Smile And Wave

Join Me for a Weaving Workshop at Grayson Home

I am so excited to announce my next weaving workshop here in Springfield, Missouri! 

Join me and bring a friend to learn the basics of weaving your first wall hanging on your very own portable loom. You'll receive a tote complete with a handmade, portable loom and tool kit as well as all the yarn you'll need to finish your first project.

This class is being hosted at Grayson Home's beautiful new location at 2814 S. Fremont in Springfield from 6:30-9ish pm and will be the only workshop I host in 2015. Invite a friend or make a friend while you're there! 

Spots are limited so secure your loom and seat at the table with your ticket purchase here. Looking forward to sharing one of my favorite mediums with you!

-Rachel

Smile and Weave

I've been working on my May collection of weavings in between writing and scheduling eCourses for the next few weeks and it's been such a great way to experiment with colors and designs. I've always got a loom warped and waiting in my dining room so that I can make a little progress here and there throughout the day as I chase Smith around and pick up kids from school. Summer has officially begun as the big kids are officially out of school. I can't believe I now have a 4th grader and Kindergartener!

Life has been full but in some really great ways. I'm feeling so thankful for the opportunities that have been presenting themselves this year and for the ways I'm growing and stretching my creative edges. Family always comes first but one of the best ways I've been able to take care of them is by spending time focusing on these creative avenues. I feel like I'm learning to apply so many small business attitudes that I casually leaned on in the last few years while we were in Colorado with the Army. I'm so much more motivated to set goals and go after them with every intent to see them come to fruition instead of just doing it for something to blog about.

Unfortunately, I've been so busy working on the behind the scenes that I've not scheduled in as much time to share in this space but I'm hoping that shifts this summer as things settle into another rhythm at home and we have more time to get out and enjoy life while the kids are out of school. 

One of my first goals this month was to finish working on an eCourse I've been letting simmer in my mind all year. It's a little bit different than the eCourses I've written for the last five years as it's not project based but I feel like it's valuable in a different way. I have been able to collaborate with a few different creative friends, both online and in real life, and I can't wait to share more this week!

Another goal I set was to finish another collection of weavings but to include some smaller wall hangings to help with price variations. I've got a few regular sized weavings similar to the ones in last month's group but I'll also have a handful of smaller weavings hung on copper piping that will be priced accordingly.

We've got one week until my family makes their way in shifts to spend some time together in Branson so I'm staying laser focused on my task list to churn out as much as I need to in order to launch this next eCourse and then shift my focus onto riding go carts, swimming, and exploring Branson. I hope you have a lovely Memorial Day if you're in the US and a happy Monday if you're elsewhere.

All the best,

Rachel

P.S. You can always keep up with our day-to-day through @smileandwave on Instagram. 

 

April Weavings

I have been fitting in ten and fifteen minute weaving sessions here and there over the last three weeks and was able to finally finish another collection of woven wall hangings. I offered them for sale via Instagram under @smileandwaveflashsale as well as a few mini wire weavings (not shown). There was such a great response and all but two of them sold. It's thrilling to know others enjoy my work enough to put it in their home and I appreciate the ways it helps support my family! Thank you!

It's also been really fun experimenting with a few new ideas and playing with color combinations. Also, roving!!! Give me all the roving!

This one is still available for purchase. See details on @smileandwaveflashsale.

This one is still available for purchase. See @smileandwaveflashsale for details.

If none of these ever went to live with someone else and the just lined the walls of my studio, I wouldn't mind at all. No lie.

I've got plans for another collection coming out in May and then I may just keep listing them in a Big Cartel shop as I make them instead of waiting until I have a handful.  

If you've been itching to start weaving but don't know where to start, I have a beginner's weaving tutorial over on A Beautiful Mess to get you started on your first simple wall hanging. Anyone can do it!

Thanks for reading, friends. 

-Rachel

Woven Pillow DIY for ABM

Sharing another way to use your weaving skills over at A Beautiful Mess! Did you know it's not that much more work to make your own decorative pillow than to make a wall hanging? Go see and then make one and send me a picture!

Get the full tutorial with step-by-step instructions here.

-Rachel

Weaving with Wool Roving

Weaving with wool roving is a whole different beast, y'all! It's so fast because of the thicker fiber and has such great texture! Find out how to make your own wool roving weaving with my tutorial over on A Beautiful Mess.

Doesn't it just feel like summer time? Bring on the summer vibes! 

-Rachel

 

Negative Space Wall Hanging for ABM

I've shared another simple weaving tutorial for anyone that is interested in learning to weave but isn't sure they have the patience to work on something intricate. This project will take a little over an hour and will leave you with a great handmade piece for your space. 

Head over to A Beautiful Mess for the full tutorial. 

While you're there you can read through Weaving Class: The Basics and Weaving Class: Creating Shapes and Getting Fancy for more detailed posts on learning to weave.

I smell a weekend project coming on!

-Rachel

Awesome With Bing in Denver!

So, WAY back in June I co-hosted a special event that Alison Faulkner of The Alison Show put on with Bing. It was one of a handful of parties across America that this fancy lady was organizing, along with local creatives and vendors in each city, to share a bit about her story and message to embrace your talents and potential and share it with the world.

It was not only one of the most fun evenings I've had since moving to Colorado, it was a bit dreamy to get to hug Alison's neck. I've been a fangirl of hers for a few years and have been so inspired by her ability to make things happen for herself whilst encouraging other women along the way!

The event was held at a beautiful venue in downtown Denver and Melanie of You Are My Fave added her magic with all of the beautiful decor and styling. I was so thrilled to have the chance to hang out with both Rebecca Caridad and Heather Grey throughout the evening as they were both able to contribute with florals and photography. I also got to meet a few lovely ladies I'd only known through Instagram and blogs!

We had dinner from a taco truck followed by gourmet ice cream and popsicles from local artisans whilst chatting about blogging, motherhood, shopping, etc. We each had our photo taken by Mountain vs. Plains and were turned into illustrations that we were later able to take home as favors. 

We had a lovely session with Alison and learned a bit more about Bing's tools for bloggers before I took the figurative stage and walked everyone through warping their looms and adding fringe before getting their weave on. It was my first time doing a teaching event in awhile and I found myself thinking in blog tutorial mode. Everyone was gracious when I gave them the wrong instructions on doubling their fringe length and we managed to get things figured out in the end. It was lovely watching their woven pieces take shape and knowing a few had found their new favorite hobby!

At the time Smith was about three months old and sweet Brett had him and the big kids downtown at our hotel with a bottle of my milk-a bottle that he decidedly refused to take so that he had more time to cry. Brett handled it like a champ so that I could have this four hour stretch with some fantastic gals doing what I love. It left me feeling so refreshed and a bit more connected to something that gets a little lost between diaper changes and midnight feedings. Let's all clap for Brett. 

I'm so thankful I got the opportunity to do something a little outside my 'I have a new baby and don't get out much anymore' comfort zone because it was so, so fun and I would've missed out on hugging that sweet Alison's neck!

Moral of the Story: If you're invited to share about something you're still learning how to do yourself and you're pretty nervous about how it might all come together, but your heart beats a little faster at the possibility of how exciting it might also be, go ahead and commit.

You won't be sorry.

Even if you have a slight wardrobe malfunction all night and your seemingly modest dress no longer covers that nursing cleavage. It'll all still be great. 

See for yourself below.

Thanks, Bing, for sponsoring our evening of fun and thanks, Alison, for bringing me along!

 

-Rachel 

 

Co-Host: Melanie Blodgett of You Are My Fave @youaremyfave and

Rachel Denbow of Smile and Wave @smileandwave

Florist: Rebecca Caridad @rebeccacaridad

Photographer: Heather Gray @heatherthegray

Popsicles: Aiko Pops

Portrait artist: Paul Michel of Mountain vs Plains

Venue: Blanc Denver @blancdenver

Videographer: Modern Atelier @modern_atelier

Pretty Woven Things

Two weeks ago was spent working on new weavings and experimenting with new patterns. I was so thrilled when Alison of The Alison Show invited me to co-host a Bing sponsored party with Melanie of You Are My Fave in Denver. It was part of her six party tour across the US to invite people to 'Search For Your Awesome' with each party being an opportunity to collaborate with other creative influencers while learning a new skill.

IT. WAS. SO. FUN.

More on that later because the lovely Heather Gray shot the event and will be providing us with some lovely photos from the night. 

Have I mentioned how fun it was?

I've been asked a few times if I'll be sharing a tutorial on weaving or teaching any future classes and my answeres are yes and sort of. I'm working on a short weaving series that I'll feature over on A Beautiful Mess in the near future and I'm hoping to get to teach a local class at our favorite coffee shop, Fifty Fifty, sometime in July. Other than that I've got plans to do another collection that will be available for purchase in a few weeks and to pass along a few to some dear friends. 

Weaving has been such a refreshing hobby and I'm so thankful for the fun it's already allowed me to have with some darling ladies up in Denver and through Instagram. If you haven't already tried it add it to your summer to-do list. 

-Rachel

P.S. Life has been full this summer and I've enjoyed taking a little less time to sit down as often to blog it all. I'm still oversharing on Instagram under @smileandwave if you want to follow along in 'real time'. Ha!