It’s seems a while since I joined in with the ‘Day In The Life…’ bloggers but I actually remembered this month (even if my camera decided not to play along – still can’t get it to upload, inc all our honeymoon pics – woe!).

0546 – For some strange reason I feel wide awake but have no clue what time it is (the perils of not getting round to getting a battery for my watch) so haul myself out to the living room to locate my phone and then curse myself for being up so early. Crawl back to bed.

0800 – Lie in bed chatting with Him Indoors trying to work out a plan for the day and both agree it’s too cold/wet for tackling the garden invader/weed of doom. (Our new place is being overtaken with the highly poisonous/dangerous Hogweed – click on link for tales of scars that last for years and possible blindness!!)

0830 – Get up, shower and grab some tea and toast before gathering together all we need for taking out to the ’shire.

0900 – HI remembers he has a couple of job applications he wants me to look over so do that and then have a fit as I manage to snap a knitting needle when packing my knitting into my bag.

1050 – Cannot believe where the time has gone but only just arriving at the house and as we have agreed to go to the in-laws for lunch at 12pm decide just to drop our stuff off and head up the road via all the charity shops on the way. Saw a couple of tables and a rocking chair that were tempting but got freaked out by a rather weird shop assistant badgering us so left it. We did however bag a tea towel with ‘Authentic Canadian Beaver’ on it and a print of Glasgow Cross.

1230 – Enjoy many a cup of tea but no lunch at the in-laws as they are all running round doing other things – including washing the uber annoying dog.

1330 – Escape back out into the rain to buy planters to sow some peas and lettuce and also grab a bacon roll to keep us going.

1400 – HI gets stuck in with the wallpaper stripping while I do what seems like 50 sink loads of dishes, scrub the kitchen and plant the seeds.

1825 – Hungry and tired we both decide to call it a day and I get on the train home while HI stays out to go round a mate’s.

1930 – Having had a baked potato, a large mug of tea and a lightening quick tidy of the flat I take a well-deserved flop on the couch and do a spot of knitting to The Darjeeling Limited DVD.

2145- Surprise arrival of HI as I expected him to stay out until the last train home. Grab the duvet and snuggle up on the couch while flicking between ‘US Party Bangers’ and ‘Ultimate U2 Top 40′ and discussing what we’ll do with our day off on Sunday.

Posted: May 10th, 2009 under Life stuff.
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I’m keen to try and keep all my house posts separate from my crafty ones but, until I get A Home For All Seasons up and running, She’s Crafty will have to do.

This is a picture of our front door!

We went out for our first full day of gutting and cleaning yesterday and, while the weather was unusually gorgeous for April in Glasgow, we didn’t spend much time in the garden and instead set about the house. I took a little time out to take some pictures of the front and hall to whet your appetite as well as some of the great patterns and packaging we unearthed – all of which are now up on Flickr.

Posted: April 26th, 2009 under Inspiration, Life stuff, My Projects.
Comments: 1

So, I am now able to spill the beans. The above key belongs to something I never thought I’d be able to own and never thought I would find (well, at least not again). It’s special, oh so special!

I mean, will you check that badboy out for a start? Have you ever seen such a beast of a key? (I specifically photographed it in my hand to give you a sense of scale). So, what’s it the key to? …… It’s the key to an amazing house!

Yup, as if the stress of getting married wasn’t enough, 2 weeks before the wedding we went to view a house. Now, as you all know, we’re currently a single income household and are in no position to move, so we were essentially playing with our emotions and stress levels – but it really was at a price and location too good to ignore.

Then we saw it. It may have been built in 1863, but it’s also not been touched inside for about 50+ years. My dreams of what we are now calling ‘doing an Allsopp’ were in overdrive but it just wasn’t practical. Heart, head, and, more than anything, pride went into battle and I swallowed the latter and called in the financial troops and a number of investments and set out to try and get it (it was fixed price and therefore a race).

We had to try and put all thoughts of it to the back of our minds while we got on with the wedding and then the honeymoon, but I also knew we had to because I’d been in this position before when, about 3 years ago, I had an offer accepted on an amazing house only for it to be dropped a week later. So, with my emotions as in check as I could get them having seen the treasure trove of original features in there, I tried to do my best not to think about it all until I knew for sure it was ours.

We picked up the keys on Friday and dashed out to see it as soon as we got in from the airport. I’ll confess I got a dose of the wobbles when a closer inspection showed the mountain of work that needs done before we can even think about moving in – hopefully for Christmas (?) though. But what really stunned us was how much the previous owner left behind. His story is a real tear-jerker and we actually met him on Friday while we were there.

We tried so hard to convey to him our gratitude and reassure him how much we would look after this place and not bastardise it. Still, we felt a little guilty running around oohing and ahhhing over the things like an old wall clock or a fabulous art deco sideboard that he’d left behind.

So, out of the frying pan and into the fire. A mere couple of hours after getting back from the honeymoon I’ve now saddled myself with the ultimate crafty project. It ties in nicely however with ‘A Home For All Seasons’. What is that I hear you cry? Well, AHFAS, is the name of another site I’ve owned for a while (make that years) which will be home (no pun intended) to my handmade homewares and now also to my blog on renovating Casa Crafty. I’ll write about all the great things I’ve found or made and include plenty of before and after shots.

I haven’t had the chance to take any proper pics yet but here is a tiny sneak peak of one of the many great ceilings/lights.

Posted: April 21st, 2009 under Life stuff, My Projects.
Comments: 1

I didn’t hand make as much of the things for the wedding as I first had in mind as, quite frankly, I didn’t have the time. I had bought in various odds and ends to make a topper for the ckae but in the end we decided to commission one from Etsy seller goosegrease….

Everyone loved it (though there were a few ‘they have no faces’ comments) and, apart from an unexpected customs charge, they were the perfect choice.

We sent Michelle pictures of us along with pics of what we’d be wearing and how I’d have my hair etc and the whole process took about 5 weeks from start to finish. It’s great to have a little reminder of our big day and even I have to admit they look cute in their new home on our bookcase.

Posted: March 26th, 2009 under Inspiration, Life stuff.
Comments: none

Here’s a photo of me and one of my bridesmaids (yes they were both male!) getting ready:

Posted: March 26th, 2009 under Life stuff.
Comments: 1

Hi folks. Been meaning to update here for aaaaaages but if it’s not one thing it’s another.  However, if I don’t update now I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to. The wedding is on Saturday! Yup, that’s right, the day is finally upon us.

I’ve still got to do place cards, orders of service, guestbook, table plans, table names and a slew of other odds and ends so it is, as HI would say, ‘squeaky bum time’ (such a romantic so he is!).

Add to the crafting still to be done a photographer who can’t currently move due to back pain and my own health woes and you see why I’m getting the feeling the fates are not on our side.

Still, I am excited. I’m as much excited about what comes after the wedding as the day itself. A gorgeous honeymoon before returning to a life without wedding plans. The ability to splash out on crafting supplies and a nice jumper without worrying how that will effect the wedding savings. The ability to eat entire meals consisting only of cake and tea without someone saying ‘you’ll never get in your dress if you eat all that’. Bliss!

So, here’s to a new and refreshed Miss Crafty (no, I won’t be becoming Mrs Crafty) returning to blogging and crafting and creating with gusto in a month or so.

Posted: March 16th, 2009 under Life stuff.
Comments: 2

As you can see from my posts over the last few weeks, I’ve hardly been the picture of health. Things have got a bit worse and the docs now think it’s developed into pleurisy(!). Suffice to say I’m stressed out my tiny mind hoping I’ll be well enough for things like glacier hikes, temple visiting …oh and getting married(!) in the next few weeks so am doing my best to rest up and fight this thing.

Unfortunately it means posts here are less frequent than I’d have liked but them’s the breaks. You can always follow my whining on Twitter.

Posted: February 4th, 2009 under Life stuff.
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As part of Moosh’s Day In the Life posts I present a rather boring yesterday:

 5am – Notice Him Indoors checking his phone and ask what the time is. Upon the news it’s only 5am I swear and he sighs (he’s got work worries and I’m stressing about wedding dress alterations).

6.45am – Get up and give Him Indoors a supportive kiss and hug before he leaves and then try to do a whirlwind pack as going home to Dundee tonight to sort out kilts for Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee (the names we’ve now given my less than reliable male bridesmaids) and see my aunt who was up for my cousin’s funeral (its been quite a shitty 2009 so far).

7.25am – Dash out the door in the hope of taking the lazy option and get the train to work. Luckily it’s running late and I catch it.

8.00am – Armed with tea and a banana I turn on my laptop and check up on personal email and other things I should do at home before getting on with work and flapping about whether to cancel dress alterations.

10.05am – Eventually get through to shop and apologise profusely about messing them around but ask to cancel alterations (I know a very tight dress will be a risk/uncomfortable but I’m so worried they’d do a bad job or it wouldn’t look right). Spend next hour worrying I’ve made wrong decision and I’ll never get into it or faint half way down the aisle. I’m a born worrier.

12pm – Panic is setting in as all my ‘I’ll get it to you by the end of the week’ tasks will never get done by 4pm and wedding dress shop not called to confirm about cancelling the alteration. Go grab a soup and work through lunch. Ugh.

3pm – Receive a text from a friend whose house we are supposed to be going to for dinner next weekend (the invite caused much diary shuffling and hassle but figured we should go) who mentions seeing me next Saturday. Proceed to go nuts as all plans were re-jigged on basis dinner was next Friday!!

3.30pm – It’s all clarified (I think?!) and I make a mental note to apologise to HI later for going so nuts at him over phone.

4pm – It’s some sort of miracle but at last it’s home time. I beg forgiveness from my boss for not getting everything done and promise to get rest done over weekend and then scoot off along Sauchihall Street for the megabus.

4.30pm – In Boots the chemist deliberating the merits of various chest cough things and knowing I shouldn’t really go for a fish supper now I’ve cancelled the dress alterations.

5pm- Waiting at the bus stance with greasy, vinegary fingers (bad girl!) and apologising to HI over the phone for being such a stressed out maniacal bitch of late.

5.40pm – Now stuck sat next to a woman who seems to have brought 2 huge boxes onboard instead of putting them in the hold and so spend entire journey with one of them digging into my ribs.

7.30pm – Mum picks me up from the bus station and we have a catch up on the road home. I explain that miraculously Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee seem to be available and I need to be in Broughty Ferry at 10am in the morning to meet them.

8pm- Mum decides I need to steam some menthol crystals to get gunk off my chest but I’m sure she puts too many in as my eyes feel like pickled onions and I’m convinced my nose is on fire the entire time.

8.30pm – Say hiya to my brother (who is currently sporting an impressive beard) before he goes out boozing and then sit with the parentals as they watch TV before calling it a night and trying to get sleep about 10pm.

Posted: January 17th, 2009 under Life stuff.
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Hi there followers old and new. I’m putting up a post because regardless of everyone’s warning about how hectic things were going to get re work/crafting/wedding I didn’t realise quite how overwhelming it would get.

I’m snowed under (though not with real snow unfortunately – not seen one flake this winter) but wanted to update to get the ball rolling again.

First off – Happy New Year! My mind boggles at all that 2009 already promises to bring… a marriage, an amazing adventure/trip, (hopefully) a new job, friends having babies, getting into my crafting on a serious level (post-nuptials of course) and so much more.

There’s lots I want to write about but not sure I have the time so will revert to a list and hopefully elaborate on it when I get a chance.

THE BAD:

- The week before Xmas I was struck down with some kind of vomitting bug, which was then followed by a chest infection, which has now turned into some kind of snot-based lurgy. 4 weeks of illness is too much.

- I hit a brick wall on the enthusiasm/energy front (most likely due to the illness above) halfway through the wedding invite making and now they all need to be finished and printed and out the door in the next couple of weeks.

- Royal Mail have lost 2 of my parcels over Xmas, one of which was a backpack I won in a competition which would have been great for running/travelling.

- I have put on about half a stone and about 3″ round my waist and as a result can’t get into my wedding dress!! May have to try the ‘magic knickers’ approach as thus far my willpower can’t handle a diet.

THE GOOD:

- I have finally found a use for my GIANT stockpile of leather offcuts and am now a nest machine.

- I have joined  Meridian Ariel’s Owl Swap. How I will find time for it I don’t know!

- I have been researching (and subsequently spending a small fortune) accomodation, transport and trips for on our honeymoon.

- I got a lovely letter from my penpal at the Letter Writers Alliance and a wonderful surprise in the form of a beautiful bird ornament from Edward & Lilly as part of her Pay It Forward.

- Him Indoors did well on the gift front at Xmas and as such I got a ton of great supplies for the craft room.

- I got an interview for that job I rrreeeeeaallllllly want, it’s tomorrow morning *gulp*

Posted: January 13th, 2009 under Life stuff, My Projects.
Comments: 1

So, I hyped it up for long enough and worried about it just as long, but a couple of weeks ago I picked up my birthday painting. It was my present from my parents and was painted by my oldest friend Adam Kerr. Adam has been an amazing friend to me over the years and that made me all the more nervous about how it would turn out. Not that I doubt his talents, you can see how amazing he is, just that part of the picture was to include a photograph of me and I HATE pictures of myself.

Why have me in there then? Well, I didn’t want a traditional portrait but liked the idea of a painting of ‘me’ to live on after me (sounds a bit ego-centric when I see it written down like that). So in the end we decided on the idea of 30 things to represent me but that seemed to busy and too much like a plain still life so went for the composition below. I’m quite annoyed my camera/the web doesn’t convey the staggering detail of the piece but if you click on my flickr you can see the larger pics.

The items in it include: pin cushion (to represent my crafty side), flyers and badges from my old website rise-and-shine.com, the logo Adam designed for the site before that called Boarderland, a U2 ticket from the first gig I went to of theirs, various badges including the Kwik Save staff badges from my first ever job, a small Eiffel tower as that’s where Matt proposed, a photograph of me, a wristband from the gig that was me and Matt’s first ‘proper’ date, my favourite book (Name The Baby), the watch I got for my 21st, my eyebrow ring, various rings that mean different things to me, my sheep jar (to represent my sheep thing) and Alan (a toy Matt and I bought which we take photos of on our travels to make a book for any kids we may have one day).

Posted: December 10th, 2008 under Art/Illustration, Life stuff.
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