Dolly's Dreamings

A little bit of digi love

Today is new release day at Pickleberrypop and I have had the chance to work with some lovely collections.

This is

Spring Awakening - A Berry Blends Kit by Chunlin Designs and Studio Pix + Prints

 

and the ever gorgeous Alice

 

 

Meet the Family - Spouse mini bundle by Cheryl Day Designs and Meet the Family  bundle by Cheryl Day Designs

 

 

Our young hands on our wedding day

 

Credits

I’m so Lucky Bundle  by Fayette Designs

 

 

and finally A New day Bundle with free gift by TirAmisu Designs

 

 

 

Do enjoy browsingt heir store - there is some beautiful stuff as always.

 

Today I am thankful for

• the working week being almost over - I am awfully tired
• gorgeous new kits to play with

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ooops - forgot again

No blogging for a few days - partly I was busy but largely because I just went and forgot!

Now trying to think what I have done int he past 5 days.

 

I went to see Dark Waters with Nigel. It was good - and a very sobering story, but a little too soft paced. I think it could have been edgier, but then the man who really fought the case was a very unassuming guy, so it kind of worked. I also went to see Emma with my bestie. It is one of her favourite books and we both really enjoyed the film. It was beautifully shot, faithful to the book and a nice way to spend an afternoon with my friend.

 

I have read a couple of books and, the last two days, I have worked. It is mock exam time again and I am only in a few hours every day but the early mornings are a killer. I am in school by 7.30 but the upside is I am back home between 10 and 11  which is when my day usually starts for real when I am not working, by the time we have had breakfast, read the papers, etc etc. So I feel I am not using 'my time' really, although today I was in in the afternoon too.

 

I have also done a fair bit of scrapping. There was a mini cyber crop at FTLOPP so I played along. . These are a few of the pages and the albums are coming along very nicely now.

 

This one celebrates the oldest continually serving McDonalds, opened in 1953 before Ray Kroc took over. It was actually the McDonald brothers #4 store. The first three are no longer still working restaurants. though we also visited #1 in san Bernadino which is now a fabulous museum. This one is in Downey CA and has the iconic twin golden arch architecture the first ones always had.

 

 

Nigel and Barry Briggs - once a great hero of Nigels and now a great friend. It was so lovely to visit him in Dana Point.

 

This was one of my favourite of the old motels - the Cactus Motel in McLean on Route 66

And Nigel in Iowa looking proud that he has been hunting and 'caught' two fraps!

 

Today I am thankful for

• gainful employment. What I earn is bonus money so I can use it for scrapping
• scrapping fun
• watertight pipes
• cinema fun

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A trim and a browse

Our morning started early for us with a haircut each. I have had my hair cut by the same girl (well I guess hardly a girl now) since I was 19 and I dread her retiring. She comes to the house, cuts hair for both of us, we have a good old gossip and she gets my hair. She knows I hate people touching my hair so I wash it, she trims it very lightly mindful fo the fact that when it is dry it kind of vanishes and she doesn't fiddle with it. I couldn't bear to have to go to a salon and have it washed, cut, dried, fiddled with.

We then did a trip to Hobbycraft to get wool for the edging of one of my blankets. (I am almost finished 2 of them ... I don't need them, I have nowhere to put them, but the act of mindless crocketing is wonderfully calming for me) I am glad Nigel was there as he picked the colour. I struggled as the wool was fairly horrible old marbled wool I had bought years ago for a jumper I never made and I couldn't figure which colour would be less horrible to edge it with. Nigel has a good eye. I think the cats may end up with that one though.

 

I thought I would share some more of the pages made at the weekend (I cannot share the digital ones yet)

 

Angel Delgadillo is legendary ins tarting the historical society to preserve route 66 and get his town of Seligman on the map again. He is in his 90s and still comes into his barber's shop almost daily.

 

 

 

Looks like it is really him .... it was actually a very very good cardboard cut out.

 

Just a route 66 page - this time Shamrock

 

This one was very special to me and I used some special letters I had been keeping for about 15 years. It was such a real joy to meet my friend Barb at long last and get to meet her husband and see her beautiful home and, where this was taken, her scrap room. Specila special memories. I hope you approve Barb.

 

 

And I make one of these for every road trip now. This is for the digital Coast to Coast album.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a haircut ... doesn't look any different which is JUST the way I like it
• new wool

and finally the last of those surrealist photos which I have loved so much

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrappy weekend

The weather was meant to be really bad this weekend and I was dreading the high winds.

However, the high winds over 60 mph didn't knock our fences down. Nigel fixed them really well.

There has been a cyber crop over at Scrap Squad this weekend and some absolutely fabulous pages to scraplift.

 

These are a few of my attempts yesterday and today (I have made 9 pages this weekend! Can't share them all yet though)

 

This was scraplifiting a  fab page that had a stamped leaf wreath round it - I wanted to try it tropical to go with this photo.

 

 

 

 

 

I was quite pleased with this one of us at San Diego zoo waiting for the zoo to open.

 

 

 

 

 

And I really liked this one. I did a lot of machine stitching on the heart.

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• fresh baked bread - he is a keeper!
• watching Greys - again - whilst I scrap
• fences that stayed put

 

and finally some more of those surrealist photos by Justin Peters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The calm before the storm again

Having just about survived storm Ciara last weekend and had our fences reinstated, Dennis is due to hit at about 5 am tomorrow and bring winds of over 60 mph and torrential rain for 48 hours. Deep joy! Nigel has added extra battens to the fences but we are fairly sure they will go. However, we are very very lucky as so many people have terrible flooding already and with more heavy rain to come it will be awful for them.

 

We had a nice morning popping into town and I was thrilled to get a new pair of boots reduced to £13. They were too lovely to leave behind. We also managed to get Nigel a replacement gilet as he got wood sap from the battening on his yesterday and we cannot get it off. If anyone has any tips we would love to know!

Other than that it has been a scrappy day today.

 

I made this one this afternoon for a challenge that worked for both UKS and FTLOPP - Nigel with the other girl in his life - Kira. A valentine day page.

I used gilding wax on this and it worked quite well.

 

 

 

 

 

I also used gilding wax on this one yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 and a digital page yesterday and I was so thrilled I got GSO with it (for the non digi scrappers who read GSO is a Gallery Stand Out for a digital page - we all love getting them and they are often hard to come by)

It was made with the terrific mojo perks bundle at PBP and you can find it here

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• bargains
• fence battoning
• scrapping time

 And finally - some amazing surrealist digital photos from Justin Peters, a German digital artist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bit of Fikiness

It's new release day at Pickleberrypop and it seems I have been a bit Fiki obsessed this week.

 

This is a new set of album templates from TirAmisu Designs

 

 

Fiki memories

 

 

And this is a gorgeous love collection from Palvinka

 

Nigel and I all poshed up for a ball

 

 and this is the berry blends kit this month from Dita B and Simplette

 

 

 

We now have a fixed fence, albeit temporarily until we replace the whole lot, but the new posts are in ans we are safe again.

 

I also did some more with my DT kit from ATDML using Dear Lizzy Here and Now - the brights are the perfect antidote to glumness

The celebrates the wonderful brand new Joann we went to in Omaha with a wall of wool that was simply gorgeous

 

 

 

I couldn't resist the title I'm afraid

 

 

 

 

This was just a picture we snapped of someone's deck overlooking Lake Erie - what a view eh!

 

 

 

And this is the companion page to the other of dia de muertos. It just screams Fiestas

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• my jaw/teeth being a bit better today. Yesterday was horrible. I think it is a TMJ flare up rather than toothache but it is so hard to tell.

 

And some amazing handmade dragons by an artist called Alena Pogrebniak

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The calm before the storm

It's been gorgeous here - very mild at 10 degrees and lots of sunshine, but it is all set to change with gale-force winds and heavy rain. So we made the most of today and went out to Poole Park to put Nigel's new camera through its paces - and it is good. It is the grown-up version of my little Panasonic Lumix and it is really really good. I hope it will re-awaken the photographer in him. He used to like taking photos but these days he only ever takes them on holiday and even then doesn't take many. I am hoping now he has a super-duper new camera he will take more. He has a very good eye and so the few he takes are always cracking. we will see.

It was gorgeous in the park. We took our lunch - delicious fresh baked bread he made. Oh yes - he is a man of many talents!

I finished two commission portraits on Friday and they have been sent off to what I hope will be a very happy customer. Please consider me if you are thinking of having your pets painted. I will

share these two once the person has received them.

We were meant to go to the cinema Friday to see 1917 but I wasn't very well so we had a quiet day instead (and I spent much of it in bed) but was all better Saturday.

I have new scrapping to share - of course. My aim is to do at least one page a day this year (and hopefully not too many more though that isn't going well as I have made more than 30 this month so far!)

These are two Grand Canyon pages (there will be more int he fullness of time as it was a terrific trip)

 

 

 

 

This one was based on a page I did for a previous holiday album and really liked so decided to scraplift it. it is a good page to get a series of photos on

 

 

 

and this is another using one of my all time favourite collections - Simple Stories Vintage Traveller

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely day
• fresh baked bread
• sunlight

 and I share these amazing works of street art (Yup Bored Panda again)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just some random scrapping

As schools go back I am still, three years in, relishing the fact I am no longer teaching. 

 

I miss the children - sometimes - but I miss precious little else. I certainly don't miss being piggy in the middle with parents wanting one thing, staff wanting another, governors wanting another and trying to balance all three whilst really only caring about what was right for the children I had promised to do the best for. It wasn't easy and much of the time it wasn't fun. So heck - I hope all my teacher friends enjoyed their half term and I am glad I am NOT going back.

 

Some random loveliness because I am at home and NOT at work then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And some new scrapping to share too (see you get to do more of that when you don't work too)

 

This one isn't new but I realised I hadn't posted it and she is my little girl and she deserves to be posted

 

 

 

 

 

And it wouldn't have been fair to have one and not the other now would it!

 

 

 

and finally - late because it is now past Halloween - but heck - this was our Hollywood and Vile -  sorry Hollywood and VINE - dinner with Mickey and Minnie last year at Disney Hollywood Studios. It was nice to see the characters dressed up for Halloween but it was our worst dining experience of the Disney part of the trip. It wasn't our worst dining experience of the entire trip - that record is still held by Enzo's Pizza in Lincoln which was an unmitigated disaster and didn't even have the redeeming feature of characters.!

 

I don't like this page as I don't like Daisy Duck. I have no idea why but I find her quite scary!

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• Not having to go back to school
• retirement and scrapping time.
• Poole

 

And these were just some great ideas I found on the internet -why are they not mandatory everywhere.

Easy way to see which cubicle is free - mind you in the ladies there are usually NONE free.

 

 

Much lighter weight cast and lets the air circulate

 

 

 

 

Parking bay lines continuing up the wall - everywhere should have then. So simple and yet so effective.

 

Flushing the toilet by pressing a pedal with your foot NOT using your hand appeals to me

 

 a disabled swing - such a good idea

 

 

 

this would stop everyone knocking everyone else's doors

 

 

 

This one I am not sure about - it would kind of take the fun away!

First Traveller's Notebook

I have finally completed my first - very basic - Traveller's Notebook of our trip last year.

The idea is that I will try and do one for our next trip as it happens but I thought I would do a dummy run of one as a practice.

The point of this one was to see if I could do really really quick sketches spending no more than 10 minutes per sketch as this is a way I can meld art and scrapping together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last part of the holiday was all Disney for 12 days so rather than do it daily I did a page for each park and then some general pages

 

 

 

 

I have learned a great deal from thee process. I have learned that I am not good at 10 minute sketches. I have learned not to draw horses, I have learned that my purple ink runs when wet, I have learned not to write so much and I have learned that I like this new project.

 

We will see how it goes when it is done in hotel rooms though!!! Obviously without photos. I am NOT taking a printed with me. The paints and brushes are enough.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a hobby where I can meld my hobbies together - kind of
• Autumn - I love Autumn so much - it has the best light and the best feel

 

 

And I found these on line and they were fascinating - no idea if they are true

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class catch up

I have been busy scrapping but it is new stuff not for release yet that I cann0t quite share and so I have delved and found things I haven't shared but are now legitimately 'out there'.

 

Way back we had an awesome cyber crop at A Trip Down Memory Lane. It coincided with the release of Toy Story 4 (I am still in two minds about that one, to be honest ... I didn't like Bo Peep and didn't like that Woody left the gang)  but it was so much fun to have classes and challenges Toy Story Themed so I will share a few of my things over the next couple of days.

 

I hosted a class called Mr and Mrs Potato Head and they insist it was nothing to do with the way Nigel and I looked in photos - honestly. It was based around the gorgeous Kissing Booth Collection from Simple Stories that I love so much so I was thrilled to use it for a class. 

You can find the class instructions HERE if you want to have a go yourself. It doesn't need to be with the same papers.

 

This was my first page. I loved the idea of using a jigsaw piece and so that was what I set out to do - there are templates in the instructions too.

See we don't look too like the potato heads!

 

 

It was a bit fiddly to cut but great fun to play with. You need to select your photo carefully though as it probably wouldn't look good across someone's face.

 

 

This was the second page

The colours worked so well for our niece's wedding in June. And of course, it was love-themed. And no - they don't look like Mr and Mrs Potato head either!

 

 

 

 

 

And this was the third which also included a small mini-book for extra photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do go and check out the class and, if you do make one of the pages, I would love you to share what you make both with me and with A Trip Down Memory Lane.

 

Today I am thankful for

• being on a design team I love so much with gorgeous things to play with
• a busy - but very enjoyable day

 

And just some cool stuff I spotted ... I thinkt hey are very clever