Smile And Wave

Monday Morning

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend. We're coming off of Spring Break so it's back to routines and schedules and morning lunch prep and afternoon car pool. I'm a little sad about it. I really enjoyed having Sebastian at home all day and planning special activities just for the three of us as well as with friends. We had a lot of fun and got a little reconnected.

The weather was fantastic for most of the weekend so we all got some sun playing in the backyard and cleaning out the garage. I CLEANED OUT THE GARAGE! I spent all of Friday sorting through giveaway piles, packing the car with bags for Goodwill, making piles to put in the basement, breaking down boxes, sweeping, and getting rid of trash. Saturday was spent purchasing supplies for a large chalkboard wall and kids' workspace on one side and pegboard on my side. I was able to reuse a few things I already have to create a workbench and am so excited at the prospect of work space besides the cement driveway all summer!

I have about five projects started without having finished any of them quite yet but I'm hoping to wrap a few up this week. It's a new month and I've never been more thankful for signs of spring way up here at 6,000+ feet elevation. 

Don't you love when a new month starts on a Monday?

-Rachel

 

 

Feature Sponsor Giveaway: StickyGram

StickyGram is a personalized printing service that turns your Instagram images into lovely little magnets. You create your pack online and we deliver them to your door.

Each StickyGram is 50mm x 50mm. That’s approximately the same size as they appear on your iPhone. They come in packs of 9. Our unique process produces a flexible yet durable magnet that displays the quality of your original images. Stick them on your fridge, locker or any magnet loving surface you can find.

Giveaway Item: $29.98 - 2 packs of StickyGrams

To enter to win 2 packs of your own IG images share this giveaway on Twitter and/or leave a comment below telling me which pictures you'd print out. Your pretty mug, the faces of your favorite people, your favorite food pics, or all the places you've been lately.

Thanks to StickyGram for such a fabulous giveaway! A winner will be chosen by Tuesday, April 2nd. 

-Rachel

Feature Sponsor: Ever + Mi Crush

We started ever+mi.crush, a vintage infused online boutique only 6 months ago, and it's been a fun and challenging ride! Our passion is our two little boys Everett & Miles - (it's all in the name!) Vintage style, art, music and all things creative! I have always loved to shop, and enjoyed playing around with style and fashion.  On our first date Peter gave me a vintage brooch... he was definitely a man who paid close attention to detail and aesthetics in fashion, a pleasant surprise! Together, we make an awesome team! searching high and low for the perfect pieces for your closet is a group effort, done with lots of love! and our goal is to only sell high quality and creative pieces, but at a price you can afford!

Ever + Mi Crush is offering all readers 10% any purchase with the code: SMILE&WAVE10

I love the pieces Ever + Mi Crush carry and can personally recommend this one!

If you haven't yet browsed their inventory I'd suggest heading over with your discount code and finding something pretty for spring!

-Rachel

 

Sponsor Giveaway Day

Cauliflower Kids

Cauliflower Kids' Spring 2013 collection is out! Hooray for spring! Although it may not seem like spring for some of you, it's never too early to start stocking up on spring wardrobe essentials! To help you welcome springtime with lots of sunshine and smiles (If not from the weather, at least with a bright yellow bow) we'd like to offer one very amazing Smile & Wave reader a $40 discount on anything they'd like in the shop! Now that's something to get excited about!

Giveaway Item: $40 Shop Credit to Cauliflower Kids

-------------------------+-------------------------

Jessica N Designs

Hi! I'm Jessica, creator & designer of jessicaNdesigns.  I LOVE re-purposing  in fact, I describe my work as "Giving Vintage New Life" & that is just what I do with Vintage Silverware! In my shop you'll find hand stamped, up-cycled goodness of all kinds ranging from my best selling coffee spoons & wedding keepsakes to personalized jewelry. 

My business began in early 2010 & I know it sounds cliche, but I have always loved creating things. What started out as a self taught hobby, making things for friends and family, quickly became something more. Now, being able to say that I turned my hobby into a successful business, is truly a dream come true. I am blessed & humbled to be able to say that my work has been featured on dozens of websites & in several magazines! 

I truly love what I do and pour my heart and soul into my designs. As a coffee addict, my favorite has to be my quirky hand stamped coffee spoons- they are a direct reflection of my personality! 

Giveaway Item: Set of 3 Hand Stamped Vintage Coffee Spoons $42 Value

-------------------------+-------------------------

Oh Sweet Joy

Oh, Sweet Joy! is a lifestyle blog and shop that focuses on all things pretty, fashion, DIY, and homemade. Whether you are stopping by to soak in several posts with a cup of coffee or popping in to pin a recipe for later, my hope is always that you will leave inspired.  In the Oh, Sweet Joy! shop you will find an assortment of retro style headbands that are the perfect addition to any outfit this spring & summer. Inspired by vintage style, modern color, and a combination of both in textiles, the Colette &Fayette Headbands add a feminine touch and pop of color to any style. 

Giveaway Item: Bundle of any 3 headbands (winner's choice!) from the shop.

-------------------------+--------------------------

The Mason Bar Company

I'm Bobbi Bankston, original creator of Mason Jar Tumblers, an eco-friendly choice for beverages on the go. When opening my original shop (Poppy & Pearl Co.) in August of 2011, it was a leap of faith. I was searching for a creative career and as scary as it was diving into the unknown, the fabulous world of Etsy quickly relieved those fears and won my heart.

The shop initially offered upcycled, repurposed jewelry pieces however a month after opening, the Mason Jar Tumbler idea was born! While chatting with friends about the fact that we were always spilling our drinks in the car while using the oh-so wonderful mason jar, one thing led to another and within a few weeks, the tumbler lid came into existence and was added to the shop (thanks to all of my friends who helped make this possible!) It took a few months for the idea to catch on but once it did, Poppy & Pearl co. began to truly blossom.

A year and a half later and here we are... a patent pending, this new sister store, “The Mason Bar Company” and the bpa free, dishwasher safe plastic tumbler lids. I am also very proud to say that The Mason Bar Company lids are now being manufactured in my hometown. 

Giveaway Item: $40 gift certificate to The Mason Bar Company

-------------------------+--------------------------

ONE LUCKY READER will win all three giveaways from my March Sponsors! There are two different ways to win:

* Pin an item from one of the shops above.

* Tweet about this giveaway

Do either and then comment below sharing which you did and a way to get in touch if you win. The lucky winner will be picked by Tuesday. 

Thanks so much to all of the March sponsors that participated in this giveaway! If you're interested in sponsoring Smile and Wave in April you can purchase a spot here.

-Rachel

 

 

Spring Break

We're enjoying a semi-sunny spring break in Colorado Springs this week. I've tried to plan one really fun thing each day this week for the kids to do alongside plenty of time at home playing, reading, and enjoying a little extra screen time. Brett gets a day off on Friday and it might even reach 55 degrees so I have high hopes of cleaning out our garage! Woohoo!

I've started a quilt, worked on finishing another, given my plant stand a makeover, reorganized our back closet, worked out regularly, kept up with laundry, and appeared in public in a swimsuit. I'd say it's been a pretty productive week already.

Spring break always sounds like it'll last forever and then you hit Wednesday night and it feels like the days are just slipping through your fingers. I'm not ready for April 1st quite yet.

-Rachel

 

It's Okay to Paint A Piano

I found a piano last year and bought it for myself as a Mother's Day gift. It turned out to be a big hassle getting it home and even then we couldn't get it in the house. It sat in our garage for months until one day I remembered our friend, Jeremy, telling me pianos come apart. I managed to take it apart, fix it up real nice, and then put it back together in our living room. It was a lot of work but I'm so happy with what it adds to our home. Here's how I did it and a few things I learned along the way.

Prior to buying a piano you should think about how you're going to get it home. Are you going to need to borrow or rent a truck? Do you have willing helpers who will be able to get it from point A to point B? You'll also want to think about the cost of materials to sand and repaint your new piano as well as the cost of tuning it once it's settled in at your house.

The first thing I did was power sand the larger outside surfaces of the piano and then hand sand the detailed and delicate parts. After wiping everything down with a damp cloth and letting it dry, I started taking it apart. I suggest taking step-by-step photos as you go in case you can't put it back together right away and forget what goes where and in which order. 

Pianos vary from model to model but the basics are kind of standard. I first lifted the lid back on the very top to access two latches that held the top front panel in place. Once those were unlatched I could remove the panel. I set it aside and then found out that I needed to take off the lid to the keys. It folds back so you need to take care you don't smash your fingers. Once your lid is off you can see all the keys. There will be a thin board that spans the keys that you'll also need to remove. Next, you will want to remove the hammer rail which is what is shown below. It's a huge piece and can be removed by yourself but I do suggest asking for help so you don't accidentally drop it. Place it gently out of the way as it's a delicate piece.

The next step is to remove your keys. They may or may not be numbered. Mine were numbered in two places so it didn't matter if they got moved around but if yours are not numbered you'll want to write on them near the end that strikes. Once they're all out you may want to use an air compressor to blow out any dust or debris that has settled under your keys. Don't vacuum things up because you may lose a few felt pads in the process! 

As you can see in the photo above I replaced some of the keys in the keyboard but not before sliding the keyboard out from the piano case. This not only made our piano much lighter, it made it half as wide, which allowed us to finally roll the piano through the back door and into our living room. If your piano is as heavy as ours was you'll want to ensure you don't ruin your floors (if wooden or laminate) by placing something under the wheels or getting it on a rolling device. 

I wanted to get my piano inside before painting it so I could be sure of the color. I could've refinished it but I knew I really wanted to paint it a subtle color. It was big so I wanted it to be something light and soft that would coordinate with the rest of the colors in our living room. I also wanted to choose something I knew I wouldn't get tired of a year later. Wooden pianos are beautiful and I don't like painting most of our wood furniture as much as I did three years ago but this was begging to be painted. 

I went to Lowe's and picked out Valspar's Paint and Primer in One and got it tinted to their Icy Mint (6001-7A) in an eggshell finish. I wanted a high gloss but told the employee my son was going to be taking lessons and she suggested something that wouldn't show fingerprints as easily. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think a high gloss would look great if it were the focal point of the room or if it were a bolder color. I then used a Minwax Polycrylic sealant that she suggested but it had a yellowing effect on the paint so I'm not confident in suggesting it.

Using both a paint roller and small brush, I followed manufacturer's directions with the paint and primer in one and applied two coats with 24 hours drying time in between in order to let it set. I did not resand in between coats. I actually put the keyboard back on before painting and then painted the keyboard lid and front panel separately before putting them back on. However, I painted the ends of the lid and the top of the pieces where the lid rests and then realized after they were dry that it added enough of a layer to make the pieces too tight to fit properly. I had to resand the ends to get the paint off before they'd fit. I also painted over the brass hinges instead of taping them. The paint is coming off on it's own and is much easier than trying to tape things.

As you can see below I haven't reattached the bottom panel as I misplaced it in my garage until last weekend. Hooray! I also chose not to paint the inside of my keyboard lid because I didn't want to paint over the label. I did, however, drill two holes in the lid in order to add knobs to make it easier for the kids to open and close. 

I considered a few things before deciding to go ahead and paint it. I had heard that painting a piano can affect it's sound but after reading up on a few websites and hearing comments from pianists and tuners alike that as long as you don't paint the sound board (the back piece in this piano's case), painting the piano wouldn't cause enough of a change to be noticeable. I also resist the idea of painting most vintage wooden furniture these days but I loved the idea of a painted piano more than a wooden one. It wasn't a fancy antique so I wasn't necessarily devaluing it, plus I know it's going to be enjoyed in our family for quite awhile. 

Our piano has been situated near a wall with a window that starts just above it, so it's currently holding a few plants. I'm already thinking about ways we can decorate it for the holidays! I was told pianos need to sit for a few weeks after being transported so we're just about ready to call a tuner to come over and get it adjusted so we can start Sebastian on lessons. 

Painting a piano doesn't have to feel like an impossible project but it will take a little space, a little time, and a little elbow grease. Just promise me you won't take any short cuts and paint it all in one piece. If you paint it shut you'll never be able to get it tuned and you'll be up a creek.

Did you take lessons as a kid? What kept you going? I'm thinking maybe a huge jar of bubble gum on the lid as an incentive.

-Rachel

 

40 Projects Just For Fun: Lighting Solution

I have been missing having a designated studio pretty bad since we've been in our current house. I've been housing my fabric stash and sewing machine in the laundry room add-on at the back of the house and keeping random craft supplies on the dark, scary side of the basement but I'm always pulling things to the dining room table to work-so much so that we've been eating dinner in the living room around the coffee table! 

I've had this vintage kitchenette since our last house but originally took the legs off to make our dining room table. Then last summer I stopped in at a garage sale while my family was in town and happened to find a desk with hair pin legs for $3. They were moving and I was thrilled! Anyway, I put the new legs on it, added my rug, and brought my wall map back in to create my very own studio space. Well, it's at least a new surface for all the piles.

I love wire baskets and was thinking about doing a pendant light but the opening wasn't going to work with my plug size so I got the idea to wrap twinkle lights around it and just hang it from the wall. I made a similar one in our old house but it was too big for the space. This vintage egg basket was just right but the color wasn't so I spray painted it yellow, then white, and then cut up a bunch of white floral wire and wrapped the twinkle lights around the basket making sure to end them near the back so they could stay flush with the wall on the way down to the outlet. 

I need to trade out my bottom row of twinkle lights with a regular white extension cord and just tuck it under the rug but I love having some extra light in this space when I work after everyone is tucked in. 

Also, I love when solutions present themselves so easily! Don't you?

-Rachel

40 Projects: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six

Woven Rug DIY

This may be my favorite thing I've made for our home yet! Well, besides our table, bed, clothes rack, and swing. Ha! 

Get my full tutorial and a little pep talk about making your own over on A Beautiful Mess. 

You can do it!

-Rachel

What I Wore: St. Patrick's Day

Ruby and I attended the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown without our boys last Saturday decked out in green. We spent Friday afternoon trying to help decorate the float that the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts were going to share but Saturday morning Sebastian woke up with a fever that lasted through Monday so he didn't get to ride in it. Ruby wasn't about to miss it just because her brother was sick so we joined our friends outside the Pioneer Museum and waved at the brave firefighters and fancy leprechauns. 

Outfit Details: Top, Target. Jeans, Jessica Simpson. Vintage cape, gifted. Boots, Nine West. 

My friend, Jessa, who we watched the parade with found this darling vintage wool cape for me recently and St. Patrick's day was the perfect occasion to wear it. 

We didn't do much the rest of the weekend since we were homebound with a sick boy and I really forgot it was St. Patrick's Day most of the day Sunday. Last year we went all out with a full green breakfast but the kids didn't seem to mind that we skipped it this year. 

I'm so excited we've finally officially moved into spring! It's going to be freezing the rest of the week here and we won't see flowers popping out of the ground quite yet but at least it's close! I'm hoping all of the sickness is on it's way out with winter, too. Time for more weekend adventures!

-Rachel

Mini Cakes

Sunday evening I had laundry covering our couch, dirty floors, two unfinished projects I'd spent most of the afternoon on, and e-mails to return but I needed a mental break from work. When the urge to bake hits, and it rarely does, I go with it. I had everything I needed to make a cake with cream cheese frosting except for powdered sugar but that's what neighbor friends are for, right? Everyone else in my house was tucked in for an early bedtime when I took Sunday for a walk down the block to pick up her bag of sugar. I like letting my kids be a part of the baking process because I want them to learn to enjoy it but I was so thankful for a quiet house so I could do it the easy way.

I scrolled through my Sweet Treats board on Pinterest and came across this post. It leads to a bad page but the instructions are all there. The idea is fun but the recipe didn't read true to me as the cake batter amount was only enough to make two tiny cakes (not shown but imagine half a small corn can) instead of five or six small cakes. I made a second batch that I doubled and made these two from. I suggest using cans that have the same top as they do bottom so you can remove both ends (as suggested). I used two corn cans that had bottoms I couldn't cut off with my opener so those were tricky to remove after I was done baking. You could also use a glass jar if you didn't really want to remove it to frost, I suppose. 

I had to bake my batter longer than it suggested as well but it may be because we are at high elevation and my oven is off. My batter always ends up really dense and not fluffy so I still need to figure that one out. The frosting on the other hand is just your basic cream cheese frosting with cream cheese, butter, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. The recipe I used made enough for a standard cake so I have lots of mint colored frosting in the freezer! To get that color I just added about five drops of blue food coloring and one drop of green. I wasn't sure what I'd get but it turned out to be the same shade as my pistachio-colored mixer! I wanted pink cake but it ended up a bit more salmon colored. Next time.

I told the kids they could have cake for breakfast and since they were so small I didn't have to worry about eating the leftovers all by myself! Can I get a round of applause for that? 

The cake toppers made them even more special, don't you think? They're from Lisa Leonard Designs and I don't think I'll ever be able to bake another cake without adding something fun on top! 

Three cheers for mini cakes!

-Rachel