Dolly's Dreamings

A disappointing start in the cold

It was the first home match of the season for Poole Pirates and the second leg in a two event shield. They lost last night and whilst they did win, just, today, they lost overall. And poor Nij came home frozen.

It was a bright and sunny day but Oh My it was cold.

I occupied myself finishing a big project that I won't share yet as it is for IACW. But I am reasonably pleased with it. It has taken three days and includes no fewer than 3 mini books. I love making mini books but they do seem to be something where my desk gets covered with almost everything I own!

Still, all away now and ready for some normal scrapping tomorrow.

I also went to HobbyCraft and the Range today - on the premis of getting glue for the doll house wallpaper. Some papers and flowers slipped into my basket. Ooops.

We did get the decorating in the doll house kitchen done though and we have everything crossed that the bubbles may disappear.

 I have a freebie to share today - a watery themed alphabet

You can snag it here

Water alphabet

 

I have a new page to share - this time another with Dawn's new Old Curiosity Shop collection.

The picture was taken earlier this month at Amazon World on the Isle of Wight. Whilst it was a bit like Papa Lazaru's zoo, there were great opportunities to photogaph the ocelots.

And I do love ocelots more than just about any other cat - apart from my own.

 

 

The colours were just perfect for her.

 

Today I am thankful for

• finishing up a project that seemed to take forever.
• Nigel now 'off duty' and home for the holidays

 

 

 

 

 

Out of my comfort zone

I pushed myself right out of my comfort zone today doing a technique laden page when really I am a simple scrapper.

I did enjoy it, but many of the techniques are things I don't use often, such a frilling with fabric strips and making textured emellishments with gesso.

 

It is to work with the Scrapology challenge this month which was to use a sketch and texture.

 

The texture was the textured heart made with blown dried gesso inked and gilded.

 

 

 

but quite hard to photograph

 

 

 

as with most of my pages though there is lots of stitching, lots of inking and distressing

 

It's been a quiet day apart from the scrapping and work really.

We did try and watch a film last night but I had to leave the room as I was too distressed. It was the reasonably new planet of the apes film but I hated the cruelty and confussion of the chimp even though I knew it wasn't real. Just too uncomfortable to watch.

 

I promised I would have a class on here today and planned to write a new one, but this is a revisit.

It was shared a long time ago so many of you won't have seen it and it is a simple page that lends itself to all kinds of subjects

It may just get that mojo going if you are in a rut. There is a sketch, a paper page and a digital page

 

I hope you enjoy it - do let me know

 

You can download the class here Come back class

Let me know what you think

 

Today I am thankful for

• challenges that stretch me
• a productive day
• the fact that the full glass of water I knocked over didn't do too much damage in the scraproom!

 

 

 

Free Mini Book Class and Sunday ramblings

Happy Scrappy Sunday everyone.

I promised I would share my latest mini book here and give the instructions. I have made it for a scrap class I am teaching and as the instructions had to be written for that, it seemed silly not to share them here too.

It is a very very simple book and uses many ideas that I have gleaned from around cyber world. I am very keen to stress it is not unique and I owe credit for some of the techniques - the little tab and 'buckle' page to the Sleeping Under canvas mini book by DeeMo that was part of the most recent UKS cyber crop. The flap and fold page was also in that class but I have used that before and I picked that up from another mini book I saw on You Tube. I guess there are few new and unique ideas, the differences are how they are combined.

This mini book uses a very simple binding rather than a stitched or matchbook binding that I usually do.  

 

This is the front of the mini book - cats of course.

I have used the book to record the cats in 2012 so all of the pictures were taken last year.

 

Here are the rest of the pages

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It uses just two sheets of 12" x 12" cardstock, two pieces of chipboard and scraps of card and patterned paper and is really really simple to make. I like simple!

 

These are the downloadable instructions in a PDF

 

If you make one I would love to see it so drop me a comment and a link so I can come look.

 

I have also made the house challenge page for UKS today.

 

 

The pictures are of the Caribbean Beach and the patio by Banana Cabana where we used to have breakfast, enjoying the Florida sun and the food and the view. It was bliss.

 

 

 

The banner was made twice and then sections cut out and mounted on thick card and then on foam pads so it is very dimensional - not so easy to show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like all of my Caribbean pages it is soft pastel tones as the resort is soft pastel tones.

 

 

 It has been a glorious day here - cold but bright and sunny and we have been for a long long walk.

I love days like this.

Today I am thankful for

• finishing writing instructions
• glorious sunny Sundays
• a lovely long walk

 

Have a good rest of Sunday and meanwhile enjoy these LOL cats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Building Memories - a Memory Jar or two - some creative ideas for a new year

I always like to have a project on the go - and there is NO WAY that project is going to be a photo a day again.

I will do an annual album as I always do, and have plans for a special monthly album which will have a double page for each month, but I wanted something more and also felt I wanted something Nigel could join in with too.

Then I saw an idea of Debbie's. I am not sure if I saw it on her facebook page or on her website (and if you don't know about Debbie then you must check THIS out - she is an amazing lady. She is a genuine domestic goddess, she cooks and bakes and crafts and creates and is a thoroughly lovely lady I am proud to call a friend ....oh and she does all of this with 5 beautiful children too. She has just brought out her first book ... and it is amazing ... and has met Kirsty and Ainsley in her many travels)

Anyway the idea is a memory jar which I have taken and adapted to suit us. 

You just jot down things as they happen and pop them in the jar, not opening it up properly until the end of the year.

I thought this was a fabulous idea.

I have used a just finished Yankee Candle Jar (I felt as the Christmas decorations were down it was time to loose the cinnamon stick candle) and some Crate paper and quotes.

 

I covered the jar with a band of scalloped Crate paper and then printed out some word art.

 

These three sentiments were stuck to the Crate Paper. I could have printed things on transparencies to preserve the clarity of the jar but actually I didn't want to see too much inside.

 

I printed something for the top and stuck that on and then added some flowers

 

I made a little packet with some card, paper and ribbon and have printed out some 200 little slips to write on and add a date too.

 

I think that if we manage to keep this up all year it will be great fun to look back on as we move into 2014. A very visible way of counting our memories and our blessings.

 

I made another jar years ago and it seems pertinent to share that here too.

It is the perfect gift for someone who is not very good at telling their stories. As scrapbookers one of our 'jobs' is to record the stories of those we love. Nigel isn't good about recording his stories and so I made him a jar of prompts.

 

Simply covered (and as masculine as I could bear) it is filled with little strips of paper each with a prompt on - a question to answer, a memory jogger.

I covered a notebook int he same paper and he sticks in a prompt and writes his response. It is a super book developing of all those stories he is recording. We both love it.

 

I also have a page to share made with a brand new collection by Fayette Designs at Pickleberrypop called YOU

It's a smashing collection with gorgeous colours

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a productive day
• the clean lines of the house now it is -de-christmased
• my little Fiki monster who is a little bemused about his new room, bless him
• the squirrel who made me jump when it scurried alongt he study windowsill - which is upstairs - and which freaked out poor old Boo.

 

 

And my page a day calendar page is

In the Bible verses calendar -

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.¶  MATTHEW 11 : 29

and the Zen page

To one who has had the experience there is no need to explain it. To one who has not, there is no way to explain it. What to do but to exclaim!  Reikichi Kita and Kiichi Nagaya

I think that is very true and it reminds me very much of when a Rwandan visitor came over and was taken to the sea. He had never seen the ocean and was fascinated by its appearance, its smell, its feel, its taste. How could he ever convey that to people back home?

 

 

 

Oh no it isn't - Oh yes it is

I am in panto mood today - what fun. Nothing like a good panto to get everyone up and happy.

I love it.

It even lifted my tiredness, though I feel the tired fairy coming back any minute.

I did snap a quick photo for my JYC today though. Every year we try and buy something for our home for Christmas and this year it was purchsed at the Christmas Shop on Lechlade. They had so many wonderful things there that we could choose from but in the end we settled for this beautiful bling-tastic butterfly. I love butterflies and he was just too gorgeous to leave behind. None of the butterflies were priced and so it was with trepidation we asked the price and were staggered as he was just a couple of pounds.

It is the focus of my JYC and my photo of the day.

 

 

I also have new scrapping to share today. Dawn Inskip has a stunning new collection out called Secrets and it is beautiful with soft colours and great doodles. It is on offer today at her Scrapbookgraphics store.

 

Inspired by the theme of the kit of secrets I scrapped this page at the weekend. Because shhhhh - it is a secret ... we really do have fairies at the bottom of our garden.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• pantos
• Blingy butterflies and all things pretty and sparkly

And my page a day calendar page

When I moved from Alaska to Minnesota, I was often asked, “Don’t you miss the mountains?”

I always answered, “No, I can pull them from my memory anytime. Minnesota wasn’t created to have
mountains, so I don’t look for them. Instead, I enjoy what’s here: the fields, the oak trees, the herons and egrets on the lakes and ponds, the changing sky, the magnificent thunderstorms. Embracing how each place was made to be is my secret for living anywhere.”

After several years of this standard Q & A, I’ve started asking myself, What if I could extend this attitude to people? It seems so simple. Don’t look for what’s not there; instead, enjoy what is. Find the richness that already belongs to them.

With some people, it’s easy to see and appreciate who they were created to be. With others, it seems an impossible task. But then God beckons me: Come on, keep looking for things to like in this person. I’ve put them there.

Each person and place has a unique topography. From Alaska to Minnesota, from family to neighbors to teammates or coworkers to “me, myself, and I,” the key to getting along is in accepting the lay of the land.

Lord Jesus, how is it my eyes strain after what isn’t there in places and people, and overlook the good that is? Help me to see them as You do.—CAROL KNAPP

 

The Digital Fortress

I am very proud to be setting a challenge on UKS for their amazing 10th birthday cyber crop.

If you haven't been over there to check it out, do go and pay them a visit as there are so many amazing classes and challenges set for the weekend.

 

Go and have a look - just click THIS LINK to get there

Anyway - my challenge is called The Digital Fortress and there is a digital element

 

BUT

 

You DO NOT have to be a digital scrapper to take part.

There is a sketch for you to play with and you can make a page in either paper or digitally.

Here is the sketch.

 

 

However if you would like to have a go at a digital page I have also made a fully layered PSD template that you can download and play with.

 

Download Uks template

 

 And I guess it wouldn't be much of a post without examples would it.

So firstly here is a digital page made with the template

 

Here is a paper page made with the sketch

and a close up

 

 

And (very proud to say this) here is a digital page made by the incredibly talented Dawn Inskip using the template.  You have no idea how nervous I was to even show dawn the template as she makes such amazing templates. But she checked it all worked and made this fab page.

 

and finally another digital page

 

I hope you have fun with either the sketch or the template and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

If you get the chance I'd love you to leave a comment here.

 

 

 

Catching up on challenges and a free class page

I have had another gentle day today as it was important to rest my back in readiness for next week.

But I have had fun going through some more of the pre-cyber crop challenges on UKS.

I made the red white and blue card that needed to be made.

 

I made the negative card that needed to be made

 

and I also made the class page on scrapbook design for dummies.

 

 

the photo on that one is one of our favourite scarecrows from this year's scarecrow festival at Bistern

 

 It has been fun.

I also promised I would try and post class pages on Sundays so here is another of those - a very simply page just to get your mojo started.

 

It really is simple. Mine is cat based .... of course .... but it really will lend itself to any theme.

So go ahead, snag the PDF class but do take the time to let me know. Just  a simple comment.

Download What's new pussycat

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely Sunday
• Less back pain

and finally a few more of those awesome photos from last week's e mail

 

 

 

 

 

How it all changes and FREE class .... SIMPLES

Yesterday we were walking along the beach wishing we were in shorts not jeans. It was glorious sunny and warm

Today we have been in wondering if we dare put the heating on this early.

What a difference 24 hours makes.

And that formed my lesson for today too

 

I have had a pleasant time scrapping in between working and made a few pages. This is one of them which I made for a challenge to scrap some lyrics. As they were very catty lyrics I couldn't resist.

 

Kira and Fiki - part Bengal, part Meerkat. They with be selling insurance soon.  Simples!

Kira is actually leaning against the mesh panel int he patio doors but Fiki - closest too us - is free standing. And he does it a lot!

 

I promised I would try and post classes every Sunday and whilst I will try and keep to it, bear with me if time is short.

However this week I have a class page to share.

Although it is not a 12" x 12" page, the techniques are easily adaptable to whatever size you want to scrap. All I ask is, as a matter of courtesy, if you download you just pop me a comment - just nice to know ... thanks.

If you would like the PDF it is downloadable here

Download Drive my Car

Today I am thankful for

• a nice day in
• a car that looks like brand new as Nigel cleaned it inside and out. It looks awesome inside! And I have vowed to keep it like that!

 

 

 

and finally - because I have been toying with pre ordering the new I Phone 5 (and decided against it)

I just love this LOL cat

 

 

 

FREE Sunday class

I have sorted out the issues with PDF creation and also, for the larger files, the 4 shared issues I have so I can now fulfil my promise to post classes again.

I hope that the ladies I spoke to in Everton find them useful and hopefully others of you will find them useful too.

My classes are not rocket science, they are very simple step by steps but might be fun to follow if your mojo has gone walk about or if you are a recent scrapper.

As with any class, change it about and make it your own. They usually have one idea or technique to try out but other than that are very basic.

I thought I would share this page today. It was made in response to the house challenge on UKS to use an emotive word of work, rest and play, or all three. I chose play.

It had to be play as I wanted to scrap the Fiki monster.

This is Fiki begging for me to open the patio doors so he can go in the garden. No idea why as he doesn't really like the garden much. He tries to come in really quickly once he is out. But that's Fiki for you.

I ruffled up some ribbon

I added journalling

 

I used a mixed up title

 and finished it off with flowers and a bit of bling.

All in all really simple and quick to do, but if you would like the PDF then you can download it

Download I want to play

I also have my LSNED to share today and it is another cat related page. The prompt was all about listening. Listening and hearing are very different and Boo listens but sadly she doesn't hear. She is now completely and utterly deaf which must be awfully scary and lonely for her. We try and make sure she feels secure and loved and safe, but it must be hard for poor old Boo.

 

 So here is the page and also my photo of the day for yesterday and today. A very cat themed weekend with all three of our fur babies appearing one way and another.

 

 

 

 

 

 Today I am thankful for simple sunny sundays

• scrapping time
• my fur family
•  and finally my page a day calendar page

 My husband and I searched for a housekeeper for months. Running our business left little time for the house, but we just couldn’t find the perfect person.

Our home was filled with eclectic souvenirs—glassware from Eastern Europe, hand-carved spoons from
Poland, pottery from Japan. We wanted a housekeeper who would care for our mementos as we would.

Then one day, I bumped into my old neighbor Michelle, who had recently moved back to the area. I hadn’t seen her in years. She invited me over to her new place. I was impressed by how spotless it was.
“That’s all Agnes,” Michelle said. “She’s amazing.” A young Polish immigrant earning her nursing degree, Agnes had been working for Michelle for a year.

“I’d love to meet her,” I said.

When Agnes finally came to my house, I hoped she’d do wonders for us, too. I gave her a tour of our home, showing her what needed to be done. The dining room, I warned her, was filled
with handcrafted artwork from around the world. “It’s a lot of dusting …” I began, but Agnes wasn’t listening. Her eyes were glued to the three carved spoons my husband had bought years before. To my astonishment, Agnes burst into tears.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Those spoons!” she cried.

“The spoons?” I didn’t understand. “They’re from Poland …”

“From Zakopane,” she said.

How does she know that?

“My father was an artist there,” Agnes continued. “He died when I was ten and my mother had to sell all of his work for us to survive.” She lovingly fingered the design etched in the light wood. “I’d recognize his flower carvings anywhere. I never thought I’d see these again.”

I gave the spoons to Agnes. Who better to care for our treasures than someone who knew how
much love and effort went into every piece?

It’s amazing, Father, how much love and effort You put
into each of Your children.

—NOREEN BUSHOUSE

 

 

 

 

Gratitude is the best attitude and FREE word art

I loved today's LSNED prompt and I guess the lesson I have learnt is that once you do something on a regular basis it become second nature and a habit that just happens. Thus is my gratitude journal.

I loved the idea of a gratitude journal but figured I would soon give up doing it or I'd lose the book or something, so I decided, almost 3 years ago, to keep a gratitude journal on my blog. It is brief .... very brief ... and is just a couple of bullet points at the end of each post. But just typing something I am thankful for every day really does focus me and make me genuinely grateful for all I have in my life. Some days you may need to look a little more closely than others, but there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for.

So here is my Day 6 page.

 

The 'hem your blessings' embellishment is something I made years ago and framed for my bedroom so I see it last thing at night and first thing in the morning and you can download it HERE  It is a png file ane will print well and is good for digital scrapping too. It's not new and I have shared it before but you may like to snag it for yourself.

 
I have new scrapping to share today and exciting news about brand new Dawn Inskip goodies. It is a massive - and when I say massive I mean MASSIVE new template selection.

Those of you who know how fab her templates are know what this means.

Go and check them out at her Scrapbookgraphics store because they are fabulous.

and here is a page I made with one of them and also her kits called Peace, Ocean, Tranquility, Frozen

It's another for the Florida album

 
It captures such a special moment.

Today I am thankful for

• getting into a routine which makes me thankful every day
• having lush new digital goodies to create with
• a beautiful garden - Nij has been busy all day
• my shoes re-heeled (he's been busy busy busy!)

and finally my page a day calendar from today

When I was in junior high school, I was painfully, embarrassingly bashful. So I’d spend recess time off by myself in a corner of the schoolyard, pretending not to care I wasn’t part of the group
sharing in friendly chatter. Just why do they enjoy such camaraderie? I wondered.

That’s when I noticed a pattern: My classmates almost always greeted each other by name, then mentioned subjects they were interested in. “Hey, Bill, you heading for football practice?” “Hi, Mary. What did you think of that test?”

Say, that’s what I can do, I thought. I’ll memorize everybody’s name and their interests. What a job! There are a hundred kids in all my junior high classes. But when you’re desperate enough, you can do
anything. And I was that desperate. It took me a couple of months, but I stuck to it.

Then I noticed something else: I forgot my fright when I became intent on remembering others’ names and interests. I’d wasted years wanting others to pay attention to me rather than being concerned about
them.

Well, it wasn’t long before others saw a “new”
Isabel.

Father, now I know why You gave us the Golden Rule. If we treat others the way we want to be treated, things seem to fall into place.

—ISABEL WOLSELEY