Smile And Wave

Front Porch Before/After

Our enclosed sun room is one of my favorite spots to sneak away to when I need a few minutes of quiet. It's also where Brett goes to read (when it's warm enough), where Sebastian likes to hide, and where Ruby likes to play with Sunday as her captive. I've always dreamed of having an enclosed front porch just because I liked the idea of sleeping in it in the summer time but since we live on one of the main arterial streets into downtown, it's really just a daytime kind of room.

When we moved in I didn't know if I could handle the mango colored paint and the blue carpet but I had no choice so I decided to work with my restrictions. I went with the tropical color scheme but added in wood and toughened it up with a little metal here and there. The white curtains were one of my first projects and it instantly made the whole room feel like a private getaway.

I replaced the ugly front door curtain with vines all over it with a simple white one made from a thrifted sheet. All of the white curtains came from three sheets that I simply measured out and ripped. I made sure the hem of the sheet was at the bottom and then hung the edges from hooks that I drilled into the ceiling. I simply cut little slits to hang them on the hooks. The hairpin leg coffee table was put together after switching out the long hairpin legs it came with to the shorter pair that originally belonged on a mosaic table. Both were thrifted. Being able to switch the leg length is one of my favorite reasons to use hairpin legs! You can see the long pair being utilized here. I made the trio of macrame plant holders in the corner and placed succulents (originals died over Christmas due to a frost) in thrifted terra cotta pots. 

I found the perfect size daybed at a local thrift store and drove home with it tied down and sticking out the back of our Volvo. I'll show you how I gave it a new look in another post. The letter banner DIY can be found here. The play teepee that our kids truly love to hang out in was a gift from Play Haven. It sometimes gets stored under the bed and is just the right size for our space. The industrial bench has also been used to store records but it works in here as extra seating, workspace, and an organizer for books, colored pencils, and sketchbooks.

I found the green rug during a huge neighborhood garage sale. It's old and still sheds like crazy but I like how it breaks up the blue carpet and coordinates with the linens on the bed. The bedspread was also a local find from an estate sale, the cushions are from a vintage couch that we didn't have room for, and the daisy blanket was thrifted. 

We keep a basket under the bed to help corral a lot of Ruby's toys and hide the fold-up, mini trampoline under the bed as well. It's perfect for burning off some energy when it's too cold to go outside. 

We don't use our front door to get in and out of the house, only to get our packages from the mailman and when we have guests visit. It really just feels like a space set apart from the rest of the house that we can all enjoy in different ways. If it were better insulated I'd want to turn it into a studio but it gets too hot/cold during extreme weather. 

I'm a big fan of our porch. It's a great place for taking a nap, stealing a moment or two to myself with a hot cup of coffee, or enjoying (small parts of) a book while Ruby colors me pictures. 

What does your dream porch look like?

-Rachel

See more of our house: Living Room Arrangement #1, #2, Dining Room, Kids' Shared Room. 

Living Room Tour Featured on A Beautiful Mess

I rearranged our living room yet again after finally getting our piano moved in and I'm finally really happy with how everything is set up. It feels cozy but there's still plenty of open space and almost every piece of living room appointed furniture still fits in here. I've shared an interview along with photos over on A Beautiful Mess. It was such a treat to be invited to share our space. If you haven't browsed through all the other rooms in the At Home With feature you need to clear some space in your afternoon. 

Room Details: Almost every piece of furniture in this room has been thrifted or DIY'ed. The new pieces are from ikea (rug, floor lamp, striped fabric on pillow, white plastic write-on frame), the heart print is from Gingiber, art prints on the wall are from Hula Girl and Kiki & Polly, oversize print is blown up from a family photo, pillows are mostly handmade, magazine rack was a DIY, the three-tiered lampshade I made myself, and the kids as well. 

It's such a good feeling to have a room finally feel like it's figured out. I do, however, give myself permission to rearrange things as soon as I get the itch. Know the feeling?

-Rachel

40 Projects Just For Fun: Wall Hanging

I've been wanting to try my hand at weaving again so when inspiration struck this month I knew I had to make this one of my 40 Projects Just For Fun. I had a little loom as a kid and made beaded bracelets and pot holders but I hadn't really thought much more about trying this medium as an adult until I saw the giant loom someone had made to make a rug out of cut up t-shirts. I still want to try that but this is a little more realistic for now.

I've been really drawn to natural elements and textures lately but still love how they look along side bold colors and patterns so I gathered some supplies I had on hand and then did a little browsing through Instagram to see what I'd find under #weaving. There were a lot of hair photos but then there were some beautifully modern, kawaii influenced pieces by a few users in particular that seemed to be fiber artists.

One of the women I was most impressed by was @cathymcmurray. Her work is fresh while still maintaining an ethnic vibe. I didn't find her woven projects on her site but they're in her IG feed. Then I discovered the wall hangings from Mimi Jung at Brook and Lyn and fell in love with their colors and patterns. My most favorite fiber artist on IG, though, is @houseofmaryannevintage. Her designs feel young and modern. I feel like I just discovered of a whole new world of fiber art and design. Here are a few more beautiful pieces I found through Pinterest.

This one was really an experiment but I love how it turned out. I used supplies I already had on hand so it cost nothing to make and was therapeutic enough to work on while listening to some Ted Talks on YouTube. I learned a few things as I went like starting and stopping thick fibers near an edge but not worrying about where you start and stop weaving with smaller ones. It's not as noticeable. I learned to not pull too tightly else I end up with an hourglass shape rather than a straight one, although I did get a little of that near the bottom. I learned there are so many ways to make patterns and use colors that I'm surely going to have to make another one or two. Here's what the back of it looks like.

Above shows how I skipped a few rows to get a diamond shape of negative space. 

Here's what I did in case you're wanting to make your own:

1. I didn't want to invest in a loom since this was an experiment and I knew from a previous project years ago that I could essentially make my own kind of loom with a frame and some nails. I had an old drawer that I knew was a good size for a wall-hanging so I gathered some supplies. I had regular brown twine that I used for my base and then gathered some pink plastic twine (Lowe's), woven pink cord (also Lowe's), and dark pink chunky yarn. I recommend a range of thicknesses if you can manage it for more interesting textures. 2. Then I nailed 13 nailes into the top and bottom of the back side, tied a knot to the top left nail and wove my brown twine up and down the rows until I got to the other side and wrapped the twine through the top loops and knotted it again where I started. 3. Next I cut a length of pink plastic twine and started a few rows in from the edge so as to hide the end and wove over and under until I ran out. Then I switched to the next material and did the same. I tried a few different things I saw in images online but wanted to keep it pretty simple for my first time. 5. When I was almost to the bottom I tucked in my last end of pink twine and then cut my brown twine where it was at the nail and tied two rows at a time into a knot to secure the base. 6. I added a dowel rod through the top loops at the ends and another piece of twine to hang it to a screw. Ta-Da!

It took me about 8 hours total split between other responsibilties and sleeping and I kept at it until I was done so as not to lose motivation. I'm really proud of how it turned out and have it hanging on our wall in the dining room. 

Here's one great resource for doing something much smaller with children. I joined some new friends at a local Forest School gathering and the project that day was to make our own mini looms from sticks and yarn and to weave in different things we found in the woods. There were some really beautiful creations made by those mamas and preschoolers and I found myself way more intrigued by it than Ruby. We ended up with sticks and leaves tucked in between different colors of yarn and fabric. I kept it for her in hopes that she'll remember what a fun morning we had with our friends exploring the woods. 

I may not be the best resource for further questions since I'm still just figuring it out myself but if anyone else has anything to add in the comments about their experience or any sites to check out, feel free. 

Have you ever woven something? How did it turn out?

-Rachel

40 Projects: One, Two

Colorado House Tour: Living and Dining Rooms

We've lived in this rental for about nine months. It's a 100-year-old home near downtown Colorado Springs that sits on a beautiful street with the kind of mature trees that arch over both sides and create a tunnel effect in the spring and summer, fill the sky with color in the fall, and then release their leaves to reveal the mountainscape sitting only a few miles away. We love our historic neighborhood with parks on either side of us and beautiful homes to drive through on our way anywhere. I took photos of our living and dining room a few months ago and wanted to document them before we start decorating for Christmas. 

Almost everything in our home apart from electronics and mattresses has been purchased second hand or I've made myself. I've recently picked up a few things from ikea because we finally live within realistic driving distance to one but I'm still a fan of curating a unique space from mostly vintage finds in order to keep things feeling one-of-a-kind. A lot of the things in our possession have been collected over the last four years. We've gone through three houses since then so we've shuffled things around and added and subtracted when necessary. There are some things I hope we always keep and others that I'd be happy to replace.

I hold to the idea that decorating a home is an ever evolving process. You have to find out how your spaces will serve you best, play with arrangements, and collect special pieces as they come to you to get the kind of space that feels like a reflection of yourself and/or your family. It's a process you have to have patience with. It can also be a lesson in contentment. 

This house has a long, narrow living room space with french doors in two places on one side, an entrance on the other, and a fireplace at one end. It's made things tricky to figure out how to arrange our furniture and I'm still tempted to change things around again. Since we'll only be in this house a short time and already have a lot of large pieces we love we're making things work. I am learning to love the dark trim and fireplace and feel lucky to have so much light in this room all day.

Our fireplace end has been designated the reading, visiting end. Our fireplace is non-working but I love the idea of making that end cozy. The black and white rug and pillow on that end are from ikea, the chairs are vintage, and the floral pillow is handmade. 

Our sideboard was one of the first things we found in Springfield four years ago. Brett saved it from being burned in a fire out in the country. It usually holds our tv set up and stores the kids' games, random batteries, seasonal decor, and other odds and ends. The chair, umbrella stand, tool box, and crewel piece are all vintage and the magazine stand was a DIY that you can find here. We replaced all of the granny light covers on the original light fixtures with large Edison bulbs after a tip from Rubyellen. She's installed the same fixtures in a group in their track home for a stunning effect. If you need some more ideas on how to add charm to a new home, ask that mama. She's the best at it!

Our vintage couches are both from a warehouse in Southern Missouri that always yielded special pieces for hardly anything. The blue one has started to wear out on the seat so I've been keeping it covered with an afghan until we can replace or reupholster it but most busy weeks it's where we pile on the clean laundry. The coffee table was also found there and is the second mid-century table we've owned. I'd love to find something round for this L-shaped arrangement but we'll use this in the mean time. It's one of those pieces that I'm sure we'll always keep. Using mostly inexpensive vintage furniture means it's easy to swap things out as we move and as our spaces change. Thankfully we have both a basement and a garage to store things at this house.

The artwork on these walls are from Andrea Jenkins of HulaSeventy, Lisa Goliightly of Kiki and Polly, and an Instagram I enlarged and printed. They're all beautiful and remind me of the past in different ways. 

The olive industrial cart was found this summer at a favorite thrift store near our home and finally found a place next to the blue couch. It holds pretty things. 

Our dining room is rather large and has three large windows that look out into our alley. We get plenty of light because our neighbor's house isn't right next to ours. I'm thankful for that, too. We spend most of our time in there doing homework, working on projects, coloring, painting, eating, and reading. It's the dance party room, the catch up on the day room, the roomiest spot in the house. 

I found this vintage kilim on a road trip through Oklahoma last year. It was a mom and pop thrift store going out of business and the lady kept telling me everything I had picked up wasn't for sale. I was getting pretty frustrated and was ready to walk out when I spotted it under some boxes on the floor. I asked if it was for sale half expecting her to say no when she said, "Yeah, $35." I peed my pants a little and then handed over the cash before she could change her mind. It's one of my favorite things in our home and has really influenced my style as of late. I only stayed mad for a few days when Sunday chewed a hole in the middle of it. Stress eating, sigh.

The white wardrobe acts as our office and holds our printer, filing system, shredder, etc. You can see the makeover it got this summer thanks to Benjamin Moore. The vintage map was an Etsy purchase and the kids' table and chairs were all thrifted. The globes were all collected while we were in Springfield. The movers teased us most about those.

I created an art wall out of the large space leading to the bedrooms and bathroom. You can read about where they all came from as well as rules for hanging your own groupings here.

I built my mid-century inspired table in the spring after searching in vain for something large enough in our price range. It turned out better than I expected and is still going strong. The wire legs were from another thrifted table but you can find your own online. Read about how I made it and links to the tutorials I worked with here.

We're really thankful for this space and all the ways it's serving our family. It's not our dream home by any means but that's not keeping us from enjoying what we have and making the most of it. Although we've moved a lot in the last ten years of marriage we've only really known our personal style in the last four. I finally know what I love and what works for us but I can tell my style is still evolving. It's a process and one that I enjoy. It's also fun to look back and see what each rental looked like and what we started out with. 

You can see the kids' room in our current house here. I'm hoping to share our bedroom and Florida room in the coming weeks. I've got a platform bed DIY that I'm especially proud of to share!

Do you love to decorate your home? Does it come easy to you or make you want to pull your hair out? If you're looking for a little direction I share all of my tips and tricks for making your space feel more like you in my e-course, Style Your Space. I've learned a lot with all of this moving!

-Rachel

Our Colorado Home: Kids' Room

Welcome to the first part of my latest home tour! This is the third home we've lived in in four years which has allowed for plenty of practice in arranging rooms that work for our family of four regardless of wall space, floor plans, and square feet! Doing it all as a renter makes things interesting but also frees me up to try things out without the fear and indecisiveness of more permanent changes homeowners might get stuck on. Also, I love white walls so it's a great time to be a renter as far as paint color is concerned.

I'm starting things off with a tour of our childrens' shared room. It's smaller than their last two and has a large built-in that we had to work around but I've been able to create a vintage-inspired space with similar elements in both girl and boy versions and stuck to a color palette that not only feels appropriate to their ages but can also grow with them. It took me a few weeks to figure all of this out and even longer to get that last embroidery hung and the boxes of legos under the bed organized but I think my favorite rooms have always evolved over time before they reach their happy place.


Most things in their room are vintage and have been thrifted, gifted, or DIY'ed. The beds are possibly my favorite pieces apart from the pull down chalkboard map and wooden kitchen. Each piece has it's own character but most have come with their own stories. For instance, I found Ruby's bed frame and the chalkboard map during our move from Missouri to Colorado. We were traveling in our two cars and there was just enough room to angle both huge pieces above the seats in the interior of our Maxima. I was so determined to take both home that I paid for them before measuring to see if they'd even fit!

This room has the luxury of a deep closet and built-ins (see above door). It's Sebastian's favorite hiding spot and holds all of Ruby's dresses, out of season clothing, our collection of vintage Fisher-Price houses, and extra blankets. There may still be a big box hiding in the back corner that I just can't bring myself to unpack. 

The embroidery wall was collected over a period of three years and were all found at local thrifts and fleas except for the last three I found on Etsy to fill out the collection. I almost donated them before we moved but held on to them at the last minute. I chose a bold display for her side of the room to fill up that long wall and love how the full collection takes a bit of preciousness away from the fact that they're floral embroideries.

The basket full of stuffed animals is evidence of her big heart. She lays claim to anything soft and cuddly within her reach. Just because she doesn't name any of her animals doesn't mean she'd not notice if one of them went missing...ahem. I made the garland on the wall above her bed right after she was born as a Christmas decoration for the living room but love it with these colors.

I tried to create some symmetry in their room to help tie everything together but only just noticed that I have arrows on both of their bottom shelves pointing in either direction. Again, the items on their shelves each carry a story or a reminder of someone who loves them.

The arrows were purchased at an Indian trade shop in Missouri during a trip to St. Louis to spend some precious time with Brett during a three-month training period last year. The 'KID' letters were found on one of my last thrifting dates with Elsie and Emma, the handmade lamb plush was a gift to Ruby on her second birthday from Katie, the miniature sewing machine was a gift from Leigh-Ann, the blue feather headdress was a gift from Sarah, and various other decorations were thrifted from favorite flea markets in Springfield.

The afghans, quilts, and bedspreads were all found at various thrifts and fleas. I have had so many people ask how I wash linens and my secret is baking soda or white vinegar if things are smelling bad. It also doesn't hurt to hang them to dry in the sunshine if you've got the space. Just don't forget about them and leave them outside for three or ten days because they'll either mold or fade. I may be speaking from experience.

This bookshelf was gifted by my grandmother and is from an educational company. It's served us well by keeping their favorite reads at eye level with easy access. I like being able to see the tops of the covers when I'm searching for a bedtime story.

I had this shelf custom built by a craigslist carpenter for Sebastian's room when he was two after seeing something similar in a magazine. It's been utilized as a bookshelf in other parts of other homes as well. Versatile pieces of furniture make filling in the new spaces a little easier when you move. The dollhouse is from PLAN toys and the tubs are from Target. I have had good intentions on decorating that dollhouse with vintage wallpaper but Ruby beat me to it with her sidewalk chalk. 

The wooden kitchen below is starting to show a little wear thanks to a budding young cook. We managed to fit it into an overly full car on the way home from a Christmas visit to Brett's family a few years ago. I'd been looking and looking for one for months and then we happened to stop into a new flea market and there she was. I still remember how little I paid for it! 

I'd still love to find a rug that cooperates with the rest of their room to warm things up this winter but I'm really happy with how things have turned out this time around. I'm planning on draping twinkle lights over their built-in and putting little wreaths on their bed frames as we approach Christmas. We're in this space for another year-and-a-half so if any other little Denbows make their way into this family (we wouldn't be opposed to that AT ALL) it'd mean another creative solution to fitting it all in but I do like a good challenge! 

Stay tuned for a dining and living room tour in coming days. See the last two shared rooms here and here.

-Rachel

Our Colorado Home: Dining Room Tour

Our dining room may be my favorite room in the house. It's large, open, and gets as much sunlight as a girl could want throughout the day thanks to those gloriously large, West-facing windows. Other than having my heart set on a more modern drum shade rather than the original fixture and a second layer of curtains for night time privacy, this room is finally finished. 

It's very different than any other dining space we've had as our last home didn't have a designated area so we made things work at one end of our living room. The rental before that had a medium dining room but I used it primarily as studio space. I've had the yellow fiberglass chairs for about two years after buying them from a friend in Springfield and found the two vintage school chairs in an antique shop near Oklahoma City for a song. They used to go with the kitchenette that I stole those hairpin legs from.

Don't hate me but I found the vintage rug in a warehouse moving sale in a tiny town in Oklahoma for $35. I had asked about a few things in the store that weren't marked and was frustrated that none of them seemed to be for sale and was about to walk out when I spotted it. I almost squealed when she wanted $35 and couldn't get to the cash register fast enough! This is the only room in the house it'll fit since it's so long but I love how it's become the focal point for the rest of the decor.

I found the vintage record table recently at a flea market as well as the minty blue typewriter. It's my favorite out of my whole collection. The yellow typewriter was thrifted awhile back in MO. The wooden #3 was purchased at the Alameda Flea Market in 2008 and the plant and planter are from Lowe's.

The mirror and gas station sign were thrifted in Springfield and the vintage school table was gifted by my in-laws. It makes a great record stand for our Crosley. I keep our growing record collection in a large metal milk crate below the desk but we may need to figure out another system soon.

The large white wardrobe used to be Ruby's makeshift closet but has been repurposed as our office space. I found it at a mom and pop used furniture shop in MO and power sanded it and painted it while eight months pregnant with her. It was a labor of love! The vintage globes have been collected from various thrift stores in MO and the large vintage map was an Etsy purchase. The DIY for adding dowels to a map can be found here.

The vintage kids' table was Ruby's Christmas present. I thrifted it and the brown chair in Springfield but found the aqua school chair way back in 2008 on our move from Fresno, CA to Springfield, MO. It rode on my lap most of the way. 

Our growth chart needs updated.

I found the wooden folding chair at a thrift store for $5 but it had a torn cover so I reupholstered it as a project in my Modern Patchwork e-course. It hasn't had a place to sit out for over a year so I'm glad I can finally enjoy it.

That little nook was a good spot to hang this old sock dryer. I have three of them in various colors that have been waiting for some extra wall space to be displayed! I recently noticed on Instagram that my dear friend, Rubyellen, has one as well in the same color!

You can see into our little hallway and bathroom here. The plant stand was a recent thrift here in CO but the mirror has been in various parts of the last two homes we've lived in.

You can read all about my dining room table search that turned into a DIY here.

I bought this from YeeHaw press about a month ago and just learned they're going out of business. I know they'll be missed.

I'm taking this photo from the front of the house looking through to the back where you can see our kitchen. Our living room spans the front width of the house and I've turned it into two sitting areas but it's not quite ready for it's full reveal. You'll see why in a minute. 

Basically, everything in this photo was thrifted except for the IKEA pillow and sheep skin and the pink Modernica shell chair.

This is the view from the kitchen looking to the front of the house. I've recently taken down the flannel cranberry curtains that were hanging over the sheer drapes and it's made it feel like a whole new space. It's amazing how something that doesn't fit your aesthetic can change your feelings about your environment. It's so much brighter now, although we can't walk around naked at night.

You do it, too.

Just to keep it real, here is the other side of our living room. The laundry pile has been there for over a week, the homeless chalkboard panel was moved out of a previous shot and propped up here, there are toys usually strewn about in one corner or another from that week's activities, and I still have lots of stuff that I haven't found a place to put (floor lamps, picture frames, etc.). You can also see into our little bedroom. Our bed was unmade and those ugly curtains were draped across the top waiting to be folded and bagged until we move out.

I spent a lot of time getting my dining room clean for these photos and while this is the general structure in it's ideal form, things are usually in much more 'lived in' conditions unless company is coming over. We don't mind it that way and I'll gladly share our everyday messes on Instagram and in future posts but I like seeing it like it at it's very best, too. 

I'm going to continue to share room tours of our new space as those rooms feel put together. It's good motivation for me to get things done!

I'm happy to respond to any questions about my aesthetic or where I found something in the comments below. I've also shared almost everything I know about designing a home you love in my e-course, Style Your Space, if you're looking for something much more in depth.

Thanks for reading!

-Rachel

Boring Basement to Boutique Style Closet

When we moved in to our new house we made the small sacrifice to switch rooms with the kids so they could have the bigger bedroom. That left us with about 18" on either side of our bed to roll out of in the morning before hitting our wall and about 18" between the foot of our bed and our dresser. We sold our canopy bed frame because of the ceiling fan and moved Brett's dresser into the kids' room. Our single closet is smaller than the one in my freshman dorm room which meant Brett's wardrobe and shoes would fit but mine were kind of in purgatory. Basically, we had just enough room for doing married things in our bedroom and not much else.

After much contemplation about how to store my clothing so it didn't look like we were living in a garage sale I decided I could borrow my friend Rachel Burch's brilliant idea of turning part of the basement into a closet! Our basement has a room on each side of the stairwell leading down there so I designated the bigger, brighter side as the potential closet space and the darker, crowded side full of boxes as the storage space. The closet side has a permanent sink and houses the water softener and some other things that came with the house but there was enough of a nook and decent light in the morning and I just knew if I got creative enough I'd be able to make it into something I'd enjoy using.

My first step was to clear out the excess boxes and organize things in the large cupboards opposite the photo above. Then I swept the floors, wiped down the walls, and brought in pretty, multi-faceted light bulbs. My first bright idea was to install a floor-to-ceiling curtain to cover the tiny window and stained wall behind it. It matches the pre-existing white and yellow color scheme and I already had the vintage sheet on hand and still lets plenty of soft light in.

One of the biggest projects was to build my own clothes rack from steel pipes. I've always wanted a boutique style rack but have never had the space for one in my bedroom. It's kind of ironic that my lack of space has led me to finally making one. 

Another makeover project was spray painting a vintage, metal stand I found on my last trip to my secret thrifting spot in Southern Missouri for $3. It just needed a coat of black paint to match the rest of the hardware and is the perfect size for storing most of my shoes. The vintage mirror above it was found at a local D.A.V and was $5 with my military I.D. It's pretty and helps bounce light around.

The third big makeover project was turning a cheap rug into something a little more fun. I found this one at Lowe's and went to town with some freezer paper and spray paint. You want one, too? Don't worry. I've got a tutorial for that.

Two little accessories from IKEA that I've always wanted to utilize in my home made the perfect hardware for displaying my vintage silk scarf collection and favorite sunglasses. 

The last big DIY for this space was creating a standing jewelry and handbag display from a pre-cut piece of lumber. It rests against the ugly cement wall covered by the curtain and was a great solution for the awkwardness of that space.

I took advantage of every inch of space by hanging my four vintage, floral suitcases by size on the wall. This not only shows of their great patterns but provides more storage for out of season accessories like gloves, beanies, wool scarves, etc.

I was stumped on how to display my enamel pin collection until I realized I could just pin them onto the back of a pretty quilt square Brett's grandma gave me. There was just enough wall space left and I only had to make one hole in the wall.

I almost stopped at making one little nook in the basement pretty but then realized it would be simple to create a little curtain of sorts to cover the ugly sink and water treatment equipment. Once that was out of sight I realized our full length mirror was still boxed and that it would fit nicely at the other end of the room. Once that was in place I brought down the chair I also found at the same secret thrift spot in Missouri and paid only $3 for, added a basket to hold my belts, and strung up the wire basket turned lamp shade that I've used in my studio spaces for the last four years.

I'm still using dresser space upstairs for unmentionables, work out clothes, and t-shirts and jeans but now I won't have to deal with piles of clean clothes draped on top of it because there is no place for them. It's like a Christmas present to myself!

Best of all, I didn't have to spend a fortune. The most expensive project was the clothes rack but it's something I know I'll always utilize in the future and the rest were either quite affordable little DIY's or thrifted. I'm sure we'll probably bring in our little trampoline or set up a coloring area so the kids can enjoy hanging out in this happy room, too. Let's just hope we don't have a spider problem!

Yikes! Cover that thing up.

It was a lot of work but now I actually want to go spend time in my basement! Ruby's already been through trying on flats, rearranging the jewelry, and walking around with a purse on her shoulder like she owns the place. It's so fun for me to see her pretending to play dress up because I know exactly how she feels. 

Find my full, step-by-step tutorials for the polka-dot rug, steel pipe garment rack, and jewelry stand on A Beautiful Mess.

I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into my mini basement makeover. What kind of closet space do you have? What does your dream closet look like?

-Rachel

Living Room Tour: Christmas Edition

Like many bloggers, I got the tree out a few days before Thanksgiving because I just couldn't wait any longer! Pulling out the boxes of vintage Shiny Brites and bottle brush trees was just what I needed a few weeks into Brett being gone to give me something to look forward to. The boxes covered the dining room table and spilled over onto both sides and sadly stayed there for weeks. I'd get some corner fixed up and then get stuck again. I didn't want to waste any great opportunity to do something creative but with little time and energy left over at the end of the day, my efforts were stalled and my enthusiasm wained.

I finally got the last of the boxes cleared away the day after Brett flew home for Christmas so we could eat together as a family on Christmas Eve. It was our first Christmas at home as a family this year and I didn't want to forget a thing about how it looked since we'll be in another house next year! I spent most of Ruby's nap on Christmas day picking up and photographing the living room. It only looked like this for about two more hours but it is still leaps and bounds better than it has been the last few weeks!

My MIL found our white tree at a garage sale for $5 and gave it to me for my birthday a few years back. I've never missed having a real tree but Sebastian asked me why ours was white this year. We may get a small one for the kids to decorate next year. I did thrift another 4 ft. white tree about two weeks ago that I decorated with gold and silver bulbs for our bedroom. I feel really lucky to have two!

I finished sewing the Christmas stockings a few days ago and then added one for Sunday after Sebastian decided she needed one, too. My vote was to put a lump of coal in it for those three instances in the back of the Volvo (shudder).

Next year, I'll be tackling the DIY I had planned for our little nutcracker collection but this year the time just wasn't there. This was Ruby's favorite vignette. She'd climb up on the chair and sit on the edge of the desk to play with them. One morning I found a blackberry in the big one's mouth. His beard is purple-ish grey now. The nutcrackers were either thrifted or found at the $$ section of Target.

I made the stockings from coordinating new and vintage fabrics I had in my studio. I used a standard stocking size as a template for their shape and then added a large bow to each of ours and a small bow to Sunday's. I used my favorite floral fabric on mine! It's from Melody Miller's line Ruby Star Rising and I used a different fabric from the same collection for Brett's. You can read more about the vignette on top of the locker here.

Most things in our home were found at flea markets/garage sales/thrift stores. Other than electronics and a few random decor accents, everything is vintage or handmade. It's been collected over the last few years and I've switched things out as our needs/spaces have changed.

And just so you don't go wondering how we keep things so clean with two kids and a puppy running around...

This feels more like it these days.

We call them the Glimmer Twins because they're trouble when they get together. They're either leaving a trail of toys, chewing on something that doesn't belong to them, or creating little emergencies. If you're a mama or a puppy owner, you know the routine.

We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend these last few days together again as a family. Brett has been taking the reins with housework and entertaining the kids so I can spend some time catching up on things that make me feel balanced and refreshed. He's pretty fantastic!

More Christmas photos to come as well as a little recap from the last few weeks. I hope you had a special Christmas this year. Do you keep your tree up through New Year's or is it already down?

xo,

Rachel

See my Cafe Mom Holiday Home Tour from 2008 here.

Home Sweet Home: House Tour with Carrie Ellegaard

 

Carrie was kind enough to let Janae and I into her home a few weeks ago in order to share it here on Smile and Wave. One of my favorite parts about this feature is having a great excuse to peek inside the gorgeous homes of new friends and Carrie's home that she shares with her husband and three children is no exception. It's bright and cheerful with interesting pieces in every corner. The care that has been put into renovating their house is evident in each room and the way their style flows seamlessly throughout their three levels (basement not shown) is a testament to their strong sense of style. Oh, and do you see all of those windows in their kitchen?!

Q: What kind of home do you have and how long have you lived there?

A: It's a Bungalow built in 1918. We've been here for over nine years now...since the day we got married. It's our first home and hopefully our last.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I wouldn't like to say my style is "cheap" but it is definitely un-expensive. Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a bargain hunter because I find myself buying things only because they're cheap! Then I spend the whole way home with buyers remorse, crossing my fingers that it works when I try to mix it in with my other "in-expensive" things.

 

Having a Danish husband and a childhood friend in Sweden, I have had the opportunity to travel to Scandinavia a few times now. A lot of what I hope influences my style is from what I have seen over there. I’ll have to say the Scandinavian styles are my favorite, maybe that’s why I married one.

Q: Has your style changed/evolved over the years?

A: A lot of times when I see something really cute, anxiety sets in and I think, “it’s time for a change”. Usually it’s short lived though because I always come back to the things I’ve always liked, plus, I can't have a garage sale every day. 

 

I want to be one of those people who can maintain their own personal style, even with fads and styles changing all the time. They seem to know exactly what they like and that’s how they “make it their best.” I find that decorating comes easiest to me when I don’t try to duplicate another style that I think I like but that’s not me.

Q: What kinds of changes have you made since you've moved in?

A:  I loved most everything about this house from the first day I walked into it but some things needed to go! Soon after we moved in we gutted the bathroom, tore the carpet out, took wallpaper and border down, scraped popcorn ceilings, (which is kind of fun) got rid of all the eighties ceiling fans, and painted throughout.

 

Since then we have focused more on the details like stripping doors, repairing the old plaster walls, and stripping, sanding and repainting all the trim. We also reworked all the old windows, refinished the wood floors, fixed up the basement, got new storm windows, painted the outside of the house, and added the 2nd floor. We have been working non-stop on our house since we moved in, but we love it. I guess that’s what they say, it’s part of living in an old house.

Some might think we’re crazy putting so much time, money, and energy into this house because of the side of town we’re on. It doesn’t have the best reputation, not to mention resale value. But, we don’t do it for those reasons, we do it because we love living in this house and we love our surroundings. We live right across the street from the elementary school and our neighbors all the way up and down this particular street are as good as gold...oh yeah, and maybe I should mention that my favorite local thrift stores and flea markets are within walking distance! I don’t think I could find a better neighborhood for us if I searched my whole life.

Q: Favorite room in the house and why?

A: Right now I'd have to say the basement since we just got a new wood burning stove down there. I'd spend all my free time right in front of it if I could. 

It's an unfinished basement, but it’s dry so we painted the floors and walls, added some rugs, made a kids toy area, my sewing corner, a guest bedroom, and put a couch and TV down there. It's so cozy during these cold nights to get a bag of popcorn and watch a movie with the kids and the fire going. And since it's the basement, it's ok if it gets messy. 

Another room I'm thankful for is our garage. I can go in there on a whim and be sure to find any tool I need in seconds. It is a sight to behold! You wouldn’t believe how crazy organized Michael is! (Which is sometimes nice because it really shows in his work). He somehow makes art with all his wrenches and such. Sometimes I go in there just to look at how perfectly lined out his tools are... then I just shake my head.

Q: Proudest DIY?

A: I've always liked the contrasting look of wood doors with white trim so I got this idea that I would strip and refinish them all! I quickly found out the hard way how much work it is!! I didn't realize what I was getting myself into, but after I did one, I had to do them all! It took some years but I'm proud to say it's done! 

But, I'll have to say the most practical thing we did was turning the unused attic space into two bedrooms, a playroom and a bathroom. It was a huge project but it was so nice to go from two bedrooms to four with three kids!  And since we did most of the work ourselves, it made it that much more rewarding.

Q: What's one thing on your home decor wish list?

A: I have a real weakness (border-line problem) for rugs and throw pillows. They seem to be a quick easy way to add instant color and softness to any room. Those things are always on my wish list no matter how bad I DON'T need them.

Thank you, Carrie, for sharing your beautiful home with us! If ever you need to part with your fantastic couch pillows (or anything else in your house) you be sure to let me know! Thanks, again, to Janae Hardy for her beautiful photographic eye and talent in capturing the beauty of these homes and the women that live in them each time.

Feel free to leave comments here for Carrie to read about how much you loved their home, too! I'm off to find a round coffee table to paint.

xo,

Rachel

 

Home Sweet Home: House Tour with Cindy Hosmer, Part One

Home Sweet Home: House Tour with Cindy Hosmer, Part Two

Home Sweet Home: House Tour with Amy Boyd

Our House Tour: Parts One, Two, Three, and Four

House Tour with Rachel Burch

House Tour with Brooke Biette

Home Sweet Home: House Tour with Cindy Hosmer, Part Two

Last week for Home Sweet Home, Janae and I shared the downstairs of Cindy and Bob's charming vintage/modern abode and we're back this week to give you a little tour of the upstairs portion which includes three of their four childrens' rooms. If you love vintage infused kid's rooms as much as Janae and I you're going to love this post! I've asked Cindy to share a little bit about whose rooms these are and the stories behind a few of her favorite finds.

Q. Whose rooms are these?

 A. Upstairs sleep 3 of my 4 children. My oldest ,Silas, is going to college and living on his own. The other 3 children's rooms are Ruby:15, Vivian:8 and Georgie;5.

Q. Do your kids have strong opinions about the design of their space? Have they ever helped out on how it's set up/designed?

A. As far as the little ones go, they have no opinion. I can barely get them to clean up off the floor. Ruby, my 15 year old, is highly opinionated which really cramps my style sometimes. Although, I'm not going to complain because it will really come in handy someday for her. Right now, we go back and forth.

Before Silas moved out his room was painted a beautiful dark grey. When she took over the room, she really wanted it hot pink from a picture she found in a House Beautiful magazine. I tried to convince her by saying she could add in some hot pink to the grey and it would look nice. I obviously didn't win that battle. It is very hot pink! It's growing on me. The color is happy, just like Ruby.

Q. Where did you find items in each room? Is there anything you searched extra hard for?

A. I would say the matching beds in Vivian's room are what I searched the hardest for. I believe matching twin beds are hard to come by. I finally found them at a local flea market. Ruby and Vivian used to share a room and slept in the matching beds until Silas moved out.  Ruby, in her teenage years, finally has her own room. It's really cut down on the sisterly fighting. I catch them every once in a while having a pleasant time together in the old room.

I really like decorating with books in adult rooms but it is so much more fun in a children's room. There are so many beautiful children's books. I wish I could display them all! I also love dolls. There is a doll in a high chair that is in Vivian's room that I saved my money for when I was a girl. I think it took me a year. The draw was that she had partial real hair and she was made in Germany. Vivian plays with her quite a bit and that makes me happy. The doll is still getting good use.

Vivian has a red clothing bar that Bob made her from a picture I found in a magazine. I looked a long time for one before I asked him to finally just make one. She has a hard time seeing her clothes up high in her closet.  It is nice because it puts all her clothes right in front of her.  Ruby has a doll that she puts on her bed (on the rare times that she makes it)  A friend of mine made it for me as a baby gift when Ruby was born. It has black hair and blue eyes. Just like Ruby.

In Georgie's room there is a large shelf that my sister helped me find at a local flea market. My sister has a good eye. The shelf originally had doors on it, with ugly wood and I couldn't see the potential. My sister nonchalantly said, "why can't you just take off the doors and paint it?" Needless to say, I thought it was a great idea. Georgie loves trucks and cars. I have a few trucks that I covet. I found them in the trash when someone was moving. I try to put those way up high on his shelf so he can't get to them. I know, that's sad. Bob, my husband, made Georgie's toybox with sliding doors. I saw it on an online website and wouldn't quit bugging him until he made it. It houses a lot of his junk toys.

What I love most about Cindy's style is her use of vintage throughout her kids' rooms in a way that represents their interests and personalities. They're colorful, practical, and inviting and it's easy to see how their spaces are set up for creative play. I love the standing, open wardrobe in Vivian's room, the three little bears family in Georgie's room, and that Ruby saw something she liked in a magazine and wanted to recreate it on her own terms.

Thank you, again, Cindy, for sharing your beautiful home and a little bit about your sweet family. Head over to this post to see Part One of Cindy and Bob's house tour which features the entire first floor.

Janae and I have another house tour lined up for November that has a playroom that ensures only kids can enter and enjoy! It's another local stunner and we're eager to share it with you on Smile and Wave.

xo,

Rachel

Home Sweet Home: House Tour with Cindy Hosmer, Part One

Home Sweet Home: House Tour with Amy Boyd

Our House Tour: Parts One, Two, Three, and Four

House Tour with Rachel Burch

House Tour with Brooke Biette