Vintage Here, Vintage There

I have become pretty comfortable in the last few years with my eye for vintage furniture and kitchenware and have taught myself how to mix certain silhouettes, play with patterns, and pair the old and new for a fresh look. I'm not quite as self-assured in the vintage styling department when it comes to fashion. However, I've been inspired by a host of vintage-loving friends to explore a more exciting (and sometimes more affordable) wardrobe infused with vintage pieces.

The darling, RubyEllen, and I have been hatching up a plan for a few months now to share how we wear vintage throughout the changing seasons and to encourage others, moms or not, to do the same. It's also a way to keep us interested in dressing up when some days the cold weather might tempt us to stay in flannel nightgowns. Just kidding. No flannel nightgowns in my closet.

We decided to do a little Q&A to get familiar with each other's vintage back story.

Q: When did you start wearing vintage and why?
A: My best friend, Katy, and I used to hit up the Salvation Army for grandpa cardigans and fun shoes in high school. We lived in Central California at the time and had a casual, surfer, boho style. My vintage fixation shifted towards home goods and random industrial pieces about midway through college and our current furnishings are mostly vintage. I'm most excited to start figuring out vintage shoes!

Q: What do you look for in a piece when you're shopping?
A: I have been gravitating towards blue and red dresses and feel most comfortable in classic prints but I'm trying to diversify!

Q: Favorite vintage find to date?
A: I found a pair of vintage FRYE boots in college for $4 that I wore until I got pregnant with Sebastian and my feet got wider. They stopped fitting so I sold them to a consignment store in the U-District in Seattle and now wish I'd kept them just in case. I'm happy to know that someone else is enjoying them.

Q: The one piece that got away (or would've broken the bank!)
A: Oh, there are so many beautiful 50's cocktail dresses on Etsy that I would add to my cart in a second if they were about $80 cheaper.

Q: How do you style your daughter(s)?
A: I have a lot of vintage dresses for Ruby but not a lot of pants and shoes so I tend to mix the dresses with leggings or skinny jeans to even out the silhouette and have recently stocked up on adorable tights for the colder days.

Q: Favorite sources for online vintage?
A: Obviously, I love the vintage dresses at Red Velvet because they have such a strong collection. I also have purchased items from or plan on purchasing from 3 Ring Circus, Lishy loo, Cherry Bloom Vintage, Ms.Tips Vintage, Oh Sydney, and Fine And Dandy Vintage, and Freckle Wonder!

I'm Wearing
Vintage dress gifted from RubyEllen
Vintage belt, thrifted
Shoes, Target

My Ruby is Wearing
Vintage sailor dress found locally
Jeggings from Target
Mocs from Old Navy

Head on over to RubyEllen's beautiful blog to see more on what she and her sweet girls wore on a recent trip to the pumpkin patch. They are darling! We're going to be posting 'Vintage Here, Vintage There' once a week and can't wait to share some of our favorite vintage mamas and online sources with you. Stay tuned!

xoxo,
Rachel

Ruby's Pony Party

If Ruby could talk she'd tell you the cupcakes were delicious and the wrapping paper was right up her alley. She wore a dress I bought for her when she was only two months old because I loved it so much and the red velvet shoes that I had when I was her age! They were the perfect party shoes and I'm so glad my mom saved them.

The pony party theme was mainly inspired by some beautiful vintage horse ribbons I've seen here and used in a Dwell Studio photo (source no longer available). I loved the pink, peach, yellow, cream color scheme for Ruby's party and was thrilled to be able to use mostly supplies I had on hand. I did purchase satin ribbon from FM Store and found the vinyl doily tablecloth at a flea market for $2 a couple of days before the party. The larger toy horses were from my collection when I was little. My parents were sweet to bring them with them for the party and now Ruby can play with them!

I used this tutorial to make a satin ribbon but then got impatient and decided to use felt for the next two. Originally, I was going to make a garland with a ton of ribbons clustered on each end but ran out of time and went with what I'd finished. I hung them with straight pins on the table cloth and draped the extra satin ribbons between them.

I had a blue vintage USA platter and fun mid-century platter with pink and yellow designs on it that we used for the mini cupcakes and white chocolate dipped pretzels that were catered by Emma from the Red Velvet Sweet Shoppe. The black cake stand is from Hobby Lobby, the pink bowl is from Anthropologie, and the blue one is vintage. We used leftover napkins, forks, and cupcake cups from Sebastian's party and our vintage amber glasses and thrifted white dessert plates for serving our treats.

I'll be able to reuse the table cloth and might keep the felt ribbons up as decoration in Ruby's wardrobe. If you're going to make your own...give yourself some time! ;)

photo by Elsie

Elsie took Ruby's first portrait at six days old and we used this vintage floral sheet as the back drop. I thought it would be fun to use it in her first party decorations and take a photo of her in front of it at every birthday party! I can imagine looking through years of birthday photos and always spotting the yellow floral sheet!

Ruby loved all of her presents but enjoyed ripping the wrapping paper off the most. Sebastian helped her with the biggest box and then continued to open the rest of her presents for her while she played with the box. I've got the cutest video of it and someday hope to figure out how to load it online!

Ruby loved all of the attention and held on especially tight to her handmade doll from The Rice Babies! More on that later this week.

It was a memorable event and I hope Ruby looks back and feels celebrated on her first birthday!

I'm happy to say the bib did it's job and then survived the washing machine! I think it might go in a keepsake box so Ruby can have something of her own to share with her baby girl someday.

Thanks to everyone who shared birthday wishes online and for all of the sweet gifts and cards and phone calls from family members! I think I'm going to blink and we'll be celebrating her sweet 16! AAAAAAGHHHH!!

xoxo,
Rachel

Happy Birthday, Ruby!

You're the sweetest.
All of our love and so much more!
xoxo,
Mama, Daddy, and Sebastian

We're Having A Pony Party!

When I was thinking about Ruby's birthday party I remembered the toy horse collection I had as a little girl. It's still coming together but I'm really excited about the little details.

I wanted to make Ruby a birthday cake bib to keep her dress slightly less messy when she realizes how good her cake tastes. I made this from a vintage doily that an online friend recently sent. I used a bib on hand for the pattern and cut out two pieces of drop cloth from an old project for the front and back. I stitched the doily on the front piece and then stitched the front and back together. Then I added vintage lace around the top edge and the bottom edge. A black satin bow finished it off.

My parents and grandparents are coming into town today to help celebrate. We're having a small party tomorrow, a day early, and I plan on taking lots of cute photos!

If you haven't checked out my November sponsors you're missing out! I've got lots of new faces and some fabulous regulars for your browsing pleasure this weekend!

xoxo,
Rachel

We Aren't That Spooky

Our Halloween evening was short and sweet with two little ones that were too tired to rock-n-roll all night and a slightly sick mama that was just fine with turning in early. I spent most of the weekend between fevers and headaches and Brett took care of the kids so I could rest. Halloween afternoon rolled around and I was able to finish Ruby's Little Red Riding Hood cape and decided on my own costume as the wolf dressed as granny. That's when things started to get interesting.

Brett pulled me aside and told me he was an hour into his essay revisions for his online class and it was going to take him much longer than he thought to finish. I knew he was hoping I'd be the one to mention he stay home to work while I took the kids out and that we were both disappointed. I pouted a little but then remembered how much time he'd sacrificed all weekend watching the kids so I could rest, the five loads of laundry, the three loads of dishes, the trips to the grocery store, and taking Sebastian to church by himself that morning. He had taken good care of us so I needed to take care of him. Though, I did pout a little bit longer than I should've.

I got Ruby dressed and left her to scoot around her room while I located her brother who suddenly didn't want to dress up AGAIN and go get MORE CANDY. He wanted to look for transformers online! And play transformers with his friend from across the street! And why couldn't he be BUMBLEBEE for Halloween! Because the fever inhibits my ability to make costumes appear out of thin air, son. Obviously.

We had Brett take photos and video of us in the front yard after I changed my costume from granny the wolf to The Woodsman. It was WAY more comfortable anyway, ya'll. We got packed into the car and I downed a small bag of M&M's while I pouted a little longer that I was hauling two small ones out into the night while wearing a moustache and a fever. (Maybe I should've been the H1N1 virus!)

We then drove to McDonald's ya'll, because in all the costume finishing, plan changing, pouty face frenzy, I had forgotten to feed my son. My son who then uncharacteristically threw his Happy Meal toy at my head while I was driving so I could open it for him. I called his toy stupid as I teared up at the state of our evening and soon we were both crying. Did I mention he missed his two hour nap?

We finally made it to the trunk-or-treat to meet up with our friends and hit up a neighborhood with plenty of candy and not too many kids to wait behind at the door. I got to see my friends' son and daughter experience Halloween for the first time (without missing a beat I might add) and enjoyed the comic relief that all of our kids provided as they raced back from each door to show us their buckets.

Spiderman, declared he was worn out before I did so I took that opportunity to head home, count our candy, and tell Brett what he'd missed. Thankfully he was able to see all the photos before we tried uploading them later that night because most of them managed to get deleted en route. Yes, the perfect ending to the evening. My Instax 210 saved the day, though, so Ruby will someday have proof that her first Halloween actually happened.

At the end of the day I got my costume photo, Sebastian got to see his friends, and Brett finished his paper with about 30 minutes to spare. It could've been worse.

I'd love to hear how your Halloween went! Do share...

xoxo,
Rachel

My Favorite Vintage Chalkboard

It doesn't have any holes for hanging nor is it thick enough to nail hooks into so it's been leaning against a wall for awhile. I'm hoping to hang it up somehow when Ruby has her own space because it's a beauty. I found it over a year ago at an old warehouse looking estate sale. I think they gave it to me for $3 or something fantastic.

Today is for getting over a cold, finishing up some work in the new RVA shop, catching up on laundry, and making more chili for dinner! Easy AND delicious. What does your Wednesday look like?

xoxo,
Rachel

I Heart Etsy!

I've been wanting to buy Ruby a simple, wooden doll house since before she was born but felt like I should wait until at least her first birthday. I was doing some research (avoiding the laundry) on Etsy and came across these adorable vintage Fisher Price sets from Toys of the Past. I have vague memories of playing with these original Little People at our church nursery or maybe a friend's house and love the color scheme of the furniture!

I had them sitting outside after opening them and Sebastian came out and took an interest in them right away. He was telling the baby that she was in trouble for making a mess. Supposedly the baby had knocked over ALL of the furniture. It seems I need to be a little more patient with my mess maker.

This is the nursery set.

And these are the kitchen and sewing sets. The sewing desk is what sold me in the first place. It was such a major part of women's lives when these toys were first introduced and I'm glad Ruby will get to enjoy making up stories about what to sew in her doll house. I'll probably add pieces over the next two years, although, I've never run into these in all my years of thrifting.

She's also getting this adorable, handmade owl hat from Bzzyfingers. You can customize your colors so I chose the purple base with a light blue border and I will show you as soon as I can wrestle it on Ruby's head long enough to get a photo. That girl is quick! I'm hoping she'll start getting used to it so that her bald little head won't get frost bite this winter!

I saw that pink screen-printed stocking from Gingiber Snap on Twitter and went straight to her shop to make it my own. Ruby never got a proper stocking last year so this will be hers.

I was hoping Stacie would be offering a boy version and she soon added a green one so I snatched that one up for Sebastian. The colors match our holiday decor and the playful, vintage theme is just the right style for my kids. I'm so thankful to have that part of our holiday checked off the list because last year's good intentions to make family stockings out of recycled wool suits was a bust.

What have been some of your favorite Etsy purchases (or on the wish list)?

xoxo,
Rachel

I Used To Wear OshKosh

I found these OshKosh pants a few months ago and they finally fit this growing little girl.

I love the railroad conductor look but my favorite part are these heart-shaped pockets!

I paired them with Ruby's brown Mary Jane's from Old Navy last year and I'm afraid it's the last time those feet will fit into them.

With so many vintage dresses in the closet it was getting hard to want to put them on her when all she wanted to do was crawl through the dirt in the front yard so these pants are going to get their fair share of play time.

I'm not sure how much OshKosh was in my little girl wardrobe but I distinctly remember having a pair of OshKosh overalls. It was the typical mid-eighties wardrobe staple, right? ;)

xoxo,
Rachel

Three Weeks Left, Baby

Little girl, you are still so small and dependent. You still need me to pick you up for comfort, follow me around the house in your funny way, and hold tight when we venture out together. You in your sling and me tilted slightly to the left.

You squeal every time you see Sebastian. You miss having him around all day to share his food with you and call you sweetheart but you're not shy about letting him know that YOU WERE PLAYING WITH THAT TOY THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

This time last year I was waddling around the neighborhood through piles of crunchy leaves, wondering if all of my contractions meant you were coming early. I was cleaning like a mad woman, finishing off the granny square afghan that is currently laying beside me, and deciding if we should put the birthing tub up early just in case. This year, right now, my heart is swollen with love and a fierce desire to remember every little thing about this time with you.

I get anxious about forgetting the look of pure joy on your face when your daddy dances to Arcade Fire with you, or the way you pump your little arms in frustration when you get mad, and the size of your precious little fingers that are always pointing at things. Maybe it's because I realize how quickly it went with your brother, now a preschooler spelling his name and doing so many things on his own. I have to think hard about what it was like when it was just me and him and a long stretch of day to ourselves.

In three weeks you will have lived your first 365 days of life and will be surrounded by people that love you and hope for so many good things in the years to come. I'm going to remember these days in my heart long after my memory has let the details grow fuzzy.

You're my favorite thing about fall, little girl.

Love,
Mama

It's Not Just A Pretty Necklace

I first heard about amber teething necklaces from a friend named Amber, funny enough! Amber has a daughter about a year older than Ruby and was always posting beautiful photos of her with the same necklace on. I just thought it was a cute baby accessory until she referenced it's homeopathic purpose. Amber is a resin that when warmed on your baby's skin produces oil which is absorbed and helps reduce inflammation in their gums.

I bought one for Ruby right away! She still gets a slight fever and has a few extra yucky diapers every time she gets a tooth but the whining and needing to be held constantly is significantly less and I'm guessing it's because she's in less pain. I've recently received a second amber necklace from Tweet Baby Designs that has larger stones in a warm honey color and love it! It's got a larger surface area per stone which may make a difference in absorption rates and is a nice length. I've had compliments on how cute she looks with both necklaces and love the opportunity to share with women, especially moms and grandmas, about how much it's helped our teething experience.

I've had a number of readers ask about Ruby's necklace so I'm happy to share Tweet Baby Designs as a great source for your first (or second) amber teething necklace. Ashlee also sells amber anklets and bracelets and has a good selection of colors and stone sizes. Amber's anti-inflammatory components are also great for anyone suffering from carpel tunnel or arthritis so Ashlee offers adult sizes. Just convo her for details.

photo by Ashlee

One of my local mom friends wears an amber bracelet for her carpel tunnel and has a necklace for her 10 month old son and has shared my enthusiasm for how much relief they've brought them both. Our babies are one month apart and we both went through that first tooth without the necklace so it's been easy to compare the last four teething bouts compared to that first one.

Ruby started wearing her first one at four months and was young enough then that she's used to having it around her neck now and doesn't get irritated having it on, but I would recommend amber for your baby/toddler no matter how old if they are still teething. I have seen more and more moms talking about them online and am so glad that word is spreading about such an easy way to help relieve babies from teething pain naturally.

Check out Ashlee's descriptions for more information on amber teething necklaces and browse through her adorable chomping necklaces for moms. Babies are always chewing on necklaces anyway so Ashlee has come up with a stylish one that is easy on the gums and won't fall on the floor when they get bored.

I'd love to answer any questions about our experience with amber necklaces in the comment section below. Thanks again, Ashlee, for our beautiful necklace! We love it.

xoxo,
Rachel

Ruby Has More Vintage Dresses Than I Do

Thanks to some really sweet online friends, Ruby now has a few more beauties in her wardrobe! This one kind of stole my heart. It's missing a front tie on the left side but I have a feeling I can manage that. It'll be ready for Ruby to wear in a few months!

This one is probably as charming as they get. The placket on the front with those four little buttons is adorable, the peter pan collar is super sweet, and the sailboat sail doubles as a pocket!

Thank you, Kristin and Grace, for your thoughtfulness and great eye! I am totally smitten with these dresses!

This sunshine yellow dress is from the darling Rubyellen, of Cakies. She and I did a little vintage swap last week and were both excited to find extra surprises in our packages! Her little Soul is a month younger than Ruby so we were online pregnant friends and got to commiserate and enjoy all of those parts of pregnancy that aren't always blog appropriate. ;) She is such a lovely gal and one of my favorite sources of inspiration for making life with little ones extra special.

This little number is from Scarlet's Vintage. Micalah has another adorable red one that I would snatch up in a minute if Ruby didn't already have about ten red dresses! And I kind of love these cowgirl boots.

I've got plans to get photos of Ruby in each of these as she grows into them and some plans are in the works with a vintage loving mama to share how we've styled vintage frocks for ourselves and our girls! Mostly it's good motivation for us but I can't wait to add this to the schedule.

xoxo,
Rachel