Smile And Wave

R.E.D.

When picking names for our growing baby girl we settled pretty early on the name Ruby. It was a good mix of old-fashioned and relevant and I just liked how it sounded. 

With the last name Denbow and the first name Ruby it was obvious to us that her middle name should start with an E. Emmerson it was.

R. E. D.

We called her Little Red as a newborn but these days it's Roo.  

If you ask her she'll tell you her name is Ruby Duby. NOT Ruby Emmerson.

Outfit Details: Vintage shirt, Little Reader Vintage. Skirt, Wal-Mart. Saltwater Sandals, My Saltwater Sandals. Amber necklace, Amberizon.

Speaking of initials, as soon as I saw this necklace on Jess' blog I e-mailed Brett to let him know about it. It arrived today and I am so happy with it. The charms have their initials and are sweet in and of themselves but I'm really in love with the chain. I have a thing for brass. 

My Little Red isn't so little anymore. She's so articulate and thoughtful and asks questions about EVERYTHING. Her legs are getting so long and, after looking back on past photos, I can tell her hair REALLY IS GROWING! 

Sebastian is almost out of school for the summer which means this one gets her play mate back. I'm going to relish this summer of their young lives together. SENTIMENTAL!

-Rachel

One Very Talented Lady

Sandi of AdaLou is quite the talent! She wrote to tell me she'd been working on a secret project a few weeks ago that involved a few of the bloggers that inspire her and her knack for illustrating but we didn't get to see what she was working on. Fast forward to today when she unveiled her big project on her blog and call me blown away! 

I'm so thrilled to have been thought of as a part of her project and am excited that I get to enjoy my own custom cameo necklace! More than that, though, I'm so happy to hear how Sandi has pursued a new way to develop her creativity through a new medium and use her talents to make beautiful product.

She kind of nailed it on all of us, huh! See if you can guess who everyone is and then head over to find out if you were right.

The great news for everyone is she's offering custom cameos as necklaces or brooches in the very near future! Be sure to check her blog mid-month for more details.

EDITED: Prints and cameos shown are now available in her shop.

Sandi, thank you so  much for making us all feel special! You're such a gem.

-Rachel

p.s. All images borrowed from Sandi.

Extra Walls Means New Art

Being in a new house means figuring out your new wall space! While I'm happy to keep most of our art and decor from our last rental, we've got more rooms and unique spaces that call for new arrangements. Here are some favorites that I'd love to introduce to my white walls. 

Sources: Laura George, Laura George, Pretty Little Thieves, Leah Duncan, Lisa Congdon, Ashley G, Amy Rice, Linotte, YeeHaw, The Black Apple, Gracey May

Do you have any favorites? 

-Rachel

 

Vintage Here, Vintage There: Date Night

Last weekend Brett's mom was in town and was able to watch the kids while we took off to celebrate our ninth anniversary a few weeks early. Brett will be out of town on our actual anniversary so we were thankful to get to sneak that special time in before he takes off for Army camp.

We kissed the kiddos goodbye and headed downtown to eat at Maria's and grab some cupcakes from The Cup (only because Red Velvet was closed, duh!). I had Brett take some quick photos in an alley way before the calorie fest began. Oh yeah!

I wore my new pink dress from Flour Clothing. It felt like the perfect ensemble to celebrate nine years of hugs and kisses.

I wore: Vintage dress, Flour Clothing. Vintage belt, thrifted. Vintage Enid Collins purse, handed down from my grandmother. Shoes, ModCloth. Cocktail ring, F21.

Ruby didn't come with us on our date but she did wear a cute little vintage top that day. Unfortunately, the top is no longer with us. The tricky part of tops connecting tiers with lace is that lace isn't quite tough enough to withstand a toddler that spends a lot of time crawling around after her new puppy.

Ruby's wearing: Vintage top, thrifted. Bloomers, thrifted.

Here are a few pretty dresses for your next date night: Sparkly, pale pink, floral, garden party, picnic, and eyelet.

Head over to see Rubyellen's lovely maxi skirt and how her three littles look in red, white, and blue. I always love what she dresses her girls in. It makes me wish we could live in the same neighborhood and share clothes!

We'd love to see what you've been wearing lately! Feel free to share a link in the comment section below.

xoxo,
Rachel

 

Blog Party - Aylla Canvas Clutch Giveaway from Rachel

The perfect summer clutch for anyone with a nautical streak running through their veins. This handmade beauty by Aylla is well built and beautiful with inner and outer pockets, a zipper closure, and handy D-ring for attaching your favorite DIY keychain.

To enter to win, share your favorite summer accessory in the comments below. One winner will be picked at the end of the day and announced tomorrow. Valued at $29.00. Note: Open to U.S. residents only.

Also, you guys have been great party guests today! Thank you for your sweet comments.

xoxo,
Rachel

*This clutch was purchased from Collected Thread in OKC and is not a sponsored giveaway.

 

> Their New Pillows

>

I purchased these two pillows on Etsy a few weeks ago to add to the kids' Easter baskets but only got them unloaded from our road trip this weekend. The bird pillow is from Skinny Laminx and the lion pillow is from Sass and Peril. Both shops are full of beautifully designed product if you aren't familiar with them.

Ruby is so much more affectionate and attached to her dolls and plushies than Sebastian was. He's definitely BFF with his latest Transformer and loves to act out scenarios with the Autobots and Decepticons and he still sleeps with his teddy bear but it's kind of a casual friendship.

Ruby on the other hand gets her dolls in a death grip when she squeezes them. She passes out kisses like candy and has no favorites. All are loved equally. Part of her bedtime routine is saying goodnight not only to her dollies but to the girls in the two art prints near her crib. And the globes. And sometimes Teddy when she feels like Sebastian hasn't given him enough attention.

Do your kiddos have a favorite stuffed animal or doll? I got one of mine back from my parents' house over Christmas. I'll have to share soon.

xo,
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

> Vintage Here, Vintage There: Texas Style

>

Christmas break took my little family on a road trip to Frisco, Texas (near Dallas) and since Rubyellen and her bunch were headed to San Antonio we thought it was only fair to the great state of Texas that we honor it with a vintage feature, Texas style!

However, it was cold and rainy the one day we had some time to take photos. No good. Instead we recreated our homage to the Lone Star State in our new backyard, cowboy boots and all.

Since Ruby is only one I thought I'd give her a lesson on what makes Texas such a special place. I told her that everything was bigger in Texas. Bigger buildings, bigger trucks, and bigger hair!

She was a little discouraged about that.

I told her it was okay that she didn't have any hair because she still had a pair of cowboy boots and that was very Texan of her.

I taught her how to two-step and showed her how to kick up her heels but what really got her attention was the part about the horses. She'd never seen a horse before so I had to describe one. Next thing I know she wants to go on a horsey hunt.

I told her there weren't any horses in our backyard but she was already tip toeing through the brambles in search of a wild filly.

And then we stepped in something.

I was checking the other boot when Ruby spotted her.

She came prancing right over and nuzzled Ruby's leg which of course sent Ruby straight into my arms. She wasn't so sure about this horsey.

Ruby quickly decided she wanted her cowboy boots to be fashionable rather than practical and we said goodbye to the nice horsey.

Note: No horses were harmed in the making of this photo shoot but Ruby did cry a lot because it was close to her nap time. Also, is it okay for me to poke fun at big hair since I was born in Ft. Worth and my hair can reach monumental heights when I want it to?

I'm wearing: vintage dress: gifted from Katy, sweater: JCrew (Thanks, Meemaw), vintage red belt: thrifted, boots: thrifted but not vintage.

Ruby's wearing: vintage crocheted dress: gifted from MIL, polka-dot top: gifted from mom, stretch pants: thrifted, vintage boots: thrifted.

You'll want to see how Rubyellen and her crew did Texas last week because all five of them made it into the photo shoot! I love the shots of the kids with their papa and Rubyellen's fabulous boots!

Here's a little taste of what Etsy has to offer for kids: the perfect mocs, straight and narrow, and for the horse lover.

And for the grown ups: little house on the prairie, night rider, showing the ankles, these pretty things, and my personal favorites.

How do you wear your boots?
xoxo,
Rachel

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

vintage here, vintage there: week one

vintage here, vintage there: week two

vintage here, vintage there: week three, part one

vintage here, vintage there: week three, part two

vintage here, vintage there: week four

vintage here, vintage there: week five

vintage here, vintage there: everyday wear

vintage here, vintage there: outerwear