Dolly's Dreamings

Well it's that Indian summer again

I have to laugh - we always seem to have lovely weather in September and the weathermen always behave like it is a real surprise and the news and papers are full of the fact we are having an Indian Summer. I have no idea what they don't just accept it is always nice in September!

 

Anyway - it has been glorious and we have had a lovely few days. We got to catch up with our wonderful next-door neighbours -we are truly blessed with them - and we have had lots of relaxing time outdoors reading and chilling out.

We also went for a lovely walk to Canford SANG - never heard of it before but it was a lovely walk by the river with a nice picnic thrown in for good measure.

 

My harvest decor with some lovely sunflowers I couldn't resist

 

and the beautiful roses my neighbours bought

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There has been a little scrapping too - but most of it I cannot share yet as it is for releases tomorrow and for ATDML classes.

 

I can share this though

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely weekend
• warm sunshine
• relaxing - I am getting so much better at it

 

 

 

Making the most of a day

Goodness me - not like us at all.

By 11 am this morning we had taken my car in for a service (boy that is an expensive game these days) collected it back three hours later washed and done, been to the hospital for blood tests for Nigel, changed the bed, done the housework, been and dropped charity goods off, been for a Starbucks and made a scrapbook page and all before I am usually up and about. 

So THAT's what early days are like.

 

I do have new scrapping to share but I have also a lot of new scrapping I cannot share - new classes for ATDML and they are lovely papers and goodies to work with. If you are thinking of buying a kit - they are lovely.

 

I had great fun with this one - a lovely cut file from Paige Evans and a cut file I recoloured with inks and watercolours. 

 

 

 

I loved scrapping these photos of the family as we were all looking at what to have for lunch. The photos just made me laugh.

 

 

 

and this was a rather failed attempt at mixed media - I knew what I was aiming at but didn't quite pull it off.

 

Today - and it is only half way through I am thankful for

• a productive morning
• jobs completed and leisure time ahead
• sunshine - it is a glorious day

I loved these ...

 

 

 and I just have to share these

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eye update

Nigel is due for another lasering today at the eye hospital. He almost had a detatched retina a couple f months ago and they repaired it with lasers and they just want to do a belt and braces extra zap to make sure all is good.

 

I have to say we were so impressed, yet again, by the treatment we received from the NHS over what was a potentially very serious situation. They are brilliant.

 

I have a couple of new pages to share today as it is new release day at PBP.

This first is a page from last October but the collection - September all in one by Natalie, was too lovely not to use

 

 

 

I also worked with a collection called Football Fan-Attic by Cheryl Day Designs

I didn't appreciate at first that it was going to be American Football - we don't play that - we play proper football which they call soccer! Still I managed to create a page of my cousin's grandson

 

 

In other news picnics have been had in between heavy rain which was much needed and there is a definite chill in the air which I am pleased about.

 

And the autumn decor has gone up - yey!

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• our NHS - always
• scrapping goodies
• Autumn in the air.

 

 

 

 

A special day

It was my best friend's daughter's 30th birthday this weekend and there was an amazing party yesterday.

She loves Glastonbury - well any festival really - and so it was a festival style party in her parents garden with bunting and lights and pinatas and live music and even festival bands for our wrists.

It was really lovely and so nice to see everyone. I think she had a wonderful da and although we didn't stay until the end we had a fab time and were thrilled to wish her a happy birthday. Proud to have spent all of her significant birthdays with her and her lovely family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I can now share the book I made for her to fill with pictures from her birthday thanks to a great tutorial from Cal Summers

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and I made this this morning

 

I also did a craft fair - not a great day. It is a fair that has been running for years and years as an antique and bric a bracfair and so people were NOT in the mood to look for crafts. Still - you have to be in it to win it even if you do lose! 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely party
• special people
• laughing until I almost disgraced myself at the craft fair with Nigel - we do laugh A LOT
• almost coming to terms with the mess that is state of our parliament - almost. I am so sick of it and so sick of the country being held to ransome by self grandising MPs on all sides of the house. Children behave better. 

 

 

A chilled end to the week

I love that our weekends start on a Thursday ... and last until Tuesday night!

Yesterday was quite a chilled day and I read the latest Mark Edwards book which was very good. I also did my first gouache painting ... haven't taken a photo of it yet - and watched the last episode of The Handmaid's Tale which was good.

Today we cleaned house and shopped and went to see the new film It Chapter 2 which I thought was much better than It - much better story running through it. The needlessly graphic violence int he first scene was horrible though - well it sounded horrible. I had my eyes shut. 

I have a bit of new scrapping to share.

 

This is a paper page made for a UKS challenge

My American folks!

 

 

And this was for a challenge on Pickleberrypop and features my cousin's gorgeous granddaughter. She is just so pretty.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• just a lovely couple of days

 

And I happened on these which I just thought were very clever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little digi fun

It is new release day at Pickleberrypop again and we have a new designer too.

Studio Px+Prints is now in the store at Pickleberrypop and the designs are fabulous.

I was thrilled to work with her Boys Toys collection

 

The photos are from Friendsfest last year and I haven't scrapped many of them yet - add to the list of pages to do!

 

 

This collection is  Going Coastal by Jumpstart designs and it was just perfect for my page about seeing Portland Bill when it wasn't bitterly cold and wintry 

 

 

and Tiramisu has another magical collection out called Beautiful Silence

 

 

 

And finally, there is a gorgeous harvest collab berry blends collection by Simplette and Lar's Digi World that you can get free with purchases until 9th September

 

 

Have fun browsing the store - you know you want to!

 

Me - I am celebrating

 

Kids have gone back to school - I haven't YEY!

We have our town back - we can go back to all of our lovely picnic spots now with no families filling the car parks

 

Doing a happy Autumn dance. Last night I decorated the fireplace for Autumn, the new wreath is on the front door. Bring on my favourite season of the year.

 

Today I am thankful for

 

AUTUMN

I wonder why?

In an effort to take my mind off the ridiculous state our parliament - not just the government the entire parliament - is in I have been trying to sort out things and e bay them.

I do wonder why I have 9 new pairs of very expensive jeans and trousers still with tahs on that I have nevr worn and will never be able to wear (unless I can shed a serious amount of weight! I think, when I was working and earning good money, I frittered it away and spent ont hings I didn't need, didn't really want etc. And I am ashamed of that. Since I retired I have a far different view of life and actually spend very little. I don't think I have bought more than a dozen new things in three years of retirement and most of the things I have bought have been things like new underwear (it does wear out you know) and a new swimming costume. I have bought almost no new scrapping stuff (I do have enough to scrap every day for the rest of my life already!!!) and apart from renovations we have spent no money on new stuff for the house. This retirment thing is good.

 

However the brand new clothes are on e bay (and I know they wont sell so I am not sure why I bothered and didn't just take then to the charity shop witht he other 20 or so bags we took) and I have sold some of the unwanted craft stuff and RAKed other stuff. I am in full declutter mode. And it feels good.

 

I did make a page today for a challenge on UKS and made a few yesterday

 

This was a fun one to make and I quite liked the splashes of orange for no reason other than they were something I fancied.

 

 

This was a digital page for a challenge - the prompt was BEAR. Yup - that was certainly a bear - we so hoped we would see one in Canada and this was on our last day.

 

This was the mystery box mojo challenge at PBP and includes a free kit - check it out here

 

 

and this was another challenge on UKS and features St George's church on Portland which we never knew was there and was utterly fascinating. You can read about it here - and here  and if you are near do go visit it - it is lovely.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• more decluttering
• more sense in my old age
• thriftiness

And those of you who know me well know my favourite sort of jokes are puns.

 

I LOVE these

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Days out - and all that jazz

We had a super day out today over at Highcliffe Castle watching two amazing bands play in such beautiful surroundings with vintage and classic cars thrown in for good measure.

 

Our reason for going was to support the ever lovely Alice - the beautiful young lady who features in so many of my scrapbook pages - as she plays in one of the bands 

 

The organisation was superb with a free shuttle bus. The venue was beautiful, the weather perfect, the cars amazing, the picnic lovely and the music just terrific.

 

Views fromt he cliff top to the Isle of Wight

 

 

and the needles

 

 

and over to Bournemouth - Hengistbury head looking like an island - and through past to Swanage, the Isle of Purbeck and beyond

 

 

The classic cars were beautiful -t his is just a smalls election. they were all so beautifully restored and maintained.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and this was the most special of all - a Ford Zodiac the same as my parents had when I was born and the same colour too

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a beautiful day out
• sunshine and smiles
• fabulous music
• together time

 

 

 

Christmas in August

Today has been a Christmas day - having just booked some Christmas craft fairs I figured I ought to make some stock - so Christmas it was and loads of felt cut and 20 cards made.

 

I am pretty done with Christmas now!

 

I have also started making a dozen poppies for sale for the British Legion at a local event.

 

I have little new scrapping to share but I did make this page of our little Fiki Fox. I bought these stickers specifically for him and finally got to use them. We have always called him Fiki Fox so it was very apt.

 

 

 And this uses another gorgeous Paige Evans cut file and heart confetti stencil also from one of her cut files.

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• feeling much better though permanent low grumbling tummy ache is a bit tedious, to be honest
• the fact the hurricane looks like it might not do so much damage in Florida where I have friends living

 and I loved these -ho nest logos - some are very funny and sadly very true.

 

 

 

love this one

 

Oh yes- that is me for sure

 

Sadly too true

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cooling a little

It is finally cooling down a little and I am happy about that.

Not a heat girl and certainly not a humid girl.

 

I have been feeling much better - not right but so much better so I am very happy about that.

 

We have had a couple of quiet days - been too hot to do much to be honest - but I have been scrapping... of course.

We went to the cinema to see Angel has Fallen which was really a very good film for that genre. We went largely because it was cool in the cinema!

On to new pages

I was really quite pleased with this one. I used a cut file from Paige Evans - her files are just awesome - and I used a Bo Bunny set of embellishments I bought for $1 last trip and haven't even opened yet.

 

 

 

 

And in complete contrast, I am NOT pleased by this one as the sun burst and clouds were not as I wanted them to be. Ah well - you live and learn.

 

It is also new release day at Pickleberrypop and this was such a fun collection by Jen Yurko

 

 

I had been messing about again with Snapchat filters so it was a kind of silly fun page to make.

 

 

 

And this collection has me written all over it  Wild Life by Dita B designs

 

 

This is the gorgeous Artur we were able to take such lovely photos of at a photography day.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• cooler weather
• fans
• the fact I am feeling much better