Dolly's Dreamings

A busy day

Very short post from me today as it's been busy and it's hot and I don't like this heat - it makes me grouchy (Nigel's words not mine!!!' )

Our art exhibition is on all week and so I have been there this morning then playing catch up - slowly - this afternoon.

I do have a new page to share though - made for a challenge at Bramble Fox this month and for a challenge at Twilight Crop and Crafts. I used the left overs from one of my class kits at A Trip Down memory Lane.

 

The challenge was to use an old and a new photo and so I went for these two, 20 years apart, at the Grand Canyon. It was interesting to see what had changed - or not changed.

We are older, greyer, more experienced in travelling and - sounds corny but true - even more in love than we were then. Love grows and deepens over time. We are also colder in the second photo. Much much colder. The first was in August and it was hot, even at the high altitude of about 8000 feet. The second was in late October and  -16 degrees when we arrived. Nigel had laughed at me for packing gloves. we wore one each and kept the other hand in pockets. It was bitterly cold - but just as beautiful.

 

 

The class kit was Prima Marketting Inc Golden Desert and was just perfect for the many many desert photos i have over the years

 

 

 

 

I will share the class pages now too as they have been published.

 

This is one of my favourite pictures ever taken on my 50th birthday trip and in Death Valley. We have a huge canvas of this in our bedroom as we both we loved the photo so much.

 

There is a flap that opens revealing two more photos and journalling

 

 

 

 

and just to show it is not only suitable for deserts this is the second page

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a successful exhibition - everyone has done such wonderful work
• fans - I am way way too hot
• the opportunity to created classes

 

 

Hot again and a bit of fun

It is hot hot hot here and I think we are into our ninth week without rain which is pretty grim really. Everything is dying - well actually the crass isn't dying it has died. Completely. Never seen it look so bad and we won't water it. I don't approve.

So lots of sitting outside in the shade has been the order of the day really.

We went and put up the art exhibition today which was good.

Other than that a little light scrapping was in order.

This page was made for a challenge at A Trip Down Memory Lane and also uses a gorgeous sketch by Lisa Sikorski at Scrap a Sketch and it explains my sad little outing for a Covid birthday

 

 

 

 

I have also been playing with the new Designer challenges at Pickleberrypop which are wonderful and well worth checking out. This was a challenge set by Carol of Carol W Designs

 

Credits

Seeds of Hope Carol W designs

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a successful job completed
• an increasingly busy social life - who knew

and some pictures to share of what very clever people have done with paper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A carnival and some fun - and a painting

We had a lovely time today visiting the Swanage Carnival. We worried we might not park but we did and had a lovely walk, watched the pavement artists, saw the vintage cards, played along with the treasure hunt and had a lovely simple morning.

This afternoon some scrapping ... this week's Scrap Squad sketch and also a hexagon challenge for Lottie Loves Paper.

 

 

 

 

 

I also finished off this page started yesterday of the gorgeous Fitzalan chapel at Arundel Castle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and I have a painting to share. In my defence, it is the first time I have attempted this style of detail fading out to nothing and I didn't quite pull it off, but I like the idea and it does look like Koda. Like all watercolour paintings it is much better viewed from a distance.

 

 

 

I actually like the part way through photo when he is just emerging

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• simple pleasures
• painting fun
• a bit of a breeze

 

 

Our wonderful coast

It is no secret to anyone who reads here regularly that I love the sea, I love the coast and so my design team kit from A Trip Down Memory Lane this month is Simple Stories Simply Vintage Seas was perfect. I have already used the collection before and so it was lovely to have more of it to work with

 

This one is from Lulworth Cove

 

 

 

 

and this from the Minack Theatre in Cornwall

 

 

 

 

I also made another coast page - not with the same collection - of the walk to Durdle Door - a piece of cake walking down there - harder walking up - much steeper than it looks in that photo

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely DT kit
• Nigel getting a cancellation appt for his check up today
• scrapping

 

and some cute photos of people interacting with some great sculpture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 16th Birthday!

Pickleberrypop is celebrating its 16th birthday with massive deals, great new releases and a wonderful collaboration kit you can get by spending $16 dollars.

This is the massive collaboration collection that could be yours

PBP 16th Birthday Chase Your Dream Collaboration
Free with orders of $16 or more

 

 

 

Credits

Paws-itively Purr-fect collection by Jen Yurko

 

 

 

 

 

Credits

She’s a Wildflower bundle and FWP brushes by  Chunlin Designs

 

 

I hope you enjoy browsing the store and remember, even if you are not a digital scrapper these kits can be used for regular hybrid scrapping.

 

 

 

The Hares of Hampshire

We had a lovely day today in Winchester today following the trail for the Hares of Hampshire. Half of them are in Winchester and half are in Southampton. We saw all of them in Winchester.

It was very very hot and we were tired after all the walking. But we had fun and we had a lovely meal in Wagamama too.

These are some of the favourites we saw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and some general Winchester pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No scrapping today - I've been having too much fun!

 

Today I am thankful for

• free activities and trails
• a lovely staycation
• my partner in crime

Counting raindrops

Whoo hoo - we had rain today - we counted carefully and think as many as 10 drops fell!!! Seriously it's been overcast but no rain and we all so need it and there is NONE in the forecast.

I celebrated my belated birthday with friends last night and a lovely meal out and I have been scrapping too.

 

This was a scrap squad sketch and uses the gorgeous Cocoa Vanilla storyteller for my adorable boys - and so much fussy cutting too

 

 

 

This was a scrap a sketch challenge and I went monochrome with lots of printed elements cut out

 

 

 

 

 

 

and this was also a scrap a sketch sketch

 

Today I am thankful for

• friends
• meals out
• pleasant days

 

 

Back to normal

Thankfully we are both negative and seem to have few after effects of Covid. However, we have agreed we do NOT want it again so will resume life with caution again.

 

We have had a couple f lovely walks and were down at the beach by 9.30 today and it was glorious. Yesterday I had my cancelled dentist check u which was all fine and I took my latest blankets to the drop off point for Ukraine - they were blankets number 6,7,8,9,10 and 11 and I collected wool for another half a dozen. The people were very kind and very impressed with them. They are not my cup of tea as they are very plain and not a pettern I would choose but they are the only pattern where I can get a full blanket and pretty trim from 3 balls of wool.

 

I make some from wool I buy, some from donated wool and my best friend bought wool for another two blankets too. I wanted them t be pretty because these poor people have nothing and I thought maybe rather than just a plain blanket they might bring a little joy and let them know someone is thinking of them and praying for them.

 

 

 

 

The flowers are very plain. I would like to have added beads for centres but not safe for babies.

 

I have also done some scrapping over the last two days - not for anything other than joy

 

This uses the new Cocoa Vanilla Storyteller and showcases the boyz and reminds us how it was dreadful before we got them sorted out on the right food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and this uses the new Simple Stories Vintage lakeside which I love too

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• being better
• a good dentist visit
• being able to help others
• new collections

 

Out of the depths

Well I am pleased to report the light is shining brightly at the end of the tunnel/ No not THAT light, the light you don't want to do towards!

We are over the worst and recovering from Covid, however unlike so many people who have said 'oh it's nothing, just a couple of days', we seem to have had a worse version. Maybe it's our extreme age! However, we avoided it for 27 months, we have now had it and apparently this variant gives no immunity - well we do NOT want it again so will again be very cautious. I have never had a cough as persistent and life disturbing. And the lack of sleep just made everything worse.

BUT - onwards and upwards. We are recovered, though I am still tired.

I haven't done a great deal of scrapping I can share - well I have done a lot of scrapping but most of it is for the ATDML cybercrop next weekend, DAF and SAS design team projects.

But I can share this which was for the DAF insta hop on Monday

It used the fabulous sketch from Lisa at Scrap a Sketch and I loved seeing the whole team have a different take on it.

 

The photos were from the Wimborne Folk Festival in June and I love seeing all the people dressed up.

 

The red paper is Vicki Boutin and so are the flowers but they are from the digital collection which I printed and watercoloured.

 

 

 

 

 

I also have a page from a new release today over at Pickleberrypop

 

Credits

Yesterday is Here by Dutch dream designs

 

The photo is Nigel's stunning grandmother who, when she was young, was an artist's model.

Today I am thankful for

• recovery
• scrapping therapy
• being blessed to be on design teams

 

I just want to sleep

I can't say I have the oft read about Covid exhaustion but I am exhasuted. Coughing for three straight hours when you want to be asleep will do that to you. The cough seems no better - in fact it seems worse - and nothing stops it, but I am encouraged. Nigel had the cough (not quite as bad or persistent but bad enough) and then developed a runny nose and endless sneezing on day 5 and the coughing eased then. So as I have the runny nose and sneezes I am hopeful that it signifies the cough may be waning. Let's hope because I desperately need to sleep and I need to stop hurting my ribs which are a problem at the best of times.

It was my birthday yesterday and it was a bit miserable. I felt a bit better in the morning so Nigel took me to Poole Park for a walk where it was so quiet and we came near to not a single person. It was lovely. I had wonderful gifts from Nigel and friends and I was relatively happy that the meet up with friends and the meal had all been cancelled as we will do it, God willing, next week. However as the day worse on so did the cough so I confess to a bit of a miserable birthday. But heck - it is just one day in a year. I have to say, if this is mild, I'm even more glad we didn't get it when it was bad.

 

I have done no scrapping ... not much of anything except reading really ... but I am sharing the three class pages I made for A Trip Down Memory Lane last month

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• vaccinations and boosters
• kindness of friends and family
• cough remedies and honey