Dolly's Dreamings

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

Covid is rubbish

For the first time in 10 days Nigel tested negative but I am a very definite positive and struggling a bit. I haven't slept hardly at all for the last 4 nights due to the coughing and every part of my rib cage aches. I am done with it now.

It is my birthday tomorrow and we have just cancelled everything so I am not feeling the joy right now. I am trying hard to be positive, focussing on how much worse it could have been without vaccines, boosters etc etc but it's not working well to be honest. I just want to stop coughing and sleep. Nigel put me in the car this morning and took me to see the sea, which was good and I needed that. When I got home I caught up on some scrapping. Three pages for scrap squad that I had fallen behind on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am grateful for

• painkillers,
• cough medicine
• my bestie's magic honey
• the sea

 

and to end with - some cute animal photos of t'internet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Releases and a positive at last

It's Berry Big Deal Day when all of the new collections coordinate together and they are such amazing colours this month

 

Credits

Slow Living Bundle by Chunlin Designs

 

 

 

 

Credits

Beach Life Bundle by Palvinka Designs

 

 

 

 

Credits

Easy Breezy Bundle by Bellisae Designs

 

 

 

And in other news - I have finally tested positive. About time. Haven't slept for two days due to coughing continuously so I am glad there is, finally, a verified reason. Ridiculous that it is 10 days after Nigel though. Apparently the most easily transmissible variant!

 

 

It's hot and tiresome

We are lucky here - it is not as hot as some parts of the country. We are simply not used to this heat here. There are predictions it will rise to 39 or 40 degrees in parts of the country. It is 30 here currently. American friends bear in mind noone has air-con here!

We headed off to the beach early this morning and it was quiet and beautiful and it was nice to paddle. My biggest worry is it is not expected to drop below about 28 tonight and so sleeping is going to be horrible. Combined with the fact Nigel still has Covid and I have 'not covid but it's exactly like it with fatigue, headaches and terrible cough)'. Needless to say we made sure we went nowhere near anyone whilst out

It's like living in a cave. All of the blinds are down, no windows are open and it's depressingly dark.

THIS, my friends, is why I love winter! I'm not meant to be hot.

Anyway, I have been scrapping in front of my desk fan and have some more challenge pages to share for Hey Little Magpie. This was also to work with a challenge at Under the Influence of Scrappy Adam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was to make your own background paper which I did with a stencil and inks and made a bokeh background

 

 

 

 

 

and this one was a colour challenge

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• the beach and cool water
• challenges to play with
• fans!

Cyber cropping

I have had such a lovely time today taking part in several cybercrops - predominantly Hey Little Magpie and Under the Influence of Scrappy Adam.

But before I share the pages I want to share this which was a guest design team page for Lottie Loves Paper. I am lucky that this is the second time I have DT'd for Sarah and I was thrilled.

I used Simple Stories Vintage Seas which is one of my current favourite paper ranges

 

 

 

 

 

The theme for this week is transport and you can enter by going to the Lottie Loves Paper facebook group

 

I am only going to share two of the pages today for cyber crops as I think that is quite enough overload for one day

 

 

The challenge was handmade embellishments and these are mine

 

 

 

 

and this one and I just love the colours and I even got my sewing machine out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news Nigel is still positive and I haven't tested because what is the point, though I have developed a cough now. Good job it's not Covid eh!

 

Today I am thankful for

• Nigel having covid but NOT being poorly poorly
• a gentle breeze before the expected heatwave
• cybercrops

 

 

All good and scrap time

Well things in the Covid house are looking better. Nigel's throat and cough have cleared and he says he feels fine. And I am STILL testing negative. Yesterday I was exhausted and couldn't do anything. I have never been like that before and assumed it was Covid but NOPE. Still negative.

It would be easy to think that we have wasted our care for the past 27 months in isolating, sanitising, being careful etc. But the strain now is highly infectious but mild. We know we still did the right thing being ultra careful and fully vaccinated and this new strain apparently offers no immunity protection either. Oh well - we made it through this one.

On a happier noe I have scrapping to share.

 

Sometimes I do a page I love and this was one of them as it was just a perfect photo and it was based on one of Lisa Sikorski's amazing sketches in the facebook group Scrap a Sketch and ... guess what ...

 

drum roll

 

I am now on her new permanent Creative Team and I cannot tell you how thrilled I am

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have also been playing with my new Design Team kit from A Trip Down Memory Lane (I am blessed to be on some gorgeous design teams and know I am very lucky)

 

Our kit this month was Echo Park New Day - perfect for my many many garden photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• Covid being pretty much done here - just the residual tiredness
• the heat not being as bad as expected
• nice kits to play with

 

Covid update and new releases

It is hot hot hot - though a bit cooler in fairness this morning before the big heat hits at the weekend.

And not the time to have covid really. Nigel says he is starting to feel a bit better. He has a bad cough and an easing sore through and low energy and is testing very positive now.

I, however, seem to have spent 27 months social distancing, missing out ont things, sanitising like life depended on it (I thought it did) and yet sleeping with someone with a high viral load apparently does not give me covid. We watch and wait. I have had a bad headache for two days (could be the heat) and am very tired (could be the heat) but am still very negative. We will watch with interest.

It is new release day at Pickleberrypop (remember I get these free in order to promote them) and I have worked with 4 lush collections this week.

 

Credits

Aloha bundle plus free gift by Tiramisu Designs

 

Credits

Beach Feet Collection by Heather T

 

 

 

Credits

Black is Poetic Bundle by Chunlin Designs

 

 

 

 

Credits

Pink Sunset collection by Palvinka Designs

 

I have also finsihed the 12 days of summer with Scrap Squad and this is my last page - make sure you have sunglasses on!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful that

• Nigel has covid now whilst it is a mild strain and did not have it 2 years ago and that he is vaccinated up to the hilt
• I am not too sick yet!
• beautiful collections to play with
• a bit of a breeze today