I Get To Wear A Pretty Dress To Elsie's Wedding

Elsie and Emma hosted a cupcake party under the guise of testing out Emma's recipes and getting photos for her portfolio but really they just needed a bunch of their friends and family to show up at the same time to invite us to be bridesmaids in Elsie and Jeremy's wedding. I can usually see these things coming a mile away but those two have twice pulled off grand surprises that I've been lucky enough to be a part of.

These were some random shots from my camera using the Hipstamatic while carrying Ruby in a sling on my other side. She was squirmy. Janae was there taking photos and Elsie has shared some beautiful ones on her blog here and here. I'm so thrilled to be a part of the unfolding story of their lives together and love that I get to share this piece with these lovely girls that I admire.

Be back soon with some projects I probably shouldn't be starting!
xoxo,
Rachel

sheer glamour

So many lovely things in these photographs: the soft grey polka dot chiffon blouse, tall ceilings, sheer curtains, beautiful sunlight, mirrored vanity and the vintage chair...

L: via fashion gone rouge; R: via lilac and grey

Hope you're having a great week!

and the winner of the giveaway is...

...#21!

Congratulations Lillian! I will contact you shortly to get your address! :)

photo via domino

Front Porch Buffet

I got to spend a lovely afternoon with my kids working in our front yard on Labor Day after a fun lunch/froyo date with the RVA girls. The weather was warm but breezy and everyone kept themselves occupied with something long enough for me to transfer flowers to pots and fertilize and add mulch to the elephant ears.

Our front porch has had some foliage on it all spring and summer but nothing too exciting. The last two years we've been at this house our neighbors have brought mums over from an event that were extra and we've always enjoyed them. This year, however, I've jumped the gun because I want to enjoy these fall flowers as long as the weather allows. I picked up a few new pots on sale that coordinated with what I had and some potting soil and got to work. It didn't take long for Ruby to appear by my side to investigate.

It wasn't long before she'd gotten a hold of some blooms and proceeded to pick the petals off and spread them around the porch. We had a lesson in gently touching the flowers (above) but as soon as I removed my hand her gentle touch turned into an enthusiastic grab and pluck.

And then a taste test before she was removed from the premises.

This is how she felt about her relocation.

As Sebastian would say, "It's fun to try new things!"

I hope your weekend was memorable.
xoxo,
Rachel

EDITED: Thanks to a concerned reader, I am now fully aware that the leaves and stalks of Mums are toxic to children. I'm not sure that the petals are harmful but that was Ruby's last snack on the front porch!

Plenty To Wear These Days

I spent some time purging the kids' wardrobes this week since a new season is upon us. I have kept a few special pieces from Ruby's early months but what can't be transitioned into the fall and winter months is going to a friend. With limited space for all of her clothes/socks/shoes/blankets/crib sheets, I have to keep things as easy to look at as possible or it gets overwhelming.

Ruby has more closet space than Brett and I put together. Old houses = Lots of wardrobes.

I have been saving vintage dresses and smocks since before we knew we were having a girl almost a year and a half ago and Ruby is finally big enough to start wearing some of them. I have had some luck recently with a few pieces but most of these were thrifted in Springfield and surrounding areas as well as gifts from sweet readers around the time Ruby was born.

Plus a few more that were in the wash and one that was so delicate it was torn in the dryer. Sad face.

Sebastian, on the other hand...

... has one measly piece of vintage clothing and I only just found it this weekend. Somehow, I don't think he minds. This poor boy does own more clothing but it was sitting in a clean pile in another room that also included a sleeping baby.

If it isn't from Target or Old Navy, it's been thrifted, handmade, or given to use by sweet people. The mailman hat, for instance, was delivered by our favorite mailman after Sebastian told him he wanted to be a mailman someday. The wardrobe is just a billy bookshelf from IKEA that I found for free four years ago, added a curtain rod to, and covered with wood grain contact paper. This is what it looked like two years ago when his shoes were so much smaller!

Ruby wore a vintage red sailor dress and one of the vintage Mexican dresses shown above this weekend while hanging out with the RVA girls. I think the dress shop is her new favorite place!
More on that soon...

xoxo,
Rachel

testing, testing, 1,2,3

hello.

Ruby Wants What She's Got

(Pardon my loudness.)
Ruby and Penelope were born 10 days apart and share an affinity for being barefoot. Penelope also didn't know why her grandpa was holding another baby. What was he thinking.

xoxo,
Rachel