Dolly's Dreamings

So little to report

I have been busy scrapping but they are new releases for PBP and classes for ATDML. I do hope many of you will pop along to ATDML facebook page for the cyber crop as we have so many great classes and challenges to play along with.

 

I do have this I can share though

 

 

It is a digital page but I have already printed off the elements to make a paper page too as it was just such fun.

I can also share this made for the Scrappycats challenge last week - I am loving our zoom chats and challenges - this challenge was mine and was TV related. Couldn't not scrap this one. I printed off the title to mimic the Big Bang logo etc.

 

 

and finally this is a page made for a UKS challenge and features a free with purchase kit by Jen Yurko (you can find her store here)

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely quiet weekend
• no fear of the wind
• scrapping time and walks

 

and it was four years today that I celebrated my first ever day as a totally free woman - I had officially retired and was free of all that stress and pressure. Best 4 years EVER

 and today's extra - fabulous animal photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little bit of floral joy

Today we went for our walk early as more rain (which is good) was forecast and the flowers everywhere looked gorgeous. We don't really have flowers in our garden as they don't grow. When we first lived here I spent a fortune on peat, topsoil and bedding plants. Did that for a few years and finally saw sense. We have lots of different coloured foliage bushes. the only flowers we have are azaleas, a few rhododendrons, a few roses and my new sunflowers.It works for us but I do enjoy everyone else's flowers.

 

On a floral theme I have new releases to share for Pickleberrypop

This is an utterly gorgeous collection called Summer Palette by Natali Designs

 

 

I used it to showcase the painting I did of my favourite flowers - sunflowers.

 

 

Wildflowers collection by Heather T

 

My second favourite flowers are poppies so they feature this week too

 

 

and finally

Foundations Rectangles #2 by Fayette       and also using her Get Lost Bundle by Fayette

 

 

Gosh I miss roads like this so much. This was Sedona last year.

 

TOday I am thankful for

• a lovely walk
• everyone else planting lovely flowers for us to enjoy
• great kits to work with
• the start of a new month - the month I hit the big 60!!!

 

 

New release day

The weeks just seem to fly by - and we just seem to fill every minute of every day. We are never bored - too many hobbies I think.

 

Scrapbooking remains my first love though and it is new release day at Pickleberrypop today so here are the new collections I have worked with this week.

Meadow flowers collection and FWP by Dita B Designs

 

 

Our beautiful niece

 

 

This is love bundle plus free gift from TirAmisu Designs

 

 

 

My gorgeous second cousin

 

In a Perfect World by Jen Yurko

Happy things templates by Miss Fish

 

 

Just us enjoying lockdown

 

True Story collection by et Designs

 

 

 

 

The fulfilment of a dream. I am so glad it wasn't last year's bucket list holiday we had to cancel.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• getting these gorgeous collections given to me to work with
• hobbies - they keep me sane and fill every waking hour (and some sleeping ones too!)

 

 

It's a lovely Sunday

It's been a  nice weekend here. Not weatherwise of course. That hasn't been awesome. But other than that, lovely.

My best friend turned 60 and we went for a socially distanced picnic which was lovely.

 

 

 

 

I enjoy teasing her because for 6 weeks of the year she is a whole number higher than me. I will be joining the 60 club next month.

 

I was able to give her the card and present I had made. I painted her beautiful cat for her birthday and I think she was pleased with it. I hate seeing people get my art work as I am always very critical of what I have made.

 

 

 

We had such a laugh Friday night too at our family Quiz night. Sarah and Jerry set a fabulous quiz and one round was movie posters or pictures with our faces on - they were so well done and utterly hilarious.

Nigel, Sid Ant and Chris featured in this

 

This is my 'other mom' rocking it in style

 

Elly made a picture perfect Dorothy

 

Chris and Sam - a great love affair

 

 

and this was hilarious - esecially since the very thought of me singing is more like a horror film for anyone to be witness to.

 

It was such a laugh.

 

A little scrapping today

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely weekend
• a social distancing picnic
• cooler weather (I like the sun but not the heat)
• fresh strawberries from our neighbours garden

 

 

 

It's the weekend

It's the weekend again. Well let's face it, it is pretty much always the weekend here, but tis officially the weekend.

 

Shopping is done - I look forward to when that isn't a drama, but we are getting slicker with it. We have the process down to a fine art really.

I had a pleasant day drawing and scrapping - well I have a pleasant day drawing and scrapping most days to be fair. Plus we have started another jigsaw and been for a lovely walk too.

New pictures include

 

 

I also photocopied it just so I could play at colouring it. Well I wasn't going to re-draw it. They are small - less than A5 size, and so I used a 0.05 micron pen as the detail is very very fine.

 

Sadly I cannot share the new scrapping as it is for a class at ATDML. But here is some older work that I have not shared yet

 

This was Oatmas on route 66 and was one of the weirdest places we have ever ever been. Part old gold mining town, part old route 66 town, part wonderful, part (a bit part) tacky, full of wild burros and totally and utterly unique.

 

 

 

 

and this was getting our America the Beautiful pass at the Grand Canyon.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a family quiz night to come
• more baking ... photo below my first coffee walnut cake
• the weekend
• rose cava (a bit of a new obsession)

 

 

 

These are NOT mine - macaron works of art

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the weather is glorious and we are fine

The coronavirus has been devastating for our world and yet it's impact has also allowed our world to breathe. I am sure it is no coincidence the weather has been exceptional, the waters pf the world are cleaner, the sky is clearer.  The impact on lives, on liberty, on finances has been terrible, but maybe the world needed a re-boot.

 

We had such a fun night with the family last night in a zoom game show night - the virus has helped many people connect a little more I think.

 

sunsets have been enjoyed with evening walks

 

 

 

 

 

There has also been drawing and scrapping

This was another doodle

 

 

 

I photocopied it and coloured it too but I prefer the black and white

 

And these were my latest class pages for a class I taught at ATDML

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• the speed of life slowing down and time to take stock
• time to let the earth breathe a little
• staying healthy
• family time
• beautiful sunsets and new dawns

 

 

 

and this is the google video from the day after Elfin's funeral featuring the song we all walked into - spooky cooincidence.

 

My favourites

The weather continues to be glorious and we continue to enjoy it. I have some photos to share

This is our daily walk - a lovely little trail just steps from the house and was actually quite cool int he sunshine.

 

 

we still crack up when we try and do selfies

 

 

 

 

and today we ventured further afield because a friend told us where to see the wonderful poppies and they are my favourite flowers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was made with a new collection by Natali Designs called Softness 

 

 

 

 

 

This was for the buildings challenge on FTLOPP

 

 

and this was my page as a guest designer on FTLOPP

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• beautiful places close by - sometimes REALLY close by
• good books to read
• being together and laughing a lot
• art and drawing - my lockdown notebook is coming along well.

 

 

Beautiful weather

The winds have finally died down and the weather is lovely. We have been for our usual daily walks and enjoyed lunches on the balcony. Life is indeed good. We have no desire to venture out further and are quite content.

 

These two pages were made for challenges on UKS and are for the digital coast to coast album. Actually we now have three full D ring paper albums of the trip and I still have loads to do. It was indeed the trip of a lifetime and so probably good we are not travelling this year.

 

 

 

and this is a scraplift I made today because I fell in love with the original page and just had to have a version in my album. I loved cutting all the houses out. The original was by Claire Louise

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely weekend at home
• sharing together
• a brilliant quiz night with family (well apart from the scavenger hunt where we were utter rubbish - the benefits of a split level house

 

and I love these chalk arts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little bit more normal

I can see why the government have the new slogan of Stay Alert because it is becoming easier to forget we are in a bit of a mess. Until you go our that is!

 

Yesterday we bit the bullet and, as the government now say it is Ok to travel a bit further and to visit the beach we thought we would before the rest of the country descended at the weekend. Oh yes, I am sure we will have a huge influx of people to the area but we will be staying well away.

Anyway I digress - we headed off to the Isle of Purbeck - Dorset at some of it's most beautiful - and went for a lovely walk at Swanage. It was very very quiet when we arrived, though it did get busier and we left a bit earlier than we might have planned because there were more and more people arriving. But it was lovely to go 'out out' to see somewhere different and even have a paddle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dorset is the most beautiful beautiful county - so happy we live here

 

I have some scrapping to share too - made earlier in the month

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a day out
• healing
• a wonderful clean and tidy house - yes a busy day
• a balcony chat with my best friend. I miss her!

 

 

 

 

The sea restores the soul

It has been very hard living so close to the sea but just not quite close enough to walk to it and so it has been out of bounds for lockdown. restrictions have now changed and if Joe Public from anywhere in the country can come and visit our beautiful Dorset Coast then I am sure it is OK for us. So we went to Sandbanks today and walked around the harbour and along the beach. It was very quiet, very safe and oh my did it feel good to lick my lips and taste salt. It really did lift us enormously. I am not meant to be without the ocean for so long

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and on the way home we even did this - very very carefully - the drive in is open. It's been almost 2 months since our last Starbucks

 

 

I still have pages from the FTLOPP crop to share

First a digital one which was for a PBP challenge - my beautiful mommy

 

 

A pretty little girl cat!

 

 

 

 

lockdown silliness

 

 

 

and three patriotic ones from the 75th anniversary of VE day

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• the ocean - I could never live too far away from it
• a lovely walk