Smile And Wave

Ruby's Mud Pie Kitchen

I've been working on a fun project for the kids this week in between thunderstorms. I first saw the idea of a mud kitchen on Pinterest but this one stuck with me. Two months ago I was driving to the grocery store when I saw a bucket of wood on the corner of an empty lot along with some trash. All I saw was $$ being saved on my next project so I pulled that car around and loaded it up. I also used some of the siding from our old white table on the front and back for contrast. It left for an odd gap on the sides since they were a different width but really this isn't about looks as much as it is about function. Plus, FREE!

I bought a storage tub and it turned out that most of my free wood was just the right width to house it. If I would've sketched this out before hand I would've changed a few things but I really just wanted a quick, satisfying project - wonky cuts and all.

The tub is resting on four loose slats that are held up by the extra lip leftover from the white pieces that used to be our table. I can pull it out to dump when it gets dirty and possibly use it as a planter when the kids get tired of it. Everything else is nailed in and screwed on.

We brought out a few buckets of our own and thrifted some pots and pans because kids like containers when water and mud is involved. Nothing too fancy, just containers. There's a shelf underneath for storing things when play time is over and space to move out that tub and replace it with two - one for water and one for sand or mud. Ruby took to it as soon as I was done and spent another hour out there while I made dinner! Talk about a win/win.

I don't have a DIY for this since it was such a quick and messy job but I love how easy it would be to make your own mud pie kitchen out of crates or an old end table. I like to think it'll get a lot of attention this fall and even when we get snow! 

I want to give my kids more reasons to be outside than inside (when it's practical). I want them to learn through play and spend time in their imaginations. This is just one of the ways I can fulfill my need to create while encouraging theirs. 

How do you encourage your little ones to get outside and play?

-Rachel

The Forgotten Birthday Party

(Pardon the three month delay but I wanted to make sure I posted Sebastian's birthday party before Christmas! July seemed to be full and I think this post just got lost in the shuffle so here it is a few months later. Proof that it really happened.)

Sebastian was a 4th of July baby. This year we spent it here in town with my side of the family in a rental on the North end of town. The fires were still burning but mostly contained and we had a fun afternoon amidst a week of hanging out and seeing the sites before enjoying Brett's family the next week. It was the hottest week all summer and there was a firework ban for obvious reasons so we spent most of the time inside that day. Everyone except Ruby and my grandparents and I stayed home that afternoon so the rest of the crew could go see the new Spiderman movie with Sebastian. While he was gone I decorated the rental living room so he'd come home and be surprised. 

He requested a Lego Batman birthday party so that's what I gave him. We played pin the bat on the Batman, ate cake, opened presents, and attempted glow stick bowling before it was actually dark. I attempted banana ice cream but that was a Pinterest fail. There was pizza and ice cream and basically all the happy birthday bases were covered. We had a happy six-year-old and a fun memory.

Uncle Joe and Aunt Mel surprised him with a Spiderman pinata that he finally tore into after a little batting practice from Big Papi. They loved it.

Here are Sebastian's fifth, fourth, second, and first birthday parties/posts. 

I hope this boy knows how special he is to everyone. He's grown so much in the last year and adjusted well with another move, new friends, being further away from grandparents and great-grandparents. Today he asked me if I knew what an exo-skeleton was! I am so proud of him and his special place in our lives. Also, I'd like to push pause and hold him at this age for a few more years.

Happy (belated) birthday, baby boy.

-Mama

My Piano

I bought myself a piano last Mother's Day weekend from Goodwill. It's an old upright with a great patina and beautiful mother-of-pearl and metal inlays. It's also heavier than our car and about 1/4" wider than our back door. Yep.

It's been sitting in our garage as punishment for being too wide since May. I've recently gone out and spent an afternoon sanding off the front rail in hopes that we may be able to remove the storm door and slide it right through with a little help from some neighbors. We may even resort to using Vaseline.

This is my accountability to make this happen before Thanksgiving. I want to decorate it for the holidays, duh! Oh yeah, and get it tuned and have Sebastian start taking lessons and all that jazz. If I haven't posted about the ultimate square peg in a round hole dilemma before then feel free to apply the pressure. Call me out. I sometimes need a little exterior motivation to get something done.

Or maybe come over and help me push the thing through my kitchen.

-Rachel

FIVE WHOOPTEE WINNERS

Last week I shared the t-shirt I designed in collaboration with WhoopTee and I'm back to share the FIVE lucky winners that will receive their own! These are the only five going out into the world so consider yourself pretty special! (You're special anyway.) 

First a big thank you to WhoopTee for generously sharing with my readers and for being so great to work with throughout this process! 

FIVE LUCKY T-SHIRT WINNERS

oh man, right away i thought of my john cougar mellencamp scarecrow tour tee from high school. i found it at the st. vincent's thrift that was on my walking route to and from school and must have worn it at least once a week for the next few years. i loved pairing it with my plaid skirt, over the knee socks and mary janes, but it also looked so cute with jeans and a flannel. memories. . .

love the diy on ruby's tee! simple and adorable.
and this post made me laugh. :)

Posted by: annalea | 09/21/2012 at 11:02 PM

 

My favorite shirt is one that we bought from our friends who are adopting from Ethiopia. There are two couples (cousins) and they made a shirt that says "Ethiopia : Five million minus two" There are five million orphans in Ethiopia...now there will be two less orphans thanks to these great couples! Not only was the shirt for a great cause for some great friends, it's also so comfy. It's also an American Apparel shirt. Those fit and feel the best!

Posted by: Kaylee | 09/18/2012 at 12:39 PM

 

My favorite is an old sky blue "Sands Casino Las Vegas" t-shirt that is on it's last leg! I thrifted it in high school, and it's now tissue paper thin, but I still love it.

Posted by: candace | 09/18/2012 at 11:52 AM

 

This was probably the greatest post of all time. I can so relate, mama. And I love how you added fringe to Ruby's. So clever.

My favorite tee is gray and black with a glow in the dark wolf on it. Yep. I bought it at a gift shop at Gooseberry Falls in Minnesota. Gooseberry Falls is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. And one of the most beautiful parts is that you can go anywhere. There is one small sign that says "swim at your own risk" in the small pool above the falls but aside from that you can explore to your hearts desire.It is a great testament to the fact that responsible people do still exist because there wasn't any graffiti or garbage laying around.

Anyways- I was smitten. So I had to have a shirt. And all the adult ones were SUPER cheesy so I bought the XL kids glow in the dark wolf shirt. It's a little too small now that I've had babies but it is still in my closet.

Longest comment ever?

Posted by: sara stoff | 09/18/2012 at 03:54 AM

 

My favorite shirt was a navy blue tee that said spudnick. In big ivory letters. I found it when I was 12 in a local thrift store (I hated thrifts before I found this shirt) eventually my mom said it looked like a rag and she tossed it while I was at school. To this day I still have no idea why it said spudnick, but man was it comfy. -cindy

Posted by: Cindy | 09/18/2012 at 01:57 PM

 

Congratulations, ladies! If you could kindly send me your contact info, I'll be sure to pass you along to WhoopTee. You can find me at racheldenbow (a) gmail (dot) com.

 

-Rachel

Vintage Camera Book End DIY

No vintage cameras were harmed in the making of these bookends. I first saw camera bookends on Pinterest thinking they were an actual DIY and then did the whole palm to forehead maneuver. Upon closer inspection I noticed it was a link to bookends being sold at Anthropologie. I was intrigued and knew I could figure something similar out for much less than $300. I have been collecting vintage toy cameras for a few years and only a few are really precious to me. Once I found a second camera similar to one I already had at a local thrift store I gathered my supplies.

I ended up with a charming set and it cost me around $8 (the cost of the thrifted cameras). The wood was scrap that I found in a bucket on the side of the road, I already had the glue, screws, and tools, and the paint was leftover from my bike makeover. You can find similar cameras on Etsy and eBay if you don't find them first at your local thrift stores, garage sales, or grandma's attic. 

To make your own camera book end(s) you'll need: One 1" x 4" x 2' piece of wood. I used scrap wood so it wasn't in as great shape as store bought. I suggest something without a rounded edge. One or two vintage cameras with screw-sized holes at the bottom (of similar size), screws to fit the hole size (mine were two different screws), four wood screws at least 2" long, wood glue, gorilla glue or a hot glue gun (not shown), medium grade sandpaper, a yardstick, a drill, heavy duty wire cutters or a dremel with a cutting attachment (not shown). 

First, cut your wood (or have it cut at a major hardware store) to get 4 pieces measuring 6" long. Clean edges are going to make your book end look it's best. Sand each piece in order for the paint to stick later. Next, stand one piece of wood on the edge of another so that they are flush at the end. Mark the inside line with chalk or a pencil. Then make two centered marks where you'll pre-drill your screw holes on both. Measure carefully and then pre-drill. After you've got your holes put a light layer of wood glue where the two will connect and hold them together while you drill them together. Wipe off excess glue.

Next, center your camera on your bottom piece and mark where the hole will need to go. Your hole may not necessarily be centered on your camera so it may not be centered lengthwise on your wood. As long as your camera is centered it'll end up looking okay. Drill your hole. Set your camera aside and paint your wood with spray or acrylic paint. Be sure to follow manufacturer's instructions and let it dry before continuing. 

Depending on your camera you may be able to glue the screw head to the camera or snugly fit the screw bottom into the camera (the part where the tripod can attach to it). I did both with mine. The first photo shows where I screw it in from the bottom with the screw bottom snugly fitting into the camera. I simply glued it with gorilla glue (however I also suggest a hot glue gun) and made sure it stayed straight up until it was mostly dry. 

In the last photo above I had to glue the screw head to my camera so I drilled it from the top down. I then cut off the rest of my screw using a Dremel with a cutting blade. This helped it to sit flush with the shelf it was on. Always wear protective eye gear when using such a tool. 


They aren't perfect and I would've used a cleaner piece of wood next time but I'm pretty happy with how these turned out! They're a great way to add a little fun to your bookshelf without spending a fortune.

You don't need a matching pair to make a statement, either. If you can only find one vintage toy camera you can still turn it into a useful book end. This may be your go-to Christmas gift to all of your hipster friends this year!

-Rachel

Around The Interwebs

I was thrilled to be invited to share a few books that have been in heavy rotation these last few weeks over at Sometimes Sweet! Head over to Danielle's beautiful blog to see the full post.

Also, can I just say how much this labor of love was worth it?! I'm so happy to finally have my very own vintage bike. See the full tutorial for painting your own on A Beautiful Mess.

If you need me I'll be here....

-Rachel

September Mantle

I'm learning to work around what I first considered the black hole in our living room. The dark fireplace brick paired with the dark wood built-ins and trim in this room just felt so heavy after having white walls and trim in our last two houses. However, if I've learned anything from moving three times in four years it's that you can be unhappy with your space or you can make the most of it. There's usually something you can add, take away, or distract from in order to make your space feel more like you. 

If we owned our home I would have painted the brick and trim white immediately. It would've brightened up the whole space and made it feel more modern. My only other option was to work with what I had and let it influence the way we decorated a bit. One day it hit me that I might be able to remove the brass fireplace screen. It just screwed in to the sides and once it was off I was able to fill in the fireplace with wood. It doesn't work so it's just decorative. It suddenly changed the whole look of this space!

I wanted to keep bright colors on the mantle in order to lighten things up so I chose to put the largest mirror we had up there and added vases with a little color that went with the dark brown. The 'IN' is part of the old 'NICE' and adds some height to the composition. The brownie camera under the bell jar belonged to my grandparents and the Royal typewriter added color, interest, and something heavy enough to keep the mirror from accidentally slipping off the mantle! The print is from Ashley G., the shiny owl is from Hobby Lobby, the muted owl was thrifted and spray painted, and the garland was a project I made with the kids. 

Instead of using a lot of orange and red, which would warm this space up too much for my taste, I've gone with a white color scheme with some touches of yellow and blue. The decor will probably change a bit once we hit October. I've got some spooky garlands in the works and would love to have some bright yellow aspen leaves on branches incorporated somehow. 

Even though we have some restrictions because we rent I'm really thankful we have a mantle in this home. I love bringing in seasonal elements to remind us to enjoy the present moment and the time we have together in this new state. Now, if only we could get that fireplace fixed we'd be in ski lodge heaven!

What kind of restrictions do you have in your space? What are some ways you can add, take away, or distract from what you don't love? 

-Rachel

Paint-Dipped Pinecone Garland

As soon as we get that first chill in the air I have the urge to cover the house in fall decorations. This year I'm feeling most excited about natural tones and elements because they just seem to go well with this house. We have a dark brick and wood fireplace so to break up all of that brown I thought it'd be fun to make a paint-dipped pinecone garland.

I enlisted the help of my two favorite little people to collect pinecones from our neighbor's front yard and told them we were going to make a pretty mess. They were more than willing to help. To make your own you'll need: pinecones (we used two kind but the thicker ones took the paint better), twine, acrylic craft paint, clothespins, wax paper, a cup. 

I put wax paper on our work surface and then filled the mug halfway full of paint. I wanted something narrow and deep so that we could dip our pinecones deep enough without wasting a bunch of paint. We started out using clothespins to keep our hands clean but that only lasted so long. It does keep the tops of your cones paint free from messy fingers, though.

We set them in rows to dry after holding them over the cup to let the excess paint drip off. Then after about four hours I moved them onto a clean sheet of wax paper. The paint was still a bit wet at the bottom for about 10 hours so give yours plenty of drying time before you hang them.

The next day I had Ruby hand me pinecones as I gently tied a loop around the un-painted tops of each one. I spaced mine out about 5" and used 12 to cover our mantle. I think it'd look lovely with two more strands in the same color or possibly with shades of white and yellow. I'm not brave enough to do glitter in my house but that'd be another beautiful option!

The kids loved being involved in the process of making something and I loved using found items to decorate. Since I had all of these items on hand we spent zero on this easy decor. 

Have you started decorating your space for fall? 

-Rachel

Jersey Tee to Toddler Dress DIY

I knew my little Ruby would probably not fit into the small kids' tees from WhoopTee but we had one sent over anyway because I had this DIY in mind. It turned out better than I hoped and looks darling over a pair of jeggings and a cardigan now that it's getting cooler outside.

After holding the t-shirt up to Ruby's chest to check on design placement I cut off the neckline and sleeves so that there were no more seams. It was still too big so I cut another 1" off the shoulder height and made it thinner by cutting about 1" off the outside shoulder, rounding a new armpit hole, and angling my cut down to the bottom of the shirt. You can see the difference in the two sides above. I checked my fit again but you can also use another well-fitting dress or top as a template. Fold your shirt in half length-wise to use the first side as a guideline for the other side.

Next, I turned my shirt sides right side in and matched up the shoulders and corners and pinned. I don't have a surger so I used a short zig-zag stitch to stitch along the shoulders and sides leaving the arm holes, neck hole, and bottom free.

Finally, I cut off the bottom seam, measured it on Ruby and then cut up into the shirt about 3" all the way across. I told her it was extra special because Mama made it for her and she was all about stripping down to change into it! 

You can do the same with any tee that is at least 2-3" wider than your child's body but the bigger your shirt the more you'll need to rely on a template such as another well-fitting tank dress. Thanks again to WhoopTee for sending over shirts with my custom design! If you'd like a chance at your own be sure to share your favorite shirt story in the comment section of this post before September 23rd.

-Rachel

A Fun Collaboration with WhoopTee

 

I was recently given the opportunity to collaborate with WhoopTee on a t-shirt design and really enjoyed the process. I've worked with t-shirt printers in the past that weren't great at communicating how designs might translate onto a t-shirt once printed and have ended up with a hefty bill and 200 shirts that looked awful. College was all about t-shirts so people bought them anyways but I learned my lesson the hard way. 

Throughout the whole design process this time around I was able to share my idea and get quick feedback on how we could alter things to make them look their best in t-shirt form. From color choice to size and placement, my contact at WhoopTee and their in-house designer were efficient and easy to work with. I was really thrilled with how the print turned out and that I was able to have it printed on an American Apparel shirt. If you've ever worn one you know they are not only high quality cotton shirts but have a modern cut so you're not swimming in sleeves.

If you're ever looking for an affordable online printing company to produce high quality shirts you might want to start with WhoopTee. Whether you need band merch, a mathletes event shirt, or just want to print something one-off, you're sure to get what you need and enjoy the experience.

I really enjoyed getting these shirts made for the kids. I asked them to pose outside for me so I could show off their new back-to-school clothes and this is about how it went.

"Hey, Sebastian...stand over there against that white garage so I can take your picture."

Insert pleading, bribery, and eventually threats here.

Insert more of the same pleas, bargains, and threats. 

Apparently she saw a photo opp.

What a lovely little assistant. That's when we both found out he was willing to stand up and pose in order to use the Instax!

WhoopTee has been generous enough to offer a Smile and Wave exclusive design to five lucky readers! All you need to do is tell us about your favorite t-shirt in the comments below.

I once had a shirt in high school from the Dole plantation in Hawaii that I wore every single weekend (when it was clean). It eventually faded and got armpit holes but I still wish I would've held on to that thing! Thank goodness I have a new favorite shirt!

Also, check out this promo our friend Jeremy made with friends at WhoopTee. Also, do you see that gorgeous couch he's sitting on? Yeah, Diane has great taste.

Note: Due to order quantities the size of the giveaway shirt will be a medium adult. Feel free to DIY it to fit or pass it along to your favorite medium if you're a winner!

Winner will be announced this weekend!

-Rachel