Hello I’m Rachel and if you’re wondering ‘who is Marvellous Mrs P?’, that’s me. I’ve been blogging since the before times. Before Instagram, before Tiktok, before everyone was an ‘influencer’.
It was 2011 and Phillip and I were getting married. It was fashionable (way back then) to have a website alongside your invitations and Phill made one for us. The website design had a blogging facility and I poked about with it, not really knowing what to write. I soon found that I enjoyed taking beautiful pictures and sharing my bridal adventures. I was surprised when people actually enjoyed reading my words, even…. strangers.
I really loved having all those beautiful words and moments in one place and so Mr P created a non-weddingy blog for me – Vintage Folly. Vintage Folly really, really took off!
Before I knew it I was having lunch with Marco Pierre White, having a wee next to Kirstie Allsopp and receiving sweet messages from Stephen Fry on our wedding day! I received accolades from BritMums and Cosmopolitan magazine and was engaged by one of the most respected literary agents in London. It was a lot of fun!
Then as it so often does, life came at me. Around 2014, I took a little break from blogging and when I came back (a couple of years later!), the whole landscape had changed.
Suddenly brands were asking for Instagram follower counts as opposed to how many visitors your blog received. I’d attend product launches and theatre shows and be surrounded by influencers as opposed to bloggers. Instead of carefully crafted articles, everyone (including me) was now consuming short videos or pictures with captions.
I didn’t resent the change. Change happens. But suddenly surrounded by trending sounds and filtered faces, my painfully honest blog posts and grainy 5 year old images made me feel very vulnerable. I wanted to continue but I wasn’t sure where I fit in and I certainly didn’t recognise the person who had created Vintage Folly.
Much to the shock and horror of my friends and readers, I shut down my well established website and started afresh. They thought I’d gone mad, but I’d just become Mrs.P.
I’ve settled in now. No longer a single mum of one, I’m a married mum of three, with wonky joints and lots of pets. And unlike the lonely young woman who created Vintage Folly, I feel comfortable in my own skin and have wonderful friends in the real world aswell as online. Life is good and I’ve curated a space on the Internet that I’m very proud of.
I post on most social media platforms quite frequently and occasionally something goes a bit crackers, but mostly I enjoy a steady, loyal group of followers. Like most millenials, I’m particularly chatty on Facebook, but my true creative love is and always will be my website.
Much as the almighty algorithms would prefer for me to post all of my content on their channels, I keep it here where I can maintain creative control, secure access and protect the permanence of the work I’ve done. And do you know what I’ve found – people like it!
I do this because I love it. I love hearing from Marylin that with my Rose Petal Jelly recipe, shes won at the local fair again. I loved hearing that my review of a hair-care tool prompted Claire to try a new route to self care despite the restrictions of her chronic illness. I loved meeting Sarah at a festival and being told – we’ve come here because you recommended it! I love writing, I love making and doing beautiful things and I love the amazing people who find me online and share it all with me.
When people find my blog, they tend stick around. I’m honest and they trust me. They look through a number of posts and, happily, they usually come back – sometimes for years. I really hope you’ll be one of those.
Now if I could just get everyone who visits my website to actually follow me on Instagram, that would be great!!
Love Rachel ❤️
