I'm still here...

Hello lovelies!! I really have been a rubbish blogger so far this year!  Either I'm much busier or my (already woeful) time management skills have deserted me completely - maybe a bit of both.

I would love to do a big catch up post but I've just grabbed a moment at the pc before I put the kids to bed...suffice to say I'm well, I've been doing a lot of sewing, and I'll be selling some vintage fabric at our local craft shop next weekend which is exciting.  

I totally missed my 1st Blog Birthday!!  It was on Friday - I remembered all week and then on Friday all kinds of unexpected things happened and I totally forgot.  But I think the universe remembered...Caroline of the lovely blog Scraps Of Us  has just had a lovely giveaway on her blog and she chose the winner on Friday...and I won!!  Thanks so much to her, I'm really looking forward to receiving all these gorgeous scrapbooking goodies she's sending my way...

I feel very lucky...thanks Caroline! x
 
This morning I had a wander round our local monthly Vintage & Flea Market with a good friend.  There weren't quite as many stalls as usual but that was actually quite nice - it wasn't as packed with people and I felt like I got a chance to look at everything properly.  Unfortunately my camera battery died so I couldn't take photos!  But when I got home I charged it up so I could show you these...

I love that Puffin book sooooo much!! The inside isn't as exciting and colourful as that all the way through, but for the princely sum of £1 I could afford to buy it for its cover.   Here's a detail of the back...

 

There's nothing like puffins dancing on a rainbow to brighten my day!

The blue things are 2 linen teatowels which have never been used - they look like they were printed yesterday...

...and the yellow fabric is a double sheet and 2 pillow cases - you can never have too many vintage pillowcases, right?! 

I hope you've had a lovely weekend...I am going to try to be a better blogger this coming week...I've missed reading your blogs properly and having the time to comment. 

And welcome to my new readers and followers - thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment.  I've been lacking time recently but I still love blogland so much.  Looking forward to spending a bit more time here when I can!

Rachel x

 

this week I've...

...not had much time for blogging!  So here are a few photos of what we've been getting up to over the last 7 days...

sending parcels (here's one just opened by Hazel)...

 

a magical woodland picnic in the heart of the city ...

 

kissing tigers...

cutting squares for a quilt (totally failing to fight the urge for rainbow order!)...

 

 eating dinner outside...

 

 receiving exciting Finnish birthday gifts...

 

baking cookies...

It's been a wonderful but busy week - I have also enjoyed our local open house arts trail (which deserves a post all of its own), danced and drank cocktails to celebrate a friend's 40th, spent time with friends, sat in the sun at the park, got the paddling pool out, sourced vintage loveliness for one friend's home and another's wedding...and of course that's just the good stuff, there was plenty if day-to-day tedium and tantrums to fill up any spare moments!

After all that I'm looking forward to relaxing this weekend.  Hope you've had a lovely week and that you have a happy sunny weekend! 

Rachel x

and the winner is.....drum roll please!

Oh wow, here we are...I had no idea that when I said I'd do a giveaway when I had 50 followers, I'd end up with 70 a week or so later! You people must really love vintage fabrics, which is good because I have got some seriously gorgeous goodies to share with the lucky winner! 

I'm not really tech savvy enough to install random number generator thingys on my blog, so earlier today I selected some suitably vintagey paper to write the names on...

can you believe this is wrapping paper?! Love it!

   and then chose a lovely tin to put the names in...

 

and then the names went in (might have looked more impressive if I'd written bigger, 

but I didn't want to use up all that lovely paper!

and...drum roll please....these are the NAMES(!) that came out...

well you didn't think I could stop at just one did you?!

That's Hazel of hazeyfantazey.blogspot.co.uk, Jules of curtainsforthewindow.blogspot.co.uk, and Caroline of carolinescrapsofus.blogspot.co.uk (that's just the order they came out of the tin) - all lovely gorgeous crafty women who I hope will be very happy to receive a rainbow selection of 60s and 70s cotton to play with! So congratulations you 3!

I'll be popping over to your blogs later to let you know, in case you haven't checked in here today - and if you all email me at rainbowvintagehome@googlemail.com with your address I'll send your prizes later this week. Tomorrow will be spent selecting and cutting up all that lovely fabric and wrapping your parcels - yippee what fun!  

And if you didn't win, sorry! I had trouble stopping myself from pulling more names out, but if I gave my whole stash away now then I wouldn't have anything to give away next time (and I'd be really sad to not be surrounded by all these piles of lovely fabric!).

Thanks to everyone who has joined me, liked my facebook page, and/or shared news of my blog and giveaway on their blog...it has been a busy week over here in my rainbow vintage home, but a very happy one.

Loads of love to you all, you're great!

Rachel x

spreading the love!

Wow I am feeling the blog love today, 63 followers!!! You're all totally scrummy for spending a bit of your precious time reading my musings and leaving lovely comments.  And I've been discovering some wonderful stuff as a result of popping over to your blogs to say hello - sorry if i haven't done that on your blog (if you have one), I've been having a busy week in the real world as well as the virtual one. 

I'm getting ready for a long weekend away visiting family - I'm taking the boys on a 3 hour train journey on my own tomorrow, and as R is quite prone to tantrums at the mo I feel like I need to do a lot of preparation!  But now that the toys, books and snacks are packed, I have a moment to share these 2 wonderful blogs, which have really inspired me this week....

Aren't these softies fabulous?

I love them, they're so quirky...but the best thing about them is, you can't buy them.  These are just a few examples of toys made by crafters all over the world - they call themselves The Toy Society, and they perform Random Acts of Craft - making toys and  leaving them in random places to be found by whoever comes along...

 

The blog for this amazing, generous, love-spreading project is here, please go and check it out, if only for the fuzzy feeling it will give you!  I am struggling to find time for sewing at the moment, but this has definitely made it onto my 'want to do' list.  It's just a lovely thing to do!

The other blog that has really touched my heart I discovered earlier today; my lovely friend Lou over at littlegreenshed has a new stockist (very exciting!) - the lovely looking shop/craft space Tenderfoot in Bristol (my gorgeous home town).  This is turning into a long story, but I think it's nice for you to explore all the links in the chain for yourself if you want to!

While checking out the tenderfoot blog, I read about the beautiful blog Lazy Crafternoons,  where Bristol boy Chris is co-ordinating an amazing 52 weeks, 52 crafts project.  Basically Chris and other guest makers are exploring a different craft every week of 2012, sharing tutorials and inspiration, and the results of their hard work and creativity are auctioned online in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

He has made some amazing things already, including this beautiful patchwork picnic bag ...

and these lovely seed paper gift tags...

What can I say?  Gorgeous things, and the fact that all the proceeds of Chris's hard work is going to charity is humbling and truly inspiring.  Please go and have a look, and spread the word about this wonderful project!

Well I've got a bit of a crazy day tomorrow, and then I'll be relaxing with lovely family for the weekend and I'll be back with you next week.  Don't forget about my  Vintage Fabric Rainbow Giveaway, you've still got plenty of time to enter before the Monday evening closing date.  And my first blog-related job when I get home will be putting all your names in a very pretty tin and choosing the winner!!  Very excited about that, I hope you are too.  

Welcome again if you're a new friend, I hope you have a lovely weekend,

Rachel x

50th Follower giveaway!

Hi, I have been having a busy week so took a bit of time out of blog world - well, I've been checking in with people and replying to comments but haven't felt inspired to post anything new.  

Meanwhile new lovely people have been finding my little blog (welcome!) and joining me for the journey, and here I am at 49 followers - which may not seem that many in the great scheme of blog type things but it feels significant and very heartwarming to me, so thanks!

I mentioned a while ago (when I went through my little winning streak) that I would do a giveaway when I got to 50 followers, so here we are:

Whoever clicks that 'follow' button next will get a little something pretty, and anyone who follows me can leave me a little comment below to get your name into...what shall I use? A lovely 60s jar? Or a gorgeous 70s pillowcase?  I haven't decided yet!  Whatever I use, if your name is chosen, you will win a rainbow of stunning, colourful, bold 60s and 70s fabric, including pieces of some of these...

 

Feel free to share news of these treats over on your own blog for an extra chance to win, and you can have another chance if you 'like' my Rainbow Vintage Home facebook page. 

Update!: Doh, you can tell I haven't done a giveaway before huh? Got to bed last night and realised I'd forgotten 2 important little details - 

1. The closing date for entries is Monday 14th May, and I will choose a winner on Tuesday 15th.

2. You must leave a comment on this blog to enter; and please let me know if you are entitled to 1, 2 or 3 chances (1 for following my blog, 2 for sharing on your own blog or liking the facebook page, 3 for doing all 3).

Next time I have a giveaway (100 followers here I come!) I will plan it a bit better and not write the post late at night.  Also I was feeling very sad about the news that MCA (Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys) has died, so that's my excuse for being a tad forgetful about little things like closing dates. RIP MCA, 47 is way too young. x

Hope you have a lovely weekend people, it's not raining here, I'm very excited about the prospect of actually getting my boys out of the house!

Rachel x

Delights from Denmark

Happy day!  Yesterday the sun was out and my thoughts turned to bright simple patterns, the essence of 70s Scandinavian fabric design.  I do find that bold and joyous patterns like these brighten up even the greyest of days...

 

 

all of the above fabrics are sold by the lovely Junette Bay over in her Etsy shop, I am currently waiting excitedly for some vintage wallpaper from her (yes she sells wallpaper too, she's dangerous!).  Good to enjoy some Danish deliciousness that doesn't involve pastry, especially after all those Easter treats.

I happened to have a look at her blog yesterday, and what do you know, she's having a giveaway!! Her blog has stacks of followers so I'm sure I won't win this one, but it's got to be worth a try, no?   Good luck and have a lovely day!

Rachel x

NO WAY!!!!!

EEEEEEEEP!! My post this morning was about a giveaway on the lovely Jen's blog, little birdie - well, I won it! Outrageously lucky week, feeling slightly freaked out... think F would have preferred a lottery win, but I love the squirrel tea towel so I'm happy! Won't be entering any more giveaways for a bit, winning any more would just be rude.  

My new lucky number (which I've always been fond of).... 

I think I should do one soon, it's time to spread the love!  What would you prefer - some vintage china, a piece of vintage fabric, or a cushion cover in your choice of fabric from a selection? Let me know and I'll start planning - I'm up to 30 followers today, when I hit 50 I'll be sharing some rainbow vintage loveliness with a lucky winner or two.

Hope you all have a lovely, lucky day!

Rachel x