the quirky brunette: Sunday Summary

Happy Sunday!

(I'm truly keeping my finger on the pulse these days, mes amis...)

And on the subject of FRIENDS... (oh, see what I did there?) I'm dedicating this post in its entirety and absolute-ness to CHARLIE KILBORN. There you go, Charlie, this one's for you, lady! I'll tell you all for why (and it's not just because she asked nicely). It's because she is my new fashion guru, and also because she (and Jos) are responsible for some of the best nights out I've had these last two years, and the best opportunities I've had in some time.

Also, she's the one who leads me astray and makes me eat chips from a kebab shop after a night out.

And she's very clever with a crochet hook and a bottle top.

And she found me the most brilliant flapper wall plaque whom I now call Myrtle.

(Oh and she's lovely.)

Next up, allow me to apologise for the rather fractured nature of this Summary. It's our Advent Carol Service tonight, and I'm frenetically typing this bad boy in the vain hope that I might get it online before I have to zip over to the church and then sit for half an hour even-more-frenetically sorting music that should have been sorted days ago... before frenetically robing up and then trying, frenetically, not to set our polyester robes alight with the requisite candles. Sucks to be me.

UPDATE: We came, we sang, we conquered -- we're all now a little hoarse, and this blog post is still in the making. These things take time.

But I do have some exciting* news, two-fold news, if you will. This week, I have mostly been...

CLOCKING UP MY 50K (UNOFFICIAL) NANOWRIMO TARGET!

{Why yes, people, I did indeed have an Excel spreadsheet,
with formulae, set up to track my progress...}

and... more excitingly (especially if your name is Georgina and you've been waiting a whole gestation period for this announcement...)

FINISHING EDITING GEORGE'S BOOK!

I think this calls for the following:

Happy Dork Dance

Fist Bump to Self

and a virtual one of these:

*it's all comparative, people...

Of course having put two projects to bed, I'm about to reawaken another little project. But not until tomorrow. Let's not go crazy, now.

Also this week, I have mostly been...

Reading | Brooklyn

Watching | House

Seriously.

Cameron.

Get the memo.

HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU.

(Or is he? Either way, she's the most frustratingly mercurial, drippy little girl doctor ever committed to the small screen. Urgh.)

Getting party-purty**

**again, all comparative

It's our work Christmas party this coming Thursday. Which never ceases to bring to mind the following scene from Love Actually...

SPOILER ALERT: THIS IS FICTION

Regardless. I don't need a charismatic, bespectacled Brazilian designer to make my party rock (though it'd be nice...). No, for this year's party venue theme is rumoured to be:

{The Labyrinth ball scene
SQUEEEE!}

...which has been my fantasy party theme since, well, 1989.

For the last few years there's been a fairly solid theme to my Christmas party dress choice:

2008... flapper dress...

2009... flapper dress...

2010... flapper dress... ish...

2011... Oh! Not a flapper dress! But not my
finest party dress moment.
Or, in fact, moment of any time.

2012... flapper dress... (see also 2008...)
With additional Clarey bonus

2013. OK, I get the
message...

So, while a flapper dress is my go-to, it has been decreed that it's time for a change. (And I'd be inclined to agree in spite of my flapper proclivities...)

So, cue Charlie, dress guru extraordinaire, who thought something a little more form-fitting might be appropriate this year. After all, I suspect Jareth's over his weird and ever so slightly wrong moody-teenager fixation by now. One would hope.

{That's not dubious at all, now, is it...}

Hormonal intervention decreed that I heard 'form-fitting' and immediately had visions of requiring 'support' along these lines:

All the same, I followed the guidance of my guru, who thought something a little 1950s might work.

Now, as the above photos might decree, with the exception of those sexy sexy purple sequins (said no person ever), I'm a little averse to colour in my winter party dresses. So I messaged Charlie with the following choices:

from that renowned boutique more commonly known as eBay.

That but in a brighter colour, maybe! Thus spake Charlie.

And lo and behold, after some -- you guessed it, FRENETIC -- eBay-searching and parameter-setting, this little beauty popped up on-screen.

Bought.

Done and done.

Afraid you'll have to wait until next week for the full QB-in-frock reveal. Soz.

Of course, a day after I'd clicked that all-crucial Buy it now button, I received in the post the most gorgeous, also form-fitting, little flapper-esque dress from Georgina. Oh, the conflict! LOOK AT IT!

(And... here's me in it. Pardon the hair. And the po-face. This was taken on a pre-hair-wash, post-Voicerox night, with no supportive grundies, at about 11pm. Oh, come on. I can't look fabulous all the time.)

But I am aiming to leave the house more than once over the festive season, so with any luck both frocks will get an airing.

So, thank you, Charlie, and thank you, George -- I'm almost ready for party season. And no constructive underwear as yet required.

Which is nice.

Visiting | the Museum of Brands in Notting Hill

On Thursday our bi-annual sales conference took place in a function room at the Museum of Brands, and we were lucky enough to get a tour of the museum itself. And it was fantastic -- a history of brands and packaging since 1800s to modern day. Here are a few highlights (apologies for the ropey snapping):