Giveaway: Tea Themed Note Paper

Forgive the dark photos...I am working on learning more about photography but I am determined to not be such a perfectionist that it stops me from sharing before I get it just right.

I'm giving away this charming set of teapot note paper. Tea and creativity just go together, don't you think?

Excuse me, creativi-tea.




To enter this sweet little giveaway, leave a comment. And if you mention it on your blog with a link back, I'll put your name in the hat 3 times. Just leave a note to let me know since I am too ignorant to figure out when someone has linked to me. I'll draw a name next Saturday! Check back!

Don't forget, the Carnival of Simple Craft is coming up Friday!!!

The Art of the Possible

From Jane Brocket's lovely book:

If you do feel encouraged to make or bake or grow something, the wonderful thing about the gentle arts is that they are totally manageable and achievable.

There is constant pressure today to have the perfect house/body/children/relationship, and we can only fail because the standards set in the media are so ridiculously unrealistic. But the joy of knitting or stitching or baking or homemaking lies in the fact that there are no rules, there are no levels of perfection that we need to attain. The whole point about the gentle arts is that they are noncompetitive, soothing, and utterly pleasurable. Anyone who tells you otherwise should be tied up with her acrylic yarn and deprived of her knitting needles for a very long time.

Giveaway: Vintage Children's Book

Welcome to the re-lauch of a new, improved Charity Grace!!! What better way to start re-launch week than with a giveaway?

One purpose in my simple giveaways this week is to prove (to myself and others) that giveaways do not have to be time-consuming, expensive, or big to be fun.

Now you need to know that I am very stingy with my vintage children's books. I don't usually give them away. However, somehow I ended up with two copies of this little treasure that tells about Stevie's day in Sunday School. You will love the charming illustrations and sweet text.

To enter for a chance to win Sunday with Stevie, leave me a comment. If you mention this giveaway on your blog, I will put your name in the hat 3 times! Just leave a comment to let me know since I am too ignorant to figure out trackbacks and all that jazz. I will draw the magic name on Friday.

Carnival of Simple Craft Coming Up!!!

A new, improved Charity Grace will re-launch on February 1! I will have simple mini giveaways almost every day that week, and the week will culminate in a carnival of simple craft on Friday, February 6! I’ll post a tutorial for one of my favorite inexpensive, simple crafts and in addition I want to hear about YOUR simple crafts!

You can post a tutorial, a story with a picture of a simple craft, or just a picture of something you’ve made. As long as the post revolves around the idea of simple craft, the guidelines are relaxed. You can even recycle an old post if you like. The only qualifications is that the item you post about needs to be a beginner-level craft—something simple and easy!

I’ll post a Mr. Linky so that you can link back to your post and we can all read about it. I am so excited! I know we will all get many wonderful ideas from you talented people!

Feel free to swipe the button and spread the word!

Excuse the Mess

Please excuse the mess as I remodel the blog. Charity Grace will relaunch on February 1!

A Techie Question Regarding Categories

I'd like to remove a few of the old categories. Not the posts themselves, just the category links in the sidebar. However, the only way to do that seems to be to individually recategorize each post (uh, not happening) or eliminate the entire category page and lose all my categories. Does anyone know how to remove, say, just one category without disturbing all of them?

Charity Grace Re-launch

Well, this poor little blog is dying on the vine lately due to my deplorably inconsistent posting.

Not that it was every really thriving anyway. The main reason I blog is for myself, but this little pink place has turned into a mishmash of whatever was on my mind, veering wildly between theology, art, and personal musings with no real center.

It's all important, but a successful blog needs a narrower focus.

In that spirit, I've decided to distill the purpose of Charity Grace. Its main reason for existence will be to serve as a place for my own creative discipline as I explore some of the beautiful things in my life--crafting, cooking, homemaking and so forth. I've learned so much just by blogging. It's the only thing I do purely for fun (with the exception of an occasional craft), yet it's benefited many areas of my life.

That said, I've been enormously encouraged and influenced by the beautiful blogs others write. I hope that in limiting the focus of my blog, I might be an encouragement to someone in simple creativity.

For the 3 of you who read regularly, here are some things you can look for during my re-launch, which will begin
February 1:

Greater focus. Charity Grace will revolve around homemaking and simple craft, which will encompas cooking, gardening, and decorating as well as uncomplicated creativity in home and art.

More consistent posting. I'm aiming for 3 times per week, even if it's just an inspiring photo or quote. However, my goal is for posts to be meaningful and fit the new creative focus of the blog.

A seriously pared-down sidebar. Even though I've tried to categorize, my blog roll is an alphabet soup of blogs I like to read, many of which have no unifying element. Don't worry, if I've linked to your blog I am subscribing to it via google reader. I love all the blogs I've linked to, and I want to keep up with each one! (This will also be a time-saver for me which will hopefully enable me to produce more quality work.)

Giveways and carnivals during re-launch week. My giveaways will be in the spirit of vintage inspiration and simple craft. I'm also planning a carnival of simple craft.

Do come check it out!