Dolly's Dreamings

Speed scrapping whilst cat watching

I went to our local crop today just for an hour or so as I was teaching a class. It was nice to see everyone but I am so sorry if you are reading this as I was very distracted. I am so worried about Kira and just wanted to get back home to her, which is stupid as there is nothing I can do at all.

Her scabs have all gone but her coat is in terrible condition and she is very very quiet. She shows no interest in playing, just wants to be left alone (NOT easy when your brother is Fiki!!!!) and is sitting uncomfortably too. I am worried as it does not seem like allery symptoms to be honest. She just looks like a poorly cat. I called into the vets on the off chance that the bloods were back but they were not sadly. I know we have to wait till we get those results but I cannot get it out of my mind that there is something else wrong.

I have spent the day watching her and speed scrapping. I haven't done any paper scrapping for almost three weeks (apart from the weekend of Scrapcamp) and I was getting fairly serious withdrawl symptoms.

It is Nigel's birthday in 9 days and having not bought him a single thing as there is nothing he wants (I have asked and asked and have no clue what to get him) I thought I better make him soemthing at least.

Inspired by Marja I decided on an A - Z album of Canada. I have made a couple of A - Z albums before and they are quick and simple to do as they have a theme. I have gone with very similar papers, largely Heidi Grace and Basic Grey Periphery as the colour work so well with the Canado photos. And so far I have done A - V!! I am dead chuffed and want to try and finish before casualty and after Strictly! (Yup - she who rarely watches TV is hooked on a Saturday night (just gutted X factor is not on thanks to the blooming Rugby!)

This page is one I made a couple of weeks ago and it is for this weeks Collectively Yours Dare. Do go and check them out as there are some lush pages as usual. The theme was scrapping someone other than a member of your family. I guess Jakki counts! LOL Poeple always think we are sisters and are quite surprised when they find we are not related. However, she is so close she is like family. She is not only my best friend but is the sister God forgot to give me. (She even used to call my Mom and Dad her surrogate parents.

I love the photo of her which was taken at her daughter's 18th birthday party last month. She looks lovely  .... and incase she sees this I better add that she looks way too young to be Mom to an 18 year old! (And she's older than me ...and I get THAT in at every opportunity.

The papers and embellishments are Creative Imaginations and Heidi Grace. The ribbon is CI and the whole thing is on white cardstock which, of course, doesn't show!

I did the journalling in the flower petals, stitched the stem which was cut from card and I just love these vibrant colours.

Doings and doodles

Well thank the Lord for the fact it is Friday. I really didn't think I was ever going to get here - I really didn't

Now just the washing, ironing, housework and chores plus my class at my local crop and then I can sleep sleep sleep sleep sleep.

As I have been so busy I have failed miserable with the class I was doing on doodling. I haven't had the time and so I am putting a couple of past examples here to show I have doodled - just not lately!

The first is a digital page but the doodles all over it are doodles I hand drew and then imported. they are available for download too if you missed them before and they have proved very useful. I do love to doodle and will make an effort to catch up in the weeks to come. I was thrilled to get so many e mail comments about the piece I put on the BPS site. Doodles download here

This is a page I doodled on too. Doodles scallops, doodled flowers cut out and doodled round the letters. I know it has been up before but i didn't want people to think I was not doodling LOL

I also doodles ont his page. The writing was doodled in swirls and the AR monogram is filled with doodles to match the papers I used.

And this last one is one I have not put up before but is a bit of a dotty page - lots of dotty doodles everywhere. I hope it was OK sharing these again - I just feel bad that I don't have anything new to show. I may have after the weekend though! I will sure try.

Spotted cats all

Kira's face is healing well, although I have to say I am disappointed that the fur is not growing back yet where the nasty vet pulled off the scab. I hope it does. It looks very odd.

We kept them apart again today to give her a break from his incessant licking and I am disappointed that her coat is still very poor in spite of the steroid jab. I was expecting to see an imporvement by now. I wish I knew what is causing it. I really do. I have gone through everything and realised I have changed my deodorant (though I did it a while ago). I never use it whent hey are near but I am clutching at straws too. I also use a plug in air freshner and scented candles so i am also going to stop using those. Just in case. i feel so sorry for her, poor little thing. Plus I can't help thinking she is secreting soemthing as Fiki is just licking her constantly in that area and nibbling at her. Not biting exactly, but nibbling her face. I am at a loss as to why.

I am still only digi scrapping and this is the page I did last night of the big spotty cat Pepo (the cheetah from our big cat photo shoot) I think he was my favourite cat of the day - truly beautful. The page was made using the latest pencil lines sketch by Andrea. I loved the sketch, which was really for a card.

I had my hair cut last night. Why is it that my hair gets tot he stage I cannot bear it any more, then when I book to have it cut it looks the nicest it ever looks and I love it and then, when I have had it cut it looks pants! Please tell me it is not just me. Now I m back to longing for my longer locks that this time last week I thought were completely unmanageable.

A Little Progress

For the first time in a longt ime we had Kira and Fiki together today. we have kept them separate as he is like a cat possessed licking her head constantly. Until she healed, which she has, we had to keep them apart.

And ...... for the first time EVER ..... we left them all int he house all day all together. I was terrified what I would find when I came in.

I can't find Boushka. I suspects he is under the setee in fear. There appears to be no visible damage int he house. The only cupboard open (one we are unable to secure - is the one housingt he boiler and the tool kit. It was a little worrying that that one was open and a screwdriver had been taken out and was on the floor (OMG - if he starts using tools we are doomed forever!) I hope he hasn't screwed Boo down anywhere! Kira appears to be in tact and all appears well.

If that is the case it is a major major breakthrough!

The page here is one I made last week digitally whilst cat supervising and is a Pencil Lines sketch. I am loving using sketches at the moment. It is not soemthing I have often done, but with limited time, acute scrappers block and digital only access it is really relaxing at the moment.

Having my hair cut tonight as it is way too long to manage and so another night of no scrapping by the looks of it.

Wall art

Life is still manic but I did scan a couple of things from Scrapcamp.

One of my fave classes was that by Cleo Jarvis, who was not only innovative and very talented, but a really fab teacher and a lovely girl. Her work is awesome and her ideas were just wonderful. I love her tactile work and am just sorry I didn't get to do both of her classes.

Her class using an acryllic circular frame was wonderful. I had never done anything like this before and I loved it. hooked on the sakura Glaze pens now and want to play with acryllic a lot more. I loved the techniques and I really like the finished piece which is now on the wall. There is a lot of bling ont here too but as I scanned it rather than photographing it it has not shown up well.

Thank you for a wonderful class Cleo.

No Time

I am sorry this entry is a short one too - my life oficially sicks. I am so tired from Scrapcamp, have had a mad day, loads of work to do this evening, have done the ironing just now, have a million other jobs and all I really want to do is finish my classes from scrap camp and it just isn't going to happen! However, I am so addicted to writing my blog daily i must write, even if it is only brief.

This page is one I completed for Mela nd Jill at A Trip Down memory Lane last month. Their new gallery has just gone live for this month so do go and check it out.

We were sent the beautiful French Twist papers, rub ons and overlays to work with and they were beautiful.  Another one for my travel album where I try and keep the pages simple and speaking about the photograph.

I HOPE I may have time to scrap tomorrow. I LIVE in hope!

Scrapcamp

This is a short entry because, not to put too fine a point on it, I am knackered ..... but very very happy.

Jakki and I left for scrapcamp at 6.15 am yesterday - getting up at 5.30 - and that after two nights of not sleeping with Kira and Fiki.

It was an good drive, just under an hour and a half. The Hilton was not the best hotel ever and there were a few glitches, but Mandy arranged a superb event which was utterly brilliant. None of the glitches were down to Mandy, but rather the Hilton, and Mandy smoothed them all out so that everyone had a fab time. She must be shattered but I hope she sleeps well in the knowledge she did a wonderful job to make ot so great for all of us.  All credit to her and her team and the teachers because it was brilliant. We did some awesome classes, notably the ones with Cleo, Kirsty and Jane ... all so creative, innovative, inspirational and bloody good fun as well. It was lovely to meet everyone and catch up with old friends, to eat meals I hadn't cooked, have a laugh and relax and do some great scrapping as well.

I didn't sleep well as someone on the Hilton staff had forgotten I had booked a bedroom and apparently checked me into some sort of sauna masquerading as a bedroom. It was incredible. So I am shattered now.

Plus we had a drama leaving as the car wouldn't start. We had borrowed Gary's (Jakki's DH) and the battery was flat as a pancake for no apparent reason. However, the RAC to the rescue again. They were brilliant and within less than an hour we were on the way.

I loved being away (and I love having a chance for Jakki and I to share things like this together) but it is fab to be home with Nij and the fur family. Kira's face is healing well and in a couple of days they should be able to be back together unsupervised.

FREE arrows - Saturday quickie

By the time you see this I shall be away!!! Away to Scrapcamp! 

I am so looking forward to it - and will report back once I am home Sunday.

I messed around with these quick doodled arrows as I wanted them for a digital page so thought I would share them. Please snag them if they are of any interest to you.

Download doodled arrows here

Doodling away

I signed up for the Big Picture class on doodling. I love doodling - having always been a big - though not successful - doodler since my school days. I can't help myself and even doodle in important meetings. So the class seemed like a fun one for me. I do doodle on scrap pages, but it is all very samey so it seemed a good chance to learn something new.

I loved the book that came with the course and I have now made my own doodle notebook and done my first assignment.

The book I have made is a simple one with black and white card pages and is covered in black and white paper with, needless to say, a doodled title on the cover. I added some flowers, but then I always add flowers, and bound it with my bind it all, which I have now learned to use after my first disaster.

The doodled pages are not good, trying out strokes, but heck, that is why I am doing the course, to learn. In my defence I have to say I did the whole lot in less than ten minutes sat on the floor watching the cats ... and no time for pencil first.

It would appear the vet was wrong in saying Kira and Fiki could be together. He (Fiki)  opened up her wounds again last night by licking her so we are back on separating them which is hell on earth. Last night they both cried witht he door between them and Kira was a little swine and kept us awake all night alternat;y howling, playing, licking, biting and being a general pain in the neck. Oh joy - we get to do it all again tonight.

And THEN he's on his own! I am off to scrapcamp for a bit of a civilised girlie weekend with jakki and he can cat watch on his own. Trouble is I am going to be so worried leaving them as he is a bloke .... and he won't watch them properly! Oh well. I am going to try and just have a lovely time of it and just phone home .... A LOT!

Kira latest update

We went back to see out own vet today. He is very very good and so reassuring.

He suggested exactly what we wanted to do which is a long acting steroid, keep up with the piriton daily and he has also taken more bloods to start the allergy testing.  (she was a teeny tiny bit difficult during the blood test !!!!!!!)

He says it is Ok if Fiki licks her - such is life. It is more stressful for them to be apart. Plus he says that though the sores are only on her face she is itchy and scabby all over bless her. She came all the way home just lying on my knee and never murmered, poor little thing.

So she is still allergic, still sore and scabby, still on drugs, still no idea what the allergy is but I feel so much better having spoken to Tom. And yes, I do wish we had kept the pet insurance now. The bill is the highest vets bill we have ever had. But she is worth every single pound.

I did this page last night whilst cat watching. This is a picture of Bruno taken last Saturday. He looks a real old gentleman now, and he is. He must be at least 13 1/2 now. He was the tiger we had the interaction with when Nigel celebrated his special birthday. It was like seeing an old friend again.

The other picture on this page is Nigel and Bruno when they were both 12 years younger.