She's Doing A Class And You Should Think About Taking It

If you love music and art journaling, you might consider this class to keep you busy over the next few weeks. Kara has a fantastic way of making a regular composition book an item of great interest and beauty and I was so happy when she invited me to be the Guest Designer for this class. This girl has a way with using inexpensive items to make a beautiful page and always pairs it with fantastic, honest journaling that gives you permission to be more honest with yourself.

The Breakdown:

• This is a 5 Day Class beginning on Monday, July 13th and concluding on the 17th.
• The class will be sold through Kara's Etsy shop or PayPal for $14.50.
• You will be given access to the private blog and Supply List immediately after buying the class.
• The Class will be sold from July 6th through the 13th.
• The blog will be open two weeks after the class concludes. When those two weeks are up, she will send out a PDF which you can easily save and print.
  

Read more about it here.

~Rachel

Happy Birthday to America and Sebastian

I'm so thankful for a country that affords me so many rights and privileges as a young woman! Today we'll be celebrating from the moment we wake up until just after dark when those fireworks go off at the park. Sebastian is turning three. We're going to let him feel celebrated, too.

PonyParty is celebrating with a fresh update to the shop filled with vintage finds from the flea markets I've discovered in the last two weeks here in Oklahoma. I'll be continuing to update on Saturday in between sugar rushes and bright lights!

Three orange divided trays!

Vintage rose needlework!

Vintage Rainbow Polaroid Camera!

Vintage Kodak Brownie Hawkeye!

Vintage tin from Holland!

I hope you're able to spend your Independence Day with those you love. Don't forget the ice cream and sparklers!

~Rachel

Going On A Bear Hunt

We made a stop in at Arbuckle Wilderness near Davis, OK this week. It was time to introduce Sebastian to the joys of aggressive ostrich and ornery camels. Arbuckle Wilderness is a wildlife park that you can drive through to observe and feed animals that aren't native to Oklahoma, minus the bison and deer. My cousins and I have fond memories of trips through the park involving bitten fingers, being chased by ostriches when we got out of the car, being licked by a giraffe, and having to push a vintage station wagon uphill for several yards. Fond memories.


Note the bison above. Some might call them buffalo. Unless you went to OBU.


This was taken two seconds before this ostrich had its head in the car searching my personal space for feed. If my family hadn't been laughing hysterically, I may have peed my pants. When I was about one year old, my parents took me on this same drive with similarly crazed ostriches and my curiosity earned me a bitten finger. They tell that story every summer.



This is Sebastian sticking his head through the sun roof trying to show the rhinos that he had a picture of a rhino on his shirt. They weren't much bothered. And yes, we let him sit in the front on the console as we drove 8 miles an hour through the park.

Brett was finally able to join us on vacation! We're gearing up for birthday number 3 on the 4th of July and hoping the 100 degree weather won't keep us from enjoying the outdoor parts. Sebastian is getting a Thomas the Train birthday this year and has requested chocolate cake, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate ice cream, and fireworks and that boy is going to get it all.

Off to ride the train at the park. Because we love trains.

Twirling By With Stars In The Sky

Featured here.
Thanks, Molly.
Be back soon.

~Rachel

Show Me Something

I've been slowly working on a few things whilst on vacation in Oklahoma with my side of the family. I've added a few handmade baby blankets made from vintage sheets that have long been in my stash as well as some reversible, gender-neutral bibs, and a collage from vintage ephemera displayed on a cute little clipboard to the Red Velvet Art shop. (Larger collage will be added as soon as I can get the photos upright.) The 3-D boxed journaling sets from our RVA weekend will soon be back in stock as well!

I hope to add more collages over the next week as I get my hands on more clipboards. I've always been drawn to old maps and vintage papers so clipboards seemed the perfect way to display these handmade pieces.

The blanket above is one I'll reproduce for Ruby because I love that yellow sheet and the pairing of whites and creams with the blue binding. It's got 100% cotton batting on the inside and measures about 34" x 34". They are the perfect size to lay newborns down while you change your spit up laden shirt. Handmade shower gifts are also the best way to win a new mama's heart!

This blanket is made of blues, greens, yellows, and browns with a striped green backing and yellow, floral binding. See more pictures here.

Two styles of gender-neutral, quilted, reversible, machine-washable baby bibs are also new to the RVA store. The contrast of these polka-dots and bindings are my favorite! AND...the patterns won't show stains! Unless your kid loves prunes. And if your kid loves prunes...go ahead and show that off.

So, I've been with Sebastian in Oklahoma/Texas for a little over a week visiting my side of the family and have celebrated my cousin's wedding, Father's Day, my brother's birthday, and our wedding anniversary. The sad part is we've had to do all of this without Brett (make a sad face here). I miss, miss, miss my husband. This is the longest we've ever been apart and we've still got another week to go before he meets us out here before Sebastian's birthday on the 4th of July. I CAN'T WAIT!

I've been borrowing PC's from my family to catch up with e-mails and online class slots and I'm beginning to miss my Mac, too. I'm so used to using those shortcuts, that software, etc. so getting online has been a little less enjoyable. I'm also giving myself permission to take a break from being online while with family so that we can enjoy our short time together. BUT...I miss you guys, too.

Lots of missing things and lots of unusual bouts of hormon-fueled crying sessions this week. I'm blaming it on pregnancy but it might also have something to do with handling a toddler who has suddenly decided to do the opposite of everything I ask him to do, who has started using the sign for 'STOP' instead of directly saying 'NO', and who has taken advantage of vacation mode to ask for soda every time we eat out. I'm sure the weepy moments will pass and once we get back home the old rules and boundaries will be more easily accepted so I'm doing my best to remain optimistic.

Spending time running through the sprinklers and chasing fire flies has helped. A little chocolate ice cream has also been utilized to induce pleasant feelings. See you soon.

Rachel

The Verdict Is In!

IT'S A GIRL!

We're going to have a little shopping to do around here but we are just thrilled that we're going to have this baby girl. She will be well loved and probably really well dressed! Sebastian decided that a girl was okay with him and wanted to take the baby home right away. The technician got a shot of the girl parts early on but wanted to double check before she told us so we spent the next ten minutes looking at all of the other parts while she measured and took pictures. Then the baby kept its legs closed and I was afraid we were either going to be there all morning or have to go home without knowing! Finally, the baby gave us a good shot and the nurse looked at
us and asked if we were ready to know....YES! YES! TELL US ALREADY!

I prepared myself to hear, "It's a boy", but then was SO HAPPY when it registered that she said, "It's a girl!" We've called family and are still trying to get a hold of a few key friends but wanted to share it here and announce the winner.

"Good luck, lovely. I have a feeling it's a girl. Hope she is healthy and happy and shows off who she is..."

Elle C.
a.k.a mamaloves

So, Elle C., send me an e-mail at Racheldenbow (at) gmail (dot) com and let me know your address and if you prefer Sonic or Starbucks!

Thanks for playing along, everyone. We're really excited!

Rachel

Blue or Red?

Tomorrow, Tuesday the 16th at 10:00 a.m. CST, I will be distracting myself in the waiting room at Ultrasona with a magazine so that I don't ruin the experience for the woman in front of me by hovering outside the door asking, "Are you done yet?"

To mark this special day when we'll (cross your fingers) find out if we're having a little boy or a little girl, I'm taking a poll and doing a give away. You just have to add your two cents as to what you think this baby might be by visiting the side bar on your left and clicking on one of two options. (Pretty sure we've outruled multiples so you only get two.) Since I'm not sure we can track who voted, you'll also want to add a comment under this post with your first name, first initial of your last name, and how you voted. Once we call our families and share the big news, we'll be back here to pick a name that guessed right. You'll receive your choice of a Sonic or Starbucks gift card for a sweet treat of your own!

I'll be closing the polls tomorrow (Tuesday) at around one and announcing the winner soon after so make sure you come back in the evening to see if you've won.

Thanks for playing!

Rachel