Hello, October!

You are the month of chilly but enjoyable weather, darkening skies, colorful lawns, and damp mornings. You are my last month of pregnancy, my last month of having only one child, my last month of 'normal' for awhile. You are the promise of celebration after celebration after celebration. The start and end of a season in itself.

xoxo,
Rachel

GIVEAWAY!!!

Dixie from DixieDIY makes candles with yummy scents in cool, colorful, vintage glass containers. Each candle is one of a kind and uses clean burning soy wax with a lead-free hemp wick. These candles will compliment your other vintage decor and make any room smell great!

All you have to do to win your choice of one of her fabulous handmade candles is leave a comment in this post about your favorite Fall tradition OR guilty pleasure treat. Unfortunately, she can only ship to the US and Canada. The candles don't do well on long trips overseas where heat and humidity can mess with the wax. The winner will be chosen on Friday and notified so be sure to leave your e-mail or link to your blog so we can get in touch.

My favorite Fall tradition is decorating the porch with pretty flowers, pumpkins, or an occasional hay bale. I also can't resist a handful of candy corn whenever it's available or a caramel apple as long as it's Granny Smith. I plan on both happening this month. Pumpkin Spice lattes are right up there with the candy corn. Oh, and something about Fall makes Carrot Cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting seem necessary. Can you tell I've got a sweet tooth?

What's yours?

xoxo,
Rachel

Fall RVA Update

A few of my favorite things from the recent RVA update:

Eco Owl Coin Purse by So She Sews

Woodgrain Tote

Camera Pals Print Set


And a few of my own handmade pretties:

Schoolgirl Wool Bow



Leather Arrow Bookmark




Woodland Leather Journalette

Check out the rest of the update at RedVelvetArt.com.

Giveaway post coming later today!

xoxo,
Rachel

Sweet Like Candy

Vespa Bloomers by Three Red Buttons


Faux Fur by Pilli Pilli Handmade


Pinwheel Pillows by This Is Love Forever


Yellow Jacket from Irene Adler


Granny Squares by Silje

Monday's CAN be enjoyable! What are you looking forward to this week?

xoxo,
Rachel

P.S. We're still accepting October Blog Sponsors until the 29th. Send Leigh-Ann an e-mail with your information @ FreckledNest@gmail.com and she'll hook you up with information on our new rates.

Etsy Love

Purchased on Etsy from FreyaArt. I love the sentiment and the illustration. One of my favorite new artists!

Working on getting both of my boys to the pumpkin patch before it closes. Have a lovely weekend!

xoxo,
Rachel

Getting Ready For Ruby

I've been working on Ruby's bedding this week even though she won't be sleeping in a crib for a few more months. It helps me to have it finished so I can visualize her space better in order to get most of it in place before she arrives. There are some beautiful crib sets out there but I couldn't get away from the idea of making my own crib sheets from vintage flat sheets. I'm sure it's been done before but its such an easy way to create a beautiful space that won't cost me much at all. I've finished two and have two more in the works and I'll add a few solid colors to keep the stash full. I'm still working on the bed skirt idea but it's low on the priority list.

I dressed up Sebastian's bed to make sure the crib sheet fit and also to see how some of her stuff might look together. He wasn't happy about having to sleep on the pink flowered sheets last night. Not happy at all. They are currently stowed away again and his manly sheets are being replaced.

This little DwellStudio outfit is probably one of my favorites in her closet right now. It's so little! The vintage afghan is from my friend, Angela, and the blanket underneath is a double-sided, flannel receiving blanket that I made. She'll be plenty warm in our drafty house this winter.

I'm not sure we have much room left in there! I've got a smaller bookshelf that I pulled in from my craft studio that will hold all of her changing necessities, baby books, and random grooming supplies. I have pants and shorts in one wire basket, socks and hats in another, and outfits that won't be worn for many months stashed in the back corner. Above the clothing is a space for blankets, burp rags, crib sheets, etc.

I'm planning on making a hanging shoe organizer for the inside of one of the doors to keep them organized and free up some more space on the shelf. We'll see if that happens! The globe collection finally has a place to be gathered, although we still have one in our room and one in the dining room. I've called it quits for now because we're running out of room.

We're still adding to her space but I wanted to share some of the progress we've made. It makes me feel like something has been checked off of the list! Here's a reminder of what this wardrobe looked like before the paint and hardware change. The bottom doors house Sebastian's big toys and piggy bank. He keeps it stashed away in the back so no one finds his train money! The perfect hiding spot for piggy banks AND little boys.

Thanks for sharing all this excitement with our family. We are so excited for this little girl to get here!

xoxo,
Rachel

Hello, Fall!

Cameron Braun

I was a little distracted yesterday with work and keeping up with the demands of a chatty toddler but I noticed you had arrived. The crisp air and wet swings at the park reminded me that it was time to put another layer on my bare arms and to take stock of our scarves and hats.

Melissann

Looking forward to colorful skylines, hot cider, sweaters, extra quilts on the bed, candy corn stashes, hay rides, gathering leaves, crimson mums, costume making, starry nights, potato soup, socks on little feet, snuggling in bed, apples, acorns, nesting, and the craftiness that seems to invite itself in with the colder weather.

Planet June

Sebastian has been asking us when Ruby will come out. It seemed simple enough to explain she'd be here after the pumpkins since her due date is just after Halloween. It slipped my mind that pumpkins show up and stick around for about six weeks. He's noticed. I've decided to get more specific with my reply and say she'll be here after we go trick-or-treating. Plus, I'm really ready for some pumpkins on my porch.

Martha Stewart

xoxo,
Rachel

p.s. These are adorable.

Idle Hands Are the Devil's Tools

I ran out of granny square yarn on my trip to California. With time to fill and being so far away from my sewing machine, I went out and purchased colors in a different thickness and decided I would start a striped blanket loosely based off of the color combos in this cardigan. The smallest Target carries is a 12 month but I bought it for her anyway. I've learned the hard way to get what you love when you can and hold onto it until it works. AND if after five trips to the same store over a month, you STILL like it, it's probably safe to buy.

I'm using Lion's Brand yarn for the blanket and adding in a mustardy yellow and maybe a violet if I find a good shade. I haven't liked purples since I was too young to dress myself but Dwell's line at Target has changed all of that. It's all about the color combos.

I'd seen a few tutorials online for making your own baby leg warmers rather than paying $12-$20 for the officially licensed brands but wasn't finding a lot of information on how they actually fit a newborn rather than a chubbier, longer 3-6 month child. Instead of waiting around for Ruby to get here, I thought about standing at the entrance of the grocery store and harrassing the first tired Mama that walked in with her little bundle wrapped snugly in a Moby sling to see if I could 'take some measurements'. Instead I opted to walk into Sebastian's room, find a pair of 0-3 month pants, and use them as a guideline.

I have a feeling that they'll still be a little loose on her for the first few weeks but I've at least figured out the basics. I'm no longer fixated on making a pair and have decided to save the cutest socks for when I am more sure of their fit. I used adult socks for these and have only collected adult women socks so I may try out a child size tube sock and see how that goes. If you've got any tips on what worked for you, feel free to share in the comments section. I can't believe how easy and practical this little project is for keeping babies warm in the winter, protecting knees once they start wanting to crawl, and quick diaper changes!

There are a ton of Etsy sellers that can do the work for you if you're strapped for time or don't own a sewing machine. They all seem to fall within a $2 price difference and are still more affordable than the licensed brand. One of my favorites is KnottyBabyWear for their range of sizes and styles. Image borrowed from their Etsy site.

MamaRunsWithScissors also carries a range and has great styling in their photos. Aren't these outfits below perfect for Halloween? I can imagine these three are a little too cool for princess costumes this year.

It's terribly dark and pouring down rain at the moment. I'm celebrating this randomly wet last day of Summer with a hot bowl of chili and a quiet house since my son has been borrowed for the evening to watch his uncle's football game in another town and my husband is in class. I think it's time to watch last night's Mad Men before I tackle the rest of my to-do list.

xoxo,
Rachel

Doily Love from Making Chicken Salad

Check out the latest granny-chic creation from one of our monthly sponsors, Making Chicken Salad.

"Continuing on the vintage sheet/office supply theme, these binders are covered in vintage sheets and embelished with a doily. Each is finished on the inside with felt, and contains 50 sheets of the BEST pale yellow binder paper with rounded corners."

~Katherine

You can find this and more fun office supplies at KatherineHandmade. Her blog is full of crafty goodness and some pretty vintage goods, too! We're accepting Blog Sponsors for October so if you'd like your work featured to over 1,500 readers daily, send an e-mail to Leigh-Ann at FreckledNest@gmail.com for more details.

Today is officially the last day of summer!

xoxo,
Rachel

Early Saturday Sunrise Posting

All images via Lacy

Last Saturday morning I was sitting in a fancy salon in San Jose getting my head some much needed attention. Well, mostly my hair. There are only so many ways a stylist can help a hormonal pregnant woman.

My parents made a weekend out of a trip to San Jose where my dad has been filling in at a church on Sundays so that I could meet up with my crafty friend, Lacy. We met at the RVA weekend in May and bonded over curly hair tricks and life stories. She's one in a million and I was so refreshed (in the head and heart) after a half day running around San Jose visiting all sorts of pretty places in between fainting spells and hot flashes.

We were able to fit in a trip to one fabulous bakery in Los Gatos, lunch on Santana Row, rounds through Urban Outfitters, a small stint in front of the bedding section of Anthropologie while I tried not to faint again, a house tour, a prenatal massage, and some good conversation. All the while, feeling pretty good about my new haircut.

The stylist was so attentive to what my past experiences had been like, what I didn't want, and how to make the most of the new cut she gave me. We both decided to keep some length instead of cutting it all off in preparation for a little one and now I have lots of fun layers that may have looked a little tamer in the dry CA climate but are still making me happy in Missouri. Decent pics may come later this week.

Lacy's favorite bakery had the prettiest cupcakes. We'd been talking about her favorite cookies being discontinued that morning and were both surprised when we walked in to find that they were back on the menu. They also had some of the yummiest carrot cake this pregnant girl has had in awhile. All in all, it was a great weekend and a lovely afternoon of girl time and feeling spoiled. Lacy was a trooper with my need to take things slow and sit down frequently and was such a great hostess in her beautiful town. Thanks, Lacy!

I've since returned to the homestead and have been in crazy woman, task mode trying to get my house not only picked up and routinely cleaned but organized to the last bit of random hiding under my bed! I found myself at Wal-Mart on a Friday afternoon buying plastic storage bins and hangers, came home and filled my tub up with bleach water, put away almost 10 days worth of clean laundry that had been piling up in our room, sorting through my closet to make room for clothes that will realistically be worn in the next four months, and continued adding to the donations pile near my front door.

I'm feeling the crazy, sharing the crazy with Brett, and being allowed to let the crazy happen all weekend.

The crazy has also had me awake since 5:30 a.m. this morning when S needed some sleepy redirection back to his own bed. This means the crazy will need to give me a break this afternoon for a nap.

xoxo,
Rachel

Last Day To Sign Up

Today is our final day for accepting new members into our Fall Handmade Class. We've already posted three fun tutorials, a surprise journaling prompt, and had a live chat where we ask each other questions about our crafty processes, latest inspiration, and favorite Fall trends. It's been built in motivation to get my holiday gifts finished early!

Speaking of Fall trends...

Lately, I'm loving pretty bows,

Naughty Secretary Club

warm sweaters,

liivia s

changing out seasonal decor,

kelp!

crocheted pretties,

Emma Lamb

fun scarves,

SaraCarr66

and warm drinks!

WorkForIdleHands

We're having fabulous, early Fall weather and the leaves are starting to litter the yard. I'm looking forward to a WHOLE WEEKEND with my boys enjoying some down time and being homebodies for awhile. I think a good house cleaning will be followed by some new decorating to welcome Fall inside. I bought a bag of candy corn last night for Sebastian and I to enjoy. He calls them 'sticks' and requested them for breakfast this morning.

They taste great on top of unsweetened yogurt.

There are fabulous things to come this season. I can already feel it.
xoxo,
Rachel

We're Back!

A quickie catch up until I can do a proper post on Thursday afternoon.

* Had the best time visiting my parents in CA. It was restful and a great change of scenery.
* Still catching up on e-mails from FOREVER ago that aren't urgently related to the online class.
* Still catching up on the last few registrations for the online class as I've been on a plane ALL DAY!
* Class spots are still available for purchase until this Friday evening when we'll close it for good.
* Our middle-aged checkout lady at Target this week told me I looked pretty big for still having 7 weeks to go. I almost told her she looked pretty old for being however old she was. Except my filter is still working.
* I was ready to cuss at anyone who so much as looked in my direction with any hint of irritation when my three year old flipped out going through security at the airport in Fresno this afternoon. And I'm willing to blame it on the hormones.
* Thought my husband looked exceptionally handsome waiting for us at baggage claim.
* Can't wait to hang up all of Ruby's new stuff care of Grandma Mary.
* Walked into my house after being away for 8 days and instantly felt overwhelmed with the need to throw things away, organize, deep clean, and rearrange. HORMONES!
* Have stayed up way too late enjoying the quiet and being reunited with my laptop shortcuts.

See you on Thursday.
xoxo,
Rachel

p.s. For those of you who are still waiting on your online class passwords (if you've purchased in the last 36 hours) I'll be finishing up that part of my to do list on Thursday morning. Traveling has kept me from staying on top of things in that department. Thanks for your patience!

Be Right Back

Hey Ya'll!

I'm without much internet access this week while visiting family so I'll be slightly absent in this space until Friday. If you're taking the Fall Online Craft Class and haven't received your information by Monday afternoon, please e-mail me at the address on my CONTACT tab at the top of this page. Some e-mails are not getting received even when sent on time and I want everyone to have time to get their supplies before the class starts this week. YAY!

Also, if you have been thinking about signing up, we still have some spots available.

Ruby has been kicking like crazy and the Braxton-Hicks have been a regular part of this week! Ummm...trying not to freak out that this is going to happen really soon. 7 weeks left!

xoxo,
Rachel

The Homestead Series

The Growing Family


The Barefoot Child


The Proud Parents


I Think We're Gonna Need Something Bigger.

Supper

Home Sweet Home

I had so much fun taking pictures with Sebastian and Brett in our backyard today. S and I spent about ten minutes hunting bad guys before we started in order to get in character and keep his attention for these photos. I was really inspired by Jenny's non-forced pose image so we just set the camera on a chair, got the timer ready and let things happen as they did. I figured S would be running away half of the time but he seemed to enjoy staying close to the teepee. Thanks again, Jenny, for the family portrait challenge! I think we'll appreciate these forever.

I hope you're having a special weekend!

xoxo,
Rachel