Project Weekend

source: Canadian House & Home

If all goes well I'm going to get my studio at least PARTIALLY organized so I can start knocking out some fun DIY's. I found two old child-sized cots at a local thrift shop that I plan on recovering. Perfect for camping out (in the backyard) or lounging around in on lazy, summer afternoons!

Do you have any fun projects to tackle inside/outside this weekend? Or are you hoping for a nice, boring afternoon of having nothing to do?

xo,
Rachel

Crafting with Kids Book Review & Giveaway

Thursday afternoon I started a little craft project to entertain us all. I've been flipping through Jennifer Casa's new book, Teach Yourself Visually Crafting with Kids, ever since it arrived earlier this month and got excited about this fridge magnet match up right away! While Ruby was distracted with her snack I snuck into the studio to make sure I had everything I needed on hand for this quick project.

I located one of my favorite photos of Sebastian from when he was two and a half years old, my sticky magnet paper, and my paper cutter. It literally took me three minutes to round this stuff up and have it finished. I imagine doing this project with Sebastian would take longer but I'd love to see what photos he'd pick out and how we could mix them all up to create hybrid faces. Ha!

It wasn't long before Ruby found me. She decided to lay down on top of my project like a cat might. If it's soft, she's laying on it.

I had her follow me back into the kitchen and stuck the magnet pieces on the fridge while I called Sebastian in to see. He told me he was busy. Yep. Busy.

No problem. It didn't take long for Ruby to figure out that the image was scrambled and after watching me put it back together and scramble it again, she got the idea.

Here she is pointing out Sebastian's nose.

And showing me where hers was. I let her play with the pieces for awhile and rearranged them for Sebastian. I found him in there later staring at it and then suddenly his little hands started to rearrange the photo to it's original state. He couldn't help himself. I love that such a simple, visually interesting project is going to keep us entertained for awhile. I think we'll have to do mug shots of everyone and see how many combinations we can come up with!

I've admired Jennifer as a crafter, blogger, mother for almost four years now and wasn't surprised in the least when she shared this exciting project! She's got the kind of gentle spirit that stirs up the best in other people. Her interest in not only passing on a love for creating to her girls but teaching them lessons through play encourages me regularly to take advantage of this time with my own little ones.

Her book contains 75 projects organized by season as well as a list of tools you may need and ways to alter the projects for different ages. A few of my favorites include the flash card case (above) and the family sign (below).

It strikes me as such a great resource book to have on your shelf for rainy days when you can't think of anything obvious to keep the kids entertained. I can see home school families using it to enrich their curriculum or camp counselors who are planning craft time. It's well organized with easy to read instructions and in many cases, step-by-step photos to help you along the way.

Neither of my kids are old enough to read but I have a feeling Sebastian could easily handle some of these projects without much assistance. Ruby, well...she'll just have to enjoy the ones I make for her to play with (Lift-a-Flap Storybook, Story Puzzle Blocks).

Jennifer and Wiley Craft are offering a copy of Teach Yourself VISUALLY Crafting with Kids to one lucky reader! Leave your name and a comment about a project you did as a kid that stands out in your memory. Winner will be drawn on Sunday, April 18th.

Keep up with the rest of the book tour and more chances to win below!

Monday, April 18 - Elsie Marley

Wednesday, April 20 - Maya*Made

Friday, April 22 - Stitches in Play

Tuesday, April 26 - Aesthetic Outburst

Thursday, April 28 - Artsy Crafty Babe

Congrats, Jen! It's such a lovely piece of work!
xoxo,
Rachel

Style Your Space Now Available

My newest e-Course, Style Your Space, is finally available!

It's everything I've learned about styling a beautiful home on a budget. I share how to find your interior style, tips and tricks on arranging, interviews and room tours from eight other women whose own beautiful homes have influenced my style, and a few DIY's to make things more fun.

This course is for anyone frustrated with their interior style or overwhelmed with pulling it together. Whether you love vintage, modern, factory line, or a little bit of everything, this course offers the tools to help you get the look you're going for. Here's a little info on each session...

Session 1: Introduction - Well curated homes take time and patience but you probably have a lot of what you need already.

Session 2: My Vintage Romance - I share the story of my clueless decorating days, how I found my style, and why it's mostly pretty stuff that used to belong to someone else.

Session 3: Finding Your Style - How to gorge yourself on interior eye candy, digest it, and create a plan. Plenty of resources and links to get you started.

Room Tour: Lisa Congdon - Peek into her well curated living room.

Session 5: Resources - Deciding what you need and where to find the good stuff.

Session 6: Working With What You've Got - What to do whether you're phasing it out or starting from scratch.

Room Tour: Victoria Smith - This lady knows how to use pink!

Session 8: Rules to Follow - Techniques that can make all the difference in how your space looks.

Session 9: Rules To Break - Permission to disobey.

Room Tour: Jenny Mitchell - Her bold and beautiful living room/dining room.

Session11: Scale, Balance, & Composition - Examples from my own space on creating a beautiful vignette and making sure your arrangements are pleasing to the eye.

Session 12: Arranging A Space - What comes first, second, third, etc. when layering your space.

Room Tour: Rubyellen Bratcher - She didn't let her suburban track house stop her from creating a rich space full of character.

Session 14: Display Dealbreakers - How to get it wrong.

Room Tour: Andrea Jenkins - You'd never know it was a rental!

Session 16: Dealing With the Ugly - Ideas to help you get through the rest of your lease.

Session 17: Editing and Organizing - Taking out the clutter and replacing it with harmony.

Room Tour: Ashley Campbell - DIY at it's best in her daughter's bright and cheerful room.

Session 19: DIY Chevron Rug - Get in on this trend without spending a fortune.

Session 20: Mod Industrial Lighting - An easy option when overhead lighting is driving you crazy.

Session 21: Happy Hammock - Taking design outdoors. Step-by-step instructions to creating your new favorite spot in the yard (or your room!).

Session 22: Geometric Art - An easy way to reuse an old frame and get a little creative with your wall space.

Room Tour: Abbey Hendrickson - Not your traditional play room!

Room Tour: Tania Patritti - Her well-organized, colorful studio space.

Session 25: Afterthoughts - How long this could take and how not to panic.

Bonus: Tips on photographing your space to show it's good side.

I'm so proud to have eight special ladies joining me for this e-course. Lisa Congdon, Victoria Smith, Abbey Hendrickson, Andrea Jenkins, Jenny Mitchell, Tania Patritti, Rubyellen Bratcher, and Ashley Campbell.

Each of their unique tastes and trademark spaces have inspired me in some way as I've developed my style over the last few years and I'm sure you'll enjoy their insight into how they put their rooms together. They make it look so effortless!

Style Your Space is full of interior shots of our current and previous spaces with plenty of great ideas on how to introduce color when your home doesn't belong to you. Great for home owners and renters alike who are looking for ways to design a space that feels like home.

This is a 'work at your own pace' course. There are no due dates. Students are encouraged to follow along at their own pace.

You can purchase your course through Red Velvet here.

This project has been in my head for months!It's kind of thrilling to finally have it online and already being enjoyed by people wanting to make the most of their space. I appreciate all of the support from my little family as I've worked on this e-course these past few weeks and for all of your encouraging comments on our room tours!

All my love,
Rachel

Style Your Space: Designing A Home You Love

I've been dreaming about this kind of e-course for months because a beautiful, interesting home environment is something everyone should feel capable creating. Style Your Space is everything I've learned about home decor in the last four plus years of studying design blogs, pouring over house tours, figuring out our interior style, gathering some fantastic vintage, and arranging it to work in two different floor plans.

Style Your Space is for anyone looking to realize their interior style, frustrated with their current set up, or needing a little direction on how to pull it all together.

I'm thrilled to have eight women with knock-out homes of their own sharing room tours and discussing their biggest design challenges and styling tricks. They've each influenced my style in some way over the last four years which makes this collaboration even more special!

Full details with a table of contents will be shared on Monday, April 11th when the course goes on sale that evening. It's been a labor of love and I'm so excited that it'll soon be ready to share!

xoxo,
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

Feeling the Love In March

I was really flattered to be featured as blog of the month in March's issue of SEW magazine. Each issue this month comes with a free Simplicity pattern for a fun cocktail dress and the magazine is full of fun tutorials and resources. This magazine has a really young, fresh vibe to it with beautiful photography and modern projects. I recommend picking one up next time you happen to be at a major bookstore.

Danielle of Sometimes Sweet has been running a blog feature called Mama Said that shares experience and advice from her mama friends. I've enjoyed reading every one of them and was happy to be included in Volume 5 of Mama Said! I love knowing that we're all moving through motherhood with our own challenges but we still share so many of the same. High five to all the mamas (and mamas to be) out there!

My neighbor, Rachel, texted me yesterday to ask if I'd seen the nursery from her home tour on my blog on OhDeedoh yet. I hadn't! Thanks, OhDeedoh, for the shout out from both of the Rachels!

Just this morning Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl posted parts of an interview she did with Amanda Oaks of Kind Over Matter and myself on creating with kids. All work-at-home or working moms know it's a challenge to balance family life with work but I truly love getting to be at home with my kids while contributing to our budget. Head over here to see the full article.

There's been talk of salt water sandals and spring weather on Twitter this afternoon! Do you have Spring Fever yet?

xoxo,
Rachel

Red Velvet Lookbook // Spring 2011

Red Velvet Lookbook // Spring 2011 from elsie flannigan on Vimeo.

It's finally here! I'm so proud of Elsie and everyone else that worked on this lookbook video! See more details and find out where she got her inspiration here.

Congratulations on your first collection, Elsie! The line launches March 1st so mark your calendars!

xoxo,

Rachel

House Tour #2 with my neighbor, Rachel Burch

Welcome to another house tour in the month of February! I am enjoying these so much I may extend this year round to keep me inspired. This house tour is especially fun for me to share because it belongs to my favorite neighbors, the Burch family!

Rachel agreed to letting me come over and take photos of her house a few days before Valentine's day when the ground was still covered in snow and they were keeping busy as they awaited the birth of their son. I had all of the photos edited and ready to post last week when I remembered I hadn't e-mailed her the interview questions! I sent her an e-mail about it last Friday (although I still forgot to attach the questions) and the next thing I heard back was that she'd had her baby early the next morning! How that all went down is another beautiful story in itself.

Rachel graciously sent me over interview questions that she hand wrote while staying with her son in the NICU this week. They're hoping to bring him home in a few days and we are so eager to meet the little guy! I hope you enjoy this peek into the beautiful home of the Burch's.

Q: How would you describe your interior style?
A: If I had to define it in one word I'd say 'uncluttered'. I believe we have too many people living here to have a bunch of stuff just sitting around taking up space. I love to follow the old rule of having nothing in your house that you don't use often or absolutely love.

Q: What has most influenced your style?
A: My parents have always enjoyed decorating their home and they change things up often. Although they have very different taste than me, I think I inherited a love of styling my space from them. I also happen to be surrounded by friends who have incredible taste and beautiful homes. I think that's where I get most of my inspiration.

Q: When did you start having an opinion about your home decor?
A: I can remember ripping off the ugly pink bow wallpaper in my room when I was in 7th grade, without my parents' permission! I then redecorated in a hunter green/maroon color scheme that I thought was awesome. Keep in mind this was 1993!

Q: Which is your favorite room? Why?
A: Right now, I'd say Walter's room/the play room. Maybe I'm just being sentimental since I can't wait for him to come home and put it to good use. I love the swing, the hand-me-down vintage furniture, and the circus curtains I scored on eBay.

Q: Do you feel like your space is working for you or have you had to adjust your expectations of perfect?
A: I feel like this house is pretty close to perfect for our young family. Having 4 children in one room wouldn't work for every family, and it probably won't be ideal as they get older, but for now it works very well. We have a large back yard, a dining room that seats ten so we can entertain, and a room in the basement that serves as a family closet. 2,300 sq. ft. might not sound like a lot for a family of 7 but it works for us.

Q: Where is it all from?
A: Flea markets, garage sales, craigslist, eBay, Ikea, and hand-me-downs from family. Our only splurge was the leather couch from a department store. With all of these kids, we needed a durable seating option.

Q: What do you have your eye on that you hope to own some day?
A: As far as furniture goes, I'm very content with our hodge podge of bargains and hand-me-downs. I do look forward to the day when I can afford some amazing fabric for curtains, bedding, etc.

Q: People are coming over! What do you tackle first?
A: My kids are actually old enough that with their help, we can get the house looking decent with only a few moments notice. They put their toys away while I sweep the floors.

I've been enamored with the Burch's home ever since she first invited me in and gave me a new neighbor tour! She's got beautiful vintage touches in every room and that rope swing is Sebastian's favorite thing in their house! He has actually told me he wants to live there!

Thank you, Burch's, for letting me invade your home so close to Walter's birth. We're all so excited that he's finally here and are looking forward to him coming home, too. And I'm going to schedule a play date so your kids can teach mine how to get the place ready for company!

xoxo,
Rachel

Making Bank Tutorial

In honor of Celebrate the Boy month over at Made by Rae and Made, I've come up with something crafty for the boys. This little project can easily be customized for a girl and a variety of ages and has probably been done in some form or another before but is perfect for any little man with a Transformer/Thomas the Train/Spiderman habit.

This Save/Spend/Share bank came to be after we ordered a similar bank online that came in primary colors. It was well designed but...in primary colors. Did I mention the primary colors? I have no qualms with red, yellow, blue, and green in their bold states but I knew I could make something similar for Sebastian to use as a learning tool that we both enjoyed. I used contact paper for a modern look but it could easily be substituted for Kraft paper so that your children could decorate it with crayons or stickers.

We've recently started giving him an allowance in return for completing basic chores such as making his bed, putting his dirty clothes away, picking his room up, clearing his place at the table, etc. and wanted to teach him at an early age about save and sharing. The spending part comes easy to him. He takes after his mother.

I used three plastic Welch's juice containers that had yellow lids (we like yellow!), two shades of wood grain contact paper (available at hardware and some home stores), a ruler, sharp kitchen scissors, and a large rubber band. I used the one from the original bank but you can use an industrial strength rubber band.

I measured and cut the lighter wood grain contact paper so that it fit around the juice containers and overlapped about 1/2". I had to adjust them a few times to make sure it was even but contact paper is forgiving!

I then hand cut the words 'save', 'spend', and 'share' from the darker wood grain contact paper making sure they'd work above the line of the rubber band.

I then poked a hole in the middle of the plastic lids with my sharp scissors and cut out a rectangle in the center of each.

Lastly I reattached the lids and gathered them with the rubber band.

Each week when Sebastian gets his allowance we give it to him so he can put 10% in his save category and 10% in his share category. The rest he gets to keep and use on any toys or treats that he wants. We've explained that we don't always buy something just to buy something when we go to the store and that when he chooses to spend his money on something, he has to wait awhile to build up enough money to buy something else. This has helped him to appreciate how much things cost, make choices about what kinds of toys he wants to buy, and hopefully will help him take care of those things a little more.

We're also hoping that it will instill a sense of generosity when we decide together how to spend the money on someone else when he's saved up a larger amount in his share container. We've talked about purchasing chicks or a bunny through Heifer International or maybe donating it to a local charity. Sharing this with Sebastian has been not only fun but good accountability for us to remember to manage our money well!

Thanks for stopping by! If you're here for the first time from Celebrate the Boy, welcome! If you haven't checked out the projects and round ups that have been shared so far, you'll want to head over NOW and see what so many creative women have been making for their boys! Thanks Dana and Rae!!

xoxo,
Rachel