Dolly's Dreamings

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October ATDML pages

Did I mention I love Autumn!

The weather has been a bit mixed but the light, when the sun shines, is fabulous. It really is my favourite time of the year.

The cats have migrated to their winter beds which have been abandoned all summer but are now being well used at they snuggle up. I think that as they are now elderly cats they feel the cold more. Works for me too!!

 

I shared my first batch of Design Team pages last week working with the Graphic 45 Faerie Dust papers. I also had the gorgeous Indigo and Ivy papers which I really loved and so here are a couple of pages made with those papers.

 

I loved cutting the chevrons and then I outlined the bottom in baker's twine

 

 

Lots of fussy cutting plus I added stenciled leaves

 

 

 

 

and this one also has lots of fussy cutting

 

 

 

and I made the paper weave heart from the manufacturer strips on the various sheets - waste not want not!

 

Today I am thankful for

• central heating and snuggling up
• glorious papers to work with from A Trip Down Memory Lane

 

 

 

Truly Grateful

I have much to be grateful for - truly I do.

 

I had good news from health test results, I have a wonderful husband who is also my best friends, I have a roof over my head, food on the table (too much probably) and two perfect cats. Oh, and I have great scrapping papers.

I received another gorgeous design team pack from A Trip Down Memory Lane with Pink Paislee Truly Grateful and I had fun playing with it.

 

This first one was taken last week when Nigel's brother from America was over and his brother and sister in law from Coventry came down and we all went to what has become the family's restaurant on the beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had fun using the squares on this one

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and I don't have many photos of my Mom and Dad together and I love this one

 

 

Do go and check out the papers at A Trip Down Memory Lane.

 

Today I am thankful for

• all the many many blessings in my life
• being on the DT of ATDML

 

 

Fairies live here

Do you believe in fairies? I do. When I was little my parents could get me to be a good girl and do as I was told if they told me Tinkerbell wanted me to do it or Tinkerbell would be sad if I was naughty. I loved Tinkerbell. And I know she is real - I have met her so she must be!

 

Plus - we have a fairy door that leads under our patio - so they must be real here at home too!

 

My reason for sharing my 'fairy belief' ... I have been working with fairy papers for ATDML. The gorgeous Fairie Dust by Graphic 45 and I have three pages to share, all with a lot of fussy cutting.

 

The first page was colour inspired - Disney purple we call it - and the EPCOT globe lit beautifully

 

 

 

 

The second is of Versailles because it was such a magical place to visit.

 

 

 

 

 

And another Disney page - this time Hollywood and Vine for Halloween.

 

 

 

In other news, I had a lovely time at Art today learning something new and when I walked in half an hour ago it was to a warm cosy house because the heating is on. Yes that Indian summer we enjoyed for so long seems to have passed and it is proper chilly - but I LIKE that!

Yesterday we went to see Judy at the cinema - the story of the last London tour of Judy Garland and it was pretty terrific. We loved it and Renee Zellweger was brilliant - I am sure she will be nominated for an oscar.

 

Today I am thankful for

• fairies - of course
• lovely Design Team papers to work with from A Trip Down Memory Lane
• The weekend - it starts here!

and to finish - some amazing award-winning photographs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The worry about GPs

We have always been very lucky at our GPs - and we have the most wonderful GP too - as it is a large practice and so you can usually get to see someone. 

 

We have heard the horror stories from friends even in a close-by area of month-long waits but, until this week, had never experienced it. That was until I phoned on Thursday 8th August and was told that to see my own GP would mean a wait until at least the 20th September and to see any GP would mean a wait until the end of August. I was staggered. But I guess I ought not to be surprised. When we last went to the GP he told us they had been recruiting for a GP for 3 months and we are in a  really nice part of the country where the weather is always good, it is pretty, affluent, relatively trouble-free, a great place to locate to etc,  and in 3 months they had had no applicants. I was staggered. Anyway, I digress. I was advised to phone the next day - no idea why - and I have an appointment for next week. The sad thing is that I think our NHS is collapsing before our eyes. The people who work in it are all wonderful. They do an amazing job and we are still so lucky that we get treated for free (well not for free if we work and pay tax as we have paid for it all of our lives) but it is stretched to breaking point and yes, we are victims of health tourists too. There are simply too many people for it to cope with, with people living longer, numbers in the country rising due to immigration, longevity, fewer people dying of disease etc and it is at capacity and it worries me what will happen in the future. It worries me that conditions are often so bad and stressful for people working in the NHS that they cannot continue. It worries me that when we need it I think it will be gone. I genuinely think the doctors, the nurses, the phlebotomists, the radiographers, the physios, the ... every specialism and aspect you can think of ... are all wonderful, but they are trying to shore up a broken system and the government need to do something to help. No governmental party in particular but the government, all of them. Stop focussing on only Brexit and get on with fixing our NHS please. Rant over! 

 

I haven't been just grouchy - I have been scrapping too, in between bad bouts with my IBS which is starting to become a little wearing and is now stopping me doing things on occasions. 

At least scrapping takes place at home where toilets are plentiful and private! TMI!

 

I have been doing my Design Team work for ATDML and they always send the most wonderful goodies to work with. This month I was sent the Graphic 45 collection Bloom

 

This was a page which also worked for the summer scrapping challenges I am playing along with.

 

 

The photo was taken at Portland Bill last month

 

 

This picture was taken at Holmsley Tea rooms also last month. I had fun cutting out the little summer house and the fence.

 

 

 

 

I loved this picture of Fiona and her bridesmaids and really wanted to scrap it. The colours in the bloom collection worked perfectly for the colour theme of her wedding.

 

 

and finally - a fussy cutting marathon for a photo of us with our niece - the very beautiful bride.

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• our NHS - we are very lucky and I hope we continue to be very lucky
• Wonderful things to work with from A Trip Down Memory Lane

 

 

 

 

Flaming June

June lived up to its name at the end of the month - it has indeed been flaming as Europe basks in a record-breaking heatwave and we picked the hottest days of the year to do a major garden overhaul. How stupid! We have family from  the US coming in this week so we needed to make the garden look more presentable. It looks lush now! We look like wet rags. 

 

I have new scrapping to share made as part of my design team work for A Trip Down Memory Lane and using Vicki Boutin Kaleidoscope and Pink Paislee Whimsical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I have to record something special that happened today too. I went swimming with my bestie and it is a large indoor pool with doors open tot he outside pool. A huge Red Admiral butterfly - the largest I have ever seen - had flown in. He was stunning and flitted around and we all hoped he wouldn't land on the water as it would not do him any good. He rested on the side of the pool just by us and we admire him and thought how special it was. And then, it flew and landed on my cheek, stayed a while, gave me a little kiss and flew off. I was so touched - quite literally. A special moment. I had just told Jakki that the butterfly was our Moms (we have both lost our moms) and that they are angels watching us and then for it to land on me - thanks Mom. I know you were there with me x

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely trip out with my bestie - swimming and chat - perfect
• a wonderfully tidy garden
• jobs done and ready for a fun-filled few days

 

 

 

Things here are bright

Things are bright here - and no it is not the weather which is still pants. The only colour we will be going this summer is rust coloured.

 

Bright is the film Brightburn we went to see this afternoon. It made me jump a few times I can tell you. It was a pleasant diversion - not outstanding - kind of 'if Superman were bad'

 

Also bright is the fireplace and Daddy's treasured shell case which have been brasso'd to within an inch of their life and boy did they need it. The shell case is one of my most prized possessions. It is not valuable at all but was a mortar shell carved for my Daddy when he was int he navy. It bears the name of his ship, his name, the date, the village of  ... oh how I wish I could find it but I think he said it was takari? ...and various other images. It is beautiful and so special to me - and it shines again now.

 

It is Berry Big Deal date at Pickleberrypop today with new terrific value packs from all of the designers and I worked with many of them this month

 

Natalie Designs Beautiful Day - and I scrapped a very happy picture of us at Banana Wharf on the quay

 

 

Summer Poetry by Dita B Designs and used for my little boy washing - in our bath!

 

 

 

Beautiful Tropicana by Tiramisu just had to be used for the Caribbean Beach Resort which was so beautiful until the ttotally ruined it by putting in Riviera and the Gondolas.

 

 

 

 

Little while by our newest designer Simplette

 

 

 

Sunny Disposition which I had fun with by Fayette Designs

 

 

 

 

and Getaway by Heather T - another fun page of our trip

 

 

Oh an one more - Draw your travel by Jasmin-Olya designs - too lovely to miss

 

 

I am very lucky to get to work with such lush goodies.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a shiny new fireplace and hearth
• films
• scrapping opportunities
• being signed off by physio

 

 

 

Back on my feet

Yesterday was a bit of a no day as I was poorly - just an IBS flare up and it was OK as we had nowhere we needed to be and nothing we needed to do, but glad today has dawned so much better.

I didn't even scrap yesterday - how bad was that.

I do, however, have some new scrapping to share.

First a couple of digital pages. I have actually started to get on with the digital album of our trip and whilst I have done lots of random digital pages, I wanted to do a daily double for this album too, so I have been cracking on with that. They are not state of the art pages but digital records of the trip day by day.

Pages for Day 1 - left hand and right-hand side.

 

 

 

Day 2 left-hand side and right-hand side

 

 

and day 3 - though simple they take ages to do

 

 

and I had a class go live on ATDML at the weekend and so this is one of my class pages and I had such great fun with it - both making it and taking the daft pictures in the first place.

 

 

 

 

This week looks like being a cinema week as we had to cancel Friday and Sunday films so we kick off with Men in Black 3 which should be fun. It has had awful reviews. We will see!

 

Today I am thankful that

I feel so much better than yesterday

a reading day yesterday to catch up on books - 40 this year so far

 

 

Blooming June

Well, the plants are blooming - but the weather isn't!

I can't remember having to have the heating on in mid-June before - but we gave in last night as it is really cold. I was even cold at work today and it is never cold there.

 

Hey ho - imagine how much nicer summer will be when it comes.

 

I have some new scrapping to share today

 

This is a design team piece for A Trip Down memory Lane using Simple Stories Sunshine and Blue Skies (I wish eh!)

 

 

and another Design Team piece using Simple Stories Vintage Botanical and featuring our little wild girl!

 

 

 

Another Design Team piece with sunshine and blue skies

 

 

 

 

and finally, a mojo piece using Heartstrings Scrap Art collection called Companions - Fiki this time!

 

Today I am thankful for

• scrap time
• central heating
• the fact the garden is getting a good watering!

and today's random musings ... Disney wisdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 18th and 21st birthday

Ok

I am the first to admit it might seem a little odd at my age to be celebrating my 18th and 21st  birthday - but such is life.

 

Let me explain.

 

When I was 18 my mom and dad bought me a beautiful gold bracelet made of three colour gold links. It was beautiful. I wore it rarely as it was 'for best' For my 21st birthday they bought me an antique gold necklace with an antique locket. I wore it every day but I lost it - somewhere between Thurrock cycle speedway track and the toilets in South Mimms service station. It had been a filthy daya nd I was in layers - all wet. We stopped ont he way home at the services to go to the toilet and when I was in the cubicle the chain dropped on the floor. Clearly it had broken at some point and fallen down inside my clothes. I stipped - everything - in that cubicle but I couldn't find the locket anywhere. Two other ladies helped me. But we never found it. I reported it and with the insurance money I eventually bought another gold necklace. It was never the same.

 

About twelve years ago I stopped wearing gold. I have no real idea why. I just didn't like it any more. And eventually - for my 25th -Nigel even bought me a new wedding ring and engagement ring when we renewed our vows that were platinum. I only ever wear silver jewellery. And not a lot of that!

I had always - for years and years - wanted a Tiffany bracelet. Now we are not 'designer' people. I don't think between us we own anything that is 'designer' or expensive. It just doesn't float our boat. I have friends who have designer bags and shoes and clothes but it's just not us. We are not interested. Apart from a Tiffany necklace. We went to Tiffany in New York back in the 90s and the only thing we could afford to buy was a Tiffany pen (which was beautiful)  But I had always wanted a Tiffany silver bracelet but of course I'd never buy one - such a waste of money and the one I bought from a craft market for £20 worked just as well - almost!

A couple of months ago I decided to sell all of my gold jewellery - I never wore it, it sat in a drawer as a reminder I never wore it. So I sold it and decided that with some of the proceeds I would buy that Tiffany bracelet - an 18th and 21st birthday present from Mommy and Daddy. I knew they would approve of me having something I would wear everyday instead of something that sat in a  drawer.

Yesterday Nigel took me up to Tiffany in London and we picked my bracelet and it was such a lovely experience. The staff were lovely (I was worried they'd realise we were not 'real' Tiffany customers and not be very nice. They were loevly. And I LOVE my 18th and 21st birthday present and the perfume I also got.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple things really - but the fulfillment of a dream. Thank you for my birthday present Mommy and Daddy

 

And in other news - some new scrapping.

A digital page for a challenge on Pickleberrypop

 

 

and the first page for my DT work for A Trip Down memory Lane this month using Simple Stories Sunshine nd Blue Skies.

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a fabulous day fulfilling a dream