Vintage Here, Vintage There: Ruby and I

Pardon my tardiness with VH,VT this week. I'm putting in extra time on a special project so behind is the name of the game these days! These are from our weekend trip to Aunt Martha's Pancake House with our little family. We LOVE breakfast foods because we can eat lots of savory stuff that is Paleo friendly. I had eggs and ham and fudged on a latte afterwards. It was worth it!

Would you believe that we had snow earlier that morning? SNOW! Excuse me while I remember what sunshine on my shoulders feels like. Ruby and I were layered up to stay warm and pretending we didn't need our heavy coats.

The funny thing about my shoes is I purchased them at Red Racks Thrift Store thinking they were vintage. It wasn't until I had gotten dressed that morning that I took a closer look at the brand and saw that they are actually from Wal-Mart. Oh well. They are comfortable and will be great for spring and summer should they ever show their faces.

So really the only vintage thing about my outfit is the plaid button up. It's a favorite, though. I guess this is my 'squeeze that vintage in where you can' outfit.

I'm wearing: Tee, cardigan, jersey coat, Target. Vintage button up, thrifted. Jeans, Old Navy. Shoes, thrifted. Bag, handmade by me, Turquoise ring, purchased on Route 66 in Arizona.

Ruby's wearing: Long-sleeved tee, thrifted. Skirt, tights, Target. Vintage crocheted top, Liddle. Vintage shoes, Kid Wonder.

It was so chilly the photo shoot didn't last long. Too many cold appendages and everyone needing naps after all of that good food! Ruby's crocheted top is supposed to be a dress but works really well as a shirt still. I usually don't do this silhouette since it's a lot of loose and flowy on top and bottom but loved the colors together. Rubyellen called it bohemian chic!

Here are a few of my favorite crocheted pieces this week: little girl,little girl, big girl, little girl, big girl, little one, and little boy.

Head over to see what she and Soul wore to a shower this weekend. Also, I'm in love with her shoes in this post.

Are you having to force spring where you are?

xoxo,
Rachel

Our Happy Cabinets

Every time I open this particular cabinet I feel a little thrill. I figure I might as well organize the colorful dishware to make putting them away more fun. You'll notice our stack of plates is pretty short. I've collected all of these over the last three years and only bring things home that I need or absolutely love these days. If it's aqua or yellow, it's hard to resist. My mom gave me her old Tupperware cups from my childhood and I've since found the mini versions of them. Good memories!

This weekend has been pretty relaxed at home. We had a play date this morning with my friend, Katy, and her three kids and then watched Revolutionary Road and had homemade chicken and vegetable soup. Sebastian tried a new food (yay!)and Ruby has mastered her 'excited arms' dance move. I hope to catch that on video one of these days.

Brett and I are both feeling a little under the weather tonight so it'll be more relaxing and catching up on housework tomorrow. We treated ourselves to Andy's frozen custard on Friday night after a whole month of eating a Paleo diet (with only a few cheats) and as delicious as it was, we think it's why we feel so cruddy today. Sugar shock!

What are you doing this weekend?

xoxo,
Rachel

p.s. Check out the post below on Home Ec. $10 from each purchase this weekend (until Monday afternoon) will go to Red Cross!

Making Time for Crafts

The kids and I had an afternoon to kill at home while Brett studied for a test earlier this week. We'd already gone for a wagon ride through the neighborhood, jumped on our neighbor's trampoline, read some books, made a mess at lunch time, and watched Pink Panther on Netflix.

I decided it was time to introduce Ruby to the joys of water colors. Sebastian isn't always up for crafting when I suggest a new project but he's always up for painting with water colors. He spent a good ten minutes working on his project this time, which is a good eight minutes longer than he used to. That made me happy.

Ruby took to that paint set like it was an old hobby of hers. I did catch her trying to drink the dirty water, sucking the water off the brush, stealing her brother's paint brush, and painting on my arm but she lasted as long as Sebastian and ended up getting some color on her paper coffee filter.

When we were through I had to wrestle it away for a pic. It was headed for her mouth. I may save it forever.

Sebastian ended up with a stained glass effect which I thought was interesting. I wonder what this type of painting is supposed to tell me about my child.

We got the popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners out of the craft box and made flowers out of the paper coffee filters. I have about a bajillion more from a garage sale that may turn into a garland one of these days.

I need to remember to sit down with the paint sets more often. Ruby is much more interested in coloring than Sebastian ever was (or still is) at her age so it's been fun to encourage that in her. I never had to worry about marks on the walls with Sebastian, though. Thank goodness for Magic Erasers.

Sebastian was so proud of his paper flower when he was done. It was a nice little break from sword fights, couch jumping, karate chops, and crashing block towers.

xoxo,
Rachel

Room Tour: Behind Closed Doors

Doesn't my title sound like a Dateline segment? So, I knew I wanted to share a little more about this space after sharing photos in it's BEST state yesterday. It took a lot of work to get things in place and an hour of my husband keeping the kids out of the house for me to even get those shots because they are always in there if I am. It's not always as camera ready as it was in the room tour but we do try to keep the chaos to a minimum and at the end of the day, the floor has to be cleared. It keeps me sane.

We have a lot of loud, colorful toys in primary colors that we store in the bottom half of the white wardrobe. It gives the kids easy access to getting them out and, more importantly, putting them up when they're done. Ruby is a stellar picker upper right now but Sebastian needs more convincing so I race him to see who can pick up Legos or trains the fastest. He instantly joins in. It's my #1 trick.

Sebastian doesn't have as many clothes as Ruby for obvious reasons (hello, the selection for girls is SO much harder to resist) and most of his stuff is pretty toned down so having them on display in their room isn't really distracting or overwhelming. It's at a height that allows him to pick out his own clothing and have that sense of independence. I even bought plastic hangers without grooves so he could pull his shirts off without having to remove them from the curtain rod.

Originally, I wanted a wardrobe with doors for Ruby's clothing because it felt really ideal and sweet but now I'm thankful I have a way to hide the color explosion. It's nice to be able to keep things tucked away and it's high enough that she can't get up there and pull it all out herself. Because she would.

And this is what it looks like right before nap time, after nap time, before dinner, and until bed when we have another round of racing to clean up. Organization and tidiness don't come naturally to me. I have to work extra hard to instill those habits into my kids but I also want them to be able to enjoy making productive messes. Messes mean you're having fun or something.

What are some of your tricks for keeping ALL of those Thomas trains and legos from taking over?

xoxo,
Rachel

Ruby and Sebastian's Room Tour

Sebastian and Ruby's shared room has been one of my favorite rooms to decorate in our current rental. I imagined it being a place that not only met practical needs such as storage but inspired play and creativity. I wanted them to have memories of their space being a little imaginative and full of color.

I used my vintage globe collection for color inspiration. I have always loved the muted colors of these old globes and knew it would allow me to use traditionally boy and girl colors in the same space easily. I took the pinks, yellows, greens, and some aqua when putting Ruby's side together and the aqua, yellows, greens, and browns on Sebastian's side.

I had this one bare wall near the entry that had so much potential that it kind of intimidated me. I wanted to do something big and fun but didn't want to spend money on more furniture or a big art piece. One day I was out thrifting when I came across the largest blank chalkboard seen above and suddenly knew I had enough to warrant a collection and that they all needed to be displayed together.

I hung them a little lower than usual for practical reasons and secured them with screws and double-sided 3M tape to make sure they wouldn't fall on little toes. Our neighbor's kids came over last week and one of the little girls instantly started drawing on the chalkboard. That's when I knew it had been a good idea.

In the first corner by the entrance is a bookshelf we found for free in Seattle. I've filled it with art prints from Michele Maulle, Freya, an interactive art journaling piece inspired by Shauna, some other items I've made for Ruby, and a lot of thrifted vintage toys and decor. We've got photos and board books in the baskets as well as momentos from her home birth and those first few weeks together.

I found this vintage fan at a shop in Ada, OK and grabbed it as soon as I saw the brand was the same as Ruby's middle name (minus an 'm').

The white wardrobe was the solution to having small closets in our last place. I found it at a resale shop, sanded it, painted it, and added a curtain rod and hooks on the top level when I was seven months pregnant with Ruby. It was one of the most enjoyable DIY's I've ever worked on because when was done I got to fill it with tiny pink clothes! The bottom houses most of their toys and games. I love having all of those loud colors out of site.

The rocking horse in the foreground was one of Ruby's Christmas presents from Plan Toys and the rug was purchased new from Goodwill but is originally from Target. Ruby comes in here and lays on it almost every day.

I made Ruby's crib sheets (as well as two other sets) out of vintage flat sheets, crocheted her afghan, and painted the rainbow. You can see the set up in our old house here. I purchased this Ashley G. print for our living room originally but it worked perfectly with these colors. I love her work.

The crib skirt was handmade and the bumper is from IKEA. This is the fourth crib we've used between the two of them due to recalls, moving, and borrowing.

The print on the opposite side of the crib from the Ashley G. print is from Pretty Little Thieves.

I made the curtains for their room from a vintage sheet as well. I really love the mid-century headboard on Sebastian's bed and was so happy to have discovered it for $7 after searching for something for months. The hand-tied quilt is vintage and the afghan was thrifted. I painted the wood grain piece three years ago and made the triangle mobile earlier this year.

I've collected vintage Melmac saucers and aluminum cups in small sizes for the kids to use while playing kitchen. They're durable and extra easy on the eyes!

Sebastian's 'closet' was a Billy bookshelf from IKEA that we picked up for free in Seattle and used as his wardrobe in our one bedroom apartment right after he was born. Since then I've covered the inside backing with wood grain contact paper, added a rod and hooks, and adjusted the shelving as his clothes have gotten bigger!

I've thrifted various display pieces such as the signage, typewriter, and metal toy gun. He's currently into Transformers so I cleared one shelf off for him to display them without worrying about Ruby's little hands reaching them.

The garland on the chalkboard wall used to be above Ruby's crib but I relocated it when I hung her rainbow painting. The Modernica rocker was a birthday gift about three years ago and the doll house was purchased on Amazon for Ruby's birthday. It's still a work in progress as I'm slowly collecting vintage Fisher Price furniture and people to fill it.

It's been over four months since we moved in and I'm finally ready to call this room finished! The kids have plenty of space to dump out legos and build towers, read on the soft rug, and even play indoor basketball. I totally took the basketball hoop off the back of the door for pictures. It got us through many winter days and will probably get us through a few hot summer ones, too.

I think it's really important for kids to enjoy their surroundings and I'm thankful that we've been able to create a space that fits in with the rest of the house and is easy on the eyes. It's been a fun process of collecting, thrifting, and repurposing over four plus years and has yielded us a room we all love.

Thanks for taking the tour!

xoxo,
Rachel

p.s. You can see Sebastian's room here, and how we changed it to be their room at our last house.

My Favorite Spot

We've been asking Meemaw not to replace her grass green carpet for years because it just wouldn't feel like her house without it. Too many good memories! I realized as I was sitting in her living room a few days ago that my own taste in home decor colors mirrors some of the older elements in her living room. Her walls are a light mint, the trim is honey colored, she has a gold mirror and lamps, a tan vintage couch, and fantastically floral vintage rockers. I love all the blue, green, and gold!

I stopped in at a little flea market in Pauls Valley while we were visiting and picked up a vintage sand bucket and another needlework piece. Not too bad for $8! We had a great time with family and are glad to be back at home. Except for the laundry pile. And the new leak in the roof of my studio.

Any plans for spring break? Do you get one?

xoxo,
Rachel

Adventuring

We're out running around barefoot in the sunshine, (Sebastian's not getting a spanking, they're playing Transformers. Ha!)

searching for treasures,

and making the best of a week off of school by taking this crew on the road to see family.

We've been here, there, and everywhere and are enjoying a few more days before real life starts up again. Feeling thankful for our health, our families, and our general well being in the wake of all of these grass fires in Oklahoma and the tragic earthquake/tsunami affecting Japan and surrounding areas.

xoxo,
Rachel

Ruby's wearing: Vintage owl dress, gifted. Cardigan and leggings, Target.
Sebastian's wearing: Vintage western shirt, 3RingCircus. Pants and IronMan shoes (we caved), Target.
I'm wearing: Vintage mumu that I altered, gifted from RVA. Cardigan and tights, Target. Vintage fringe moccasins, thrifted.
Brett's wearing: Vintage western shirt, thrifted. Riding jacket, unknown. Shoes, PF Flyers.

On The Edge of Spring Break

The last five weeks or so have been odd. It started out with a strong reason to believe I might be pregnant. You know, one of those accidental lapses in judgment that leaves you holding your breath for as long as it takes to know if you need to buy a bigger vehicle.

Well, for the following three weeks I felt queasy every afternoon, exhausted and lethargic in the early evening, and a tad bit more emotional than usual. I was seriously convinced that this was round three. I couldn't remember when my last cycle was so I was taking a pregnancy test every two days. I think I went through six of them. All negative.

Still the nausea and fatigue kept up and I tried not to get a little excited as all of the familiar feelings of pregnancy set in. I have felt it at least two weeks before tests will confirm it every time before but was still pretty aware of how uncertain these early weeks can be. I finally figured out the first day of my last cycle based off of a specific feminine needs product purchased at Walgreens on the same day (thank you, online banking) and was still a week away from possibly seeing a positive test.

Three weeks of hanging in limbo and thinking you know but not having confirmation can make a girl crazy. Without wanting to go into too much detail, I had some signs of my cycle show up a few days early and decided all of that nausea and fatigue was just exhaustion or some bug. Then I read online that you can have some signs of your cycle without it being your cycle. I wasn't having any cramping so it made sense. I got a little hopeful again. I drove to Walgreens for my last two tests. The first one was negative. I waited three more days. The second one was negative.

I gave it up. I decided my body may have been headed that direction but something didn't take early on and things got flushed out with the regular run of things. I couldn't help but be both relieved and extremely sad. I still had nausea and fatigue and really strong emotions for another week which was probably just the hormones in my body winding down. I didn't know what to label what had happened or whether to trust my body in what it was telling me since I didn't have any proof. Proof being a plus sign on a stick.

It happens to lots of women and they don't even know. Mostly I realized I really do want another child. Brett and I have this little time line of when we can start trying again but we know it's not completely in our control. In the meantime I'm hoping to get back to a weight that feels healthier. Which brings me to the last week...

A few days after I started finally feeling good again (no more nausea or fatigue) Brett proposed that we start a new eating plan. It's called the Paleo plan and basically shows you how to eat healthy, unprocessed foods to have higher energy levels, lose weight, and shift your body's chemistry from acid to alkaline. There are a ton of diets out there and I'm not into dieting but I knew this one would help me reshape my eating habits in a way that would bring positive changes and, with some modifications, become a new lifestyle.

No refined sugar, grains, or dairy. This means no creamer in my coffee.

Yeah.

So, we've been drinking lots of tea, eating lean meats, hard boiling eggs, having big salads full of vegetables, and enjoying lots of Lara bars. The first three days I felt hungry and unsatisfied. The next two days I felt like I had the flu but wasn't as hungry. Yesterday I finally felt great and even though I haven't lost much weight yet, my body feels better. We're hoping to keep this up for a few more weeks to reap the benefits and then who knows what modifications we'll make after that. It feels exciting, though!

Needless to say, the last five weeks I've been feeling pretty yucky, which has led to a shift in priorities and how much time I spend blogging. This warmer weather has shown up in Missouri just in time. Like a consolation prize or something.

I felt insecure about sharing my three weeks in limbo but wanted to let you know where my head has been lately. I'm looking forward to a fun weekend at home working on projects (and hopefully answering a few e-mails). Spring break starts today for us!!!

Thanks so much for your presence here.

xoxo,
Rachel

Sunshine Kids

We want more sun!
xo,
Rachel

Vintage Here, Vintage There: Boy Edition

This week we're sharing vintage on our boys. I'm a day late to the party but we're here! I have only recently been thrifting men's shirts for Brett because we rarely go thrifting together and I've never wanted to buy things he wouldn't like. The one he is wearing is the first one I brought home to see what he thought and it was a hit.

I've since brought home three more but only one worked so I've learned that I need to know his measurements just like I need to know my own. I also need to take him on a little tour of Etsy so we can both figure out what I need to be looking for in the thrifts.

I have a harder time finding local vintage for Sebastian in his size but this one has been an easy wear. It's marked a 6/7 but has fit him for about a year already. I tend to gravitate towards plaids and sporty shirts but don't get into paisley or 100% polyester for him. I blame it on growing up in California. And he WAS born in Seattle.

I'm so thankful for these boys. They have a lot of fun together.

Brett is wearing: Vintage plaid flannel, thrifted. Tee and corduroys, Target. Birkenstocks, college days.
Sebastian is wearing: Striped top, Target. Plaid button up, vintage. Pants, Target. Shoes, thrifted.

Here are a few men's shirts I like: short-sleeved, long-sleeved, in aqua, western, and flannel.

Here are a few boy's shirts I like: long-sleeved, looking sharp, summer time, stripey, and western.

Have you seen Rubyellen's post yet? How do you dress your boys in vintage?

xoxo,
Rachel