Dolly's Dreamings

Late, exhausted, excited ... and cheating

I have just got in and and shattered so be prepared for cheating.

I am so awfully tired I haven't the energy to take my camera out of my bag so I am cheating

I took a picture of my new yummy stickers last friday and I ended up not using it as I took a picture of the unexpected lambing instead.

Now the stickers really are very very pretty and they deserve to be on a page and so they are now my picture of the day for today. well I COULD have taken another picture so it really was picture of the day,but even I am not that dedicated.

 

Obviously I haven't done new scrapping but i do have a page not shared before to share. I made it for last Christmas as a DT piece for Charmed Cards and Crafts

It is a picture I had scrapped before but one of my favourite ever photos of the cats. I think it is magical - just at the right place at the right time.

I may not have new scrapping but I do have new scrapping news ... but I can't quite share all of it. I applied for a CT post - haven't done that in almost 2 years. I lost all my scrapping confidence and so have steered away from anything and everything other than my CT work for the amazing Dawn Inskip. However there was a CT I really really fancied and I knew I didn't stand a chance but I applied anyway and - WOW. I got an e mail today and I have a place and I cannot quite believe it. I am over-awed and thrilled and soon I will tell you who it is for! But not today!

Today I am thankful for

• home
• A successful CT entry

On our 20th wedding anniversary, my husband walked in the door with a dozen red roses. I went to the living room cabinet for a vase and saw several of our wedding gifts sitting on the shelf—china, crystal, silver—as though they were museum pieces. “We’ll save them for a special occasion,” I’d told Paul. But in 20 years, we’d hardly used them. Most of the time they sat waiting on that shelf. Well, if this isn’t a special occasion, I thought, I don’t know what is.

Reaching for a vase, I thought of other gifts I might have stored away, waiting for just the right moment. Like my gift for music. I hadn’t sung in the church choir for years; I always said I was too busy. But just like those wedding gifts, weren’t God’s gifts meant to be used and enjoyed?

That night we set the table with our best tablecloth, our silver flatware, and a cut-crystal vase filled with red roses. The kids especially enjoyed drinking sparkling juice from etched crystal goblets that they’d never before seen on our dinner table. We laughed as the four of us clinked our glasses together. “Let’s do this more often,” my daughter said.

“We will,” I replied, as I made a mental note to go to choir practice that week. After all, if every day is a gift from God, then all of life is a special occasion.

Give me one more gift, Lord: the courage to use all You’ve given me for Your glory.

—GINA BRIDGEMAN

Completed Journal Your Christmas number 6

I have just finished my Christmas journal for 2011 and have to say I am pleased it is done. I do quite like the finished project, but I have learnt a very important lesson for me. Making it ahead of time and filling it did save time each day but it is not the way to go for me. I didn't like it. I am a make it as I go sort of girl.

I liked the novel way of linking the envelopes, but next year - Oh yes there will be a next year - I need to make it as I go along and I think I will probably make a digital one again.

Anyway here are the final pages. I am only going as far as 27th December. I rarely go beyond this date in the journals.

This is the double page for 22nd and 23rd

 

 
23 was about our first ever home made Christmas cake which we cut into on 23rd and it was delisious

This is Christmas Eve

I love the sunrise picture as it was taken on the night before Christmas but the morning. Gotta love that irony I guess.

 

 

 

Above and below are the Christmas day pages - jopined witha present of course

This is the insert for Boxing Day 'oop north'

And this is the final page - our day at home. The day we stay in just we two is always very special to us and hence the reason it is joined with the little house

 

Another journal complete and only a day late too!

 Today I am thankful for

• all the blessings we have enjoyed during this special holiday season
• the excitement of watching a welcome to your holiday video this afternoon about our trip top Florida.

A third Christmas

We have had a blessed Christmas this year, spending what has amounted to three Christmas Days with almost all of our favourite people in the world.

Christmas Day dawned beautiful and dry and mild. The sunrise was actually from Christmas Eve though
We collected Nigel's mother and had cake and sherry before heading out for the day.

For the past 20 years, almost without exception, we have spent Christmas with my best friend from school and her family. We are god-parents to both of her children - children? ..... young adults now. Vicky wasn't there but James was and, as ever, it was such a pleasure to be with them all on Christmas Day. They remain such important people in our lives and enrich them so much in so many ways. Jim, who was always an incredible little boy has grown into a wonderful young man and we count him as one of our main blessings. Seems impossible when I see the strapping young man he has become to think I helped deliver him! WOW!

Gina again cooked an amazing meal and as well as Christmas pudding we had a very incredible 'bombe' full of lushness covered in white chocolate.

and here we are looking very chilled and replete

On Boxing Day we had Christmas Day number 2 as we headed 'oop north' to see my surrogate family.

Pauline is my surrogate Mom, Sam is my god-daughter and her gorgeous girls are the closest we will ever come to grand-children. It was another blessing to spend such a pleasant day with all of them. It was a second Christmas and meant so much to all of us to be able to this again. It has become an annual tradition. We don't see them nearly enough and even though we had seen sam, Chris and the girls in the summer, we hadn't seen Pauline and I miss her so much.

 Awful photo of me coming up! But it's with my little god-daughter LOL

Nij and Chrissy at lunch

Lunch was, as ever, totally amazing and we had an incredible desert. (Maybe I should say one of the many deserts LOL) It was the Marks and Spencer luxury (and I mean luxury) golden Christmas pud and we sprinkled it with gold dust powder too. It looked fab and tasted even better

 
The girls were engrossed in their DS games (and Elinor's hair becomes more incredible every time I see her - the most amazing colour like her Daddy and her Bossy Nanny

Pauline has a veritable menagerie with 2 dogs, 4 cats, rabbits, fish etc. The cats are all so beautiful (and I adore the dogs and getting doggy washes all day) but Louis was the one taken with the remote controlled cars and spent a lot of time watching them and pouncing

Today we had our third Christmas, just for us. We kept our presents back for our leisurely day. No where to go, nowhere to drive. We started with a champagne breakfast and opened our presents with the cats and Christmas music and the lights and the smell of Yankee Candles. And today is very much a 'not getting dressed day'

We have so much food (OK .... well I happen to think chocolate is a food!) so many DVDs to watch (Including the new Harry Potter) so many books to read and games to play I fear it will be a while before we move and do anything productive.

 

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with love and laughter and feel as blessed as I do.

Finally thank you Jaci for the lovely comments.

Have a lovely evening everyone and normal crafting blogging will resume tomorrow.

Merry Christmas Everyone

I would like to wish all of the people who read this a very happy Christmas. May your holiday season be filled with love and laughter, peace and joy.

Thank you for visiting, thank you for reading, thank you for your support during the past year x

I leave you with one of my all time favourite poems

Christmas by John Betjeman

The bells of waiting Advent ring,
The Tortoise stove is lit again
And lamp-oil light across the night
Has caught the streaks of winter rain
In many a stained-glass window sheen
From Crimson Lake to Hookers Green.

The holly in the windy hedge
And round the Manor House the yew
Will soon be stripped to deck the ledge,
The altar, font and arch and pew,
So that the villagers can say
'The church looks nice' on Christmas Day.

Provincial Public Houses blaze,
Corporation tramcars clang,
On lighted tenements I gaze,
Where paper decorations hang,
And bunting in the red Town Hall
Says 'Merry Christmas to you all'.

And London shops on Christmas Eve
Are strung with silver bells and flowers
As hurrying clerks the City leave
To pigeon-haunted classic towers,
And marbled clouds go scudding by
The many-steepled London sky.

And girls in slacks remember Dad,
And oafish louts remember Mum,
And sleepless children's hearts are glad.
And Christmas-morning bells say 'Come!'
Even to shining ones who dwell
Safe in the Dorchester Hotel.

And is it true,
This most tremendous tale of all,
Seen in a stained-glass window's hue,
A Baby in an ox's stall ?
The Maker of the stars and sea
Become a Child on earth for me ?

And is it true ? For if it is,
No loving fingers tying strings
Around those tissued fripperies,
The sweet and silly Christmas things,
Bath salts and inexpensive scent
And hideous tie so kindly meant,

No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with this single Truth compare -
That God was man in Palestine
And lives today in Bread and Wine.

 

Twas the Night Before Christmas

Happy Christmas Eve Everyone.

Just returned from Carols by Candlelight and share this with you all, wishing you all a restful night of reflection before the celebrations of tomorrow,

 

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the town,
St. Joseph was searching, walking up roads and down;
Our Lady was waiting, so meek and so mild,
While Joseph was seeking a place for the Child;

The children were nestled, each snug in their beds,
The grown-ups wouldn't bother, there's no room they said;
When even the innkeeper sent them away,
Joseph was wondering, where they would stay;
He thought of the caves in the side of the hills,
Lets go there said Mary, it's silent and still;

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Made pathways of light for their tired feet to go;
And there in a cave, in a cradle of hay,
Our Savior was born on that first Christmas Day!

The Father was watching in heaven above,
He sent for His angels, His couriers of love;
More rapid than eagles God's bright angels came;
Rejoicing and eager as each heard his name;

Come Power, Come Cherubs, Come Virtues, Come Raphael,
Come Thrones and Dominions, come Michael and Gabriel;
Now fly to the Earth, where My poor people live,
Announce the glad tiding My Son comes to give;

The Shepherds were watching their flocks on this night,
And saw in the heavens and unearthly light;
The Angels assured them, they'd nothing to fear,
It's Christmas they said, the Savior is here!

They hastened to find Him, and stood at the door,
Till Mary invited them in to adore;
He was swaddled in bands from His head to His feet,
Never did the Shepherds see a baby so sweet!

He spoke not a word, but the shepherds all knew,
He was telling them secrets and blessing them too;
Then softly they left Him, The Babe in the hay,
And rejoiced with great joy on that first Christmas Day;

Mary heard them exclaim as they walked up the hill,
Glory to God in the Highest, Peace to men of good will!

By: Sister St. Thomas, B.N.D. de N

Tribute to her courage

We were very proud of our little Kira Monkey on Tuesday when she was so brave at the vets. And so thrilled to have the more optimistic news than we had been dreading.

So yesterday I felt I wanted to record the event.

When looking through my papers I found this sheet of Creative Imaginations with the title Live Without Fear which was just perfect for what I wanted.

I had a lovely suprise today - kind of special for 'us'. Nigel rarely buys me flowers (and I certainly don't miss them) but it does mean when he does it is really special and he often buys me them on Christmas Eve or there abouts. It goes back to our very first Christmas Eve in our first home. He doesn't do it every year (and I am glad as then it would be predictable) But he came home with lovely red and white flowers today.

We made our annual visit to the cemetery today to lay our wreath (having made our annual visit yesterday as well but forgetting to take the wreath with us!)

 Needless to say, both lots of flowers have found there way onto the pages of my JYC today.

Today I am thankful for

• wonderful parents and the special years I had with them ... just too few of them
• the thoughtfulness of my wonderful husband

 and sorry - but you know me an my puns ... can't resist them

 

All wrapped up

I can officially say, at last, that Christmas is all wrapped up. The final gifts were wrapped today and it is done, done done.

I used the concept of being all wrapped up as my JCY topic for today. Nigel and I like presents to be boxed nicely and wrapped in coordinating paper - this year black and gold which is much nicer than it sounds.

The background paper was another piece cut fromt he parcels we received from Mike in Florida. It was truly lush paper. I am not sure if all American paper is like that or if he just had fabulous quality paper, but it was truly lovely.

There is a double folded tag that pulls out with journalling on.

I also took a picture of yesterday's entry which was, of course, about Kira.

 We cut our Christmas cake today  with great trepidation. Fist time we have made one and wow - if we say so ourselves it was gorgeous. Very moist and totally yummy.

Today we went to buy the last few things for the girls. Sam had recommended clothes from Next. Do you know there was almost no items age 9 in Next. There was ages 1 - 8 and 10 upwards but every 9 year old in the country must have clothes from Next as there was almost nothing for her age. In the end we bought from elsewhere - I hope to goodness she likes them and we are not 'uncool' Aunty and Uncle.

 Dawn has a new collection out today called Make Believe and it is beautiful. It has some of Dawn's trademark hand drawn characters which are so cute, lush art papers and lots of embellishments.

You can snaffle the collection at her store at Scrapbookgraphics.

I made this page using the new collection and also some papers from Peace collection. The templates in the Make Believe collection are amazing.

Quiet night in tonight as we were late last night. We had several of our neighbours over for drinks and nibbles and had a jolly nice evening.

Today I am thankful for

• Christmas preparations about done

And finally I share this with you. I shared it last year too but I do love it so much

 

It's the real thing

I have a few things to share today. First of all I made a page last night for the weekly challenge on UKS.

I used some of the photos that we took of the coke truck

 

The same photos feature on my JYC pages for 17th too. In fact it was such a great thing to do that there are two inserts for the pocket for 17th and a whole mess of journalling as well.

The second insert is covered with special paper. It was wrapped round a present from our friend Mike in Florida. He had instructed us to open it to check it had travelled safely (and it was the most gorgeous set of Disney ornaments) and the paper was so fabulous I had to use some. It is really rich gold and red foil and was just perfect for the coke pictures.

 

I also have my pages from 18th and 19th to share. The 18th - yesterday - is about our Christmas trip to Avebury Manor and 19th is about our Christmas angel.

 

Finally this is a little gift I made for my mother in law this afternoon.

 I bought these cute little easels and canvases and so used a photo of her three sons and their three wives. I think it is the only photo of all of us together that exists as my sister-in'law has not been to the UK for 25 years prior to this trip and when we go over it is only ever either Nij or his brother who goes, not all of us together. So the picture of all 6 of us was special. We'd been out to dinner at one of our favourite restaurants (Vesuvio on the beach) and it was so funny that we even all coordinated with what we were wearing. Pure fluke. I think she will love it as an extra little gift.

 

 

Barb you asked if we might have snow at Christmas - I wish! We almost never have a white Christmas. Last year we did still have snow on the ground from the heavy fall on 20th but no snow in sight this year.

Today I am thankful for

• the toothache going ... phew

Finally I have a video to share which is awesome. It was sent by cousin Norma. Do check out the link HERE

It is about the murmuration of starlings and there are others available on You Tube too. Enjoy x

 

To The Manor Born - and a Christmas Star

Its been a little cold today but we had a great visit to Avebury Manor, the manor they restored as part of the BBC series.

It has been beautifully restored and it was great to see it and be able to enjoy the work of so many artisans.

It was bizarre to go to a stately home and be actively encouraged to touch, to feel, to sit, to play with etc. It just didn't feel right.

It was freezing when we arrived, but that sort of bright crisp freezing that was beautiful in the December sunshine.

 

There was a beautiful wreath by the door.

The Tudor room was all done for Christmas with a banquet including hog's head all laid ou and you were encouraged to touch and feel. The pewter tankards were really heavy.

 

I had been especially keen to see the dining room with the hand painted wallpaper we had seen hung. When I think how scary it is to hang B and Q stiff, it must have been terrifying to hang that. But it was exquisite.

 

 

One of our favourite rooms was the snooker room or study as it was so like the room we have done in the doll's house so good to know we had got it right.

There was even a gramophone which they encouraged you to play and the sound was remarkable.

 I couldn't quite bring myself to lie on the bed - though many did - but the workmanship was stunning.

It was a shock, however, to see the Victorian kitchen and see this item.

 

We had one of these at home and I loved using it as a child. I am hoping that either it really wasn't from 1911 or they just kept making them into the 1960s! Either that or my parents kept stuff for way longer than even I am comfortable with!

It was freezing cold out - note the red noses LOL

but we did have a quick - and I mean quick - look at the stones as it seemed rude to visit Avebury and not see them.

 

I don't have new scrapping to share but thought I could now share the projects I made as part of my DT work for Karen at Charmed Cards and Crafts. Do head over there and look at all the great Christmassy items she has in stock. The papers and embellishments were a joy to work with.

This star is now in pride of place in my new dining room.

 

 I forget where I first saw these stars but there are lots of sites which have them and explain how to make them. I think I found it several years ago when searching for crafts to make with the children, though the assembly of this is perhaps a little fiddly for little fingers.

 

First I used the template to cut out five identical shapes from A4 cardstock. You could make it out of just thick paper, but using a cardstock base means it is a bit more substantial and lasts a bit better. (A4 template included with 2 shapes on) You can make the star any size you want to, just change the size of the templates you use. I would warn you not to go too small though as it gets a little fiddly.

 

Once you have cut out the five shapes and have covered them with patterned paper you can decorate them if you wish. I inked all of my edges as I was going for a vintage look, and I also drew faux stitching down all of the fold lines and joints.

 

You need to make sure you bend all the folds and score lines in. Then you are ready to assemble.

Fold the flap on piece 1 under and using very strong glue or double sided tape glue piece 2 to the little flap. Repeat this 5 times, and then make sure all the FLAPS are pulled out.

It then gets a little fiddly.  Glue the star together using double sided tape on the flaps making sure that the centre seam from the join from side A and B is to the rear of the star. It is much easier to glue two of the shapes together, then another two together and then join these two pairs together, before adding  in the last remaining ''point'',it is a little difficult at this stage but it works eventually.

 

I then decorated it with some ribbon and a prima flower.

 

Do Head over to Karen's site and see other design team projects here and my projects here

 Today I am thanlful for

• a great day out
• Karen sending  me such wonderful things to work with
• Snuggling warm by the radiator now we are home

 

Holidays are coming ... always Coca Cola

The coca cola lorry was in Bournemouth today and so, of course, we headed on down there.

I LOVE the advert 'Holidays are coming' so much.

To me, as soon as I hear that music, the Christmas season has started. So seeing the truck was a must.

 It was bitterly bitterly bitterly cold when we arrived. It seemed to be blowing an icy gale just where the truck was. The rest of town wasn't so cold.

But it was worth the wait to have the photo taken (mind you we look frozen and a mess LOL ... and yes, of course we are holding a frap .... when are we not!)

 

 

We purposely went down late so we would see it in daylight and in the dark.

I was really impressed there was no hype around it. There was a girl (who must have been freezing dressed in a santa's helper outfit) taking photos for you on your own camera. There was an orderly queue, no charge, no sales pitch and they were giving away free coke.

I guess when you are as big as Coca Cola you can afford to be generous and I guess brand awareness 10 out of 10 as they will feature in a heck of a lot of photos today!

I scrapped this morning and did this page of my very naughty little boy. He was determined to have the new parcel lights I love so much.

And he did. But I couldn't resist snapping the photo of him next to the ravaged lights. It was as if to say 'phew .... that's done! I can relax now!'

 

Anyone want a cat?

 Today I am thankful for

• Coca cola (I still love my diet coke)
• The excitement of seeing the Coca Cola truck
• Being warm at home