Tra la la...

Oh hi there!  Who me?  I've been here all along, didn't you notice?  I'm not one of those crap bloggers, who pops in every 6 months and promises to blog more often, oh no, not me! 

Ok that's enough...I'm giving up mentioning how long it's been since I was here last, apparently the more I talk about it the less I blog...it's been a whirlwind few months, so much has happened that I should have shared here but somehow I just wasn't in a blogging place.  Never mind, here's a quick catch up...

We got married (I drank a LOT of prosecco!)

 
I got a studio (here it is in the middle of a tidy-up!)

We went to Barcelona...it was brilliant!

I continued to be obsessed with vintage fabric (well that wasn't going to change was it?)

There, that's all the important stuff...to be honest although I haven't been here I feel like I keep in touch with a lot of you via Instagram and my Facebook page, but I do miss being here too.  At the risk of jinxing myself, I'm going to say I'll be back soon...I'm planning some big changes and an exciting announcement, so I really will see you again soon, I promise! 

Rachel xx

have I left it too long?...

Hello (waves tentatively)...I'm still here!  I really don't know why I have fallen out of love with blogging...it's not you, it's me...it's complicated.

I'm putting this picture in to avoid that dreaded beast, the text-only post. It has nothing to do with what I'm saying, but I made it, and it is pretty, so I thought you might like it.

I have been lurking, catching up with some of your blogs, but mainly just getting on with life, which has been the usual mix of delightful and dull, fun and frustrating, creative and crap...though always, on balance, far more of the good than the bad, thankfully.  There has been plenty going on that has been worth sharing, but I just haven't felt like sharing it...here are a few of the reasons why.

1. I am really not that interesting.  I know, I'm still the same person I was last year, when I was blogging  away like a very bloggy thing.  But I am somehow finding myself far less fascinating than I used to (this is probably a good thing).  I think it partially stems from coming across a few amazing and inspiring blogs, which are being written by people going through immensely challenging times.  Blogs like this one.  Somehow, wittering on about vintage fabric just doesn't seem that important after reading about stuff like that.  That's not to say I don't still enjoy reading your blogs about all those lovely vintagey, interiory, lifestyley, scandi-y things, I do.  This sense of mild pointlessness is directed squarely at myself, possibly because...

2.   I feel like a fraud.  I am starting to wish I had called my blog something different.  Like, um, my tiny messy home.  Or my teetering pile of crap.  Or my disorganised life.  Don't get me wrong, my house is full of lovely, colourful vintage things.  That bit is true. But it is even more full of the daily detritus of 4 messy people living in a tiny house.  I am not a tidy person; I do not like housework.  Although I love looking at gorgeously spare, airy interiors, I know that after a couple of weeks of me living in them, they would look a lot like my home does now.  MESSY.  I can aspire to minimalism, but I know I am incapable of achieving it.  This results in my life feeling quite un-blogworthy sometimes!

3.  I am a rubbish blogger.  Not just in terms of posting regularly, and writing interesting posts, but in terms of joining in all the lovely bloggy things that make blogland such a great place.  You know, linkys, awards, sharing the blog love, all of that.  It's not that I don't want to join in, it's that I am either too lazy, or too disorganised, or too shy to join in, so I don't.  And then I feel a bit crap about that.

Here's another picture to reward you for reading this far...it's not even a very good one...I told you I'm not much good at this!

4.  Most importantly, I was getting the balance wrong.  Too much time at the PC, not enough time living in the moment with my  gorgeous kids.  My youngest will be going to pre-school in September, and I did not want to waste my last few months at home with him sticking CBeebies on and farting about on Pinterest, or Blogger, or bloody Facebook.  I love all those sites dearly, and my Rainbow Vintage Home facebook page has been keeping me busy with fabric sales and likers and making lovely new online friends.  But I needed to take a step back. 

So we have been playing, and singing, and camping, and cooking, and making, and I've been buying fabric, and selling fabric, and making stuff with fabric (like the quilt at the top of this post).  But I have been very crap about keeping in touch with you lovely readers, and that has made me feel sad.  Because I genuinely like you, and have really enjoyed meeting you, and sharing with you, and I'd like to carry on doing that. I'm hoping that now I've got all this mildly discombobulating stuff off my chest, I will find it easier to just pop in here a bit more regularly, and share stuff with you without it feeling like a big deal, you know...'Oh now I need to write a blog post about that, what shall I say, oh it's too late now'...

If anyone has stuck with me all the way down to here, thank you, and here's another nice picture for you... 

As you can see, I'm as crap at ironing as I am at blogging!

I really hope you're having a lovely summer, and enjoying this amazing weather that we've been having.  I am going to go now.  But I'll be back soon.  

Rachel xx

that was the week that was...

So here we are, at the end of half term (we're lucky, it's an in-set day today - yay!)- it's been a very full week-and-a-bit, in the best possible way - lots of fun with friends and family and not too much squabbling and tearing out of maternal hair!

One thing that has slipped this week has been taking photos! I have been a bit rubbish in that department, must try harder - but here are a few that I remembered to take...

last night's sparkler fun...

a terrible photo, but this is my gorgeous sister meeting Floyd for the first time...

 

cuteness personified! (apologies to anyone not doggy-inclined!)...

the best pumpkin at the halloween party (not carved by me I must add!) ...

fun in the sun at the adventure playground...

a bit more autumn colour, got to enjoy it while it lasts!...

 shadow play!

Just a small selection of the fun that was had.  We also visited friends, went to the theatre, did some sewing, made mess, tidied up, made mess again...I can't wait for the next school holiday!  Though I do need a bit of time to get ready for Christmas, I'm not one of these amazingly organised people who starts buying presents in the January sales...are you?  

Oh and thanks for the comments about the rainbow flames - they were really beautiful, and were created by sprinkling some crystals called Mystical Fire onto the fire - one sprinkle lasted ages, and they're available here...we didn't get around to ordering any for bonfire night, but I'm definitely going to stock up for future fiery fun!

I hope you had a great week last week, and have another great one this week! 

Rachel x

blog catch up...

Hello, I'm back from a much needed break from the PC, having been getting on with lots of busy life stuff!  The summer seems to be drawing to a close, the evenings are darkening, the air is cooling, and M has started Year 3!  

We made the most of the last days of the summer break, with lots of lovely day trips out to Bath, Glastonbury, Bristol Harbourside, parks, woods, anywhere but home really. 

 

 

The long months of winter will be here soon enough, and then we can snuggle up and draw the curtains....

talking of curtains, one of the jobs we finally got around to over the summer was putting up vintage curtains in EVERY ROOM of the house - Yay!!  I bought them all on Ebay, and they have been lurking in my fabric cupboard, waiting for F to be in the mood for putting up proper old fashioned curtain track.  I can't take nice, styled pictures because all the windows desperately need cleaning, so here are some close ups...

...oh dear, as well as never cleaning my windows, I don't iron!

not a great photo, but it'll be nice to remember the summer light when winter is here...

the boys' room now has vintage Conran robots, yay!

 

  

I'm enjoying having some mid-century loveliness in our bedroom...

So, maybe all the rooms need repainting, and the whole house is in dire need of decluttering, but at least when I shut the curtains in the evenings I have some more lovely vintage patterns to look at! 

Hope you're having a good week, whatever you're up to.

Rachel x

vintage treats...

Helloooo, how are you today? I've had a busy few days, making the most of the weather to get out with F and the boys - hurrah for the sunshine!  

We all went to a car boot sale at the weekend, we haven't been for ages because M always gets carried away and we end up bringing a load of plastic tat home. But I fancied a rummage in the sunshine so off we went, and in fact the boys were great, each choosing something small and then getting engrossed with playing with their new toys.  Meanwhile I scanned the tables, looking for that elusive treasure...and then....

well, I do like tins, though I usually go for a bolder design, but it's pretty...

 

the designs around the sides are a bit more my style... R likes the 'funny dancing boy'...

I love the crazy pointy beards...

how much was it? £5 with the contents - I don't usually spend that much on one thing for myself at a boot sale, it doesn't really feel like a bargain price, but I could hardly say no! 

 

Most of the reels are wooden, and apart from their obvious use they are just beautiful objects. 

These 3 are proper strong button thread, the blue and brown are linen...

these 3 are the smoothest and shiniest cotton thread I've ever seen...

and this one you don't find in every sewing kit!

I never used to haggle at boot sales but I tend to pick up a little extra something and see if I can get it thrown in...in this case, I think I did quite well...

3 rather gorgeous pairs of knitting needles.  I don't really knit - my Grandmother taught me a bit when I was little but I could never remember how to cast on or off!  But I'd love to learn properly someday...

I found the background fabric on holiday, in a little vintage shop in St Ives called Beatengreen Boutique (I don't think their website's been updated in a while, but I always like to provide a link where possible).  It's a very bright and psychedelic pattern, here's a close-up:

If you like it I'm going to be listing a cushion-cover sized bit of it on Ebay soon, along with a few other favourite bits of fabric; I'll let you have a sneak peek at them soon!

Before I go I must just welcome my newest follower; I had an odd thing happen the other day when 6 followers just disappeared - did I lose them down the back of the sofa?! maybe they didn't like photos of flowers?! - but having the super talented Jane of teawagontales more than makes up for that little mishap!  If you've never perused her lovely blog or Etsy shop I recommend it, especially if this applies to you too...

Isn't that just perfect?  I so need that somewhere on my wall!

I hope you're enjoying your week , 

Rachel x

summer blooms...

Happy weekend everybody!! Hope you've had a great week, the sun has shone and we're now settled back into being at home.  The kids are driving me crackers at times but I try to take a deep breath and smile despite the squabbles and tantrums, me and R will miss M when he's back at school so I don't want to wish away this precious time with him. 

The sunshine means we are spending as much time as we can in our little garden, our nasturtiums are taking over but are being thoroughly munched by caterpillars, which is fine by me - there's plenty to go round and they'll be butterflies soon, I like to let nature do it's thing without too much interference. 

One of our favourite trips of our holiday was to Trengwainton Gardens, a National Trust property not far from Penzance.  It was really stunning, with giant Tree Ferns and a stream running through it, the planting was just beautiful.  I got a bit carried away with taking close ups of flowers, I love them so!

 

Obviously I could not resist the urge to put them in rainbow order!  I hope you have a lovely weekend, whatever you do - we don't have anything planned, but I'm sure we'll be out in the sunshine somewhere before long.  

Happy Saturday!

Rachel x

this moment...

 

 {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Via Soulemama.

Have a lovely weekend.

Rachel x

a home from home...

Thank you so much for all your lovely welcome home messages, and comments on my photos - it has made coming home a lot easier, feeling the blog love in between the bouts of unpacking! 

Yesterday I restocked the fridge, and made it to the park for the boys to climb and run - the house still feels pretty trashed, but I have to be honest, that is just normal life!  One of the things I love about being on holiday is that I'm not surrounded by piles of stuff that need sorting through, or putting somewhere (where?!) else - our house is small and none of us are very tidy, so there are always piles on pretty much every surface, making me feel guilty where ever I look!

This is where we stayed last week, and it is truly a home from home - we have been going there at least once a year for the last 12 years!

Ah, our little Cornish home - every year I mean to take a better picture of the house, and every year I forget!  We are so lucky, it belongs to a very dear family member and we love it so much. It is small and basic but has everything we need, and is in a great location, about 2 miles from Lands End, and a short drive from countless little fishing coves and stunning coastal paths.  Our relationship with the house has changed over the years - when we were childless and both worked full time, we would sometimes laze around all day, then maybe go for an evening clifftop walk, or out for a meal - now we're up and out early, for splashing and sandcastle fun.  Just like at home, lie-ins are a distant, fondly remembered dream!

Here are a few of our favourite seaside spots that we revisited this year....

Penberth

St Michaels Mount

Mousehole (pronounced Mowzel)

Sennen

rockpooling near Mousehole

Lamorna Cove (with our own mini St Michaels Mount in foreground)

Exploring old tin mines along the coast near Zennor

St Ives

Oh so much loveliness!  If you haven't been to Cornwall before I can really recommend it, and the bit that we go to, West Penwith, is a tiny bit of it - there's loads that we haven't explored yet.  

We did go to a new place this year, the beautiful National Trust gardens at Trengwainton, where I became OBSESSED with taking close up photos of flowers!  I'll show you some of my favourites pictures tomorrow. 

I hope you've had a lovely sunny day,

Rachel x