Claire’s crafty Christmas
Claire Richards is back with her band Steps as they tour the UK and, for someone who recently turned 40, she’s looking pretty darn fabulous!
But when the mumof-two isn’t onstage belting out some of the pop group’s bestknown hits, she can be found at home, deep in concentration as she works on a wreath made entirely of pompoms or some other intricate creation, to the bemusement of husband Reece and children Charlie and Daisy!
Here, Claire gives us a taste of the gems she’ll be showing us how to create in her new crafts column, and chats about how she and her family will be spending Christmas…
Hi, Claire! What can we expect from your crafts column?
Glitter’s a big deal, and I’m going liquid on the edible home-made gift front – I’ll be making limoncello and other festive-flavoured booze. The trends for Christmas crafts have been quite similar for the past few years, so it’s still nice, bright colours. And pom-poms are still massive. They’re coming into their own– I predicted they would!
What does your husband think about your passion for crafting?
Reece loves what I create, but he does think I’m a bit mad to be so into it. Last night, I was making pom-poms to go with a Christmas wreath, and he just looked at me, shook his head and went, ‘ You are crackers, Claire.’ And I went, ‘ Yeah, but in a nice way! I’m making a pom-pom while drinking a glass of wine and watching the telly. I’m not a psycho or anything!’
Is making things a nice contrast to the crazy world of showbiz?
Definitely. I always wished I could draw – but I can’t, to save my life. I’m quite a perfectionist, and I do get a lot of satisfaction out of creating something – looking at it and going, ‘How good does that look? That looks really professional!’ and knowing that I didn’t spend £300 on it. Some people think crafts are a bit fuddy-duddy, so I also love making things that look really cool and challenge people’s perceptions of craft.
Do thoughtless presents like socks upset you?
I wouldn’t say they upset me, but I do put a lot of thought into presents – I torture myself over them a bit. I know not everyone’s that bothered, but if you’re going to take the time to get somebody a gift, put some effort into it! Everyone seems to have everything they want these days, too, so it’s hard to buy something unique.
Will you be making all your own gifts?
Lots of them. Obviously, I’ll be buying things for the kids - they’ve already put in several requests! I’m bringing my craft box with me on tour with Steps, so I can be beavering away when I have any downtime.
What’s an average Christmas like, chez Richards?
Well, every year I say, ‘Let’s go to a hotel for dinner,’ but we never do. Normally, we spend Christmas Day with my husband’s family and Boxing Day
with mine. Last year was an exception – just us and the kids. We ate Christmas dinner in our pyjamas, which I felt guilty about, but it was amazing. My dad lives in Cyprus, but he’s going to be home this year, so I have a feeling everyone will end up at ours!
Would you cook?
Yes, which does stress me out a bit. But I don’t let anyone else cook in my kitchen, so I bring that on myself! I’m a bit of a control freak. I always aim to serve food at 3pm but, by 5pm, everyone’s going, ‘Is dinner ready yet?!’ And I always want to play games – but I’m normally on my own with that one!
You clearly love this time of year…
I really do. I have so much Christmas stuff in the attic, you can barely shut the door. And I love the build-up almost as much as the day itself.
What would your ideal Christmas present be?
Reece really wants a dog, but I’m not so sure. Our cat went missing the other week and I literally could not take it, so we’ll see. Personally? A holiday would be nice, I think!