Smile And Wave

Giveaway Day

I've got two giveaways for one lucky winner! Scroll down to see the darling items you could win and find out how to enter.

I'm Briana of Bifftastica which is a culmination of two things I was taught at a very young age - to hunt for antiques and to create!  When I'm not teaching English as a Second Language or planning Alliday, an all handmade craft show in Tulsa, OK, I'm busy hunkered down making one-of-a-kind items with the support of my mister and our four fuzzy sidekicks. 

What is up for grabs is the Little Birdie Purse which is composed completely of vintage fabrics and lined with a pretty vintage floral sheet.  Each side of the purse has a pocket large enough to fit any smart phone and the straps are mega-reinforced so it can be loaded down.  This bag would sell for $35 in my shop.

BLOG/SHOP

 I'm Simone Badour. I design and hand make vintage inspired lingerie and sleepwear from my in home studio in Melbourne, Australia. I hunt high and low around the world for quality materials and use vintage laces and trims where possible. Because unique materials are important to me I often have small collections or limited editions or even one of a kind items. My pieces make the perfect gift for a friend, bride-to-be, or just to treat yourself!

I'd like to give away one lace bralette (with adjustable straps) and matching pantie (thong) - custom made to the size of the winner from their choice of available color options. Valued at $56.00.

BLOG/SHOP

************************************************

TO ENTER TO WIN

Leave a comment sharing your favorite item from either shop to be picked to win BOTH giveaway items! Winner will be chosen March 4th. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you!

Thanks so much to all of my February sponsors for sharing their work on Smile and Wave!

-Rachel

 

What I Wore: A Day For Sweethearts

Valentine's Day! We were just a day away from having our house packed up but we managed to squeeze in some special time together. We woke up after a late night hanging out with so many special friends at our going away party and headed to Gailey's for one last breakfast. We actually invited ourselves along when the Shelton's mentioned they were going and then invited Elsie and Emma because their special Valentine's were out of town and breakfast is just better with most of your besties there!

I'm wearing: Vintage house dress, thrifted and hemmed. Wool pea coat, Old Navy (forever ago). Cardigan, F21. Tights, and snow boots, Target. Vintage belt, thrifted. Tiny Heartlette sparkler c/o Giant Dwarf. Sunglasses, Sid & Nancy.

I did get a lovely present from Brett (after recommending it to him but he's a good listener) from Osnat Har Noy and have been wearing it almost every day since! Here's a little Instagram of it. I first found her shop of Rubyellen's blog. She's such a stylish mama!

Mostly, I'm just so thankful Brett and I got to spend it together. I love that man! 

-Rachel 

Blowfish Shoes Giveaway

 The best way to explore a new city is in a pretty pair of flats, in my opinion! That's exactly what I did this past weekend after a full four days of driving around looking for homes. We took a break Saturday afternoon to explore Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs on the most gorgeous of days. What's even better than walking around all afternoon is not having any blisters to show for it!

I'm wearing: Blouse c/o ModCloth. Jeans, Jessica Simpson. Flats c/o Blowfish. Vintage travel bag, thrifted. Sunglasses, Sid & Nancy. Ring, F21.

I'm happy to be hosting a chance for you to pick out your own pair of pretty shoes! Blowfish is offering one free pair of shoes of your choice from their current collections to one lucky Smile and Wave reader! Keep scrolling down to hear how you can enter to win.

"We think personal style is just another form of self-expression, and we make shoes for creative girls who can put together a look with effortless originality. Blowfish takes a break from the ordinary and a cue from the past. There’s something unexpected in every shoe we create, just as there’s something unexpected about every girl who wears them." -Blowfish Shoes

TO ENTER TO WIN

Head over to Blowfish and find your favorite pair of shoes and link to it in the comment section below.

FOR EXTRA CHANCES TO WIN

* Follow Blowfish Shoes on Twitter.

* Like them on Facebook.

I'm so happy with the flats I picked out and know one of you will be just as happy about yours! A big thank you to Blowfish for such a great giveaway!

-Rachel

What I Wore: Nashville, TN

Brett and I stopped in Nashville on our way home from his graduation and then hit up a few highly recommended coffee shops and antique stores. It was a quick little stop but we managed to see enough to feel like we'd done Nashville. A speed tour.

The darling Sarah of Arrow and Apple knows Nashville like nobody's business so when she said to visit The Frothy Monkey and Crema, we obeyed! While we were there, another handful suggested we visit both through Instagram so it's unanimous. If you go to Nashville, visit those two.

I'm wearing: Dress c/o ModCloth. Bomber jacket and cardigan, Target. Tights, H&M. Belt, F21. Wedges, ModCloth. Glasses, Sid & Nancy.

I vote we go back to Nashville again.

Have you ever been? What are your favorite secret or not so secret spots?

-Rachel

Modern Ink Mag Feature

The lovely ladies over at Modern Ink Magazine have put out yet another beautiful collection of images and articles meant to inspire! I was honored to be asked to share my top ten must haves with you in their Feb/March issue.

Head on over to see what I've had my eye on lately and then enjoy getting lost in the rest of the eye candy!

Thanks for including me, ladies! 

-Rachel

Sources: 1,2,3

 

Homeless and Happy

We're here! We landed in Colorado Springs on Tuesday evening and spent all of Wednesday driving around town getting a feel for the layout of things and figuring out what neighborhoods feel like home to us. The kids have impressed me so much with how well they've managed the trip and I was reminded again at how lucky I am to have a husband sweet enough to let me stop at a few flea markets along the way!

You won't believe what I managed to fit into the back of both of our cars. I'll share both of my favorite finds once we have a place to unload them. I didn't bring that lovely quilt shown above home with me but isn't it darling!

I'll be in and out the next week with a few giveaways from some lovely sponsors and more catch up posts. Thanks for all of the outfit love in the last post!

-Rachel

What I Wore: South Carolina

Brett and I didn't spend much time in Columbia, South Carolina as we had two days of driving ahead of us but we did manage to sneak in dinner with our new friends, Ruthie and Brian, and then hit up Five Points for lunch and some shopping. If ever you're in Columbia and need a place to dine Takosushi will not dissapoint. It's some of the best sushi I've ever had and a great wait staff. Brett ate there often enough that they all came out to say how much they'd miss him and even treated us all to dessert!

After his graduation ceremony we had lunch at Pawley's and I discovered my newest food weakness - fried pickles. Yeah, baby! We walked that off wandering through Five Points where we visited Brett's favorite record shop, browsed Sid and Nancy's racks, and ended things with coffee and a quick trip through another vintage/costume rental shop. 

I'm wearing: Vintage dress, Small Earth Vintage. Jacket, Target. Belt, thrifted. Tights, H&M. T-Straps c/o ModCloth. Mi Vida bag c/o ELF. 

 

I am in love with these shoes and the extra few inches they afford me! They're a lovely shade of blue that works well with almost everything in my closet so they'll be getting plenty of attention. 

It was a lovely first half of our mini-getaway/coming home trip sans kids with gorgeous weather and those good conversations that road trips without children lend themselves to. I told Brett I felt like we were in college again. Want to feel ten years younger? Take a child-free road trip and be sure to thank your MIL more than a few times when you get back.

Do you like to dress up for road trips or bust out the old favorite worn out jeans?

We're headed out to Colorado but hope to find a hotel that has wifi in the rooms so I'll be back soon!

-Rachel

The In Between

That was the longest stretch of blog silence this space has ever seen! We've spent the last week enjoying the company of our friends and family, organizing our belongings, helping the movers pack them, cleaning out our rental, and hitting the road. We're currently visiting my side of the family in Oklahoma before we arrive in our new town in CO and find ourselves a house!

We had a great send off party at Red Velvet with so many of our favorite Springfield (and an adorable out of town set) of friends which has made this last week more sweet than bittersweet. I have so many good memories from our three and a half years there and wish I could take everyone with us.

I've got a bit of catching up to do from my trip to bring Brett back and will keep sharing moments on Instagram under @smileandwave. Wasn't it so sweet of Elsie to hack my blog while I was away and leave me a message!

-Rachel

Dear Rachel (from Elsie)

Hi there. It's Elsie. I'm hacking into Smile And Wave today to get a little bit sentimental with y'all! I can't believe that next week Rachel and her beautiful family are going to be packing up and leaving Springfield. Here are a few of our most treasured memories and photos from the past four years... 

Red Velvet photo shoots galore. We opened our first local shop the year after Rachel moved here and we shopped for matching silky dresses and heels for the grand opening together! Two years later, we did it all over again!  

We taught classes, had craft nights and had lots of coffee dates. We shared secrets, made plans and invented sugary cocktails together. 

We shared many milestones in both work and family. Rachel gave birth to her daughter, Ruby. I got married. We opened two stores. Together we celebrated life's special moments, both large and small!

Rachel looks amazing in a beehive, no? 

Dear Rachel, 

We started out long distance pals with long phone calls and traveling art journals. We always dreamed of a day when we would live in the same town and own a shop for our little dream called Red Velvet. We were naive, but what do you know.... all our wishes came true! 

When you moved to Springfield we had talks of matching baby bumps and being next door neighbors. You've always been the best secret keeper and a true friend through every rough spot. I loved taking Ruby's newborn photos, chatting over vanilla lattes, making videos and trading back and forth dresses. You inspire me to be a family person and I love that. 

Next week we'll have a big party and then say goodbye for a little bit. I've been through all the stages of grief and now it's mostly looking sunny. I look forward to visiting and seeing a new city. I definitely look forward to seeing your next amazing home tour! (who's with me?) And I know this is sounding a little bit like a yearbook note, but I know we'll be friends forever. I'm excited to start this new chapter! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find a tissue... 

With all my love, Elsie 

I Get My Husband Back Today!

Sorry for the silence over here lately but I've been trying to get my ducks in a row for my child-free getaway to South Carolina to retrieve my husband! Actually, I'm flying out to watch him graduate from BOLC and then we're hitting the road back to Springfield and calling it our early Valentine's getaway. I've been promised flea markets.

I'm so thankful Brett's mom and sisters are taking good care of our kids so we can enjoy this special time together at the end of our three and a half months apart. I really am almost beside myself about it!

I'll probably be sharing plenty on Instagram as we make our way back home if you'd like to follow along. I'm @smileandwave over there.

************************************************************

Also, the winner for the Knitcole giveaway is:

mmmmmmm...
chili + cornbread + cuddling.
<3

Posted by: jennifer tucker

Congratulations, Jennifer! Send me an e-mail and I'll make sure it gets passed along so you can get your prize!

-Rachel