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August has always been the cat's meow because I get to anticipate my birthday for a whole 31 days! To help kick this month off I'm offering my seasonal 40% OFF all ads purchased during the month of August. Head over to my ad page to see which price point you'd like to almost slash in half or upgrade into and then enter the code 'summertime' at checkout.
Also, those bangs.
-Rachel
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Remember that time last summer that my blogging became sporadic and then I told everyone I was pregnant? Yeah, that was rough. This summer it's just been full of life with three kids, contributor posts for A Beautiful Mess, e-course prep, our California vacation, a dog needing minor surgery and constant supervision, and the glass of orange juice that killed our lap top. I have blinked and school is almost upon us again!
I was walking around Disney developing a post in my head about traveling with kids that I've forgotten most of my tips about and have wanted to share more about Smith's birth story lately and reflect on how challenging the last part of last year was for our family. So many blog post ideas and so little time to get them into this space. Sometimes it makes me sad that I can't offer more time to this blog because I know that even though it's a public place and I write to share things with an audience in mind, so much of this is just for me. The process of making things, the weekend stories about where we went, the photos of our messy house one week and a room tour the next-it's all so I can remember how this worked five or ten years from now.
Sometimes I ache to record it all and then other times I wonder what I'm so worried about forgetting. The details, I suppose. This can't be the Truman Show but if there was someone following us around three times a week filming us and turning out highlight reels (with some lowlights included for good measure), I think I'd be on board with that. As long as that person didn't comment on how many days I go between washing my hair and they'd need to work for coffee and diy projects because that's what my cup is overflowing with these days.
I think this may be me coming out of a season of tiredness and privacy and into a season of connection again. Last year left me without much left to give after tending to the important stuff but I'm figuring it out again and the fog is thinning. It's still here but I can see a bit further on each month! It feels good.
With that, I'm promising nothing but hoping for something to show up that has been a bit absent. Words with humor and heart instead of just instructions, peeks into our space even when it's out of sorts and without feeling the need to justify our messes. We're messy people and I feel bad about it a lot. I'm working on being less messy while also acknowledging the struggle is real. An update to the design of this space as it's long over due. I've been reading through Promise and Elise's Blog Design Love 2.0 class and am hoping to make those changes myself in the following months.
We're also less than three months away from some big life changes. We'll be finished with the Army and moving back to Springfield, Lord willing and the creek don't rise. Big unknowns and big hopes are ahead and with that brings all the feelings. We're going to miss our friends here that have helped our time here feel a little less challenging on those most challenging days. We're also going to miss the huge mountain that takes up half of the windshield view when I'm driving downtown. A new chapter. Also, trying to stay present whilst we transition.
I'm hoping to share most of that in the appropriate ways in this space and thank you for stopping by every now and then to share in our lives. This space and this medium are so valuable to me.
-Rachel
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One of the most profound things I've learned as a mother is that it's up to me how much value I place upon the often mundane tasks or rituals that make up our daily routines. The extra energy put into a moment or the time taken to pause and reflect helps me salvage something from tiresome chores or repetitive scenarios. It's learning to water the grass on your side of the fence.
Dinner time sometimes falls under the category of things I'd rather not do, thank you very much - especially five days in to the work week when you're almost out of palatable combinations, your husband has to work late again, and EVERYONE IS HUNGRY RIGHT NOW. In those moments I would rather pass the cereal box but sometimes the more memorable thing to do is hand your four-year-old a stack of cloth napkins and ask her to set the table.
She's four so she still loves to help and you've just bought yourself about five minutes of quiet. Even better than that is the message you've just sent to your kids that meal times are special and kind of sacred and worth the effort. Cloth napkins to the rescue! Well, sort of.
They're just an easy way for you to add some beauty to your day, an excuse to either go fabric shopping or repurpose something you already have, and an opportunity to dust off that sewing machine you got three Christmases ago.
You can go the safe route and make eight to ten napkins in the same black gingham or you can get a little bold and mix your patterns. I like to use three to four patterns and prints in similar or tonal colors. I chose to go with yellows and greens because they're cheerful and remind me of summer time but I also mixed in a feminine print with a few stripes. I repurposed two vintage table cloths made from thicker cotton as well as two vintage pillow cases. The table cloths will be used as placemats and the pillow case fabrics will be used as napkins.
No matter what you use you want to make sure it's made from cotton for easy wash and wear. You'll also want to have a few simple tools to make this part easier. A self-healing, cutting mat and rotary cutter are life savers when you're cutting a lot of fabric and a metal or acrylic rule will get you the straight angles and edges you want. Also, a sewing machine, thread to match your fabric, iron, ironing board, scissors, and straight pins.
I placed my pillow case (or sheet) on my cutting mat and cut out a 16" square. If you're feeling proficient in this step I'd say layer 2-3 prints or fold your pillow case in half to cut more than one square at a time.
With the right side of the fabric facing down, fold your first edge in about 1/4" and iron flat. Then fold it again 1/4" and iron flat to make your hem. Pin it as shown.
You can then fold over the next edge twice, iron, and pin. Repeat until all four edges have been ironed and pinned.
Carefully, start in one corner and stitch along the inside of the folded hem all the way around your napkin. Backstitch at the end to secure and trim your thread. Your corners will look a bit more finished doing them all at once instead of sewing down one edge at a time. Iron flat again and fold the way your mama taught you. Or the way you learned on Pinterest.
Make enough for that dinner party you might have some day and then be okay with just mixing and matching them depending on which ones are clean.
Use some as placemats and some as napkins and use them as often as you want. It may not inspire you to serve a four course meal but I guarantee it'll encourage everyone to pause and reflect on how lucky they are to have you at their table.
-Rachel
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Just got to see the images from the Bing event last month. Full post with details on all the dazzling gals (and a few guys) that made it so wonderful coming soon. Aren't those flowers and that banner just about perfect for a summer soiree?
We've been busier than usual this summer with projects, activities, and a big trip on the horizon that has me making my lists and checking them twice. Disneyland for the first time as a family and we can't wait.
I hope you're having a lovely summer. There's so much more Instagramming going on than blogging so feel free to follow along at @smileandwave. See you soon!
-Rachel
Photo Credit: Heather Gray
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What do you do when you buy twelve tubes of glow-in-the-dark bracelets from the Target dollar spot to use as birthday party favors and then forget to bring them to the party? You make a string of lights out of them, duh! I must give Ruby some credit for this idea because she got my mind turning when she'd matched up all the colors in X shapes on the table. I saw what she was doing and then realized it'd be fun to loop them into bracelets and make a chain and then decided I'd take it a step further and loop them in pairs and tie them to some yarn. It was a good excuse to have a little fun on a summer night, let them stay up past their bedtime, and use up twelve tubes of bracelets!
To make your own, you'll need a handful of tubes of these bracelets or a similar brand. Larger and thick tubes are available and would be fun to disperse between the smaller ones. Match them up in pairs and then break them to initiate the glowing effect before you loop them together. I wrapped some yellow twine around one end to hold the two circles in place but later realized I could just tie them onto the yarn with the same kind of knot to cut down on the work and get the same effect.
Cut a length of neon twine or yarn as long as you want your lights to be and then tie a looped set on every 8" or so. I made three different strands with one of them being small enough to tie on to the front of the teepee.
Then I made a fun little space in our backyard with the quilt we always take to the park, our Playhaven teepee, some pillows and a blanket or two. The kids were at the park with Brett while I was finishing this part up and were so excited to return to a little party.
We roasted marshmallows for S'Mores before it got dark and then I gave them the extra sticks to make bracelets and necklaces, etc. Once it was really dark we got back out there for some more glow-in-the-dark fun.
The kids had so much fun playing with their glow sticks and seeing all the light blurs in my camera feed. They loved staying up after dark and begged to sleep outside under their lights but rain was in the forecast.
Here's the most important part of this tutorial. If you're planning to enjoy the glowing effect for more than an hour or two, be sure to make your strands as close to dark as you can manage. Have a friend or your kids (should that apply) help you break the lights and tie them on and you'll have bright lights for awhile.
Here's another fun use for glow-in-the-dark bracelets from the time we welcomed Brett back after dark from a month away for training.
Enjoy!
-Rachel
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Sebastian's birthdays have almost always been spent with my side of the family as we have been getting together for the 4th of July since I was a kid. This year we stayed home since we're getting together in California in a few weeks and traveling 10 hours in a car with a 4-month-old is not anyone's idea of a relaxing long weekend. It was going to feel a little different not celebrating with everyone so I put some extra energy into making it feel exciting at home. We planned a full day to celebrate both Sebastian and our Independence Day and by the end we were all exhausted and content in the way one is after watching fireworks with thousands of other families whilst listening to the city orchestra play Sousa with all they've got.
Our day started the night before with decorating, wrapping presents, and blowing up a few balloons after the kids had gone to bed so that our early riser would get the thrill of waking up to that excitement. He kindly waited a whole hour before waking us up to get the party started. He opened presents and we face timed with some family before Brett took him to Manitou Springs for his first zip-lining experience.
Meanwhile, Ruby and I made his cake while Smith napped the morning away. Ruby got to decorate the first layer and apparently went with a firework sprinkle explosion theme. I then added the second wonky layer that was baked in a pie pan because I couldn't find my other cake pan, smothered it in cream cheese frosting, and reinforced things with strawberries. When your cake is looking awkward, add more strawberries!
We then rushed to decorate with streamers and set the table for a birthday lunch before the boys returned. Ruby LOVES this part and added special touches on her own while I nursed Smith.
We welcomed the boys back from their adventure and heard all about how brave Sebastian was gliding over the canyon with the American flag strapped to his harness. We had lunch and then watched Princess Bride during the hottest part of the day. Once Smith was down for another nap I got the big kids rounded up to make ice cream in a bag. My mom had sent us a recipe and I'd always wanted to try making it ourselves. Most of my memories on the 4th as a kid involved homemade chocolate and banana ice cream and I wanted them to enjoy that, too.
Two minutes of shaking ice and they were done. Too cold! Too hard! Oh, the agony! I finished the job and may have bribed them to taste their flavors. One was raspberry and the other banana. In the end they weren't fans of the chunks of fruit which meant I was able to enjoy some all by myself. Here's a link to a similar recipe if you're interested in helping your kids make their own or just doing it yourself because it's really pretty fun to watch it turn in your bag.
The kids opted for Bomb Pops instead. It was an unusually sugar-filled day but when you're celebrating a double holiday we throw the all things in moderation rule out the window!
Especially because S'Mores were on the menu for that evening! We grilled turkey and apple hot dogs on our new camp-sized grill by PoppyTalk and cooked sweet potatoes to use as buns, whole food style.
We visited with our neighbor friends and then walked a few blocks to a huge park to watch fireworks and enjoy the ambiance from hundreds of glow sticks and light up swords spread throughout the crowd. We could see fireworks going off in neighboring Manitou Springs and the sunset over the mountains was gorgeous. Brett took the big kids to a better spot once the fireworks started and Smith and I stayed put - he in his wrap and me in my memories from last year on the 4th.
We had just seen Brett off to Kuwait the day before and had driven all day to get to my parent's house in OKC to celebrate and distract ourselves from feeling so sad. The afternoon of the 4th I realized I was late and had my mom stop at the drug store to get me a test on the way home from dinner. That positive sign appeared and I cried happy tears.
The Fourth of July holds so many layers of celebration for our family. Getting to enjoy celebrating them together this year is what I'm most thankful for.
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Son, you are already half way to driving a car by yourself, over a third of the way to being allowed to vote, and then there's all the moving out of the house and college, etc. in between. You were just born! And then you turned eight! This past year you've grown and matured in so many ways and I couldn't be more proud. You've either got your head in a book, are building your own original Lego creations, or making up stories as you walk around in the backyard. You've been so helpful as a big brother since Smith's come along. That means the world to me.
You still get up every morning at 6 am just like that first morning when I was startled awake with a strong contraction and knew you were coming. It's been an adventure, my boy.
Happy Birthday.
-Mama
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Shibori is the centuries-old Japanese technique of binding, wrapping, and dying fabric. Traditionally, it was done with indigo and I'm hoping to try that method some day but sometimes a mama needs a short cut, am I right? I decided I'd see if I could utilize shibori binding but with a packaged blue dye instead.
My first round included this same Tulip brand XL bottle but it was labeled blue instead of turquoise. I wanted to see if there was a big difference in the final color so I've shared both.
Another technique is using something to create much more negative space throughout the folds. I chose a rock instead of a wood block because I had easier access to it and placed one on both the front and back of this folded cloth. I then added all of my rubber bands to secure it. The idea is that the dye won't bleed through the whole cloth because of the pressure from the rock (or block) but will be the strongest and most vivid along the fold lines.
I practiced folding and rolling the rest of my cloth and binding them all with more rubberbands as shown below.
Once I was finished folding and binding I placed my fabric on a large piece of cardboard outside. A trash bag or cheap shower liner would also work. The instructions on some dyes say they are only vibrant for the first 45 minutes so I made sure I had everything set up before I added water to my bottle full of dye and soda ash. I shook it until it had all dissolved and then started applying my dye.
Here's where I learned my first lesson. I saturated my bound cloth a bit too much to get the desired effect of strong patterns. I was eager!!! This tie-dye method is different from an indigo dye bath in that dye baths allow for unbinding the fabric within 20-30 minutes but tie-dye instructions usually call for them to be left for six to eight hours to fully penetrate and leave a vivid color.
I waited a full six hours before unwrapping mine to rinse and the majority of my smaller pieces were fully aqua with some darker markings along the folds but very little white. My larger piece ended up looking like a swimming pool design because I used both the turquoise and blue dyes. I was expecting some stronger contrasts but I'm still happy with how the largest one turned out.
Next, I used the darker blue on a large piece of off-white Kona cotton fabric after folding it up and binding it with rubberbands. I had two large items to dye using this bottle so I used a bit less on each one.
Ruby helped me with the above job and wasn't as generous with the dye. In the end this meant a much more interesting pattern because of all of the white she left. Good job, Ruby!
After using up all of my dye I stuck them in ziplock bags but you can also use cling wrap. It keeps the dye from drying up on the cotton before being rinsed. It will crack and lose vibrancy, apparently. I let them sit for six hours and then rinsed them out in my sink until the warm water mostly ran clear. Then I ran them all in a hot water wash to help the dye set.
I'm curious to see what would happen with the tie-dye if I unwrapped and rinsed it after about 30 minutes. It may not be as vibrant since it's designed to sit for a few hours. I'm thinking the better method is to just use less dye so that there are visibe white spaces and then see what kind of patterns you get depending on the fold you use.
This is the large Kona cotton fabric that Ruby helped me with. I love it and am hoping to use it to help decorate for Sebastian's birthday celebration at our house on the 4th of July. Then I may make something special out of it like a baby blanket or a skirt. The very first image is a vintage linen table cloth that had a stain on it and was faded. Some of the light green is still evident where it's not dyed but I love the way it took to the linen.
As soon as I track down some more of the Tulip brand Blue dye I'm going to try another cut of cotton cloth in the fan fold or something that gives me a window pane effect. I'm obsessed with the more graphic nature of that process as opposed to the swirly effect of a lot of tie-dyed pieces. I couldn't sleep the other night so I scanned #shibori on Instagram and was inspired by the workshops and the detailed pieces that are bound together with stitches.
I love learning about new mediums, don't you? Especially those that have been around for centuries.
Have you tried shibori? How'd yours turn out?
-Rachel
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I've been taking advantage of every chance to get a photo strip from the old-fashioned booth nearby before we move back to a boothless town. Oh, the sadness! We did a strip of just Sebastian to go along with his teacher gift in May and I really loved seeing him enjoy getting the booth all to himself so we decided to do his birthday party invitations in a similar way.
All I did was tell him to hold up eight fingers in all four pictures thinking we'd just use the best one but his faces were all so fun that I decided one wasn't enough. I scanned the strip and opened it up in Photoshop. Then I made two copies and cropped the first two photos of the strip in one and the second two photos in the second.
I then copied those two cropped photos and placed them side-by-side on a new background and flattened my image. I cropped it down to the edges and then sized it to about 3" wide so that I could fit four images on one 8.5" x 11" sheet of photo paper. I made a new background that measured about 8.5" x 11" and pasted my image four times, making sure to line them up so I could cut them quickly with my paper cutter.
I did a test print on regular paper and then printed them out onto photo paper to get the same feel as a photo strip. Then I wrote the details of the party on the back of each photo with a sharpie and tucked them into standard card envelopes leftover from another batch of store bought thank yous along with a red balloon. I had originally planned to write the details of the party on the blown up balloons but my sharpie started to smear so I ditched that plan.
They were fun to make and so incredibly inexpensive. I wonder how expensive it would be to buy our own photo booth and keep it on our back porch? Yeah, that'd be ideal.
Since most people don't have fabulously old-fashioned photo booths in their towns, another option would be to just take photos of your child against a white wall in a naturally lit setting, editing them to be black and white with your photo editing software, and then copying them all onto one backgroundwith a little bit of white space in between them all.
Do you have a favorite photo strip from an old photo booth? Also, how many times have you watched Amelie?
-Rachel
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I'm Rachel Denbow, an author, e-course writer, maker, craft stylist, and general DIY enthusiast. 
