Claire December 31st, 2008

Thought I had better post before the year is out – couldn’t believe the time lapsed since my last post….. Have wanted to blog but, well, life got in the way (for life read work, Pinky and Boo, work, cleaning, Pinky and Boo, sleeping and trying to be a domestic goddess – and the members of Stitched Up I tried feeding a rather well cooked Victoria Sponge to are testament that I need to spend a bit more time practicing that on….)
I have been here soooo many times – even David’s family have commented that I need to update the blog more often (Hi, I mean to!) and I can’t face another “sorry, been busy, must try harder” thing.
So, after doing a lot of thought about work, Pinky and Boo, blogging and generally where I want to to be this time next year, I am going to try and post once a week at least, more of I can. I think it will slow me down a little bit, make me remember the small stuff. If any of you have Alicia Paulson’s “Stitched in Time” book she puts it perfectly there…
So what has filled this year? Weddings have played a very large part in 2007 – first of all there was David’s uncle William’s wedding, then Vicky and Jez in April, then us, and the other week David’s youngest brother tied the knot. Looking back at our wedding there are so many things I would have changed if I could – I would have listened to some people a bit more, ignored and told where to get off others although I wouldn’t for a second have changed anything about marrying David.
Craft fairs – good grief they have taken it out of me – 10 in total and I have lost more sleep over them than I realised when I signed up for them than I would. But I have met some lovely people, built up a small client base, learned lots of (painful) lessons and strengthened friendships as a result of them.
Work. Changing jobs was a real eye opener for me, as is working part time. I haven’t worked part time for 10 years, and certainly not at the level I am at now. It’s easier working full time! I am only in post until June 09 at the latest, so we shall see where I will be after that when I have some head space…..

What’s in store for 2009? My plans so far consist of spending more time doing things for me, with the people I care about rather than running round like a headless chicken.
Pinky and Boo – need to decide where it’s future lays, and moving it in that direction.
Work – well I will have to do some but the most exciting thing is I had an interview before Christmas and have been accepted to teach for a local FE college via the Textile Workshop, starting in January. But that doesn’t feel like work to me….
Blogging more….. less said and all that
Remembering to tell those who mean something to me that I love them and appreciate them in my life. And for the ones who are negative, critical or generally wastes of space, spend less time worrying about them or listening to them. Or simply tell them where to get off.
The other exciting thing that’s coming up is Project Glamour- it’s something Hannah and I were chatting about the other evening, but I shall blog about that in the new year.
Til then, I wish you all the very best for the coming year – may you all have health, wealth and happiness for you and yours xoxo

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Claire September 28th, 2008

D’ya know that with all the planning and stress and effort that went into the wedding, I hadn’t actually thought about what the heck we’d be doing afterwards…. Daft I know, so it’s a good job that I left pretty much all of it up to David for the honeymoon. David lived in Dublin for a year and so knew what he was doing when he booked the accommodation – I left it all up to him. I just wanted to chill for a week, which is what we did.
We stayed in a self catering apartment in the centre of Dublin (and I warn you, if you are thinking of visiting and are a light sleeper, it’s NOISY!) which was great as we walked everywhere. The only “touristy” thing we didn’t do was the Guinness factory – I don’t drink Guinness so walking round a brewery isn’t my greatest idea of fun, although the view from the bar was supposed to be great. However the weather wasn’t…. it didn’t rain, but wasn’t really clear enough to get a good view of the city, so we didn’t bother. Christ Church Cathedral was gorgeous and I loved it in there.
The Ha’penny bridge was about 5 minutes walk from our apartment and was crossed several times a day going pootling around.
And you have to have your pic taken with Phil Lynnot… there was another one taken late at night after several rounds of Magners and a couple of whiskies, that I won’t share with you…

I do think we’ll go back again, and next time I will hit the beach!

Need to get back to “non wedding” blogging – I had the mother of all car boot loads today that I have to share with you and loads of other bits and bobs. xoxo

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Claire September 21st, 2008

The reception!

Thanks so much for the lovely comments about the wedding and dress – you will make my head swell (maybe it will match my ass then….). Anyhoo…

I (and everyone else) started out being a bit damp, having been rained on as we ran to the car sheltering under one umbrella (in fact I pretty much fell into the car leaving the church – so dignified!)
Anyway, the meal was lovely, although the courses were served too fast for mine and everyone else’s liking, so we were uncomfortably full at the end of it (bit like Christmas day feeling!) so to relax afterwards we watched the pipe band parade that went past the reception room. We then had a “pub quiz”, which our table was joint winners (seemed a bit of a fix, but honestly it wasn’t, even with some of the spoof answers I thought would be funny to put down to questions we didn’t know – my priviledge as one of the few people at the table with legible handwriting even after quite a lot of wine and Kopparberg….)The cutting of the cake – it was so prety with the sugar roses – I have them all saved in a box and can feel a craft project coming on at some point soon for them…

Then more drinking and lots of dancing – we gave the DJ a list of songs we wanted playing, but he ignored most of it and played what the hell he wanted til I went in an sorted him out…

I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story themselves ….xxNext installment – the honeymoon xx

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Claire September 16th, 2008

Thank you to all of you who commented/ emailed about the wedding – I really appreciate it. I know I sounded like a moaning, ungrateful cow but at the time I wrote it I was feeling quite down about the whole thing. I have sorted a lot of it out now – one of the things that made me feel better about it all was getting the photos back, some of which I will share today. What I thought would be logical would be to show you photos of the day today, then in the next post (goodness knows when that will be…. when I can summon the energy probably) show you the reception, then the post after the honeymoon, and then to round it all up show you some of the crafty things I made for the wedding. So – less gibbering, more pics. Sorry if they take time to load, but the images are huge and I haven’t had the time to play with them.
Scary – me without a scrap of make up – never to be seen online again….
The dress – that’s what 2 weeks’ solid sewing and 250 crochet roses looks like…

Close up of the neckline – I used large and small irridescent sequins in the centre of each one, and used vintage crystals and pearls from old necklaces, and pearls, seed beads and Swarovski crystals in the centre of each one. I also used some vintage Guipure trim to add a bit more “oomph” to the roses

David and his best man looking remarkably calm in the church doorway well before I arrived.

Smile for the camera x

Trying my best to look elegant when getting out of the car, and not fall flat on my face…

The important bit

The relief when it was all done and legal in the vestry… I think my shoulders fell about 3 inches after the service!!
Trying not to get blown over in the gale force winds outside, about 3 minutes before the heavens opened up and it poured it down making us all seek sanctuary inside!

Next time on “Pinky and Boo” – Wedding part 2 – the reception xxx

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Claire September 2nd, 2008

Just a flying visit to say “Hi” and let you know I am still out there. Distinct lack of blogging before and since the wedding, and an even bigger lack of pics to show you.
Quick update for you – I am now officially Mrs McCurdy. After months of planning, blood, sweat and tears though it didn’t really turn out how I had hoped it would. I loved the dress (will show you a pic when I have them…), loved the wedding itself – the service was lovely and what shocks me the most is that I didn’t cry my way through the vows as I thought I would have), the food was fantastic and it was lovely seeing people at the wedding that had all made an effort to be there and contributed to make it happen. However the weather was foul (despite everyone getting sunburnt the day before the rain starting pretty much as soon as we stepped out of the church) , the DJ didn’t play pretty much anything we requested until I pestered him, and very few people danced, and amongst lots of other things, my hair wasn’t anything like I wanted so now I can’t help feeling a bit sad and disappointed when I look back on the day as a whole. Just goes to show – you cannot plan everything! I am very, very happy that we got married and I suppose I should just think of that, which was the point of the day, and the honeymoon in Dublin was lovely – just what we needed – sightseeing, food and time out. Too soon it’s back to the grind!
Sorry to moan, and looking back it seems pretty shallow to be moaning at all, but we had just planned what would be a day that we both wanted and one that all who came to the wedding would enjoy, but it simply didn’t happen like that. I will be back with the photos once I have them from my mate who took them and show you the dress etc, as well as some pics of Dublin. Til then xoxo

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Claire July 28th, 2008

Thanks so much for the dress comments – you have confirmed in my head what I wanted- aren’t the Candy Anthony dresses just divine though – sooo wish I had the cash to have thrown at one of those bad boys.

Do you want to see what 200 Irish crochet flowers look like?Yep, 200. Doesn’t look that much really does it? That does however represent many many hours spent with a fine (1mm) hook and different threads. I think I have used up about 5 whole reels and lots of bits of reels of thread. They are all different shades of warm white – thought it would provide a subtle contrast to the Ivory dress… Will be making the dress itself on Thursday and Friday so I will keep you posted on how it’s going.
Less than a month now – aaargh! So much to do, but at least after a week away I feel refreshed, relaxed and ready to go (for once in my life) – just wish I didn’t have to work!

What do you think to these babies? My friend Uzmah is a trained florist and she did these for me as my wedding gift – I think they are stunning and are identical to the ones I had pictured. when I planned what I wanted. It’s long (reaches to my knees when I hold them at waist height) and I am so so happy with them. The red roses have pearls at their centres, as I will be wearing my grandmother’s pearl necklace, and putting pearls on the dress, so it kinda goes….The bridesmaids’ posies need to be finished off – they are missing the peach roses that are in mine and I will get them tomorrow – when they’re done Uzmah will bind the stems with ribbon to make a handle. Watching her work was fantastic – she made it look so easy. I tried copying what she was doing for the posies and mine looked like a toddler had done it – these she made in about 5 minutes each. It would be so easy to hate her if she wasn’t so lovely! I was on a bit of a roll when we’d done them and I have (with help from the Stitched Up ladies – Vicky in particular – thanks hon x) done almost all of the buttonholes too. We’re getting there….Going to start the bunting on Weds too.

Anyway I thought I would end with some pictures of the changing faces of Cromer, where I stayed with my best friend Rach last week – the weather was freezing,stormy and then boiling hot (such is an English summer!) and I have developed a lovely tan. Til next time xoxo

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Claire July 19th, 2008

I need your advice, fellow bloggers and readers. Started (at long last) making the toile for my wedding dress with the help of the lovely Hannah at the Textile Workshop. Trouble is I am undecided as to the length of the skirt to have. I really wanted a just below the knee dress, but I really am not sure. I am tall (5’9″) and am shall we say, curvy (read into that what you will but I am certainly no stick insect), but I don’t think I have a bad set of legs. And I am wearing THE shoes that deserve showing off. And I don’t want to trip up (it will happen, at some point, guaranteed). I like these dresses (in fact they are the only ones that have excited me so far!) but I don;’t want to look like a prat, basically. The dress pattern I am using is Vintage Vogue and calls for a mid calf length dress. I just don’t know.

I am getting pretty stressed and tearful and anxious with all that’s been going on recently and really need a break – I am going away for a week today to the seaside with my best friend, to sit on the beach and crochet yet more roses for the dress of whatever length. Please let me know what you reckon – it may give me some inspiration rather than perspiration! xoxox

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Claire June 9th, 2008

That pretty much sums up yesterday for me – my bridesmaids and I met to choose their dresses (finally scraped the money together! – doesn’t help when work haven’t paid £140 in expenses either….), have some food and watch a film.
I’m starting to get excited about the wedding now – it’s starting to seem a bit more real now (Duh – Claire finally gets with the programme!) and in between my mates trying on dresses, I tried on a load of tiaras and random hats (love trying hats on – when I was younger I used to wear a lot of hats, although not all at the same time…) and believe me, some of them were random. We managed to find dresses for them both with ease but are waiting for one to come in stock for the size we need so that’s good. They have both got black prom dresses, one in duchesse satin, and one in tafetta I am happy, they are happy – we’re all happy. I know a lot of people have looked at me oddly when I told them that the bridesmaids are in black, but I think it will look chic and elegant, and on a more practical note, at least they could possibly get some more wear out of them rather than being stuck in their wardrobes forevermore.
Watching Sex and the City was a wierd one – I love the programme and missed it when it finished, but still pick holes in it. I figured before we went in that it would be a “marmite” film – I would either love it or I would hate it. If you haven’t seen it (and do, it is worth seeing just don’t expect it to be just like the series – it isn’t) I won’t spoil the plot for you, but it left me thinking about weddings and why people get married, and especially the bit leading up to a wedding. When I get stressed (which is becoming increasingly more often) I sometimes suggest to David that we just skip it all, go to a registry office and have done with it. I won’t, but I have to admit it is tempting. I suppose the wedding has to reflect why you are getting married as much as the people who are being married. I don’t know what ours will say about us, but I am still determined to not get caught up in the “you must…” mentality. The only people who can insist on what we must do, is ourselves…. Cos that is the point to it all. ‘Nuff said I suppose… The film did make me giggle quite a lot, which was just what I needed after what was a very long week at work.
On a lighter note, I have borrowed a sewing machine from the ladies of the Textile Workshop, where we have our little craft group each week, and on their advice I will be taking me sewing machine back to where it came from – apparantly loads of people have had to and there were even rumours of the distibutors in trouble… Watch this space to see if I get a refund! I think I will be buying the one I have borrowed as it’s lovely and sews without complaint (which really is the point of having a sewing machine….) So many people have said to use my mam’s old machine for embroidery, which is what I think I will do, as I have spare bobbin cases I can loosen the tension on and have a play….
Thanks for the transfer love – it’s been good to spread the wealth, so to speak. There are loads more I haven’t scanned in, and I am waiting for another bundle I won to be delivered, so watch this space! If any of you are interested, I am going to be having a go at the designing a new banner for the Feeling Stitchy blog – I’ll post on my progress when I have some! It looks like fun and it will be great to see other people’s work.

Hope that you are enjoying the sunshine whatever you are up to xoxo

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Claire February 26th, 2008

I was going to blog about this a while ago, and never got round to it, being caught up with everything else. And trying to sort of keep up with the momentum of the last few posts I thought I had better get back to it, or I shall disappear again.

A couple of weeks ago, Uzmah, my friend and colleague who is also a fully trained florist took me to buy the flowers for my wedding. Early I know, but I had received a bit of a bonus on my wages and wanted to spend it on the wedding rather than on random craft stuff…
Anyway, it’s rather handy to say the least knowing someone who is a fully trained florist who knows when I gibber about what I would like, exactly what I mean. Anyway, Uzmah, Habibah (Uzmah’s 7 year old daughter) and I went tripping off to a silk flower wholesale warehouse in Loughborough – my word I could have gone MAD in there! It wasn’t the biggest place I have been in, but it was floor to ceiling silk flowers. It was also a sensory overload – colours and textures crying out for attention! I chose to have silk mainly so I could have exactly what I wanted (as with many things I have found I have definate ideas of what I want, yet other things I haven’t even considered), and I could take them over to Ireland with me. And they are a lot cheaper than real. I also felt uncomfortable with the idea of beautiful flowers dying a couple of days after the wedding, and apart from drying them there would be nothing I could do to presrve how lovely they are. This way I can keep them and they will always stay the same. I know a lot of people have reservations about silk flowers, but these are stunning – the photos really don’t do them justice. They look and feel real, and I am really happy with what I have.
I have chosen different coloured roses for mine and my 2 bridesmaids’ bouquets. I love all kinds of flowers, but I also wanted to use flowers to represent different people David and I cared about and make it part of the day. This is particularly true of my parents, who I miss more and more the further into wedding planning I go.
I chose peach roses, as my Dad grew a climbing rose called “Schoolgirl“, which he loved and had a divine scent. My Mam adored Chrysanthemums, and when my Dad was courting her, he took her a bunch every week (along with a box of chocolates – what a romantic!) and so I want to use them either in the church flowers or the ones for the reception. I bought some pink roses for my bouquet as they are like the ones my Grandmother grew – her favourite was a climbing rose called “Dorothy Perkins” and the ones I found were a good match. Yellow roses are for friendship, so they are included. The white roses - they are my favourite, and of course, I am from Yorkshire, so needed to show something of my roots! My good friend Mary loved tulips, my Nanna loved freesias and ended up buying them. I have asked people what flowers they would like, or what means something to them, and I will make button holes to use these. David’s button hole is going to be miniature Calla lilies, as they remind him of the ones his Grandad grew. I also got paper roses for the wedding invites, and 2 rose swags with beautiful open white roses that are just like some I remember climbing up apple trees at Burton Agnes Hall - just looking at them brings back such lovely memories of our visit there that made me buy them there and then without too much thought of how exactly I would use them! These will look great when Uzmah has worked her magic. I bought pearl pins to put in the centre of the roses and tons of greenery. All in I spent £70 – that also included some ribbon and a box of fake sparrows (not for the wedding although if they had been bluebirds, I know I would have worked them in somewhere…) which is probably what my bouquet alone would have cost if I had had real flowers. I still need to get some more for the reception and different buttonholes, but the majority is done now.
These photos, I should confess have been taken by Habibah – I am ashamed to say a 7 year old takes better pictures than I do…

I also had the lace I am using on my wedding dress delivered today – I won’t post a pic in case David has a look, but it’s ivory embroidered tulle. I do, however, have a request of you lovely bloggers. As I am making the crochet flowers to applique on the dress, I would like to make leaves from pieces of old lace, to kind of make them into corsages. This is the bit you guys come in – if you have any small pieces of old lace that you don’t mind parting with, I would love to include it in my dress – I am looking for anything white or ivory/cream that could be made into a leaf, so it doesn’t have to be a huge bit – a couple of inches will do just fine.
It already feels like you guys are involved in this wedding – goodness knows I go on about it enough, your comments are so supportive (and believe me, truly appreciated!) so would like to make that part a bit more tangible really. If you do have a piece you would be happy for me to use, please drop me an email (work@claireatwork.co.uk) and we can swap details – in return I promise to send you a little something crafty as a thank you for taking part.

Anyhoo, better go and get to bed, or I shall turn into a pumpkin!x

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Claire February 20th, 2008

Sorry for the bloggy break – actually as I am so irregular at posting I am sure no one noticed. I was away from reading blogs for a few days and I need to get myself back into the swing of things again. Now I am back at work I am sure my lunch times will be sorted keeping up with you all.

Anyway, this last week has been a busy one so be prepared for this to be a picture – heavy post!
Weds I was in London for a meeting, and had a lovely day apart from the nightmare journeys there and back. I found time to go to Loop in Islington – I can’t believe how small it is – from the pictures I have seen in Vintage Crochet, it looks far bigger than it is. But, as they say, size isn’t everything. On the way there I saw this really odd shop called “Get Stuffed” – a taxidermists. Normally I wouldn’t entertain the idea of a shop like that, but the window display was so bizarre I had to stop and take some sneaky pics. I’ll post them another time, as Bloggr is taking ages to upload pics anyway…
Thursday we flew to Northern Ireland for the weekend. David’s uncle was getting married on the Friday, and we also used the trip to sort out our wedding arrangements, and meet Katrina, our new niece.
The wedding was lovely – simple and low key (in case you wondered, I am the tall one with the purple dress on, and David is the guy with the beard next to me)
We may be having a cake just like that
The church we’ll be married in – it’s only a small church and pretty inside (not that it’s important that it’s pretty, but it’s a great bonus)
The view on the way to the reception - we need to get some photos of us all dressed up with that background. The photos don’t do it justice – it was February though, and FREEZING cold…
The hotel we are having the reception in - it’s the original part of the hotel and is listed, so has a bit more character than the rest of the hotel that’s more modern. I felt a lot better about the whole reception and no doubt will post a bit more on that another time.
And, the person we wanted to meet – Katrina - she’s gorgeous and I could have quite happily brought her home with me. David’s family were joking when I fed her on Friday evening that I was getting broody and would be wanting one of my own. David told me No, we couldn’t have one right now, but we will re-open negotiations after the wedding…xoxo

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