Dolly's Dreamings

Glorious Days

This week has been utterly gorgeous - the sun has shone and it has raised the freezing temperatures a little and my goodness it has been cold. We hit -3 this morning. But I will take the cold over the heat any day and I have loved the weather.

We have enjoyed a few trips out and about.

I share these in the knowledge that several readers have commented they like to see where we have been and it gives them ideas of where to go!

 

The sun hadn't burnt off the early mist at Hamworthy park

 

 

 

I love that ethereal look on the water.

Yesterday we went out for our first meal out in 3 months and it was such a treat. We knew the quiet time and were the only people in the restaurant

 

 

 

Looks like a nice G and T doesn't it - just water. I swear

 

 

Yummy

 

Today we drove out to the Isle of Purbeck (I have a good friend from Swanage who get's mad when I say the Purbecks!) and it was glorious

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a little scrapping to share too

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and there are a few boy photos too

 

 

 

 

and my 3 boys all together

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• lovely days out
• sunshine and frost
• my three boys

 

 

Beautiful Berry Big Deals

It is Berry Big Deal day today at Pickleberrypop and as a member of the Creative Team I have been given some gorgeous collections to work with

 

Credits

Dreams BBD by Natali Designs

 

 

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BE … by Fayette Designs

 

 

 

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Very Romantic BBD by TirAmisu Designs

 

 

 

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Note to Self Bundle by MDD Designs

 

 

 

 

As always everything coordinates so do go and check it out in store.

 

Today I am thankful for

• Being a CT member for Pickleberrypop
• Not having to have anything done other than a clean at the dentist

 

 

A New Forest Treasure Trail

It has been utterly glorious here (the calm before the cold apparently) and so we headed off to do another treasure trail - this time in Lyndhurst in the New Forest.

It was an easy trail - we found everything but once again we love how it makes you look at things.

 

The Church of St Michael and All Angels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were beautifully carved angels in the nave roof and a famous fresco on the reredos. It is also the church where Alice Hargreaves (nee Liddell) is buried. She was the Alice of Alice in Wonderland.

 

 

 

 

The trail also took us right past a gorgeous old fashioned sweetie shop - well it had to be done. I couldn't take a photo and not buy anything - that would have been plain rude

 

 

 

And you can't have the forest without the New Forest ponies and the trees

 

 

 

 

We had a lovely day.

 

I have some new scrapping to share

This from our Mudeford walk last week

 

 

This from our beach walk last week

 

 

These two were for Peartree Cut File challenges

 

 

This is the year I have set myself a target of learning to draw with coloured pencils. This is my first full picture that I am part way through

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely day out
• fun together
• sweeties

 

 

Still a bit chilly

We went out first thing for a walk and it was only 1 degree. But we walked fast and soon warmed up - gotta get those rings closed!

But then I felt justified in sitting and scrapping taking part in various crops and challenges on the internet.

 

These are my pages from today

Our chilly beach walk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and finally a bit of Koda time

 

The photo doesn't so it justice as the light had gone.

 

Today I am thankful for

• getting the all clear from he chest x ray and the breathing is definitely getting better
• closing those rings
• scrappy time

 

 

Pickleberrypop Relases and other stuff!

It is new release day today and I worked with two different collections, both gorgeous

 

Credits

Seek Balance MDD Designs

 

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Warm My Heart bundle by TirAmisu Designs

 

 

 

In other news we have had a glorious walk on the beach - cold but unbroken sunshine and I closed two of my three rings before 10 am (For those of you not Apple Watch users it's all about moving, exercising and activity and you have three rings to close each day - to stand and move every hour, to burn a specific number of calories by moving and to exercise. Closing the three rings becomes addictive and I have done it every day so far but not usually by 10 am)

 

 

the new cooker

and a beach walk

 

 

and my latest pencil drawing beginning to emerge

Today I am thankful for

a lovely walk

the beach

Amazon service. I bought a helical pencil sharpener and it broke after a couple of uses yesterday. Amazon service is brilliant. reported it as unsuitable at 4.30 yesterday afternoon. New pencil sharpener (different make) arrived today and full refund given. Label printed and dropped off free of charge at local store.

 

Just a quick post

I was reminded today - by Nigel no less - that I hadn't blogged. At least it shows he does read it to see what his wife has been up to!

 

I am still having breathing issues but am incredibly impressed that I am having a chest x ray tomorrow only 5 days after referral. I know everything says the NHS is under huge pressure but I think that is pretty good. Mind you, the precautions one has to follow are huge. You wait outside, you tell them when you arrive, you wear no jewellery or bra just a  plain t shirt so you don't even have to undress and they come to the car park to fetch you, you go straight in, photo and out. How incredibly efficient is that!

 

I have little new scrapping to share as much of what I have been doing is for guest DT slots next month which I am very very excited by

 

This was for a Scrap a Sketch challenge and I found it hard to scrap as it records my departed fur babies who have crossed to Rainbow Bridge but are Never forgotten.

 

 

 

 

 

and this is one to record how proud I am of our boyz. They are used on social media in an advert for the cat food we use - amazing cat food I have to say. It has transformed them. It's not cheap but it looks like real food and they thrive on it. I get a thrill every time I see the advert with the boyz on. Hot off the press for a UKS challenge and a Rediscover your stash ... something that makes me happy

 

 

 

 

 

Look at them!

 

 

Am very proud of my boyz (all three of them - just 2 of them are cuter and furrier)

 

Today I am thankful for

• a speedy hospital appointment
• progress on my next pencil drawing - my goodness they are slow to do
• scrappy time
• all of my fur babies, past and present. They have all been different and have all brought joy.

 

A Happy Scrappy Day

It's been wet and miserable and horrible - but that's fine. Perfect weather to stay in and scrap.

 

Our new cooker came yesterday and I know we had to have a new cooker as the old one was, well old and not reliable, but it's going to take some getting used to and at the moment I'm not keen. However as the old one was scrapped there is no going back now.

 

I have had fun scrapping though and have scrapped some of the photos from Wednesday. And I also managed to catch up via zoom with scrappy friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and yes, I am going for A4 for my annual albums again. Last year I filled 4 A4 double-width binders with over 350 pages and so it is a far more financially sustainable way of scrapping. I still get plentry of 12 x 12 with other albums but my dailies will be A4.

 

Other than that not much to report from here

 

Today I am thankful for

• a working cooker (I WILL get used to it)
• scrappy fun
• my apple watch
• a new skin care product (I am a real non skin care person. My face gets washed with soap and water and I use the worlds most basic moisturiser. I don't wear makeup and my face gets neglected, although for my age I don't have many wrinkles so it must work. But I do use an exfoliator once a week and mine seems to be a deleted product so I bought a new Tropic face polish and I am in love)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Trip Down Memory Lane day today

I am very very lucky to be on the design team for A Trip Down Memory Lane

I am very proud to have been working with Mel and Jill for some 15 years (with a break for a few years when life became crazy) and they are just so wonderful to work with. In return for creating class pages they send me wonderful goodies to creat the classes with and also send me Design Team goodies so I can showcase new products they stock. They have a facebook group and a blog too.

I have spent today making class pages with a whole new selection of goodies and obviously, I am NOT going to share those, but I can now share the class pages from December using wonderful Graphic 45 papers and stickers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do go and check the store out.

Yesterday we had a wonderful day out. we did a treasure trail in Gosport...  place I had never visited. And it was freezing cold but such bright sunshine my nose was sunburnt! Gorgeous day to be out. They said it was a two mile trail - we ended up walking almost 5 miles and no - we didn't do a lot of backtracking!

These are a few photos from the day

View across the Solent to the Spinnaker Tower

 

 

a beautiful Georgian street we walked down

 

 

 

 

 

and some other scrapping - my first 2022 page

 

 

and I still have some 2021 photos on my pile to scrap so this is one of those

 

Today I am thankful for

• working for Mel and Jill - it is a real privilege
• my new Apple Watch - I am loving it

 

 

 

It's a new year with a new release

It's a new release day at Pickleberrypop and I have been lucky to work with three gorgeous collections. In the interests of transparency, as a member of the team I am allowed to work with these free of charge so I can advertise them.

 

Credits

Be Brave Full kit by Jen Yurko

 

 

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Write On - Berry Blends Collab Kit - by Fayette Designs, Heartstrings Scrap Art and Jumpstart Designs
FWP when you spent $15+ in the PBP shop until January 11th

 

 

 

Credits

Click collection by Bellisae Designs

 

 

 

and Bellisae Designs has also created the mini kit for this month which you can download for free as part of the mojo challenge and I used it to make this page

 

 

 

Finally I am hosting one of the mojo challenges this month - so do check it out. This is my challenge page but you will have to go to the forum to see just what the challenge is

 

 

Today I am thankful that

• the sun is shining
• it's a glorious day
• I get to use some great digital products from fabulous designers
• I have an apple watch!!!

 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone - bit belated but better late than never eh!

 

I hope that it is a good one for all of you. I am expecting ours to continue much as the past year and to be honest, in spite of Covid etc, we have still had a lovely time. So more of the same would be OK.

I am happy now all the decorations are down and the house had been spring cleaned. I like the decorations for the first few days then I itch to get rid of them. They always come down on 1st (not the outside ones - they wait till 12th night)

 

I am planning on focussing more on art than scrapping this year - well that was the plan but I appear to have done 4 pages just today!

 Before I share pages I have a video to share - I actually made a video of my Christmas Journal because I was proud of it. Apologies for the voice. I am still breathy and wheezy.

 

 

 

I finished my annual pages so that is good. I may not do annual pages again although Nigel does like to look at them and see the whole year on 12 pages.

They are not the most exciting pages as they are really just a summary. Lots of them have flaps etc too

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 and then there are these

 

 

 

 

The last two pages of the journal

 

 

 

 

 

The final Scrap Squad sketch of the year

 

and today's fun

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a nice walk
• scrap time
• a tidy house
• a clean minimal fireplace