Dolly's Dreamings

Getting ready

Today has been a getting ready day

I return to school tomorrow and so the last day of a holiday is inevitably doing all the things I planned to do in a week off and never quite got round to as I had a week off right, so I had ages of time to do them! Mmmmm ... I never learn.

Still the list is complete now and all I needed to accomplish is accomplished.

Nothing like a deadline to motivate!

I do have new scrapping to share today though.

 

 

 

 

It was a fun page to make and shows Nigel on one of our favourite walks. We do live in a stunning place and there are so many beautiful places around.

 

 

 

I also need to remind you to check out the new colour palette on the Great Scheme of things blog.

 

 

Do go over this week and check out what the girls have made inspired by this theme.

 

You may even see a post from me this week.

Today I am thankful for

• a wonderful week off ... yest there has been work but there has also been a great deal of just relaxation.

A forest day

Today was a forest day.

We decided to head out to Burley and have a mooch around and then we also went through a drive heading to Rhinefield ornamental drive - which we just love - and then Bolderwood and all across the open forest back home. It was lovely.

The sun was out - though the day wasn't warm - but it was a really nice way to spend today.

 

In keeping with the forest theme I also did this week's challenge on UKS

 

 

The picture was taken earlier this week. I used the grid theme and the colour palette.

I wanted to do the grid a little differently.

I used stitches to de-mark some of the squares and a range of papers. The papers are from L Murphy and the elements and the stacked layers are all Dawn Inskip.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely visit to our local National Park
• forests

 

 

 

 

An inspirational video

At the end of this post I have an inspirational video you must watch - seriously. It's so special.

I have been busy today but making 'secret' things.

It is my besties birthday and so I was crafting something special for her - I hope she likes it as it took way longer than I expected.

I also made a cute card. Daft really when I have 100+ cards in stock but I didn't want to give her a pre-made one that was for sale. I wanted it to be special for her.

I do have some new craftting to share though that was made a little time ago.

 

This was a cheap wooden box - just £1.50 - that I thought would be cute to decorate.

 

 

I used Tim Holtz stencils and Tim Holtz distress paints and inks in cream and Victorian velvet.

 

 

 

 

It now sits on my desk and holds sentiments stamps.

 

Today I am thankful for

• new trainers ... just got to break them in
• crafty days

 

And finally I have to share this beautiful video I came across today.

It is beautiful and one we ought all to live by, You never know what someone else's journey is. So treat everyone with care and thoughtfulness .... always.

 

 

Garden delights

I was sorting out my camera in the kitchen today -a s luck would have it - when the squirrel visited and so I snapped a few pics of him on the feeder.

No he is not a bird.

Yes they are little more than tree rats.

Yes they drove the red squirrels out.

Yes they are 'vermin'

But NO I will not stop them feeding. They probably have babies to feed and are also part oft he wonder of creation and so are welcome at my table.

 

 

 

 

There was also a family of 3 collared doves I snapped.

 

 

 

Did I mention that I love my camera.

 

And whilst on a wildlife int eh garden theme I have a page for you.

Now the page I am sharing today was made a while ago for one of the post on The Great Scheme of Things.

I hope you do check the blog out - there are great schemes and the girls are so creative.

 

This little chap was right up against our fence when I snapped him.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• The wildlife in our garden
• wildlife everywhere
• my camera

Wishful thinking

Don't you just love it when something just works?

I do.

Last week I was sat in the study scrapping when Fiki came to visit

Not usually a plus point to be honest. There is a reason why we have a cat gate ont he doorway. There is a reason why the cat gate is on an extension block. And still he can jump it - well sort of haul himself over it to be honest.

However he jumped up on the window sill and was watching a bug on the outside and so I snapped a couple of photos.

I used the flash which made him stand out and the window vanished into white out. Made for a simple extraction for a digital page that I could then use to re-create what he was doing.

 

The new collection by Dawn Inskip called Don't be Sad was just perfect for it

I had such fun adding the butterfly and the little flight dots to it.  The gesso made it stand out and the beautiful doodles were just the perfect accessories for the page.

Some things just work out right.

 

Today I am thankful for

• lucky happy little accidents like the right photo at the right time
• sunshine
• red berry fraps

 

We are our own doctors

So, having struggled with what the doctor wouldn't diagnose as a verruca, struggled when the chiropodist said it probably was a verruca and having been told they usually go after a year.

After having had it for almost three years and suddenly feeling it painful I finally gave in.

Yesterday I bought freezing stuff. Nothing doing. It steamed and froze and didn't hurt and didn't blister.

I went to the doctors today who said yes - it is a verucca - no there is nothing we can do. Nothing. Just leave it. Get a chiropodist to file it down if the skin thickens. There is no treatment that works. They say in the surgery you only have ten minutes maximum. I was in and out in two. 'What is the problem? Oh yes, that is a verucca. Yes it looks like it might be painful where it is. No there is absolutely nothing we can do at all what so ever. Is there anything else I can help you with today?'

Almost like I could conjure up another ailment she might have a better chance of solving.

No everything else is fine thank you. I was hoping, as a doctor, skilled in all sorts of things medical, you might have had a clue how to solve a little think like a verruca but clearly I was wrong. Apologies for bothering you and I will try really hard to come up with a 'proper' illness that you can deal with next time!

Sorry - do I sound a tad frustrated. I love walking. I need to walk. A now it is blinking painful.

Pesky little thing. I have dug at it with scissors and scalpels over the years, I have tried to freeze it and am now back to bazooka and hoping the chiropodist will be more helpful when I next see her.

Meanwhile I plan on nuking it with everything I can lay my hand on because one way or another the blasted thing is going.

Some simple scrapping today - this one another for the treasure trails album and from the Puddles trail the other day.

 

 

The album is an 8 x 8 and so it is very rewarding to be able to print and use a picture running the entire height of the page.

 

I made the flowers with my new Tim Holtz flower dies - a little gift to myself for half term!

 

 

I love that the flowers are much smaller than many I make which means they are not too lumpy for scrapbook pages.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a book I wanted from the library - I still can't get over how fabulous libraries are. Free books. On hand. To bring home.
• Nigel - my verruca isn't in an easily accessible part of my foot. He is GOOD at applying Bazuka.

 

A bitty day

Today has been what I would call 'a bitty day'. A bit of this, a bit of that but nothing focussed.

I did manage a digi page for a CT piece which uses a lovely collection by Anna BV from Pickleberrypop called Smile for the Camera.

 

 

I loved the colours of the collection and the grungy-ness.

 

I did spend time watching some of the California videos from the 60th Anniversary celebrations at Disneyland.

Makes me feel we ought to have made the effort to go to California this year.

I still remember vividly my first ever trip to America - at such short notice - just three days from first suggested to actually being there - and the very first day Nigel took me to Disneyland. I cried when I saw it, having been such a Disney fan for my whole life.

The page below is my original ticket and me on that very first day

 

That magic has never left me - although now if I am honest we both prefer Disney World which feels like home.

 

This is the new night time parade to celebrate the 60th

 

 

 

and this is the firework show

 

 

 

and this is the World of Colour which I just loved

 

 

 

Quite a Disney fest eh! I hope you enjoy the videos

 

Today I am thankful for

• bitty days
• Disney - my life is richer for it

 

 

 

 

A very lazy day

Today was very very very lazy

 

I think we just needed t. Often Sunday's are anything but lazy as it always seems a rush to enjoy it as it is the day before work resumes. Today we lazed - properly. We don't do it often so it was lovely.

I think we were so tired as we had, stupidly, stayed up very very late watching Eurovision. No idea why. I did think some of the songs were good, but boy did the voting go on for ever.

We took yesterday's picnic which we hadn't finished to Lake pier and munched and people watched.

Then there was scrapping.

Scrapping to share today is by Vero - called Sherbet Inspiration

It is another of the Pickle Barrel offerings so you can get the six pack as really good value. All of the pickle barrels are coordinated and lovely.

 

 

The picture is the gorgeous Alice of course.

Today I am thankful for

• a lazy day
• the picture below sent by my Best Friend - she knows me so well.

 

In the footsteps of martyrs

It has been a glorious day today - in every sense.

The forecast was good then they changed it to Ok-ish and it turned out to be glorious.

 

A couple of weeks ago Jakki bought us a Treasure Trails of The Puddles. (for those of you who don't know the Puddles are a series of villages in Dorset - Tolpuddle, Puddletown, Briantspuddle and Affpuddle.

The most famous of course is Tolpuddle, home of the first unionists, the Tolpuddle Martyrs.

The tail began at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum

 

 

 

We had such fun meandering through villages, enjoying the cottages and the country gardens and the sunshine and solving all of the clues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely day, lovely pictures and so very relaxing.

 

I also have to share the photo I took in bed this morning. Nigel brought up breakfast and two glasses of water. Kira has several babies and one is always fetched to join us for breakfast and today - well today baby was clearly thirsty. It is her ugliest baby - a shapeless bit of catnip filled fur fabric and funnily enough Nigel didn't fancy his water much!

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a wonderful happy sunny day
• Dorset - a wonderful county
• The gift from a friend and of a friend - thank you Jakki

 

Yipeeeeeeee

Guess what - half term

and not a moment too soon.

To say I am happy is the utter understatement of the year.

I am tired, still poorly and just so darned relieved to have a break.

Bring it on.

 

And what a great way to start with a clean house, fresh baked bread and scrapping.

I have a brand new collection to share today and it is part of the pickle barrel promotion over at PBP

You know the deal by now - everything in the collection $1 each and freebies along the way.

 

This is Everyday by Fayette and it is massive with the 6 pack and other addons too

 

 

I made a page about Mommy and Daddy with it. I am very limited with the photos of them that I have together. I lost them before scrapping and lost Mommy before digital cameras. Photos are few and precious

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• having had truly perfect parents ... just not for long enough
• half term
• Nigel - always and everyday