Smile And Wave

A Christmas Diorama

I put together a little Christmas village vignette from thrifted finds I've collected over the last three years. We don't have a mantel so I've set it atop my vintage locker. I can't stop staring.

 

I like to collect things I love when I find them, regardless of what time of year it is, because I know I'll use them for something or other. It helps that I have a place to keep them out of sight until I need them and a good idea of what I'll be able to use them for in the future lest I end up with a locker full of junk. I used mostly vintage items to create this scene such as the village pieces, the deer, and the Reader's Digest books and added a few bits found at a local craft store. Before I could set it all up, though, I had to repaint that pink locker! It looked great in pink but I've been ready for a change ever since we got our patterned vintage couch. Two coats of primer and one coat of a light mint later and it feels like a whole new room in here.

Do you decorate the same way every Christmas or do you change things up a bit?

xo,
Rachel

Doubledutch Boutique Giveaway

Doubledutch Boutique carries clothing, accessories and gifty goods made by your favorite independent designers, like Dear Creatures, Orla Keily, Tulle and many more. We have tons of cute style at really great prices- you can shop with us online or in person at our brick and mortar store in Baltimore!

This giveaway is for a $50 gift certificate to Doubledutch Boutique! To enter to win, browse their shop and share your favorite item's URL in the comments below. One winner will be chosen on Friday!

My thanks to Doubledutch Boutique for their sponsorship this month and a lovely giveaway! Today's your last chance to browse November sponsors before they change out for December. There are some extra special shops over there in the sidebar!

Also, I'm still taking sponsor for December. E-mail admanagers@frecklednest.com by the end of the day to book your spot!

xo,
Rachel

 

Baby On The Way Reviews and A Giveaway

Baby on the Way is my most recent E-Course offering 12 handmade projects that will help prepare your baby's space for his, her or their arrival! This course was designed for moms and dads who enjoy customizing their surroundings to fit their unique aesthetic and want to create a special space for their child to grow.
Here's what Grace had to say upon completion of her own Herringbone Quilt.

"If you have a baby on the way (or a friend does) and are a crafty lady, I definitely recommend this E-Course. There are 12 stunning and useful tutorials included – I plan to make a few bibs and changing pads pretty soon and I might even tackle some of the more complicated stuff too!

The Herringbone Quilt tutorial is definitely the stunner though. I have been planning to make a quilt since the day I discovered I was pregnant and it was awesome to have this handy guide to follow."

Jessica Lewis of Hello Rosie wrote this in a recent post:

"The e-course is a lot of fun, and has a bunch of super useful patterns for making baby things. I’ve found that baby things tend to be either highly mass-produced (and kind of eh) or way more high-end than I can afford (or could justify if I could). So, I’ve taken to making or upgrading my own things."

Now here's your chance to WIN ONE OF THREE of my Baby on the Way E-Courses being given away this week!

There are two ways you can enter to win:

* Leave a comment below with your favorite baby name(s). Don't leave the one you're using, though, in case someone else decides they LOVE it! Ha!

* Tweet about this giveaway and report back with a comment that you did (honor system, folks).

You don't have to be a mom to enter to win! Enter for your best friend that just found out she's pregnant or your SIL who just had a baby but who would rather be napping that sewing. You can always find Baby on the Way, as well as past E-Courses at Red Velvet.

THREE winners will be picked on Wednesday, Nov. 30th, and announced on the blog so stay tuned!

xo,
Rachel

 

DIY Holiday Doormat for A Beautiful Mess

Need something to keep you busy while your family is out shopping on Black Friday? Give your old doormat a makeover with a few cans of spray paint for a simple, holiday themed look that you can live with. Go with a simple triangle theme that plays off of the Christmas tree shape or come up with your own custom design.

Head over to A Beautiful Mess for the full tutorial.  Be sure to link up to share your own doormat DIY!

xo,

Rachel

A Rush Order On Christmas

Every day Sebastian asks me how many days are left until Daddy comes home and how many days are left until Christmas. We're focused over here. We've got our eyes on the prize. Brett comes home (and this has changed since we last got excited) on December 23rd and gets to stay for ten days before heading back to BOLC for more training. Talk about a count down!

I started putting up Christmas decorations over the weekend but there is still a lot of making to do before I can put the boxes and bins back in the big metal locker. Since it's being painted I pretty much just have a room littered with vintage, glass bulbs, pipe cleaner trees, and santa mugs. It's quite lovely as long as you aren't looking for an important paper or library book that was on the table before things got all glittery.

We're headed out to visit family for Thanksgiving so the Christmas spirit will have to wait. There is pumpkin pie to be eaten after all! What are your plans for this week? Are you traveling to see family, hosting it yourself, or just enjoying a regular week?

xo,
Rachel

Accepting December Sponsors

Take advantage of the last month of seasonal shopping and share your shop or blog on Smile and Wave. December is for holiday projects, family traditions, and another gorgeous home tour!

It's going to be merry and bright over here in December with some exciting new sponsors and returning favorites already booked. I'd love to have you join the party! Check my current rates here and then e-mail admanagers@frecklednest.com to secure your spot.

xo,
Rachel

 

Vintage Here, Vintage There: Coat Weather

The week before Brett left for BOLC we took a trip to Rutlidge-Wilson Farm so the kids could enjoy the animals and play on one of the most exciting playgrounds in town! It was a chilly, rainy day but we managed to fit in a great trip right up until the skies opened up on us.

It was jeans weather but pairing it with my clogs and a cropped vintage jacket kept things feeling pulled together. The jacket was part of a Jackie O type suit that I found for $1. It was a great deal and love that I can wear them as separates!

I'm wearing: Vintage cropped jacket, thrifted. Blouse, Target. Wide leg jeans, thrifted. Clogs, c/o Lotta of Stockholm. Bag, Urban Outfitters.

Ruby loved the chickens and Sebastian loved the tractors. We got to see pigs, sheep, turkeys, some stray cats, and MINI HORSES!

Ruby's Wearing: Pea coat, Target. Vintage smock, thrifted. Skinny jeans, Wal-Mart. Mocassins, c/o Freshly Picked.

Sebastian's Wearing: Flannel, Target. Jeans, Old Navy. Shoes, Target.

Brett's Wearing: Vintage flannel, thrifted. Jeans, Target. Shoes, Zappos.

Ruby found a friend in this chicken. They were matching in their black and white. Total BFF's.

Here are some lovely vintage options for cold weather days for the littles: GORGEOUS, fun, simple, nautical, farm boy, military inspired, leather, and for rainy days.     

Be sure to check out Rubyellen's crew soon to see how they've styled things this week! They don't get the same kind of frigid weather in Southern California but I know it's gotten a bit chilly down there lately!

Thanks for stopping in and reading about our adventures. Rubyellen and I are always hoping this feature encourages other mamas to find ways to experiment with vintage in their wardrobes. Fashion isn't the most important thing in our worlds but we both believe there's value in giving attention to our wardrobes because it makes us feel better. It doesn't hurt that our husband's love it!

As young mother's that spend a lot of time at home it's been tempting for both of us to let our style take a back seat to new priorities but VH,VT has been a fun way to share outfits with each other and our readers. We don't wear vintage every day and surely still have our yoga pants moments but we're taking strides to enjoy our wardrobes lest we slip into the dark abyss of mom jeans and husband's t-shirts. Ha! Been there, done that. It wasn't pretty.

Does getting dressed feel fun to you or more like a chore? Do you love your personal style right now or are you still trying to figure it out? Do you bargain shop for your wardrobe or invest in key pieces that last for more than a year? I'd love to hear about it!

xo,

Rachel

Just Us Girls

With Sebastian at school during the week, Ruby and I have bene enjoying a lot of girl time. She's been a great thrifting partner, grocery helper, and dish stacker and doesn't mind at all if we wait to get dressed until right before lunch.

She's got a thing for the pair of ceramic birds I keep on my dresser so they came with us on a little adventure to the hardware store yesterday. I decided to grab my camera since she had something to keep her moderately still and we had an impromptu photo shoot for as long as she was happy to cooperate.

As you can tell, her patience with me wained and we had to almost get dressed twice.

Ruby's wearing: Cardigan, Target. Vintage dress, thrifted. Leggings, Old Navy. Moccasins, Minnetonka.

I'm enjoying every minute of our girl time. I'm so thankful to be her mama.

xo,
Rachel

 

 

The Token Thanksgiving Project

This is it. My Thanksgiving-ish project. It probably could've used a doily, twine, or some buttons to take it up a notch but I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. The bulky straw wreath and wool fabric were thrifted, the wool felt was left over from a recent project, and the owl was one of three I picked up at Walgreens. I cut the fabric, wrapped pieces around the wreath, stitched them to each other, cut out and stitched the leaves, and then carefully attached the owl with some strategically placed embroidery thread.

I may start decorating the inside for Christmas but I'll let this little guy hang out until Black Friday. Then it's over.

Are you a wreath maker? It's slightly addicting, isn't it.

xo,

Rachel

I Just Can't Help Myself

We found out this week that Brett gets two weeks off to come home for Christmas and New Years! We were hopeful that he might get five days off (two of those being for travel) so the thought of him being home long enough for us to really enjoy the holidays together has left me wanting to completely bypass Thanksgiving and skip ahead to mid-December. With thankfulness in my heart, of course!

This past weekend the kids and I went to Oklahoma to visit my parents and help celebrate my granddad's 77th birthday. While there I stopped in to one of my favorite antique stores/flea markets on Main Street in Ada, OK and came across vintage glass ornaments that matched our current ones. A handful of ours were knocked off the tree last year (ahem...Ruby) and I have a feeling we may lose one or two this year (ahem...Sunday) so I didn't think twice about picking these up.

I literally went to sleep last night thinking about this year's Christmas decor. It's okay to put the tree up this week if I promise to do at least one Thanksgiving craft, right?

xo,

Rachel