Their New Pillows

I purchased these two pillows on Etsy a few weeks ago to add to the kids' Easter baskets but only got them unloaded from our road trip this weekend. The bird pillow is from Skinny Laminx and the lion pillow is from Sass and Peril. Both shops are full of beautifully designed product if you aren't familiar with them.

Ruby is so much more affectionate and attached to her dolls and plushies than Sebastian was. He's definitely BFF with his latest Transformer and loves to act out scenarios with the Autobots and Decepticons and he still sleeps with his teddy bear but it's kind of a casual friendship.

Ruby on the other hand gets her dolls in a death grip when she squeezes them. She passes out kisses like candy and has no favorites. All are loved equally. Part of her bedtime routine is saying goodnight not only to her dollies but to the girls in the two art prints near her crib. And the globes. And sometimes Teddy when she feels like Sebastian hasn't given him enough attention.

Do your kiddos have a favorite stuffed animal or doll? I got one of mine back from my parents' house over Christmas. I'll have to share soon.

xo,
Rachel

4,000 Followers Giveaway! Hooray!

Earlier today I mentioned on Twitter that I had taken a screen shot of 3,999 followers and a few minutes later I had 4,002! In order to celebrate such a big milestone I'm offering this fun print from one of my favorite Etsy artists, Pretty Little Thieves, to one lucky commenter as a way of saying thank you for reading! I truly enjoy the company around these parts and am so thankful for the positivity that you bring through your comments, e-mails, and tweets.

To have a shot at this lovely little print leave your name and how long you've been a reader/follower of Smile and Wave. I'll choose a winner at random on Friday.

You guys are the best.

xoxo,
Rachel

Vintage Here, Vintage There: Texas Style

Christmas break took my little family on a road trip to Frisco, Texas (near Dallas) and since Rubyellen and her bunch were headed to San Antonio we thought it was only fair to the great state of Texas that we honor it with a vintage feature, Texas style!

However, it was cold and rainy the one day we had some time to take photos. No good. Instead we recreated our homage to the Lone Star State in our new backyard, cowboy boots and all.

Since Ruby is only one I thought I'd give her a lesson on what makes Texas such a special place. I told her that everything was bigger in Texas. Bigger buildings, bigger trucks, and bigger hair!

She was a little discouraged about that.

I told her it was okay that she didn't have any hair because she still had a pair of cowboy boots and that was very Texan of her.

I taught her how to two-step and showed her how to kick up her heels but what really got her attention was the part about the horses. She'd never seen a horse before so I had to describe one. Next thing I know she wants to go on a horsey hunt.

I told her there weren't any horses in our backyard but she was already tip toeing through the brambles in search of a wild filly.

And then we stepped in something.

I was checking the other boot when Ruby spotted her.

She came prancing right over and nuzzled Ruby's leg which of course sent Ruby straight into my arms. She wasn't so sure about this horsey.

Ruby quickly decided she wanted her cowboy boots to be fashionable rather than practical and we said goodbye to the nice horsey.

Note: No horses were harmed in the making of this photo shoot but Ruby did cry a lot because it was close to her nap time. Also, is it okay for me to poke fun at big hair since I was born in Ft. Worth and my hair can reach monumental heights when I want it to?

I'm wearing: vintage dress: gifted from Katy, sweater: JCrew (Thanks, Meemaw), vintage red belt: thrifted, boots: thrifted but not vintage.

Ruby's wearing: vintage crocheted dress: gifted from MIL, polka-dot top: gifted from mom, stretch pants: thrifted, vintage boots: thrifted.

You'll want to see how Rubyellen and her crew did Texas last week because all five of them made it into the photo shoot! I love the shots of the kids with their papa and Rubyellen's fabulous boots!

Here's a little taste of what Etsy has to offer for kids: the perfect mocs, straight and narrow, and for the horse lover.

And for the grown ups: little house on the prairie, night rider, showing the ankles, these pretty things, and my personal favorites.

How do you wear your boots?
xoxo,
Rachel

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vintage here, vintage there: week one

vintage here, vintage there: week two

vintage here, vintage there: week three, part one

vintage here, vintage there: week three, part two

vintage here, vintage there: week four

vintage here, vintage there: week five

vintage here, vintage there: everyday wear

vintage here, vintage there: outerwear

Back To School - For The Littles by Etsy

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With Sebastian starting half day preschool this month back-to-school shopping has been on my mind. Here's a little back-to-school inspiration I've curated from Etsy sellers for the little ones.

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I think Ruby should be able to enjoy something new for back-to-school season, too, so I've made her a romper out of an old skirt that has a bit of a vintage vibe to it. I'll be back later this week with photos of that but first I've got a Back-To-School: Collegiate Edition. Stay tuned!

xoxo,
Rachel

Ruby's New Dress

Ruby got a new dress from an online friend recently. It's made from 100% recycled scrap fabrics and can easily last her through the Fall when layered with a onesie and leggings. We did a little photo shoot to show it off but didn't get a chance to add the adorable (large) patchwork bib that came in the same package because it's in the wash!

Poor Pitiful Pearl offers a variety of refashioned, ready-to-wear clothing as well as commissioned pieces for ladies and little girls. Her work reminds me of Pismo Beach in California! PPP donates 10% of all proceeds to the Casa Hogar Orphanage in Mexico. You can check out her website and read more about her business here. Thanks for Ruby's adorable pieces, Shauna!

I think she's already learned how to strike a pose.

While I was taking her photos she kept staring at this owl alphabet poster from Gingiber. She was mesmerized! This is the corner we chose to put Sebastian's big bed which will make for lots of photo shoots in the near future because it gets decent light and has a dramatic shadowy corner. And apparently my model will sit still!

If only for awhile...

Anytime Sebastian enters the room Ruby lights up and makes noise. She loves when he's around!

Lately we've been checking out one of our eight or nine globes and learning about a few choice countries. He knows about China thanks to Kai-Lan, Australia thanks to the Wiggles, England thanks to Thomas the Train, and we told him Diego was from Brazil, although I realize Diego speaks Spanish and not Portuguese...I was under pressure. He knows the orange state is Missouri, the yellow one is Oklahoma and that his friend, D, came from Ethiopia. Every night before bed he wants to talk about the globe and I'm so thankful for an opportunity for easy learning that I always oblige.

I almost had to remove the globe from his bed tonight. It's his new favorite thing besides singing Baa, Baa, Black Sheep and having everyone pile on his new bed to read Llama, Llama, Mad At Mama. It's an adorable book. Thanks, Katy!

I want time to stop so I can soak these ages in. I'll restart it when I'm good and ready.

xoxo,
Rachel

Sharing Is Caring - May Sponsor Highlight

Here are a few of my favorite things from the blogs and shops of the May Smile And Wave sponsors. Take a little peek this weekend and tell them where you saw them.

A GREAT tip on how to clean old records on Lemon and Raspberry.

And these sweet clutches from Gussy in the best colors.

This friendly yellow necklace from StellaBellaBoutique is perfect for trips to the park this summer.

I love this granny-chic, Anthro-inspired onesie from ThreeSixFive Art.

This headpiece from "Opposite Day" Shop would look stunning on blonde hair.


I love this charming little coffee cozy from B'sWigSHoppe.

QTeaKits has put together a fun, circus themed kit for May.

Cute paintings for kid's rooms by BuffySunshine.

ShortStackGoods has a bunch of cute little wallets and other lovely accessories!

This nursery rhyme print from Gingiber.

Smile and Wave has had over 104,000 visits in the last month! If you're interested in sharing your blog or shop through a sponsorship slot for the month of June check out our ad inquiry page and give Leigh-Ann a holler at FreckledNest (@) gmail (dot) com. She's nice.

xoxo,
Rachel

For the Spring Babies

This egg cozy DIY found at Small Magazine's blog. Wouldn't these be cute as hats!

Fat birds from Born With It.

A wooden rabbit pull toy by Stump Pond Toys.

Handmade Mary Janes by Gracious May

Baby Critter Bath Mitt by Chickabiddy.

A cupcake onesie from Apericots.

A wooden kitty bowling set by Kitty Baby Love.

Crochet pattern for Toaster Toys from Sky Magenta.

WHOA! This week just got really busy! It might be a little light over here for the next few days but I promise it's for good reasons. We've also got the RVA update tomorrow so I'll be posting some sneak peeks later this evening. Thanks for always stopping by this blog and for your sweet comments time and time again. Back to the to do list!

xoxo,
Rachel