Istanbul

In May I was very lucky to visit the city of Istanbul on a school project. I didn't really know what to expect and so was pleasantly surprised to discover an amazing city, full of colour, beauty, spirit and people who were kind and warm-hearted.

 

For anyone who loved textiles, pattern, colour and embellishment - Turkey is like an Aladdin's Cave. As this was a work visit I didn't have a great deal of spending money and was gutted I couldn't have purchased more.

 

 

 

 

If you are ever stuck for somewhere to visit or fancy a break from the usual beach holiday, I cannot express enough how beautiful and amazing Istanbul is. I came home wanting to return to this wonderful, spiritual city immediately.

 

 

Thanks for reading.

Rachel xxx

A Catch Up

It has been such a long time since I did a blog post that I thought it was time for a catch up! The last things I wrote about happened in January.

 

 

I had a few days in the sunshine in Tenerife in February, it was lovely to see some blue skies and feel some warmth.

 

My big brother also turned 30 in February. What's a better way to celebrate than with an M&S Colin the Caterpillar cake!?

 

March was a busy month, it began with my friends hen do, which involved some spa treatments, a night out dressed as various animals, and cocktails served from teapots!

I also had a trip with work to Hungary, which allowed me a small amount of time to see some of the beautiful city of Budapest.

 

 April begun with the beautiful wedding of my friend Anna, the bride looked beautiful and it was a happy and emotional day. Here is a photo of the table centrepieces from the day.

 

That brings me about up to date. Now I'm enjoying the Easter holidays, with not much planned apart from enjoying myself, catching up with friends and family and attending another wedding. I'm enjoying a spot of sewing and signs of Spring.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading.

Rachel

xxx

 

Recent Times

Well we're already in the middle of the half term holiday and it seems Autumn has landed. It is surprisingly nice to feel a chill in the air as it has been weirdly warm recently. However, I'm not too keen on the dark evenings that are creeping in. Before we know it, it'll be Christmas!

I spent a lovely couple of days in the Lake District this week, but as usual, was greeted with rain! Here are some of the things I enjoyed while I was there,

 

 

This photograph was taken in one of the rare occasions when it wasn't raining!

Derwentwater is beautiful and I could spend all day sitting on a nearby bench looking at the scenery.

 

 

Food and drink! There are some really lovely coffee shops, tea rooms, and traditional English pubs in Keswick. One place I really loved was Temporary Measure. A gorgeous little tea rooms/knitting shops selling a mixture of delicious cakes and beautiful wool.

 

 Shopping! I got a few nice bits and pieces as there are some lovely, individual shops to spend your money in. This photo is of a most stunning chair in the window of a shop called The Orchid House. They sell a super range of homeware, accessories, and lots of other nice bits from designers such as Greengate and RICE DK.

 

 

Hope you've been up to some lovely stuff.

Thanks for reading.
Rachel xxx

 

 

Sensational Scandinavia

After returning from Tenerife, I was home for a few days before going away again! Although trips to Tenerife are lovely, I was desperate to see somewhere different this Summer, and so I booked a short, five day Scandinavian cruise. It's difficult to find a friend who can afford the money and time to be a travel companion in the summer holidays, so my Mum kindly joined me.

 

 

I had never been on a cruise before and didn't really know what to expect! However, I must admit that I experienced the best, most professional and personal customer service. The food was also exquisite, with a wide range of choice and tasted far better than any Michelin starred food I have eaten. Evenings on the ship were really lovely.

 

I visited Norway as a teenager and fell in love with its cleanliness, outdoors way of life, stunning scenery, traditions and politeness. This time, I came away loving it even more! We went up mountains, discovered the spectacular fjords, ate in Bergens famous fish market and explored the cities gorgeous wooden buildings.

 

 

The Orkney Isles were equally as gorgeous, but unfortunately it poured with rain while we were there. Of course, it wouldnt have been a holiday without doing a spot of shopping. We bought some real traditional Norwegian goods!

 

Overall, it was a fantastic holiday and I would love to do it all over again!!

 

Thanks for reading.

Love Rachel xx

The Summer So Far

Although we've had some nice weather in England this Summer, this term did seem to be a long one and it took me a while to unwind and feel back to normal (if I ever really feel "normal").

I have got a few projects underway which I will hopefully show you soon, in the meantime, I'm going to share a few other things I've been getting up to. 

 

Some baking...

Bertie and I have made friends with lots of dogs of all shapes and sizes.

 

...and currently, I'm enjoying some sunshine and family time in our Tenerife home...

 

 

 

...eating tonnes of fresh, tropical fruit, frozen yoghurt, and drinking Sangria and Mojitos.

 

 

It's been a great start to the Summer and there's still more to come!

What have you been up to!?

 

Thanks for reading.

Rachel xx

Polish Pattern

This week, I've been to Poland on a work based visit. I think the weather was warmer there than it is here! Although I spent most of the time doing 'work' stuff, I got a couple of hours in Krakow. I managed to visit a couple of gorgeous Polish pottery shops where I was overwhelemed with an array of pottery painted in patterns of rich royal blue, green and yellow.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I didn't have enough room in my suitcase to buy everything! To be honest, I think I would have struggled to choose what to get!

I got a packet of paper napkins which look like they're hand embroidered, a beautifully painted wooden spoon and a tiny heart dish. I think the spoon might need some nice ribbon around the top and hanging in my kitchen.

If you do get chance to go to Krakow, save some money for some pottery. It really is lovely and a lot cheaper than the very few places that sell it in England.

 

Thanks for reading.

Rachel x  

 

 

 

 

A Trip Away

This week was half term. I was lucky enough to have a few days away at my parents house in Tenerife and it was lovely to see some sun! It wasn't too hot, but warm enough to go out without wrapping up in hats, coats, scarves etc. I managed to get a fair bit of sewing done while I was there, but I'll show you that another time.

 

One day, we drove further up the mountain from our village, to another small town called La Camella. There is a shop/workshop there called "Absolut Patchwork". I had been before and am always amazed at how beautiful and quirky this little shop is. I wish I had photos to show you.

I had followed the owners blog for a while now and knew she followed mine. Unfortunately, there is a little bit of a language barrier, but I gave her one of my blog business cards and the lovely lady was overwhelmed when she realised who I was. My Mum and I bought a few things from her. These were mine.

The gorgeous pin-striped linen is for the back of the cushion. I bought the paisley fabric just because I liked it and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the charms. The embroidery scissors were given to me (and Mum go a pair to) by the lovely lady who owns the shop as she said we had made her so happy.

 

If you ever visit Tenerife, "Absolut Patchwork" is definitely worth a visit. If not, you can see some of the beautiful makes and items from the shop at http://absolutpatchwork.blogspot.co.uk/

and  

 http://absolutpatchwork.blogspot.co.uk/ 

 

Thanks for reading.

Rachel x

Postcard Views

When I was growing up, every holiday, bank holiday, half term was spent in the Lake District. We took a caravan and sometimes stayed in tents but as we got older (and my brother grew to over six foot and was far too tall for the caravan bunk beds) we started to rent cottages so the dog could have more space and Grandad could accompany us.

We always had a great time, even if the whole week was spent trying to find indoor entertainment and cosy pubs to hide from the rain.

So, after 12 years of not going on holiday all together as a family, my second holiday of the summer was with my parents, my brother and the puppy for a week in the Lake District.

We had a really lovely time, a combination of walking, relaxing, dodging the rain, sitting in the sun, playing crazy golf, eating good food in good pubs and some gentle shopping.I think the puppy had the best time of all!

This was Berties first time in the Lakes and I think he's planning on going back!

 

There are some lovely individual shops in the Lake District and I managed to do a little bit of shopping. I bought a gorgeous Rice make-up bag and a trip to the Joules shop saw me coming out with this lovely penil case, just in time for the new term at school! (Yes, it was in the childs section, but being a teacher is an excuse for buying these kind of things!)

So after a fab week away, we're trying to find a good time to book the same cottage and once again, enjoy this beautiful part of the country together.

 

Thanks for reading.

Love Rachel x

 

Sunny Skies

I have been lucky enough to go away twice this summer. The first trip was to Tenerife, where my family has a house. It was a much needed sunshine holiday after the rubbish weather we’ve been having here!

It was so nice just to see everything so much brighter and more colourful than the dullness we’re used to in Britain.

The house is very much a home from home and it was great to relax in the sunshine just a couple of feet away from home comforts. I can’t stand feeling chained to sunbeds near a hotel swimming pool when you’ve got to get in various lifts etc just to get to your room.

 

 

We have been having the garden of the house landscaped and we did some planting while we were there.  

 

Unfortunately, I managed to catch a virus for the last five days away, and it meant I couldn’t go outside in the heat, but I managed to get lots of reading and sewing done. My tan may not of developed as much as it would of if I’d spent the holiday outside, but I certainly came back with more freckles than I went with!

Thanks for reading,

Rachel x

Holiday Reading

When I was little I was an avid reader. I was one of those that would read with a torch under the covers, I remember my Mum coming to get me up one morning and I was still trying to reach the end of Harry Potter. I still love to read but when it's term time, I'm asleep before my head hits the pillow and I'm lucky if I get through a book a term. However, I'm on holiday in Tenerife at the moment, I've been here a week so far and have read a total of five books. This time though, I didn't fill my suitcase with paperbacks, I brought my new Kindle.

So, my question for you is, to Kindle or not to Kindle? I'll hold my hands up and say I never thought I would get one of these, but I realised how much easier it was for travelling with and for holding whilst sunbathing :-)

However, it definitely has its downsides, for example, I haven't found a way that you can share books with another Kindle owner, which seems sad when we're used to recommending and passing books on to each other. The other negative I've found is that you definitely need to know what book you want to buy, downloading them on Amazon is not like going to a lovely bookshop, having a coffee and flicking through a range of books until you've found what you want.

How do you all feel about the Kindle?

Some other reading material I have brought away with me are these magazines;

I don't know if any of you have seen this in the newsagents, but I saw it and wanted it straight away, then I saw the price, £9.99!!

I wouldn't normally buy a magazine that cost so much but when I flicked through, I only wanted it more and decided to treat myself for my holiday. I would definitely recommend it, it has turned out to be much more like a book than a magazine, with lots of different patchwork and quilting patterns and step-by-step projects from various designers, including Amy Butler. I can't wait to try some of them.

My other magazine is this one;

I buy Mollie Makes most months as I like its modern and fashionable take on making things. However, again, it's quite pricey, at £4.99. Some months, I feel I haven't got my moneys worth as the crafts inside aren't my cup of tea. But I have really loved this months issue, there is lots of patchwork and crochet projects and the free crochet hook that came with it is of really good quality. 

If you've got a spare fiver, go and get it!

I'm off to sunbathe.

Thanks for reading.

Rachel x