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

making progress...

Hello lovelies, how are you today?  I am getting better, hurrah!  Still getting tired after not doing much at all really, so lots of sitting down after tiny jobs like loading the dishwasher, but yesterday I actually left the house for the first time in 4 days, and didn't fall over, which felt like a major achievement!  Thank you all so much for the lovely comments, it's so comforting to get such lovely messages from you all.  I'm glad you all love my cat cushion as much as me, I will be coming back to him another day, as he has a twin who I'd like you to meet...

I am just popping in today with a tiny detail of our new kitchen, which although not finished is actually working beautifully!  We only have the tiling to do, but I don't want to show you the whole room until that's done as it still looks very unfinished without it.  But the other day Frank reinstalled one of my favourite things, a long shelf which runs right across the wall above the doorway...it's a tiny room so we have to make the most of any little corner that we can utilise for storage!  After my lovely man had put the shelf back up, I had fun doing this...

Aaaah, so colourful!!  Being able to display so many of my favourite tins in one place has brightened my week no end.  Hurrah! 

Hope you're having a lovely sunshine-blessed week,

Rachel xx

my week has been...

...up and down!  Started with me feeling tired after my night out dancing, and ended with me feeling very ill with a horrible virus.  Here are a few pics from it...

Another brilliant Puffin Annual...

With inspiring crafty activity pages...

and youngest boy's personal take on the face-making theme...

which was carried through to lunchtime!

some of my best friends this weekend...

and some more...I love my pillows so much, but especially the cat!

breakfast in bed...for the kids, I haven't been well enough to eat...

accompanied by some more comforting cats!  old classics are the best when we're ill aren't they?

So there you have it, another week has passed, I don't seem to be getting any better at this blogging lark, but I think I've accepted that I will just say something here when I feel like I have something to say, I can't force it.  I am cross with myself for not being better about replying to comments, but I have been trying to pop over and say hello on your blogs...if I haven't made it to yours this week, please blame the evil germs! 

I am going to have a stall at the Bristol Vintage & Flea Market on next Sunday, 28th April - I'll be selling some fabric, but also the results of an attempt at general decluttering.  I'm sharing the stall with the lovely Naomi who sold buttons with me at my last fabric market, so it should be fun.  I'll take some photos of our stall (before it all hopefully gets bought!) and I'll let you know how it goes.

Hope you have a lovely week.

Rachel xx

my weekend...

...has been a lot of fun!  One of my favourite things to do when at home, whether sewing, cleaning or hanging out with my kids, is to listen to music.  And I love the radio as it means I don't have to constantly make decisions about what to listen to next, and I get to hear new music or old classics I'd forgotten about.  

I think the radio programme I listen to most of all is the Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show on BBC Radio 6 Music - I love upbeat music that gives me energy and makes me want to dance.  But although I dance around the house while I do the housework, and have regular dining room discos with my kids, it has been years since I went out and really danced.

Well last night that changed....the Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club, an occasional live DJ set by the man himself along with lots of other excellent DJs, came to Bristol.  And I went out, with my dancing shoes on (flats, of course!) and my nails painted, and I danced my ass off.  It was brilliant to realise that after 2 kids, and years of domestication, my wild child is still alive and kicking inside me.  And when he played my all time favourite funk tune, I nearly exploded...

I will be doing it again sometime soon!

I hope you had a great weekend too. 

Rachel xx

holiday fun...

Hello lovelies, here I am again, late to the party as always, but I hope better late than never!  How has your Easter break been?  Here are some pics of mine...

Egg (and bunny) hunting...

Our Easter breakfast table at my Godmother's beautiful house in the country...

Homemade mini churros and chocolate sauce for breakfast = happy kids!

craft activity inspired by Jane's fabulous lolly people...

kept the boys entertained for hours!

a springtime visitor to a friend's garden!

I hope you've had a great time, whatever you've been up to.  We've also been busy with lots of house stuff; the continuing kitchen saga and an ongoing, perpetual attempt to declutter.  My facebook page has been keeping me busy, with some fabric flying out the door as soon as it arrives...I will take some more photos this week and update you on the latest additions to my stash! 

Today I have gained my 195th follower - welcome Debs and thanks for finding me!  I think I'll have to have a little giveaway when I hit 200, to say thanks to all of you lovely people who take the time to read and comment - it makes my day that so many of you enjoy what I do here, when I find the time to do it!

Schools go back here tomorrow so today we are watching a movie with the boys, and going to a friends later to let the kids go feral while we eat & drink to celebrate, finally, the arrival of spring.


Enjoy the rest of your Sunday,

Rachel x