Distract Me

I'm typing this up at 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3rd. Ruby's due date, which I'm very well aware means little according to her actual arrival, is tomorrow. I've finished my last online tutorial for a little while, finished getting her spot in our room set up, and finished the monstrous granny square afghan. You could say I'm ready now.

I had a moment of excitement pushing my cart full of Sebastian and random tutorial supplies through Wal-Mart this afternoon. I had to walk slowly, breathe deeply, and try not to panic at the thought of calling someone to come pick me up so that I didn't pull a Natalie Portman. However, once I got to my car we returned to our regularly scheduled programming.

My midwife is coming for my 40 week tomorrow (Wed.) and will hopefully help me relax about things not happening yet. Brett is hoping to get his Friday/Saturday REALLY IMPORTANT National Guard weekend testing moved back again. I know I can be a strong woman about all of this but a lot of the reason why I'm comfortable having a home birth is because Brett was so helpful the first time around in helping me manage my pain and keeping me focused when I wanted to give in.

So, I'm spending the majority of my Wednesday doing things to relax and/or help move things along. Laps at the park is on that list. You can be sure I've heard them all and will try most if it comes down to it.

We appreciate your thoughts, prayers, and excitement as this story plays out!

xoxo,
Rachel

December Daily

Hi! I am Vivianna from Polka Dot Robot. I am super excited to be on Smile and Wave today.

This year I am trying really hard to get into the holiday spirit. Every Thursday on my blog, I do a post on handmade holidays. I know that it is really early to be thinking about the holidays, but due to my calendar I have to. Today, I want to talk about documenting your holidays. There is a trend going around the scrap blogs called December Daily that Ali Edwards started a few years back.
You are invited to join me in December Daily project.
December Daily is an album project that documents the 25 days leading up to Christmas. Many people start their documentation earlier and many people go longer. I have found that 25 days is just right for me. One of the keys to success in this project is getting an album structure set-up in advance of December so that during December you can enjoy the season & enjoy the process of documenting your days without having to be putting the entire thing together at the same time. It is not meant to be stressful. It is meant to be a way to creatively celebrate the season and document your special holiday memories in one album.
Before you get started you should read the basics. Then if you have questions about this project, read this.
STEP ONE: GATHER & ORGANIZE YOUR MATERIALS Easy enough. Get all your holiday stuff in one location. Having it all in one spot and accessible makes the entire process that much easier. My organizer for this project is usually just a box or basket. While you are gathering your supplies it's also a good opportunity to purge things you might be ready to pass along to someone else (think school, church, retirement home, shelter, etc). Read Ali's blog for the rest of the steps. She only has two right now for 2009.
Ali's 2009 December Daily

Ali's 2008 December Daily

There are some December Daily kits that you can buy.

(click on the image for kit info)
Now if you want a little more help or planned out ideas then here is a class for you.

An online class for the holidays :: Journal your Christmas

Here is a little info about the class. I pulled it from Shimelle's blog:

Every year, Journal your Christmas includes daily prompts from the 1st of December to the 6th of January, the twelve days of Christmas. The 37 illustrated PDF files are delivered straight to your inbox so you can read them over your first cup of coffee and mull over each topic for a full day. There’s also an archive of the class materials online in case you can’t get to your email or in case something dreadful happens to your computer. And like every year, you can go it alone or be as social as you like, with a private discussion forum where you’ll find other Christmas journalers who will cheer you on and share your excitement, but if you prefer to stick to the prompts only, that’s completely fine too. And like every year, if you’re participated once, you can join us every Christmas for as long as you like at no extra cost.

The best thing about this class is you can register all year round. Once you join, you're a permanent member. Can't get much better than that!

Rachel is offering a tutorial on helping you stay organized this holiday season with this cute mini book.

However you choose to document this holiday season is up to you, but have fun!

I have not started my December Daily yet, but I will be as soon as I return from New York.

A Razzle Dazzle Giveaway

Hello! Hello! My name is Candace & I usually blog over at Sparkle Power about my life as a mommy, crafter, thrift store shopper & Etsian. I am so excited to guest post here at Smile and Wave today & am so, so thankful to Rachel for having me. I just adore Rachel & I wish her family the best as they welcome that new, sweet babe into their family. What an exciting time!


Being married to a graphic designer has really opened my eyes to type or letters & words in the world around me. Dylan, my husband, likes to point out type on signs or buildings that he finds beautiful or cool. He takes photos as he walks around town & I've noticed that many of his photos contain type. I've also noticed that much of our combined design work contains type. I've come to realize that we like words, we think that they can be beautiful, and they make up a big part of our style. Bringing together our love of type & my love of fabric, I created the razzle dazzle garland pictured above.

I'm wondering...if you could have any word or phrase hanging on your wall in the form of a fabric letter garland, what word or words would you choose? Let me know in the comments section. I will choose my favorite & send them all three of our 2010 printable calendars! Be sure that I can access your e-mail address from your comment or profile link.


The winner will be announced on Nov. 11th when my graphic designer husband, the other half of Team Sparkle Power, guest posts here on Smile and Wave.

:)
Candace
Team Sparkle Power

New Tutorials In The Shop

This tutorial gives you access to a private blog with step-by-step instructions and tons of pictures that will take you through the process of creating your own holiday organizer to help manage your inspired decor ideas, gift lists, addresses, thank you notes, and recipes. For those of you who like to make it rather than buy it and tend to customize your holidays with handmade gifts and special touches in your home.

It lets you use items you may already have at home and teaches a few techniques that you can adapt to fit your color scheme or taste making it great for any budget or style.

Use these creative reuses of old materials to make a special keepsake for a friend or a blank memory journal for family members this holiday season. Find it here.

This tutorial is a Handmade Pocket Organizer. I came up with it after noticing the need for shoe storage in a small space but failing to find something pretty as well as the right size for the intended purpose. It's design allows for a variety of uses such as a shoe holder, hygiene station, craft supply storage, or for use in your office.

Great for those with a basic level of sewing. The tutorial offers step-by-step photos as well as detailed instructions to get something both practical and easy on the eye. Find it here.

I've brought back the Quilt Kit Tutorial as well! I've seen a few finished quilts over the last few weeks and am always thrilled to hear how much their makers enjoyed the experience of putting them together. More details about this lap sized quilt project here.

Last but not least, I've included a limited amount of vintage backed, handmade burp cloths from some of the linens I've collected from flea markets and estate sales over the years. They've been repurposed into lovely little mess catchers and are for individual sale. Check out my Etsy shop to see the full listing of prints available.

Check back often this week for a variety of beautiful posts from some especially talented ladies. In the meantime, I'll be finishing up some tutorials for our Fall Online Class that is currently in progress but I'll be back to let you know when our sweet Ruby arrives! Thank you so much for stopping by.

xoxo,
Rachel

November Is Here!

Zimmermann's Baby Booties

We're still waiting, but in the meantime we've got family in town enjoying the wait with us and more to come soon! In anticipation that every day is another day closer to being completely absorbed in the scent of newborn cheeks, I've invited a few special guest bloggers to keep the lights on and bring you a variety of eye candy and great links. I'm thrilled that these women agreed to help out and know you'll be well taken care of for a few weeks.

A sneak peek of one of the two new tutorials I'm posting Monday morning! I tend to make things out of necessity these days but practicality and beauty don't have to be mutually exclusive so when I started thinking about how we were going to maneuver the holidays this year without missing out due to sleep deprivation, my holiday organizer was born. I'll be offering the tutorial with step by step photos, clear instructions, and plenty of ways to customize your own so stay tuned. On an unrelated note, I am in love with this color scheme for Fall. IN LOVE.

Fall Felt Garland

November 1st means new blog sponsors and I'm proud to host the new and returning sponsors who've joined us this month. Check out the links on the right side and give them a visit. You may get some of your Christmas shopping done early!

xoxo,
Rachel

Last Minute Halloween Ideas

Party Bags


Garlands

Bats


Beards


Tutus


Cookies


More Cookies!


Table Decor

So are you the candy passer outer or the candy gatherer this year?
xoxo,
Rachel

Jersey Fabric + Newborn = Baby Burrito

I love having a Fall/Winter baby because it means lots and lots of blankets! I made these simple wraps out of double-knit jersey by using a flannel receiving blanket as a template and cutting my edges with my right-angle ruler, rotary cutter, and self-healing mat. You'll need a yard of fabric so you can cut it down to have perfectly straight edges. Mine measure about 33" x 39" once finished.

Each pre-washed blanket took about three minutes to make and has nice, clean edges that won't fray easily. They are perfect for swaddling because they have a little give, are thick enough to add an extra layer of warmth, and are soft on baby's skin. Perfect for this.

This is the original stroller blanket that I made for Sebastian three and half years ago. I used two layers and did some reverse applique for interest. I also folded the bottom layer of green jersey over the edges, sewed my hem, and then trimmed off a sliver on the very edge to reveal all three frayed edges. This blanket has held up well and still gets pulled out on cold nights. I was going to make Ruby a similar blanket but decided to simplify things and go for quantity this time around.

They roll up or fold up nicely for easy diaper bag storage and are absorbent enough to take care of a variety of messes that you're sure to encounter. Did I mention easy?!

xoxo,
Rachel

Pretty Things From RVA

Probably my favorite scrapbook kit from RVA to date. I love the faux Polaroid journaling spots that you can write love notes on, the Fall color scheme, and the card holder pages! All of these elements make me want to do a little art journal mini album RIGHT NOW.

Elsie's also added some pretty crocheted headbands, vintage boyfriend glasses, and the first installment of her 100 paintings project. Read more about it on her blog.

This large painting has been one of my favorites ever since I saw it in her studio during the RVA retreat. It's BIG!

It's rainy and windy here today and the road is completely covered in orange leaves from the tree across the street. It's kind of beautiful!

Today I'm finishing up the afghan, drinking lots of tea to keep this sore throat happy, and staying in my 'soft pants' as long as I want. Our midwife came for her weekly visit yesterday and said everything looks good. Ruby is still in a good position, has a strong heart rate, and has moved down enough to give me some breathing room.

If she happens to be born on Halloween, we'll have two holiday babies. It would really set us up for trouble if we ever have a third. How sad would it be for both of your siblings to have fancy holiday birthdays when yours just fell on a regular old day. I told Brett we'd have to try and time that for a February birth because there are like ten holidays that month. Better chances, right? HA! Believe me, we're not really ready to talk baby #3 yet.

xoxo,
Rachel

Very Vintage

I haven't been thrifting in ages due to a preoccupation with...um...having a baby, among other things, and have put PonyParty to pasture for a season while we enjoy other responsibilities that have been added to our schedules. Window shopping online has been a surprising substitute!

Here are a few of my recent vintage Etsy favorites.

Seaside Vintage

Becky Drolen

Vintage Avacado

Back Garage

Caffeine Queenie

Open Door Studio

Le Vintage Maison

Jess James Jake

Kitsch Cafe

Since we're taking a break from our own vintage sales we're now accepting blog sponsors who run vintage home goods stores! We've got a few spots left for November in both sizes so get in touch with Leigh-Ann if you've got a vintage store you'd love to share with Smile and Wave readers. More information about price packages and benefits here.

xoxo,
Rachel

p.s. If anyone buys the yellow lotus bowls...tell them they were my favorite.