If this were a page in my notebook it would look like this

one of the great American novels of the 20th century

The Great Gatsby has received mixed reviews in the US

This film is as brash and bold as one of Gatsby’s parties!

I think the problem is that because I feel so special to have been invited to a preview screening, I’m trying to write a review in the style of other movie reviews I’ve read, because I feel like that’s what you will want to read.  But I guess if you’re here, you want to hear what I think, not what I think you want.

I’m a huge fan of Baz Luhrmann’s movies.  I enjoy a nice period drama as much as the next person, but I like that his style is irreverent, loud and brash and The Great Gatsby did not disappoint in that sense.  The movie is as bombastic as one of Gatsby’s parties!

Everything about this movie is beautiful.  The main cast members are beautiful, the sets are beautiful and the costumes are beautiful.   In fact the whole thing is so stunning that even if the main characters just stood and smiled for 2 hours, there would be those who would declare it a success!   I think the cast have been well chosen.  Perhaps not altogether consistent with their descriptions in the book, but they work well as far as concerns the story and the look that Luhrmann has created. Carey Mulligan is fragile and magnetic as Daisy and Joel Edgerton makes for a brooding and powerful Tom.  Leonardo Di Caprio is an inspired choice for Gatsby, he is instantly likeable, cool and mysterious.  Unfortunately, the omission of certain scenes limits how well Di Caprio can show the different facets of the character’s personality.

Despite being over two hours long, there is no time for subtlety and the pace of the movie is sometimes a little ‘choppy’.  As the story jumps from location to location, there’s little time for great acting; but when the pace slows there are some incredible moments.

I had heard the movie criticised for it’s use of modern music, but personally I think the soundtrack is one of the film’s great triumphs.  The use of current music brings home the aspects of the story that are still relevant today: the divide between rich and poor, corruption, excess and the inevitable end of a lavish lifestyle, obtained by questionable means.

All in all, I think this movie is definitely one to watch on the big screen.  Don’t wait until it comes out on DVD as the 3D is expertly placed and the colour, sparkle and madness is simply exhilarating!

Go to see The Great Gatsby with a mind ready to criticise and compare and you will find plenty to disappoint you, but go with an open mind, ready to accept a new story with bright lights and lavish scenes and you will be glad you did.

love Rachel

x

I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that the trailers look incredibly beautiful.  The sets and costumes are so stunning that it scarcely matters what the film is actually like, millions will adore it just for how it looks.   As a rule I don’t tend to enjoy remakes, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, but I absolutely love Baz Luhrmann movies and this one looks sure not to disappoint!

Only Luhrmann could produce such and extravagant take on the roaring twenties, marry it with an urban soundtrack and yet still hope to show the darkness that move stye story forward.

Alot of big budget, highly anticipated movies seem to lack credibility, but I think that Baz Luhrmann’s creativity will add an edge that is usually only found in smaller, indie films.  Whereas people tend to roll their eyes at the mention of ‘Titanic’, they aren’t quite so dismissive of ‘Moulin Rouge’.

Frankly I can’t wait.  I’m looking forward to a full on feast for the eyes and absolutely plan to dress for the occasion!!

Love Rachel

x

‘There’s no place like home’ and there’s no baking like home baking.The Wizard of Oz is often credited as the ‘most famous film of all time’ and surely it’s most famous song of all is ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’.  Based on a 1900 novel and released in 1939, The Wizard Of Oz and Dorothy’s infamous first song are the inspirations for this ridiculously colourful recipe.

You will need:

3 medium free range eggs

6oz unsalted butter

6oz self raising flour

6oz caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

A pinch of baking powder

Sprinkles

Cake cases

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 150
2. Combine the butter, sugar and vanilla essence and beat until the mixture begins to pale.
3. Whisk the eggs and add to the mixture.  Stir until fully combined.
4. Sieve the flour into the mixture and stir in gently using a figure of eight motion.
5. Spoon a little of the mixture into a cake case, to around 1cm deep.
6. Sprinkle a thin layer of sugar strands ontop of the mixture.
7. Cover up the sugar strands and continue to fill the case until around ¾ full.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
9. Allow to cool in the tray for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling wire and allow to cool completely.

Now its time to decorate!!

You will need:

7ozMargarine

15oz Icing Sugar

Teaspoon of Vanilla Essence

Blue food colouring paste

White mini-marshmallows

Rainbow sweets

Tablespoon of milk

Method:

1. Place the margarine and vanilla in a bowl and beat until the margarine becomes pale.
2. Add the vanilla essence.
3. Gradually add the icing sugar, beating well between additions.
4. Add a small amount of food colouring and stir in until the colour is even.
5. Add the milk gradually until you chi eve a smooth consistency.
6. Pipe or spread onto the cake tops.
7. Cut an 8cm piece of rainbow sweet and stick to the cake in an arch shape.
8. Place three mini-marshmallows at each end to make ‘clouds’.

The first rule of Movie night is that you need a movie.  These are some of my favourites films that are easy to watch whilst gossiping, painting nails or eating copious amounts of popcorn and ice cream.  All have amazing soundtracks and more feel good factor than you can shake a stick at!!

The Breakfast Club

Grease

How To Marry A Millionaire

Old school St Trinians

New school St Trinians

The Wizard of Oz

Dirty Dancing

Muriel’s Wedding

Obviously not all of these films are suitable for watching with very little ones, but in my humble opinion, they are all timeless classics….so the ones you aren’t sure about will keep till they’re grown ups.

The second rule of movie night is that you need pop corn…which we didn’t have :-S  But we did have these fantastic pop corn tubs which we ate our ice cream from.  I think that’s close enough!

We drank mocktails with our Movie, our favourite at the moment is a Tiki Sunrise (or at least that’s what we’re calling it for now!).

You Will Need

Champagne flutes

orange juice

lemonade

grenadine.

Method:

• Fill your glass half full with orange juice.
• Top with lemonade
• Pour around a teaspoonful of grenadine carefully into the centre of the drink and do not stir.

Movie – check

Tasty Treats – check

Special drinks – check

Pampering

-check!

What are your favourite movies to watch with friends?

Love Rachel

x

I know that people will want to know where the pop corn tubs are from!  Just click here

I regularly see very near misses in our school carpark, along with looks that could cut through steel!  It almost makes me glad that I don’t drive!

When we moved last year, it was to a house a couple of miles from Beth’s school. As I said I don’t drive, or more specifically,  I’m not currently allowed to drive.  No I didn’t ram my car into another school runner’s or allow mid afternoon road rage to get the better of me;  I have a low blood pressure condition that sometimes causes black outs.  It’s been around 15 months since my last one, so in 9 more months, I’ll be able to get behind the wheel!  For now I’m stuck with our incredibly unreliable bus service when Phill isn’t around and as often as possible I walk.

Today it was dry so I did just that.  I’m sure there are nicer school runs in the World, but not many.

It was actually starting to brighten up (famous last words) until the school bell rang and Beth came out Rather than risk getting caught in a downpour, we waited for the bus, which was happily only 10 minutes late today :-/

Thankfully Beth was in a great mood and despite the fact that my standard “How was school?” question, was met with the standard “Alright” answer; we started chattering and being silly and before I knew it I was laughing so much that my cheeks hurt!  Honestly she is crackers sometimes.  Look at these faces, which I might add were accompanied by a little beat boxing!!

I think this next one is particularly special!

Eventually her face looked like this….

….which is my most favourite face of all the faces in the entire World.

Love Rachel

x

What they say:

‘Take one copy of Girls’ Night In packed with design ideas like some pretty pom poms, add a group of mates, a bottle of fizz and voilà, you have a party and craft session in one.’

What I say:

I’m not sure who liked this book more…me or Beth!  This isn’t a children’s book by any means, (there are 20 pages of tantalising cocktail recipes to prove that!) but the illustrations and ideas are understandably as appealing to pre-teens as they are to their Mums!

‘Girls’ Night In’ is a beautiful book, Hannah Read-Baldrey’s style is evident in every single page.  The book is crammed full of delicious recipes and inventive crafts.  Some of the crafts would probably be wasted on one of my girls’ nights in ;-P but may translate well into other events such as parties, dinners and even wedding but many are really ingenious and so beautiful that I will be making them as soon as possible.

Aswell as recipes, crafts and cocktails, the book includes make up tips, pampering treats and game suggestions.  These are all really good ideas as you can make them suit your group of girls: their age, their personalities and where you know them from!!  You wouldn’t necessarily want to play the same games with your work colleagues as you would with your old school friends!

All in all I think this is a brilliant book for your own bookshelf or as a gift for someone else’s.  It fantastic to have a book that embraces the ‘night in’ and seeks to make it a real occasion, especially in an economy when we are all having to be a little more conservative with our nights out.

Love Rachel

x

This weekend went walking/climbing/falling around White Coppice.  Look at these gorgeous cottages I’m not greedy…I only want one!

We took the dog, some vimto and a couple of snacks and went on an adventure.  It isn’t the biggest hill we’ve ever reached the top of and it isn’t the first time we’ve been there, but every walk is different.

Our family used to do quite a bit of walking when I was growing up.  There was a group organised by Father Stuart, our local priest, that would take on a different walk/climb every few weeks.  Whole families would go!  As one by one the younger ones and then the older ones, decided to call it a day and find a nice tea room, a core group would emerge.   Either through ability or sheer determination, this group would always reach the summit.  As I was the oldest, sometimes I would be allowed to carry on with this core group even after my parents had had to stop with my younger siblings.

I remember one weekend, as I stopped for a breather, turning to take a sneaky peak at the view that was to come.  It was breath taking.  I can’t remember the place now, but I can still remember the view.  You could see for miles, all the way to the sea on the right and all the way into a town of some sort of the left.   There were farmers fields like patchwork blankets and rolling hills that made me confused about where exactly I’d begun my walk. Father Stuart gave me a nudge to carry on and then seeing what I was gazing at, he stopped and took a deep breath.

“Just think Rachel….down there will be hundreds of people, wasting their days watching TV.  They don’t even know what’s up here, or how it feels.”

I told him it felt like nothing else mattered when I was up in the hills and he said that we should try to hold onto that feeling when we went back down and remember it when we needed to.  We turned and carried on our way, joining the rest of the group.

I was probably 13 or 14 that day and this weekend as Beth began to complain ever so slightly that the going was a little tough on this particular hill, I told her to turn around and see if she could see houses.   She could, so I told her what Father Stuart had told me.

Beth said she’s much rather be out of breath up a mountain and be able to see lambs and caves and miles and miles of countryside.  She said she did prefer going down though, not just because it was easier but because she could say “Hooray I’ve done it!”  So not only is walking good for her health but it’s giving her a sense of achievement.

It started me thinking about the lessons that my childhood taught me and how different mine is to Beth’s.  She is very lucky.  She has parents who adore her, she has all the physical things she could possibly need and plenty of things that she doesn’t need at all(!), she has a great school, she has good friends, she’s travelled, she’s eaten at great restaurants….she leads a bloody good life!!  Leading a good life is all very well, but how do you learn about struggle when for the most part, you don’t?

This is one of the reasons why I think getting outdoors and challenging children is so important and why I think the countryside can teach life lessons even now.

When Beth climbs to the very top of a hill and looks back at a view that (as it changes every second) is only hers…she learns about effort and reward.

When she has to jump across a stream, from one rock to another and she as can’t hold our hands and she has to have faith in herself….she learns that she is capable of more than she realises.

When she approaches a ewe with her lamb (because they are so cute!) and stops because she sees that the mother looks worried….she learns that she is kind and has good instincts.

When the ground becomes uneven and mud threatens to trip her up…she learns to be responsible for herself and to assess a situation before she ‘puts her foot in it’.

Being in the countryside for a day, she learns about the seasons, about eco systems and about social responsibility.

Caves and streams teach her to be curious; silence teaches her to think deeply; lonely trees, strange markings and piles of stones teach her to use her imagination.

Possibly the most important lesson of all is this: when she is so tired that she thinks she ‘can’t go any further’ and then somehow she does…..she learns to never ever give up.

I hope she remembers these and many more things that walking/climbing has taught her, including the cardinal rule: that all walks must be followed by tea and cake.  I don’t make the rules……

Love Rachel

PS. No, I didn’t realise she was wearing those shoes until we got there :-/ Haven’t got to the lesson on appropriate footwear yet lol

…I am not exaggerating when I say that this is the first time my dining/kitchen table has been clear in around 2 weeks.  It’s been so long that it actually looks a little bit odd :-S  I’m so pleased to see it empty that I think I’ll just leave it like this, no flowers or candles, no fruit bowl, just completely empty….bliss.

Until you glance to the right and see that I’ve just moved all the clutter onto the dumping ground dresser.

I feel like a hamster on a wheel right now; like I’m borrowing time from one task to make up for neglecting another, only to see that I need to go back to the original task before everything falls apart.

There should be time for everything and there would be time for everything if I wasn’t so tired.  Part of the reason I’m tired is that I’m not sleeping very well and part of the reason I’m not sleeping very well is that our bedroom is a disaster area!  You can barely see the floor (says the woman who was complaining about her daughter’s bedroom!), I don’t know where anything is and for all I know there could be  dead bodies in there!  A group of illegal immigrants could be living in my wardrobe and I wouldn’t know because I’ve been living out of the laundry basket!!

Tidy body, tidy mind.

I’ve tried really I have.  Despite having a string of press events and work commitments, I had managed to get ahead on the laundry (all 6 weeks worth – remember the broken washing machine) and then we went away for a few days for Phill’s birthday and I was back to square one.  I gutted Beth’s bedroom and then we shuffled everything onto the landing (where a large portion of it remains) so that we could change the flooring.  I cleared up the hallway and then life happened!!  School bags happened, shoes happened, more shoes happened, junk mail happened and all of a sudden it’s an embarrassing sight.

The positives?  Things are going well on the writing front.  This site is thriving, my work for Modern Vintage Magazine is way ahead of schedule and I think I’m finally (FINALLY!!!!!) getting noticed.    One year into our marriage and Phill and I laugh together every single day and our girl is healthy and clumsy lol and happy and doing brilliantly at school.

Life or more specifically my responsibilities, seem to exist in three parts:  Home, (potentially) professional and personal.  When I succeed at one or two, I fail miserably at the third.  I suppose you might say the house is the least important of the three?  Until someone breaks their neck tripping over something!!

Cleaning this home from top to bottom, which is what I need to do, will make us all feel better.  But I guarantee that the moment I sit down to congratulate myself afterwards, the moment my lips touch that well deserved cup of tea, I’ll realise that I’ve missed an appointment, that I’m running late for the school run or that I’ve received a string of urgent (aren’t they all :-/) messages while I’ve been busy.

I don’t think any of us ever have everything under control all of the time….I don’t think we ever will.  I think you have to be proud of small victories, treat yourself kindly and try to find a little peace amidst the madness of modern life.

So I’ve decided to congratulate myself with a nice 5 minute sit down.  This cup of tea right here, is my reward for doing three lots of laundry, returning all of my emails, cleaning the kitchen and dining table (sort of) and making a cake for my little family.

As I sit here writing, I can smell it baking and I feel like a good Mum/Wife, but as I’m writing I also feel like I’m not letting that side of myself down.  Sadly the baking has undone some of my good work in the kitchen so I’m going to remedy that before I move on to the next room…..and the next room…..and the next room.

How’s your balancing act going?

Love Rachel

x

A beautiful collection of brand new Tilda projects, featuring seasonal designs in Tone Finnanger’s quirky style. Each chapter is themed on a classic children’s story, such as Pinocchio, Bambi, The Nutcracker and The Princess and the Pea. Projects include new doll designs (ballerinas, princesses, soldiers and various animals), as well as gifts and decorations using the latest range of Tilda fabrics and products.

What I Say:

Did you ever open a book that was so beautiful that you just longed to jump into the pages…?   This book made me feel like that.  The scenes created by Tone Finnanger are so dreamlike that they are almost impossibly lovely.  All of the styling is inspirational; I like to think that the house looks like a perfect version of mine ;-P

Sadly I find myself reading this book for the first time now, with a 10 year old daughter and not years ago, with a 2 year old one.  I say sadly because the vast majority of the projects are figures, characters….toys for want of a better word.  Although every single one of the toys is heirloom-worthy and would no doubt be treasured for years, I think these things have to be given to a person during their childhood for them to have really long lasting appeal.  

So in some ways, the book made me feel a little melancholy, that the time for telling my child stories about Princesses and unicorns, may be long gone.  I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that like me, Beth’s love for fairytales is rekindled in her teens and I can help furnish her bedroom with some of these divine little ballerinas, soldiers and angels in just a few short years.  

I doubt I would have had time to make these beautiful objects when my daughter was tiny anyway; this book does not claim to contain simple, easy or quick projects, but it does offer the opportunity to create something beautiful, polished and unique….from scratch.

There are some non-figurine decorations such as fabric teapots which would look lovely in any home and could even be used as pin cushions and a Princess and the Pea wall hanging that I can’t wait to make out of all the scraps of fabric that I can’t possibly part with I have been saving for just such a project.

Projects are made using Tilda fabrics which adds to the cohesive look of the book, but of course you can use any material you like (guidelines are given) and all patterns are included at the back of the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone with children in their lives, be it sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, Grandchildren or even neighbours. Seasoned crafters will enjoy the challenge and novices will be glad that they took a leap of faith.

Love Rachel

x

I’m so excited to tell you my news!!  I’ve been shortlisted for THREE BiB (brilliance in blogging) Awards!!

Vintage Folly has made the top 16 in the family, style and craft categories and I’m so thrilled.  I put alot of effort into the website, so it’s amazing that people have nominated me and that I’ve made the cut so to speak.

This stage is only the semi final, to be in with a chance of winning (can you imagine!?) Vintage Folly needs your votes.

I would be over the moon if you’d be kind enough to take five minutes to vote for Vintage Folly by clicking the button above.

Thank you all so much for your support, I’m so grateful that you’re here

Love Rachel

x

Usually I would get fed up and clean it, but this time I decided to stand my ground.  I think it’s time she learnt to look after her things a little better.  When I deal with Beth’s bedroom, it stays tidy for a couple of days before descending into anarchy again.  I’m not exaggerating when I say that within 48 hours you won’t be able to see the carpet and things will start to get broken.

I’d hoped that being made to tidy the whole room herself would make her realise how long it takes me to do it and encourage her to keep it under control for a little longer.  So other than going in to kiss her goodnight, wake her up, change her bed-linen and to complain about the mess…..I’ve barely been in there.

I adore my daughter and make a point of not complaining about her, but I must admit, I have been a fairly vocal about this issue to just about anyone who will listen!  I wondered how long it would take her to actually do what we were asking her to do and I struggled but fought the urge to clean it myself.  Backed up by stories from other parents who have done the same thing, I waited.

But now there’s a deadline; the flooring in her room needs to be replaced and we want to set up a desk and some more shelving.  So yesterday…..I went in.

She had tidied little bits of it and had clearly spent time reorganising her cupboards and actually, as I sat there amongst bits of paper and beads and lego and teddy bear clothes, I realised that some serious effort has gone into her room recently.

Yes it was in quite a state but she’d detangled all of her millions of necklaces and beads; you couldn’t see much of the carpet but at least every item of clothing was hung in her wardrobe; her boxed games were stacked on her shelves, her teddies and dolls were all neatly in a row……and she’d made her bed.

So although it took a few hours to clear everything away, the lion’s share had infact been done by Beth!

Pre-teen’s bedrooms are a strange place.  Beth has almost as many accessories as I do, even her bag collection rivals mine!!  She has great taste in music and I have been known to borrow her lip gloss and curling tongs from time to time.  She’s growing up fast  but mercifully she still has her dollies.

Though they aren’t really played with anymore, Emma, Bella and Lucy Diamond will I’m sure, have a permanent place in her heart.  She reads alot of the same books as I did at her age and creates little displays of treasures from her holidays and adventures.   There are signs of both a child and a teenager in this room and I’m sure that this big overhaul will mean saying goodbye to a few more relics of her early years.

I’m trying to be cool about it, I’m really trying!!!!

Beth’s a collector and a documenter; she makes scrap books and keeps diaries….lots of diaries!!!  It seemed that every notebook has some sort of diary entry (don’t worry, I resisted the urge to snoop!).  They don’t take up too much space, so I think that she should keep them, they’ll make interesting reading when she’s a grown up!   There are some things that she clearly has too many of though, I counted 12 pencil cases, all full to bursting!  But it’s hard to know what to give/throw away.

The more I sat and looked at her room, not just the things that she has, but the way that she’s chosen the arrange them, the more I realised how similar she and I really are.  There are things that I have now, things that I deem precious, that to the untrained eye would seem like rubbish.  So I found myself hesitating before I put things in the rubbish bag and I was glad when Beth came home from school and could help!!

When she saw how close her room was to being finished she stood there open mouthed before giving me a huge hug and promising to keep it tidy this time…..just like last time lol.

In alot of ways I enjoy tidying my daughter’s room.  She has some beautiful things and I love the way that her personality is right there in every drawing, every collection and every keepsake.  I love the smell of Beth’s room.  It might not be tidy but it’s smells fantastic, like a mixture of sweets, pencil crayons and fruity body spray.  I suppose it smells like Beth.

I’m looking forward to finishing off Beth’s room and showing you my lovely little big girl’s boudoir!

Love Rachel

x

I was so hopeful as I decorated the house for Easter, all of those pastel coloured eggs made me think of sunny days stretched out on the lawn, daisy chains and picnics.  Well there wasn’t much chance of that in the snow was there??  It feels as though we’ve been in the depths of the bleakest of Winter’s for a year and as I packed away the eggs and chicks, it was really starting to get me down

The heating is still on, we’re still eating Winter comfort food and my skin…..well it’s so pale that I’m almost see-through!

If it isn’t lovely outside, we can at least make it lovely inside.  I regularly change the decoration in my dining room (it’s very much my domain) to fit the seasons.  I change the table cloth, the items on the dresser and the bunting on the wall and it could be a different house.

This lovely bunting has inspired the colours this time, the sky blue and the red and pink paisley just sings of Summer!

I paired it with this vintage linen tablecloth.

It wasn’t until I saw it with the paisley and this stunning orchid (a Mother’s Day gift) that I realised the design had a slightly Eastern look and as we’ve just got back from Beijing, it seems quite fitting!

The colours really set off the chopsticks we brought back from Beijing and the pink and the birdcage that we used to collect cards at our wedding.

You don’t need to spend a fortune to completely change a room, the paisley bunting is just £12.95 and everything else has just been brought into the room front around the house.  Once you have a starting point, it’s easy to see how the things you already have can be used to update a space from season to season.

I particularly love the little white Japanese teapot.  I know it’s a little garish and cheap looking but it’s sentiment is so sweet.

‘Love is….the little things we do for each other’.  This is perfect right now as it’s very nearly mine and Phill’s first wedding Anniversary and his 30th birthday.

Hopefully the bright colours in this room will stave off Seasonal Effective Disorder for a few more weeks until the sun decides to visit and when it does, I like this colour scheme so much that I might use all EIGHT METERS of the bunting in the garden.

How are you fighting the Wintery Springtime blues.

Love Rachel

x

**  Just to let you know, I was asked to review the paisley bunting for www.dotcomgiftshop.com but I had been eyeing it up for a little while anyway! **

It’s lovely, it’s that simple!  The fabric is great quality and the stitching is well done and it’s sooooo long!  So long in fact, that I had to rest some of it on top of the dining room dresser so that it would fit the wall!  I would cut it down, but I want to use it outside should the good weather ever arrive, so folding it over works well enough for me!

One of the most surprising things about this bunting is the price, at £12.95 I’m not sure you could make it any cheaper!

To see the full range of Dot Com Gift Shop bunting, click here

What They Say

A love of HOME is Cherry’s philosophy and at the heart of everything she does. Covering all aspects of homemaking and lifestyle from her own stunning house in West Sussex, Cherry Menlove presents a host of inspirational ideas to make your home feel special to you and your family. Including cookery, crafting, design, gardening and re-upholstery, Cherry is the expert at transforming a house into a cosy, warm and happy home. In this beautifully illustrated book, Cherry transports you into a world of homemade luxury, teaching you everything from how to create a patchwork quilt to baking delicious cupcakes and hosting the perfect children’s party. With twelve self-contained and easy-to-follow chapters, Cherry will show you that preparing for any occasion can be inspiring, adventurous, but most of all, simple.

 What I Say:

I love this book.  

I’ve been a fan of Cherry’s blog for around 18 months and have eagerly anticipated her first book (so perhaps my review will be a little biased!): I think ‘The Handmade Home’ is just as lovely as her website.

As you’d expect, there are pages of glossy, richly coloured photographs and the step by step instructions are well written and easy to understand.  But what you might not expect is the amount of book that you get for your money!!  Cherry was clearly thrilled to be making this book and her sheer excitement is evident in the fact that she has put so much into it.  The Handmade Home is literally jam packed (see what I did there) with advice, ideas and projects: 

The crafts and recipes are separated into twelve inventive chapters including ‘Valentine’s Day’, ‘A Summer Fete’ and ‘Evenings Around the TV’ and most can be made with items that the average crafter/cook will already have in their home.    There’s something for everyone, from oversized props for a children’s party to simple cookies that can be baked on a whim.

The book’s layout is simple, tasteful and it works.  The writing is easy and friendly and never patronising.  The ideas are ‘do-able’, worthwhile and inventive.  As you read this book, you’ll wonder why you don’t make things more often, have friends round more often, get involved more often.  

All in all I’d say this is one of the most accessible lifestyle books I have seen in a long time and well worth having on your book shelf.

Love Rachel

x

Hokey Pokey (or honey comb) is delicious (a kind of salted caramel flavour), it’s easy to make and you probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen cupboard already.  Looking for something interesting to sprinkle over a desert or ice-cream? Craving a sweet treat with a movie?  Heading to a friend’s house for a visit and fancy taking them a little something?  Make this!!

I’ll be honest, my first attempt didn’t turn out well.  It tasted great but it didn’t set to a crunch and instead remained a chewy mass.  The problem was that I didn’t allow the sugar/syrup mixture to bubble for long enough, so it hadn’t reached it’s ‘crunch’ temperature of 150.  You could use a sugar thermometer to be sure but they tend not to work properly when your cooking on such a small scale.  Basically you need the mixture to darken in colour slightly, to the point where you daren’t leave it on the heat any longer, it should be dark brown around the outside (but only just!)

Basic hokey pokey has three ingredients, Golden syrup, caster sugar and bicarbonate of soda, but I also add a little vanilla and I really do think it makes all the difference.  Why not add a 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger right at the beginning, for a lightly spiced version?

This method makes enough to fill a small tin, bowl or gift bag.

You Will Need:

50 grams caster sugar

2 tablespoons golden syrup 

1/4 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method:

• Before you start, lay out a baking sheet next to your hob.  I use a silicone one but a metal one covered in some greaseproof paper will be just fine.
• Have the bicarbonate of soda out ready along with a metal whisk.

• In a small pan, mix together the sugar, syrup and vanilla.  Then out the spoon down and DO NOT put it back in the pan!!!  You must not stir the mixture once you turn the heat on.
• Allow the sugar to melt over a medium heat.
• Shake the mixture every now and again but don’t stir it.
• Continue to heat until the mixture darkens and bubbles.

• Once the edges of the mixture turn dark brown, remove from the heat.
• Working quickly, add the bicarbonate of soda and whisk.

• Straight away pour the whole bubbling mass onto the baking sheet.  Don’t try to spread it out just leave it to settle.

• The hokey pokey will set in around 10 minutes.  Then you can smash it up and eat it!!!

We sometimes add a little edible glitter before the hokey pokey sets, but you could also scatter with chocolate chips or cover with chocolate completely once it’s set.

Love Rachel

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Given that I’m a craft enthusiast and lover of anything that harkens back to ‘the good old days’ it is a bad reflection on the BBC’s publicity team that the first I (surely a member of the shows target audience) hear of the show is from a publisher asking if I would like to review the book that will accompany the series?? :-/

But how exciting!?  Another ‘Great British’ programme and this time it’s sewing!!  Obviously I can’t pass comment on the series yet, but here’s what I think of the book.

What They Say:

Capturing the creative energy of the series, the book provides an irresistible collection of over 25 projects covering garments and homewares that will delight sewing enthusiasts everywhere. As in the series, the projects offer something for both sexes and all ages. Garments include a flattering tea dress, pencil skirt, unisex pyjama bottoms and a waistcoat. The homewares and accessories include aprons, a stylish tote bag, laundry bag, a selection of cushion designs and three different window dressings. All are complete with instructions and patterns for sizes 8 16 available as a pdf download free with purchase. 

Including select items from the TV series, technical know-how and insider sewing tips from the judges, this book will help the beginner achieve professional results.

What I Say:

This is a substantial book and is laid out in a similar fashion to the Great British Bake Off books.  There are forewords by the shows experts, the Women’s Institute’s May Martin and the handsome, bearded, Patrick Grant aswell a little history about the Queen Mother’s Sewing Bees held in Buckingham Palace.

Almost a third of this book is dedicated to explaining different types of stitches, the correct way to use a pattern and the pros and cons of a variety of fabrics: the basics.  But they aren’t THAT basic.  The book doesn’t patronise the reader, although it begins by explaining a simple running stitch (we can all push a needle through fabric), it goes on to outline increasingly difficult techniques.  

There are 28 complete projects outlined in this book, ranging from a bow-tie, to a prom dress, to curtains!  All are as easy to understand as these kinds of projects could hope to be.  The patterns are included but must be scanned  in and enlarged or downloaded for free and dress sizes range from 8 to 16 which I think is quite good.  Each project has a beautiful vintage inspired photograph and clear illustrations.  The skills used to create each piece are outlined clearly, so that you know what you’re taking on before you start and the difficulty is rated by ‘thimbles’.

As someone who has just stepped into the scary world of making clothing, this book may just be a Godsend!  Although I might not dive straight into the projects, the advice and ‘tuition’ at the beginning of the book will be useful immediately as I hone my skills before risking any of my precious fabric.  Later I’m sure I’ll be trying to make some of the lovely items, especially as the series begins and I start to covet the contestant’s sewing skills.

My only criticism is that the book could be more lively.  Although the photographs are beautiful, they are a little dull and don’t really convey the personalities of the people who will take part in the show.  As this book accompanies a series, I feel that those who take part in it should be featured more heavily, but as a stand alone book, this doesn’t detract from it’s success at all!

All in all, this is a great book for a beginner to sewing, someone returning to the art and for those who love the series.

Love Rachel

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Why did you start blogging?

I was bored ;-P  To be honest I didn’t really know what blogging was all about when I started, it was more Phill’s idea than mine.  I had been writing posts for our wedding website and I loved it.  Phill suggested that I might like to carry on after the big day.  He designs websites in his spare time and he knocked up Vintage Folly for me in return for cupcakes and tea.

Does Phill still build websites?

If you ask him nicely
What does Phill think of Vintage Folly?

He is baffled by it! But I think he quite likes it really.

Where did you meet Phill?

I’ll tell you on our wedding anniversary

I was 18.  Yes I agree, that’s very young.  No I didn’t plan it.  Yes if I could do it all again, I’d still be an 18 year old Mum, as choosing to have Beth is the best thing I ever did.  No I wouldn’t recommend it to any teenagers reading this; my advice would be to have as many amazing experiences as you can before you have children, then you have more to share with them.  I don’t think there is a ‘right age’ to have children, but I think it’s always better if they are planned.

Do you worry about posting images of Beth on the internet?

Do you post pictures of your children on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?  If the answer is yes then I’m sure they are as visible to the public as the images I post on Vintage Folly.  I don’t post bathing or swimsuit images (not that there’s anything wrong with them) and she doesn’t dress inappropriately, so I doubt that there’s anything to be worried about.

Do you worry about writing about your daughter on the internet?

I worry about what other people think sometimes.  But then I remember that I never write anything negative about Beth or anything that she’ll find embarrassing or that will affect her later in life.  Beth is fully aware of what Vintage Folly is and is allowed to read any posts about her before they are published.  If I ever shared something she didn’t like, I’d take it down immediately and probably reassess the whole website.

What does she think of your blog-site?

She bloomin’ loves it.

Do you get paid to write good reviews?

No.

Do you get sent free stuff?

Sometimes.  I get sent books to review and products to give away as prizes.  I was recently sent some paint to try out and I have some more product reviews coming up soon.  Do I have designer hand bags etc turning up on the doorstep?   No.  I’m really not that special lol.

Have you ever regretted anything that you’ve written?

Yes, yes, yes!  I have a rule that although I may write when I’m emotional, I shan’t publish until I’ve calmed down.  But rules are made to be broken and sometimes they are.  I try to go back and read posts from time to time and I delete or amend things that don’t sit well with me.

I’m much happier now than I was 12-18 months ago, when I was going through an absolute nightmare when the blog started, so there are fewer unhappy feelings in me to write these days.

Have you ever upset anyone with something you have written?

Once that I’m aware of.  I think because I try not to embarrass name anyone, my posts can sometimes seem a little bit vague.  This also means that someone reading them can mistakenly feel they are directed at them, as was the case on this occasion.   The thing is, my posts are never directed at anyone really.  I write about what I think and feel but I try not to tell anyone’s story but my own.

If I felt I needed to say something to someone, I would say it to them, I wouldn’t write it on the internet!  I know some people are comfortable having completely open blogs and I respect that, but I’m not one of those people.  It would just be too much hassle lol.

How do you decide what to write on your blog?

I write whatever I think people will find interesting, whatever I find interesting and anything that I just fancy writing about.

Where do you get your recipes and crafts from?

Everywhere.  My recipes tend to be food I’ve made for years, recipes I’ve tried out and mucked about with put my own spin on so much that they aren’t recognisable as the original dish, recipes I’ve collected on my travels and bare faced experiments that have turned out well!

Most of my crafts come from necessity.  I need a peg bag, so let’s make one, Beth would like to give a gift to her teacher for Christmas, so what can we make?  Sometimes I’ll find a nice bit of fabric or paper and try to come up with something to make and some ideas come from Beth!

Can I share your image/post? 

Erm yeah lol.  Of course you can!  I don’t mind my writing/images being used, all I ask is that you credit me by linking back to the website/original post.

What are you going to do next?

Well I quite enjoy doing this so I’m just going to carry on and see where it takes me

Love Rachel

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The bicycles glided elegantly along leafy streets as skyscrapers mingled with centuries old traditional buildings, painted in reds, golds and blues.

Beijing was not like that at all.

The bicycle part was right, I’m sure there are at least nine million!  But they don’t glide anywhere: they compete with ten times as many cars, taxis and buses, on roads that sometimes split into eight lanes and move at pace in a noisy, smelly river of traffic.  The traffic is one of the main features of the city and it kind of represents the way the people see life.  Nobody wears a helmet when on a motorbike or bicycle and whole families sometimes cram onto one.  We saw one lady speeding along the motorway with a toddler lying face down, clinging onto the seat behind her.  In the taxis, seat covers prevent you from fastening your seat belt, but nobody wears them anyway.

The traffic lights are confusing.  Green still means go but red means stop …..unless you really don’t want to.  Cycle lanes mean nothing, crossings means nothing, even pavements mean nothing.  The lowest member of the traffic food chain is the pedestrian.  Whatever your mode of transport, little thought is given to your safety or that of others.  Life is cheap.

Actually everything is cheap!  A taxi ride, the equivalent of travelling from one side of London to the other, cost less than a fiver!  But getting a taxi isn’t always easy.  The taxis can’t be booked but must be flagged at the side of the road and if the driver doesn’t like the look of you (or can’t understand what you’re saying to him!) he’ll just say no and drive away.

They love their horns!!!  Drivers beep instead of indicating, instead of slowing down and instead of avoiding people on the road.  Well I suppose if you have a horn, you might aswell use it no?

We became pretty savvy after a couple of days.  I only met one driver who spoke English so we’d ask the hotel staff to write down our destinations in Chinese before we left the building.  I’d clutch that piece of paper like my life depended on it, because without it, who knows where we’d end up!?

By the time we left I knew how to say hello and market and something that almost passed for thank you….and I was proud of that!

Love Rachel

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This is Part Two, read Part One here