Dolly's Dreamings

Typing from my puddle

I feel all that is left of me is a little puddle - OK a big puddle. 

I love my home town, I love the UK but my geedness we arean uncivilised country. We do not, as a rule of thumb, have air conditioning and it has been 27 today and I think it must have been 90% humidity and every time I do anything I just return to being a puddle.

Change the bed- puddle

Dust and polish - Puddle

Hang out the washing - puddle

Clean the windows - big puddle

hoover - enourmous puddle 

So my day has been work, puddle, shower, repeat.

A lot!

 

We did also go to the cineama this afternoon, in the hope it would be air conditioned(and they did finally put it on about half an hour before the end of the film. We saw Adrift and it was actually very good and quite harrowing in places. 

 

I have new scrapping to share made with a new collection by Dawn Inskip called Wonders of the sea which is on offer and also has a FWP 

 

 

and I also have another digital page made for a challenge I am hosting at PBP soon and made with a collection by Dita B Designs

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• fans - and cold water sprays and the car with air con

 

and some more of those great art works

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making the most of our membership

We have been National Trust members for a long long time but this year we haven't been to many properties - just local ones. It was a glorious day yesterday so we headed out to make the most of our membership in Somerset.

 

We had never been to Barrington Court before so that was first stop and I can highly recommend it - it is stunning.

 

 

 

 

The gardens were fabulous.  I loved all of the walls and secret doors leading to yet another garden - just fabulous

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like all properties, it was sow ell presented and cared for. I loved the radio in the kitchen garden where you could sit and listen to the history of the garden. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved seeing the next generation of National Trust members at their own mini-sized tables

 

 

 

 

The house itself was amazing. It was empty but that made the work that had gone into it all the more amazing. Bought by Colonel Lyle in the early 1900's as a derelict wreck, he restored it with original panelling from all over the world, true to the period of the building. Seeing the panelled rooms with so much carving and inlaid work, linen folds and detail, you couldn't believe it wasn't always there. Even the magnificent staircase was brought in, from a Scottish castle. It was incredible and very beautiful

 

We enjoyed a lovely picnic and ice cream then went for visits to Tintinghull Gardens, where we had been before.

 

It was a riot of lavender but was very busy as an Austrian coach tour were there

 

 

We met this little chap - just a baby, and we waited for ages until he gained his confidence to move off the path so we could pass

 

 

 

Finally we went to Montacute, again where we have visited before, and again the gardens were beautiful and of course, the perfect weather helped too

 

 

Montacute is over 40% glass - amazing

 

 

 

 

 

 

A glorious very English day out.

 

I have new scrapping to share today made with a new collection by Dawn Inskip called Footprint in the sand which is awesome

 

 

This is the final of three pages of our trip to Bamburgh

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• sunshine
• National Trust membership
• beautiful gardens
• days out together

 

 

 

 

 

Pet portraits and pickle barrels

Today has marked an important step along my journey. It is a journey that might not go very far but, as they say, every journey starts with a single step and this is mine.

 

I have finished my first ever commissioned pet portrait and I am terrified. I so hope the lady likes it. I really do.

It was a major challenge as she is a beautiful cat but surrounded by white fluff, like a halo all around her. I found it a real challenge and couldn't quite translate it, but I am pleased with how the face and the markings turned out.

 

I am going by the addage that if they wanted a photo well they already had the photo and this is a painting!

 

 

I certainly don't think I could make a living at this, but it was nice that someone had faith in me to paint their cat (actually three people so far have faith in me as I have two more commissions so far to work on - a dog and a cat)

 

It is also pickle barreltime and there are some amazing new collections. You can find all of the pickle barrel packs here for three days only

 

I worked with this one by Fayette called Ocean Avenue

and I made this

 

I worked with Summer Cocktail by Tiramisu Designs

and made this

 

 

 

And I worked with Aloha Summer by Designs by Brigit

 

and made this

 

In addition Dawn has a great collection at 50% off today only. These are the elements and there are papers and word art too

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• all of the opportunities for creativity that I have been blessed to have had  - scrapping, writing articles for magazines, painting, designing. I am very lucky to have the chance to do what I love.

 

 

 

 

Oh I do love to be beside the seaside

We had work today - three ten minute jobs but they were over at Swanage and so, as it was a lovely day, we packed a picnic, piked up a Starbucks and headed off, in Polly, to work.

 

I will often say that I love my home, I love my home town but I want to add that I love my county too. Dorset is the best county in the world (OK so I am biased) but we have everything a beautiful county could want for. OK we don't have mountains or Disney or a single motorway, but we have pretty villages, the ocean, beautiful coves, the Purbecks, the Jurrasic Coast, fishing towns and villages, heathland and open spaces, ancient monuments, ruined castles, the second largest natural harbour in the world, a speedway team, all 6 resisent UK reptiles, sandy beaches, a perfect park, an iconic chain ferry, nature reserves a plenty, traditional seaside towns, thatched cottages, literary heritage, market towns, stately homes and oddles and oddles of beautiful scenery and tiny roads. Do I love Dorset. Yes I most certainly do. 

 

Anyway I digress. We drove through Wareham (which was looking stunning with incredible planters everywhere)

 

 

 

 

 

and headed to Swanage. This was my lunch view and yes, of course I have bought a new picnic blanket that matches my car!

 

 

 

 

It was beautifully warm - if a tad windy (my hair responds badly to the wind and so despite looking quite presentable when I left the house it is now a mass of tiny ringlets ... a sort of fluffy afro!)

We enjoyed a very nice walk

 

 

 

 

 

 

and then we headed back over the ferry. I love going on the ferry - at £4.50 a go we don't do it often, but it never gets old. And I enjoyed browsing Studland too

 

Polly first in the queue for the ferry

 

 

 

I took some pictures of the Haven as it is due to be demolished - it was where Nigel proposed to me 33 years ago.

 

 

What a smashing, simple, lovely day. After 5 weeks of exam invigilation (which is a lot for someone meant to be retired and a kept woman) it was doubly lovely.

 

 Dawn has a fab new masculine kit out to selebrateFather's day or all the men and boys in your life. It is called He's all mine and there are elements, papers and word art all at reduced prices. 

 

Nigel in a rare - thankfully - pose on a speedway bike. He knows if he ever RODES a speedway bike he does it as a single man. I know how dangerous they are. My father rode one, I have no need for my husband to join the party!

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely 'work' day
• Dorset - best county ever

 

oh and those final vintagebits of humour. I hope they made you smile too 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date Day

Friday is always a special day but when I have worked all week it is even more special.

We headed to town this morning. I have never been one for fancy make-up and have never worn really decent stuff but i decided I wanted soemthing to try and cover my dark circles up so I did soemthing I never thought I would do - I went to the proper grown up make-up counters ina  local department store.  It was so NOT me.

However, the lasyont he Lancome stand was very nice and not at all false or pushy. She suggested I try some different concealers and offered to make me up witht hem. I managed to let her do it and was quite impressed and was going to buy the concealer (which I did) but she explained if I also bought a vastly reduced eye shadow I would get a free gift. I actually needed new eye shadow (Usually have borjouis cheap and cheerful) so she said she would do my eye make up too. 

Oh my goodness.

I battled to stop from killing myself laughing. I don't wear much eye makeup and she did it 'for evening'. Oh my goodness it was so funny but she was deadly serious.

I thinkt he thing was I am a HUGE Friends fan and all I could keep thinking was this clip

 

 

 

anyway I digress. I bought my first grown up make-up.

And I am NOT wearing it like Rachel!

 

We also had a lovely meal out at a local restaurant - very nice and the early bird special made it very cheap too.

 

I have new scrapping to share today.

Dawn has Another Year Older released today and on special offer

I made this of Alice's 21st Birthday

 

 

 

and I also made this paper page using some of my very very very special Blue Awning paper (If I had to say which was my all time favourite range of papers it would be this K and Co collection)

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely day
• new make up and plenty of laughs
• a super meal out
• a lie in (Getting up at 6.45 for 4 days was way way too much!

 

 

 

 

No work today

We had a busy week by our standards so no work - well not real work - today.

We started slow and then - it just sort of happened - we tackled the bookcupbaords in the library. These are really deep cupboards floor to ceiling, all shelved and the books are two deep on every shelf on the entire wall. Time to address. I made a start a few weeks ago and moved all of the novels that I had bought and never read to one area and I am not buying another book until I have read throught hem. I am doing well. I have read 25 so far this year. Just another 100 or so to go!!! We then rationalised the rest. I am not ready to get rid of all my school based books yeat, but we thinned the quiz books, the cookery books (who am I kidding ... I have dozens of cookery books and most have never been opened let alone cooked from) the hard back autobiographies, the coffee table books, the cat books. Three massive bin liners and box full of books and off to Help the Aged. Most were in pristibe condition so hopefully they will net them some money. 

Then Nigel had to do a ten minute job in Boscombe - an area we arerly visit. Job done and sun out we went for a walk alongt he beach and onto the pier and played with all the cool musical games they have. The place was desserted and the beach looked lovely - and so like Santa Monica,

 

 

 

 

 

I had laughed when Nigel said he was taking his hoodie as we left the car - glad he insisted - warm in the sun but the breeze was quite cold.

Back through Bournemouth to scope out the parking for the craft fair and then ... well it seemed rude to have spent the day in the neighbouring town so we headed to Poole and onto the quay for a late lunch early tea in the sun (and the cold breeze) but we we were determined to sit outside. What a fabulous day.

 

I have scrapping news too

Dawn has a new collection out today as part of the M3 for May. Called, You Go Girl, she has some glorious Artsy bits,  Papers and word art that all coordinates and is on special offer.

 

 

I also paper scrapped in colours I DON'T use for scrapping as part of a UKS challenge and showed the sequence of our azaleas which bloom in turn. We have 10 azaleas and they bloom one after the other and some of them are massive ... oh and did I mention they are BRIGHT

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely day out
• playing like kids on the musical 'toys' on the pier
• food out

 

and finally some of the mailboxes again as I thought they were such fun

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I now want a mailbox!!!

 

Two queens and a day out

Yesterday was always going to be a day out for us. We had read ages ago that the two Cunard ships, The Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary 2, were leaving together from Southampton docks and we wanted to see them. We would have liked to have been there the day they were joined by the Victoria but sadly we hadn't managed that. Two queens would have to do.

 

We had a great day out. we did a couple of jobs in Christchurch on the way and then had lunch at Friar's Cliff. It was a little breezy on the beach but nice all the same. We had a look round my favourite garden centre and then we drove all along the coast through Barton on Sea, Milford-on-sea and to Keyhaven (where we used to go a lot before we were married) before a bit of shopping in Lymington. 

Finally, we headed to Hythe Marina and sat and watched the Elizabeth sail out past the Mary 2. It was a little cold so we didn't stay to see the Mary 2 sail away too. We finished with Prezzo for dinner. We don't do big days out very often, mostly just visiting placed very near to home,  and so it was a lovely time to enjoy together.

 

 

 

 

 This is the Elizabeth sailing past the Queen Mary 2 in the dock

 

 

This gives some idea of scale when you can see the teeny tiny people

 

 

and final picture, my azaleas are looking gorgeous. They flower in sequence. Number 1 is almost finished, number 2 is at peak, three is just coming out and 4 and 5 are still buds ... this is 2 and 3

 

 

 

Today I have scrapped two pages from yesterday - nothing like striking whilst the iron is hot eh!

 

 

 

Dawn also has new goodies out today

 

Her new collection is called Prime Essentials bundle and is fabulous - love the stacked frames so much

 

And this is what I made - celebrating 15 wonderful years with the babies

 

Today I am thankful for

• a great day out
• seeing the cruise ships - modern marvels
• scrap time
• washing and housework all done ready for the weekend

 

Finally some more of those great words with pictures .... I just loved them

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NSD Fun

 

 

I have had such a blast today celebrating National Scrapbooking Day.

 

Sue and I came up with challenges to run all day on UKS and it seems to have inspired people. I have been working my way through the challenges and really enjoyed my scrapping. In the olden days, back when things were frantic, I often ended up making pages I didn't love for cyber crops. These days I take my time (though I admit I am a fast scrapper) and make sure I love the pages I made.

 

These are some I made today for UKS challenges

 

This was one of my challenges - usinga  sketch I loved. It is another page for the GWTW album from our last holiday.

 

Lots of faux stitching and fussy cutting

 

 

 

 

and this is one made for one of Sue's challenges - a mood board that inspired me to use a photo I loved where Nigel caught exactly the right moment

 

 

look at those eyes - just perfect

 

 

 

and this is mine for the selfy challenge - I do like this one

 

 

 

 

 

There is new digital stuff too. Dawn Inskip has some cracking things out today and great deals in her store.

 

I made this with Patience - a super collection with a FWP as well

It was fun to document how I waited for the man I wanted!

 

 

and she has an amazing mixed media collection too. These are the elements and there are papers and overlays as well

I chose to document my Thursdays ... art and all of the paraphernalia I have to take

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• scrapbookers - such a wonderful community to be a part of
• Sue - she works like I do - everythingw as ready well ahead of time so we ensured it all went smoothly
• Nigel - he has done everything today so I could just scrap my heart out

Wow - amazing $2 goodies for NSD

Ladies the fun and games of (Inter)National Scrapbook Day is starting and oh my are there great bargains to be had out there.

 

Pickleberrypop have such amazing things available.

This is a collection by Fayette called SHE-RO and there are loads of packs each for $2 which you can have such fun with and can find HERE

 

I couldn't resist makingt his page - such a brilliant confused 'wonder woman' picture!.

 

 

This is another collection made up of five $2 packs and is called Java Junkie by Jen Yurko ... I loved the I Don't Give a Frap quote!

 

 

and this is a collection called Sand and Sea byTiramisu Designs 

 

There are wonderfult hings everywhere including a sale at Dawn Inskips store so go HERE to check that out

 

 

 

and I will have a freebie on here for NSD as well as news of fun challenges.

 

So get your scrap on - it's time to play

 

 I have a paper page to share as well - goodness me I have been busy

 

This was made for the sketch challenge on UKS.

 

 

The sketch used stars but I replaced the large star with a cloud and sun that I cut out of scraps and water coloured. It records how just for a brief hour or so we had sunshine rather than snow in Krakow (though it was still '7 degrees.

I also used a stencil I bought ages ago but had never used.

 

Today I am thankful for

• my life now. I love it. I have spent the day crafting, scrapping, going to art class, I have a studio at home, I have time. I love it.
• the fun of art group - such lovely people
• resolution - a little - from Prudential. They admitted they could do better. It is still poor but heck, Ineed to move on.
• the weekend - starts now! Lasts till Wednesday

and Tracy you asked about the storage  bought from the range. I actually got the storage at Dunhelm ... They were more rub boxes ... I think I have every size and shape. These were just over A5 size 

 

Window day

You just knew it was going to rain today - we'd got replacement windows being fitted. 

Perfect

 The bedroom and bathroom are done but they smashed the tiles on the windowsill so now have to make a UPVC windowsill and come back and fit that.

They got silicone on the cream carpet despite it all being dust sheeted but they did manage to get that off.

One of the frames needs looking at as the mitres are not good.

I honestly despair of people these days.  The majority of workmen seem to have no pride in a job well done anymore. We were brought up in the belief that you kept at it until it was perfect.

 

However, the windows look much better, they are secure and they are no longer wooden frames that are rotting.

 

My nerves are so bad that I had to get out of the house for some of the time and ended up at the Range. The rest, they say, is history!

I now need to sort things out int he scrap room for the new storage I bought. Ooops.

 

New scrapping to share today are the other two pages from the scrap whispers game that I never shared.

This first one was in Natchez on the Mississippi and the cypress knees were so unusual and very photogenic

 

 

 

and this was sharing my special Christmas Tree frappuccino with Mr and Mrs Gingerbread in Celebration

 

 

Dawn Inskip has a sale on at the moment which is too good to miss At checkout, USE COUPON CODE: dawnsdoodles ... click the image below to take you there

 

and there is a mega bloghop to play along with HERE 

 

 

have fun with those

 Today I am thankful for

• the house being cleaned
• the workmen gone for the time being
• new windows ... I think