Dolly's Dreamings

Back on dry land and a small freebie

After our terrific day yesterday we are firmly back on dry land and I am on the final countdown for return to work.

Been tying up lots of loose ends today and the world has now stopped swaying. Yesterday, after the very rough day at sea, I think I caused a little flare up of my old labyrinthitis as the world was definitely moving for me!

 

I have news of Dawn Inskip's challenges now.

You need to go here where you can download the free elements

 

and make your challenge page usimng other Dawn goodies.

I had a go today - thinking of my return to school

 

 

You have to have a go - you can win prizes.

 

I also have a second page to share with Jennifer Labre's lovely Gone Fishing collection.

The photos were taken on our wild west trip in Rockie Mountain National Park

 

 

I have a small freebie for you today if you would like it.

I was messing around with a journalling card I wanted for myself and figured I would share them. very very basic but may be kind of fun if you want them.

 

You can download them here

card 1

card 2

card 3

card 4

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• Having had a lovely day
• A browse round Molly's Den and a vintage tea set

 

 

 

Aye Aye Sir

We have had the most amazing day today as guests of the Royal Navy. Seriously. VIP guests.

Thanks to Helen we were guests of her dad who is a Falklands Vet and had a spcial invitation as part of the Bournemouth Air Show.

We headed off to HMS Puncher anchored in Poole Marina with her sister ship HMS Smiter.

 

 

The weather wasn't as perfect as we hoped and when the Royal Navy warn you it is going to be a bit 'lumpy' you know it may be rough - and it was. But we had taken Stugeron and were fine the entire day - but it was windy and rough.

 

 

 

We headed out fo the marina and through the harbour and out to Bournemouth Bay where we moved in and out of the other RN ships there and we watched - nay we were there part of it alll - the beach assault as part of the Air Show festival and it was sooooo exciting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were treated like real VIPs and it is a day we will never forget.

 

 

Lunch on board and finally back to Poole Quay - what an amazing day. What was noticeable was last year we went out in David's and there were hundreds of small boats int he bay watching the air shop. Today - just the Royal Navy boats. Everyone else wimped out on account of the rough sea. We were so proud we were there ... and NOT SICK!

 

This is HMS Smiter but our ship was identical

 

 

 

 

 

 

In keeping with the watery theme I have a new page and a new collection to share.

 

This is Gone Fishing by Jen Labre Design at Pickleberrypop

 

 

I knew I had the perfect pictures to scrap - of Gary of course with some huge cod he caught on one of his many many trips.

 

 

Today I am thankful fpr

• a fabulous day out
• Stugeron
• being treated like VIPs

 

 

Boy have I got news for you

Cue exciting blog post.

Seriously.

I know many of you enjoy challenges and who doesn't like free stuff.

Well, Dawn Inskip is launching new challenges - coming Friday - to Studio Dawn at Scrapbookgraphics

 

 

 

What's not to like.

I hope you will be playing along. I certainly will.

 

Now to her new releases as well.

Just look at this  Special edition collection #4

 

 

 

and I have to show you the close up of the paper masks (gotta love those torn paper masks that have quickly become a staple of my scrapping)

 

 

How thrilled were we to be on one of them as the preview. Yey!

 

I shared a page I made with the new collection yesterday featuring Rodney the gorgeous barn owl.

This is another page made witht he same collection - this time Nij chilling at Riverside on a good old fashioned porch.

 

 

Now I have a funny to share that is doing the rounds - you have all heard of the ice bucket challenge but THIS, well this is for all of you cat lovers out there.

No cats were harmed int he making of this clip

Do watch the video.

 

Today has been crazy hard work day - but much has been accomplished.

 

Today I am thankful for

 

• finishing stuff
• cracking on with a special project - almost half completed
• new inks - cool!
• Compede blister patches. You should SEE my heel. The blister is the entire bottom part of my foot. Massive! and very very sore. Can't really put any weight on it at all. Am hoping it goes down soon.

 

 

 

 

Lovely - despite not being!

Had a lovely morning today as I went for a long walk with my bestie - which was lovely. Drink and cakes on the quay - outside though it was cold - and then not such a good walk back as it rained and my insole on my boots was rubbing and now the entire heel on the bottom of my foot is a bit blister. It's massive and I can'tw alk on it. Heck - it'll go down by tomorrow and is so dramatic at the moment.

The weather is rubbish now. Not sure if speedway will be on. I hope the weather imporves for the next few days as the Bournemouth air show is on and it is sauch a shame for everyone if the planes don't fly.

 

I have new scrapping to share today.

 

 

The photo is of me with Rodney - the gorgeous barn owl that Carly raised and trained. He was just wonderful and light as a feather.

 

It is made with a brand new release by Dawn Inskip coming any time soon. Keep your eyes peeled HERE for the release.

I will update with images soon.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely walk
• time shared with a friend
• the fact I haven't got to walk tonight on the blister!

 

 

Missing the technology

It never fails to amaze me how much we all rely on technology and I know I miss it terribly when I don't have it.

Today Virgin e mail has been down and boy have I missed it.

No e mails.

A call from a friend thinking it was just her.

Nope - all of us.

I felt cut off - daft isn't it.

Well e mail is back, bringing with it nothing of any importance at all - but just good to know!

 

I have a new page to share today made a while ago.

 

 

It is another made for a challenge and is busy busy busy but it kind of worked. I wanted to echo the flower on the  float of Belle and the Beast and so added a whole mess of 'em.

 

 

I spent ages making them - punching and die cutting and neded up with more than I needed.

 

I think it sort of echoes the float though.

I also made my own simple journalling block.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• Making a start on a project that is going to take me ages.

 

And I just have to share these amazing 3D pencil drawings - yes they are all drawings, all flat. Incredible aren't they

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wet wet wet

No, nothing to do with a boy band

The weather has been a very typical Bank Holiday washout today and I feel so sorry for the people who only had this one day as their day off. It's been miserable and we have a problem with our balcony not draining properly too - so something else to get sorted out.

However it has also been wet wet wet thanks to the lovely Claire for nominating me to do teh ice bucket challenge. Never one to resist a challenge - I was very very wet and very very cold. But it was all in a good cause.

 

I have a drier challenge to share today - a scrapbook challenge.

This was one of the summer scrapping challenges I left till last as I wasn't sure how to do it. You had to make your own stamped background with at least three different stamps and I found it really challenging. No idea why - as when I started it it was quite simple.

Another for the Florida album which is shaping up quite nicely - 19 pages done so far.

 

 

I used word stamps (several) arrows and my favourite chicken wire stamps

 

 

The photo is from the boat when we went to the Magic Kingdom from Wilderness Lodge (and back)

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• being daft enough to try most things
• scrapping time (no guilt about staying in today)
• a successful meal hosted yesterday (hence no blog)
• Netflix (how did we not do this months ago!)

 

 

LOVE this image

It's been a lovely day

Saturdays are generally lovely - come what may.

A little shopping, a little walkimg, a little frap, a little scrapping.

A lot of loveliness.

 

 

Those clouds looked pretty angry though. Mind you, they never came to anything.

 

I have a new page to share today which is one that illustrates how stupid I am. And believe me that is pretty stupid.

 

 

The picture is from Cosmic Ray's in the Magic Kingdom

 

The journalling says it all.

 

 

and a close up to show just how stupid I was ... but in my defence I did have my back to him!

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely day
• treats
• stupidity - blissful in my ignorance

 

 

 

Not quite the perfect news

The weather wasn't forecast to be brilliant today but actually it has been a lovely day with lots of sunshine and very warm. Compared to last night when I was cold!

 

We popped to Poole as I had an eye test this afternoon. Sadly my left eye has deteriorated to such an extent that I am being referred to a specialist. I knew it was bad but it's not functioning much at all. Like all of these things you compensate for it and it is not until it is tested you realise how bad it has become. I rather thought I was done for this year with hospital trips (apart from my 3 monthly cancer checks) but I can now add eye specialist visits to the list. They want to check the nerves and also think it may be early glaucoma as well.  2014 is proving a challenging year. However, on the positive, it has been picked up, they are referring me and I have lots of people checking up on me. That has to be a good thing.

I have a new page to share today made with a collection by Anna BV at Pickleberrypop

 

It is another for the digital Florida album and it is a page I really like as it is all grungy and mechanical to match the monorail photo.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• finishing a  big work job
• getting my eyes tested
• a new holdall for our next holiday that fits inside the others (oh yes - nothing like thinking ahead) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you feeling emotional?

Are you?

Well even if you are not you are going to want to check this out!

 

I am always in awe of Dawn's kits but this one ... well this one has some very very special drawings.

The collection is called Emotional and is - as always - stuffed with goodies. It will be useful for all sorts of things but it is the girls that blew me away. I can't wait to use them on cards too.

 

 

I was also lucky enough to see where Dawn creates all of these masterpieces and no - they are not just digital wizardry - she draws and paints them then makes them into digital elements. I think that's why her work stands out so much.

 

This is what I created with it - another page for the digital album of our Florida trip last month.

 

 

I just loved the Tangled float and it worked so well with this - pink and girly but definitely emotional!

 

Today has been a quiet but a very pleasant day. A little work, a little scrapping, a little chilling.

 

 

 

 

An incredible Bird experience

 

 

No blogging yesterday as we were off having THE most AMAZING adventure which I now plan on sharing … be prepared for a lot of photos and I seriously have only selected a tiny portion.

 

 

 

Dawn Inskip, who designs those amazing kits and collections I am so lucky to work with and who is such a friend, invited us for a really special day to visit where her daughter works at a bird of prey sanctuary. It was an incredible experience. Her daughter is so knowledgeable and clearly has an incredible bond with the birds, some of whom she had helped to hand rear and train.

We met so many birds I can't remember all the names and breeds so no doubt I will be e mailing for help!

The first bird we met way Marbles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see a young girl so at one with the creatures she cares for and see the love that she has for her work shining through everything she said and did was a treat in itself. But she also enabled us to have a one of a kind close up encounter with so many stunning birds. Not just a quick, ‘hold this owl, take a picture and we will remove the owl’ type of experience. More of a chance to see the birds properly, study them closely, really interact with them and learn so much about them.  They have such a huge selection of different birds of prey, from more different types of owls than I knew existed to eagles, vultures, hawks, falcons, storks, pelicans and more.

 

Then we got to meet Rodney. Barn Owls are my favourite birds and we had heard a lot about Rodney who had been with the family at home when he was a baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of the staff clearly love their work and treasure the experience to work with such beautiful birds and that was evident from all we saw. We were able to hold the birds, see flying displays, learn so much from Carly as she really does know so much about the birds in her care and even fly birds with her.

 

I'm not sure who this was ... but they were seriously LOUD!

 

 

I know this was Lincoln and that it was an eagle but I can't remember the type of eagle. I was listening - honestly - but we met A LOT of birds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was an incredible day we will never forget. I foresee lots and lots of bird pages coming up in the near future, but meanwhile, I hope you enjoy a small selection of the photos on this post.

 

Carly flew a falcon on the lure and was brilliant.

 

 

 

 

 

we all flew owls

 

 

 

 

and the gloves got bigger and so did the birds. I never ever ever thought in my wildest dreams we would get to meet a bald eagle. She was beautiful and as she is not yet fully mature she doesn't have her white head feathers yet. What an amazing bird - and a little tiny bit scary and very heavy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

and I love this one

 

 We also met Sid and I have never ever seen a bird love a human like this. The bond with Carly was so strong.

 

 

 

 

 

and finally Carly handled the giant Sea Eagle - a truly magnificent bird but nearly as big as she is. She was very skilled handling him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I said finally - I lied a bit. There was also a gorgeous little farm with free ranging ducks, geese, hens, a donkey and the most adorable little piglets

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Paul, Dawn and Carly for an amazing adventure.

 

Today I am thankful for

• wonderful experiences
• beautiful birds
• good friends