To Do List 28

Hi!

Feels nice to be back writing things down again, not sure anyone is actually interested in reading my to do lists but it is making me feel like I am doing something for myself not just being a mum!

Had a very tiring week this week though, my fiance has been away with work and I am used to sharing the night wake ups (yes still 2-3 a night at 18 months- booooooo) but obviously couldn't this week so I am ready for the weekend without a doubt!

It has been a few weeks since my last one and I have crossed a few off - mainly finishing my main bunting. Just chairs to go.

I worked out I have cut about 1500 bunting flags in total. This wedding best be good!!!

This is my new list

In other news - yesterday I booked my hen do to Benidorm (classy!) and my honeymoon to Vegas - YESSS!

Very excited!

Have a nice weekend folks
Kristy

To Do List 27

Hello!

How are you all? I had a lovely long weekend for the bank holiday then ended up having a long weekend due to being knocked down by the dreaded lergy for thursday and friday last week and I still feel pretty rotten - I look even worse!

The bank holiday marked officially 1 year until I marry so all systems go. Working on wedding things feels a priority just now, once it is done I can relax knowing I have everything I need (want!) done. My lovely fiance treated me a to a Cricut Explore Air 2 machine, which is a vinyl/paper cutter that you program off of your phone, it is oh so very clever and will make things at my wedding abolutely lovely (and work out cheaper - I hope!) so I have been playing with that sporadically as well as trying to get bunting done etc.
The machine seems to have done the blogger rounds really well (good marketing ploy there from Cricut) so there is lots of inspiration out there and free resources to try cut costs so I may bore you with some stuff at a later point. Here is my first attempt at a paper flower though

I love it! I have bought some other templates from Etsy as well which I am eager to try out.

I did a mock up of my wedding tables which I am really happy with.

Excuse the creases. I have shipped off the table runners to my future mother in law to hem/sew as she wanted to do something so that has saved me a job - I am happy it has turned out as I want, now to saving jars and bottles and making lots of paper flowers!

I also sewed a little cutlery sleeping bag - Mr B feels I have gone a step too far and totally unnessesary but I really like them.

I have at least 10m of left over fabric that I don't really know what to do with and thought this would add something? If you have any ideas for decorations then please comment!!!

Anyway enough wedding blurb, here is how I did on my to do list since last time

Out of 23 things I have done 11 so nearly 48% - some are ongoing but I think this was ok!

Here is the next one:

Mainly wedding related but hey ho! 

Thanks for reading!

Kristy xxx

To Do List 26

It has been a while since I did a formal to-do list post!

I have a couple of days off of work so thought I would post some accountability today!

Here is my last one (pink for ticked off!)

The ones not ticked off are work in progress and I am keeping on there as a reminder!


This week is quite a long one!

I have two days home alone and a 3 day weekend with the little one - hopefully will feel refreshed by Tuesday....

Have a great bank holiday!
Kristy xxx

Things I wear vs. Things I want to wear

Hi,

I just want to muse on my wardrobe today!

Basically I am starting to feel drab most of the time.

I work in a job where I don't have to be smart all the time. I wear a lab coat most of the day. I am still not the weight I would like to be (not sure I ever will be, I really do enjoy chocolate and carbs and do not enjoy forced exercise). I have an active 1 year old and want to be comfortable but I also want to look 'put together'.

Some current facts about me/my wardrobe:

I never actually use a wardrobe, everything is in boxes in an Ikea Kallax

I currently live in Dorothy Perkins Eden jeans. I have about 8 pairs.

I have a lot of basic tshirts.

My work wear generally consists of 3/4 sleeve tshirts/ stretchy tops.

I like things that are loose on my belly.

I don't like ironing.

I don't like a tight waistband - as soon as a sit down I feel uncomfortable and self conscious.

I never wear patterned fabrics other than stripes

I love a nice wrap dress but only own one.

I recently bought this dress for a wedding and felt quite nice in it.

I have a limited colour palette. 

I wear ugly sketchers shoes as they're comfortable.

I suit a v or a scoop neck

I would never wear a top tucked in

Even in summer I prefer to be relatively covered, I now steer away from sun vest type tops - especially with low backs - it is too much effort lathering myself in sun tan lotion to go out at lunch. After this amazing summer we have had (even up North!) I realise I cannot be in the sun, ever. I prefer a sleeve, especially for work.

In winter I need to be warm, I generally wear a vest top and a jumper. 

Here are the conclusions I think I have come to:

I want to wear more skirts / dresses.

I want to wear more prints and/or colours

I would be willing to iron more often for clothes I love.

I need to find perfect patterns. And buy them if needed.

I want to fully conquer some reliable patterns

I need to learn to cut and sew jersey well

Due to lack of time I need relatively simple projects. 

I would like to use my current fabric stash as much as possible. 

I do love fabric and I am not scared of repetition of a pattern if I love it. I think A Million Dresses is excellent (more active on her Instagram these days), the prints aren't in my confort zone but I love that she has found her style and stuck to it.

These are the clothes patterns I own that I think would help in bringing my conclusions alive:

Cashmerette Appleton

Cashmerette Upton

Cashmerette Concorde

Can you see a theme yet?

Cashmerette Springfield

Colette Zinnia

Unfortunately the Zinnia will need grading up to my waist size but i think it could work perfect, wide waistband and A-line shape (supposedly good for apple shapes)  - I need Cashmerette to bring out a simple skirt pattern!!!

And these are the patterns on my to-buy list - there is more cashmerette! I love her patterns what can I say

Cashmerette Turner

A jersey dress, this is lovely and doesn't look too complicated to start sewing in jersey ( i know I have the appleton and the concorde but I think i will start with this one! Naughty I know)

Cashmerette Montrose

I love the springfield but this is much more practical, a woven top with sleeves! This I think can be made is viscose which I love the variations can get (even if I don't love the ironing). Can also be made in cottons which are easy to pick up too.

Now I don't live in London it is much harder to go 'cheap' fabric shopping, but maybe that isn't a bad thing. I may only have specific projects in mind when I buy fabric, even though Leeds has a couple of really good fabric shops.

Well, this ended up quite long - sorry! I will be back soon with a 'to-do' list to give me a bit more motivation!

What do you think about making the same pattern many times? If it is one you love and suits you?

Thanks for reading!

Kristy 

Wedding Planning

Happy Monday!

How are you all?

So I thought I would do a post about where I am with wedding planning. Sorry if this isn't the most exciting of posts, definitely not clothes related.

I got engaged in February 2017 but my lovely Amelia arrived in March 2017, I then got a new job back in Leeds, had to return back to work from maternity after only 4.5 months (a year ago today facebook memories told me) and then leave London in November to start my new job. All been a bit hectic - and costly.

We booked our wedding in January.

We are having our ceremony at Castle Grove Masonic Hall in Headingley, Leeds

We are then going to St Chads Parish Hall for the reception which is 10 minute walk away

We decided fairly early on what kind of wedding we wanted - relaxed, fun and with all our friends and family. We also decided we do not want to spend a tonne of money, we aren't home owners yet and feel our funds need to be directed towards that as soon as possible but we also want to be married.

We have a budget of £8500. This still seems really high to me but after doing the sums etc this is the minimum I can get it to without being stingy and with inviting everyone we want to invite.

I asked Richard what colours he wanted (I did give acceptable options 😁) and was teal and purple.

If you search on google for 'teal and purple wedding' some of the images are my worst nightmare for a wedding

Not to be offensive to anyones choices (each to their own) but definitely not my taste.

As we have a village hall we do not want  glitz and glam more of a homemade comfort feeling.

Here are some of our ideas and thoughts (all subject to change as I trawl pinterest and come up with more ideas!)

Flowers - we are having paper flowers! I have cut thousands of squares of paper/card stock to make lots of these type of flowers

I am now a VERY proud owner of a Cricut Explore Air 2 - a fancy die cutter basically which will allow me to make different types of flowers too. There is a lot of time involved in these but I am hoping it will be worth it.

Centre pieces - I have everyone I know saving any form of glass bottle and jar for me, these will have paper flowers and candles in them. Tables will have white table cloths and I think I like this fabric to make table runners - it is much more teal in real life. I want to do a mock up of the tables before I make all the table runners

Decorations - bunting bunting and more bunting
As a dedicated fabric lover I have gone a bit mad on collecting fabrics for bunting. Here are some photos of me eeking out time to make bunting

Chair decorations - now I HATE white chair covers. I don't really get them. I think it is a very unecessary expense. BUT my venue has absolutely hideous black plastic school chairs:

so I need to hide them,

My first idea was this:

practised on a fold down chair at home

which I was really happy with - cut up all the back ground fabric (purple, lilac, teal and mint) then as i was making bunting I came up with this idea:

aaaaand it is much better! So now I have more bunting to cut. But will look lots nicer! 

Food - we are having afternoon tea canapes and a massive barbeque

Drinks - we will be providing a LOT of them!

Dancing - hopefully lots will be happening

Favours - I am combining these with place cards and giving myself lots to do by making cookies with names stamped on. This is the idea, I have the cookie cutter set I just need a practice run!

Bridesmaids - I have FIVE! I always knew I would have three but my future sister in law is in there and a relatively new friend who is amazeballs. She wasn't originally in my line up but I felt there was someone missing as we have gotten so close so she gracefully accepted my late invitation.

I would really like them to be in a skirt and top - I think a teal circle skirt and a cream top of their choice/style.

This was the photo I found I like (I have taken a photo of the screen and sent it on so I cannot credit this lovely photo for which I am very sorry!) 

also terrible quality.

I just love how own style/body shape can be taken into account and not too matchy matchy.

THE dress: it is bought! EEESHK I actually got a call last week that it is ready. I am obviously not sharing that though.

So I am fairly organised in terms of what I want to do but not really in terms of what needs to be done. I have to really crack on with some DIY in the coming months! For context my 'diy to do list' has 86 things on it with only 15 ticked off...

Hope I haven't bored you to tears with my wedding waffle!

Enjoy your week
Kristy xxx

A little catch up...

Hello!

I have been silent for nearly a year...and to be honest I have really missed it. More so I have missed sewing.

Me and my little family moved to Leeds, my hometown in November and I started my new job. All is going well, a 16 month old who has yet to sleep through and two full time working parents means not much time for sewing going on but I think this is all starting to turn into excuses. I have fallen into the trap of sitting on an evening once Amelia is in bed and staring at crap tv or even worse at my phone.

Something needs to change. And I have a plan. Sort of.

I do love a good list!

I am off of work tomorrow and Amelia is in nursery so I have decided to try tackle some of the things that are stopping me from sewing.

We have a spare bedroom that the in-laws use every week so this will be my dedicated space. I will endeavor to take before and after shots. I also know that filling it with things I love etc will take time (and money really).

As I previously mentioned I am engaged to my lovely fella and our wedding is August next year. I am crafting a lot of this so my sewing time will be eaten up by this a lot but I know I need to carve out some selfish sewing too. Every time I have gone to have some sewing time I have really struggled with where to start as knew time was of the essence etc so I am hoping being organised within the room and having a journal with to-do lists in I can break things down and do bite sized chunks.

So here is to more me time!

And, I know I am totally biased but this kid is CUTE!

Thanks for reading!
Kristy