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

Happy Weekend!

Hello lovelies! Just popping in briefly to share some happy pictures with you, I hope they'll brighten your day a bit as they have mine.   

Here's my latest happy-making fabric purchase, I saw a picture of this design on Flickr years ago and have been hoping to find a bit ever since, and yippidy-doo-dah I found it!! I'm such a sucker for these cheerful naive 70s kids designs, sourcing this totally made my week.  

as you can see I haven't ironed it yet...

or taken very good pictures of it!

It only arrived this week so I haven't taken  my scissors to it yet, it tends to take me a while when I love a bit of fabric this much!  As I can't bear to cut into it yet, today I am playing with some other lovely bits...

I could spend all day arranging and rearranging fabric like this, but at the end of it I feel guilty for not having actually achieved anything...so I'm off to get the scissors and sewing machine out.  I've got a couple of commissions to do, and I haven't done any sewing for a few weeks, so I need to polish my stitching skills!  

Just want to say welcome to new followers, thanks for reading and joining me here.  And to everyone who comments, thanks so much...I am struggling to reply to all every message but I love reading your comments and will try to get over to your blogs to leave a message for you there!  

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Rachel xx

life moves pretty fast...

...you don't stop and look around for a while, you could miss it.

Well apparently my blogging mojo is on some kind of extended holiday...hope it's not a gap year!  To remind myself, and you, that I am a blogger (of sorts), here's a few pics of recent shenanigans round my way...

Amazing bundle of fabric joy for my birthday, from the gorgeous Modflowers...

cushions made for our local Arts Trail (and my quilt - for display only!)...

 

Gorgeous birthday presents from my boys!!! Brooch from here, purse from here...

and a couple of new tins to add to the kitchen collection.

The boys enjoying Upfest, our local graffiti festival...

a happy picture by eldest boy that makes my heart swell with joy...

 

and him playing on our new family toy.

Wild garlic picked on a woodland walk...

and our walking companion!

Recent boot sale booty, a Figgjo Flint casserole dish...

and a small but powerful bit of childhood nostalgia!

 

In among all this I have been buying fabric, selling fabric, and trying (and failing miserably) to not let my house get taken over by piles of fabric!  I desperately need a studio or sewing room, but our house is tiny and we're not moving any time soon so for now I just have to muddle through.

I hope you're well and happy, and enjoying the sunny weather we've been having...long may it last!  Thanks so much for reading, sorry it's been so long since my last post, hopefully it won't be as long till my next one!

Rachel xx

I fell off the edge of the earth...

...and landed in a big pile of fabric!  No I haven't really disappeared off the map, though blogging-wise I might as well have.  It's been too long!

Things have gone a bit crazy over on my facebook page, where I recently announced a plan to sell some packs of fabric squares for patchwork & quilting, and I was inundated with enquiries and orders.  I've spent the last week using every spare minute to cut fabric, I had thought I'd cut enough to have a few spare packs for future orders (for instance, in case any of you lovely lot wanted one) but people just kept asking for them, and if everyone who asked for one confirms their order (most already have) then I'm all sold out!  

I will cut more in future and I think next time I will announce it first here, I feel bad that my lovely bloggy friends have missed out...sorry, it wasn't intentional!  

Here are  a few pics of the fabric mountain I've been climbing for the last few days...

 

 

So, I've finally finished, though I wish I'd cut a few extra - I think I could have sold them twice over!  I'm sure I'll do it again soon, but my cutting arm is tired out so not for a while.  And some of the fabrics that I've included are now running out, so will be going into my personal stash, which means I'll have to buy more fabric for next time - what a hardship!

I hope you're well, and that you have a lovely weekend.  I'll try not to leave it so long next time! 

Rachel xx

if we can't have sunshine...

...then we need colour!  Oh my goodness another week has passed...and what a cold and miserable one it has been!  I know we are all obsessed with the non-appearance of spring, it is really getting silly now...

Here is a lovely colourful thing that has cheered me up this week...

... gorgeous wallpapers from Ada's fantastic Etsy shop!

Last Sunday I held another Vintage Fabric Market at Paper Village, my local craft shop.  Unlike last time when it was just little old me and a table full of fabric, this time I was joined by another local Mum who has an enormous collection of beautiful vintage buttons!  As you can imagine it was a lot of fun...

a small selection of Naomi's gorgeous buttons...

and a few more!

 
Preparing for the day was fun too, as I really needed to buy a bit of new stock!  Here are a few of the lovely new (to me) fabrics I took with me...

a stunning geometric design by Peter Hall, who designed some of my favourite Heals fabrics...

a vibrant vintage Jonelle floral pattern...

a huge scale print on lovely thick cotton...excuse the rubbish photo, it was a very grey day!

and a lovely floral barkcloth which proved very popular.

I really enjoy selling in person, it's fun to meet people who love fabric as much as I do, and to see the big smiles on their faces as they walk away with an armful of gorgeousness.  I'm sorry to all of you who have been waiting patiently for ages for me to set up my Etsy shop; my youngest is starting pre-school after Easter so hopefully I will be able to make the time then...if the sun comes out so I can take some decent product shots!  In the meantime, I am selling a few bits through my facebook page, and you are more than welcome to message me for details if you see anything you like here or there.

I must thank you all for your lovely comments on my last post, sorry I haven't been replying...I have managed to pop over to a few of your blogs this week, if I haven't left a comment on yours I hope you know it's nothing personal.  I'm hoping to get back into a good routine of blog reading soon...I miss you guys when I don't get a chance to catch up with what you're up to!

Hope the stupid arctic weather isn't ruining your weekend, I'm supposed to be doing something exciting tomorrow but I'm not sure if the snow is going to scupper my plans...I'll let you know what happens either way...in the meantime, stay warm!

Rachel xx

lately...

Oh my goodness it's been too long since my last post!  So to get me back into this blogging lark, here are some pics of recent goings-on round my way...

some of the lovely bits I won in Caroline's giveaway...

signs of spring...

hearts and pancakes (weeks ago!)...

another lovely spring flower...

a bonfire with friends...

our local city farm allotments have been yarn bombed!

my amazingly talented friend Cath made this tiny diorama which hangs in her living room...

crocuses are one of my favourite spring flowers...

a few finds from my weekend away - back at the beginning of Feb!

I never mean to take long breaks from blogging, but the last few weeks have flown by - I can't believe it's March already!  We have been given some 2nd hand kitchen units - our kitchen was in dire need of refurbishing so the last couple of weeks have been spent stripping artex (vile stuff!) off the ceiling, and plumbing, and living surrounded by the contents of our kitchen in boxes.  It's nearly finished but we still have the tiling to go, and as Frank's doing it all himself it's still going to be a week or two before we can stand back and admire the final result.  It's been hard work but it will be worth it!

I've been buying lots more fabric to restock for my next fabric sale so now the sun is putting in occasional appearances I'll take some pics and let you all have a sneak peek... :)

I hope you're enjoying the start of spring...I've been terrible at keeping up with all my favourite blogs (it was impossible to sit at the PC when Frank was working so hard in the kitchen - would have made me feel awfully guilty!) but I hope to catch up with you all soon.  

Thanks for reading and welcome to my new followers - lovely of you to join me here!

Rachel xx

so much prettiness...

Hello lovelies!!  How are you?  Haven't got long tonight...on deadline to make a lampshade that a friend has commissioned...as usual I have left it to the last minute!  But in a weak moment I checked my blog roll and look what Alice Apple has been up to...

 

Sooooooooo pretty!!! They are postcards and are available in her Etsy shop - though I think a few of the designs may have sold out already - I love them all!!

Thank you all so much for all the amazingly supportive comments on my last post - I'm so sorry I haven't had a chance to reply to them all but we've been hit by more illness - will it never end?!  

The fabric sale went really well and it will definitely be a regular thing.  I had a great time and met lots of lovely people;  I got a real buzz from the happy smiles on their faces as they left clutching piles of my gorgeous fabric!  And best of all I sold enough to justify buying more fabric to top up my stock - Yay!!!  So here's a sneak peek at some of the lovely new bits I've bought...

Yikes what a treat - it appears that I now have the beginnings of a job - buying fabric!  And the best bit is that I can sell a bit and keep a bit for myself - I'm in heaven.  I have set myself a deadline of end of March for getting my first listings into the Etsy shop so I'm going to be busy for the next few weeks - fingers crossed for no more germs!

I hope you've had a good week and have a nice weekend planned...I'm popping down to the seaside to visit a good friend - on my own. She has a free and easy lifestyle with no kids...I can't quite imagine what we'll get up to but I'm most excited about the prospect of a lie-in!  Have fun whatever you do won't you?  I will be!

Rachel xx