So, what now?

Sooo...  Wedding is over, honeymoon still to come.  What can I do now?

I sat there pondering this for several weeks.  I did some honeymoon wardrobe window shopping which killed about 3 weeks*  Then I went on a house tidy spree.  Then I re-organised my sock drawer.  Cue post wedding blues.  I needed something to get my teeth sunk into and fast.  I needed a long term project which I could spend time on when I fancied.... But what? 


Then along came Sh@g**

Sh@g is a Smart ForFour which has been mistreated on a gross scale.  I think she was driven by a blind hoarding woman with dogs and kids.  When I took her for a test drive I urgently felt the need to have a shower and frontline myself immediately afterwards because it was so filthy and disgusting.

So because I am so fond of making lists, heres a SITREP

Cons
Massive dent on passenger side rear quarter
Massive weird circular crack in bumper
Bumper half hanging off on passenger side
Very large deep scuffs on all 4 corners (from bad parking?)
3" tear in drivers seat pad exposing metal frame
2" tear in drivers seat back 
Ingrained dog hair in all the carpets
Disgusting perma wet dog stench
Bogeys?
Frame in drivers seat back protruding causing discomfort
Crack & large chip from passenger side indicator
Scratches from ?dog claws on back bumper
?Cooking oil spillage on rear seats
Chocolate and boiled sweets amalgamated in rear door pockets
Cigarette lighter/satnav charger not working
Leak in passenger rear window
MUD!
Various tears, scuffs and scrapes in all of interior door cards
Cigarette burns in headlining, seats and carpets
A pirate copy of Clubland or some other b*llocks in the CD player (worth a mention)
Someone has painted (badly)  the alloy wheels black
The most Fugly colour green? yellow?  Gold/green?  colour I have ever seen
80k on the clock

Pros
It works
It has an MOT
its silly cheap because of all of the above
Its cheaper than the bus
Its not a bus
I can have some fun with this....

So Google got some hammering for a few days whilst I tried to find some solutions to the issue of my super ugly poorly looking car, because frankly it was embarrassing.  Driving round in a car with all those dents and scrapes, it made me look like I couldn't drive and I take it very personally if you insult my driving.  Reason being,  the last big thing I did with my Dad before he died in 2005 was learn how to drive and I see driving as the ultimate gift from him.  I love driving, but driving a car I feel embarrassed to be seen in really ruins it for me and is also a bit insulting.  So I needed a solution to the problem and fast.

To fix it would cost at least £1000 which is money I don't have and feel would be wasted.  So what could I do?  

Them BAM!  

I came across an image of a Micra the same year and colour that I used to drive (aka Rita).  But this Micra had a very special look.  It had panels which were rusted, shrunken heads hanging from the mirror, stickerbombed windows, a roofrack sporting various bits of junk, whitewall tyres and some random paint job on the doors.  I laughed so hard I nearly peed myself.  I then clicked on the link where it took me to a website called rat-look.com where I discovered a whole community of rust crazy nutters.  They took cars who were past their best cosmetically and went wild with whatever takes their fancy.  They know how not to take themselves too seriously and can have fun with their cars.  

The concept of Rat Look seems to have various grey areas and if you ask the members for their opinion, you will most likely get different answers.  Some believe it is a highly modded mechanical masterpiece with a generally tatty exterior.  Some believe it is a fully rusted exterior and some just don't have a clue but love it anyway.  Rat Look in my eyes is taking a car (or vehicle) which cosmetically isn't too cracking and you roll with it.  Embrace the dents, cultivate the rust into a paint effect and generally have fun with it.  Don't take it too seriously and make something which will make people laugh or smile.

Challenge accepted.

*Going on holiday when you're plus size can be difficult.  I cant just buy some super cute lil shorts and sexy lil vest tops cos I would look like an absolute twit!  anything above the knee is a no-no!  and flattering, keep cool, functional yet pretty clothing is difficult to come by.  Swimwear is a massive challenge too. Cant wear halternecks because the back rolls down, cant wear bandeaus cos it gathers up and squashes boobs into a kinda ugly sausage,  cant wear bikinis (shudder) ESPECIALLY those super cheap pretty little tie side jobbies.  *sigh*  so ill carry on on my slimming world diet and dream of sundresses :-)

** The nickname my colleagues gave her

The Cake Makers Cake

It took 2 years to design and 10 minutes to be eaten.  Was I pleased with it?  Umm not 100%.  There was nothing wrong with it, but I felt it was a bit of an anti-climax.  I think I would never have been 100% happy regardless though as there were too many people giving their opinions on what it should and should not be some of which I agreed to against my better judgement.   This meant I ended up with a whole tier that was bodged and a feeling of uneasiness about the structural integrity. 

The compliments received were all good but it didn't soothe my disappointment in the finished product.  *sigh*  I think that's what you get for putting too much pressure on yourself huh?  ( Dont think it helped that the toastmaster kept picking fault.... git)

The Bottom tier was fruit and has a ring of flowers mimicking the detail on my wedding dress.  

Then there was a tier of carrot cake which had a quilting effect on it.  This is the tier I dislike due to it being uneven and having poor detail.  I knew I didn't want to do this design but it was a compromise I should never have let happen.  Luckily the camera angle disguises the errors.  I finished this tier off with a length of ivory lace and some 3mm Berisfords Cypress Green Ribbon.  

Then we had a tier of chocolate cake simply finished with 50mm Berisfords Cypress Green Ribbon and an antique brooch I picked up at an antiques fayre.

Then we have 2 tiers of lemon cake.  The 2nd to top was finished with a pretty ruffle effect mimicking the effect of bridal underskirts and the top tier had pleated detail similar to that on the bodices of both mine and the bridesmaids dresses, finished off with a larger flower in the same design as the bottom tier surrounded my crystal picks made by my talented Stepmum.

The Day

So The Day came and went in a blur.  
    The Day which has caused blood sweat and tears has occurred.  
        2 years of careful planning has come to an end.  
            The Day which has been the cause of so much heartache is finally over.  

Was it worth it?

Absolutely.