copy of Lionel Young’s book “A New Type of Missionary” !

Here’s the link to leave the review https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/by-design/id1123366674?mt=2

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 ↓↓↓ }

* * *   

LINKS & THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT

Follow us on Pinterest for easy links to everything we share each episode…

{by design} pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/bydesignpodcast/

A New Kind of Missionary, a popular introduction to global Christianity by Pastor Lionel Young

Calvary Church in Valparaiso, IN

Every experience of beauty points to [eternity]. – Hans Urs Von Balthasar

DESIGN CHAT: the coziest little English feeling library/den imaginable

http://dannettegora.com/2015/08/26/project-the-coziest-little-english-feeling-libraryden-imaginable/

The scope of the project was basically to take our Pastor’s ordinary home office and make it a cozy and functional place for him to work. We also had the help of an amazing craftsman from our church…Jonny Roetker. Check him out on Instagram !!! He’s truly gifted in woodworking, as you’ll see in the “after” photos of this post.

Here are a few before photos:

Today we chat with Pastor Lionel Young about God’s design for design... and how it’s grounded in beauty, just like God himself. Pastor Lionel unpacks the significance of that and what it means for us as image bearers, and in essence gives us permission to enjoy beauty as God intended. (Which I think some of us need to be encouraged in, don’t we?!) We talk beauty in creation, in our homes, in our work and even it’s purpose in the church. Pastor Lionel has such an inspiring perspective, and is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. We know you’ll be blessed by this one!

And our design chat is all about Pastor Lionel’s home office remodel which we designed for him last year. He has a love for books and history and old world things. So we came up with a plan to transform his ordinary office into the coziest little English feeling library/den imaginable.

***

Pastor Lionel oversees preaching and vision for the Calvary Church in Valparaiso, IN. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies (Grace College), a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Theology (Grace Theological Seminary) and a Master of Theology in the History of Christian Thought (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School). He is currently completing his PhD studies in Global Christianity at the University of Stirling (Scotland).

***

In this episode we chat about all things Fall! We don’t know about you, but we’re ready for cooler evenings, sweaters, scarves, boots, and soup!!! We share how we decorate for Fall {including some great tips for designing on a budget}, chat about a few diy’s we love, and even squeeze in a quick moment with our friend Matt Siewert!

We also want to share our new {by design pinterest board} with you all! We share pins & links from every episode and lots of other goodies, so be sure to follow us there as well.

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 if you haven’t already!

Ok friends… Enjoy!

Lyn & Dannette

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

* * *   

LINKS & THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT

{by design} pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/bydesignpodcast/

BOOKS WE’RE READING:

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

The Lake House by Kate Morton

Play With Fire by Bianca Olthoff

Undaunted by Christine Caine

and we’re super excited about Shannan Martin’s new book that’s releasing Sept 20…Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted

EASY & FREE FALL DECOR

Go out to your yard and grab some sticks and weeds…

Grab a few mason jars and galvanized buckets, and voila… beautiful and free Fall decor!

Acorns! Buy them or search for them in your yard. But watch out for bugs!

And add some pumpkins to the mix. We love to spray paint them white and gold. Or even use them as a centerpiece.

 

A few wreaths diy’s:

Some other Fall favorites…

 

In this week’s episode we chat about anxiety. Who hasn’t at some point struggled with this, right? ! Us girls chat it up about times we’ve done battle with anxiousness and fear, and we share some of the things that have helped us along the way. We’re hoping it encourages you today!

We also talk area rugs! We discuss the impact they have on furniture, give some tips on proper rug sizing, and also share some of our favorite places to find deals.

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 ↓↓↓ }

* * *   

LINKS & THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT 

James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” {emphasis ours}

Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Matthew 6:25-35 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Freedom in Surrender – Lyndsye’s blog post about an anxious time in her life

John Piper’s sermon where he talks about God’s sovereignty in the story of Joseph

The story of Joseph and his brothers…