Dolly's Dreamings

Scrap a Sketch this week

I love being a  part of the scrap a sketch team. Lisa Sikorski designs awesome sketches each and every week so if you don't already belong to her facebook group - scrap a sketch - do join.

As part of the creative team I get to showcase the sketches too and this week's sketch is awesome

 

 

and this is my page

I absolutely loved this sketch and wanted to do something soft and gentle with it. The photo is of the happiest little cat we have ever have - I never thought a cat could show true happiness but Indy does. He was tucked up in our bed when I took this photo. I used several different ranges of 49 and market papers and love that they coordinate together. I split the 12 x 12 sheet into two pieces and trimmed them so you could see the charcoal grey background. I added coordinating strips of card and paper and fussy cut flowers out of one of the papers. The title is made using rub ons from the same manufacturer as are the word strips and I used a coordinating flair and punched circles. You can see the close up details on my Instagram @scrapdolly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• being on creative teams - I love that it pushes me
• catching up with good friends
• my boys - all three of them!

 

Happy New Year

I'd like to wish everyone a happy new year. I hope 2023 is kind to us all and that the good times outweigh the bad, the laughter outweighs the tears and that we are all able to find joy in every single day.

I have been keeping my blog for 15 years now and I used to post every day. I know I now only manage every two or three days (I really don't often have much to share or say) but for all of those 15 years I have ended my ramblings with gratitude. Because there really is something to be thankful for every single day - not least the fact you are there having that day, a pleasure denied to so many. Some days it is harder to find the things to be thankful for, some days there are any many things. But I promise they are always there.

I am looking forward to 2023. I have no idea what it will bring and what we will need to face over the year, but I know my faith will sustain me and I have great hopes. I have my results appointment on Wednesday where I will find out what my immediate future will be like. I will find out if they managed to get clear margins and if any of the cells had become invasive. I will find out if I have to have further surgery or can proceed straight to radiotherapy. It's funny isn't it? Two months ago I would have been horrified about the very thought of ever needing radiotherapy and now I am looking forward to that being the next step rather than still a way down the road. However, I know that whatever the surgeon says on Wednesday, we will deal with it. We have shed very few tears over this, we have both been quite stoic and brave, and I think that stands us in good stead.

 

I have a page to share that was completed a couple of days ago and is from the heart. It is my page for my Flair Hut design team using the flair the whole team are working with. I went with the theme of HOPE

 

 

The photo in the O is of a rainbow during a storm taken from our lounge window. The sky was dark and the autumn trees were like flames. It seemed to symbolise hope.

 

 

 

 

I wrote a poem for the flap which then lifts up for journalling

 

 

I haven't shared the last few pages of my Christmas journal which is now complete - and I have even done a video walk through on my You Tube channel.

 

 

 

 

Having done a December journal for 15 years it was the hardest I have done by far and I am amazed I finished it by the end of 2022.

 

I have started a new art project with my best friend too and we are painting a picture each day in a sketch book - we have a list we have made up to work from and some are challenging.

 

This is my cover page and Day 1 was holly and day 2 was a polar bear!  It's an A5 sketch book. I've decided to add text to each page too ... not sure that wasn't a mistake to be honest

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• my faith
• hope in the future
• Nigel who gives me courage daily
• art - it is real therapy

 

 

Let's stick to scrapping

OK - this post is going to be pretty much about scrapping because life hasn't been fab to be honest. Every random illness that could have hit me has hit me, I feel lousy and so let's move on!

 

In happy news we became a great Aunt and Great Uncle yesterday. That sounds awfully grand and awfully old. Our neice delivered a little baby boy very quickly and very safely and we are thrilled for them.

I have been scrapping - slowly - and some bits were made pre-op too. So here we go

Journal day 14

 

 

Journal day 15

 

 

 

It was my DT slot at The Flair Hut Today and this was made for that and also used yesterday's sketch by Lisa at Scrap a Sketch (made before I was ill)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally - because I can  - some gorgeous pictures of our wonderful boys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

friends to listen to me

Nigel - I couldn't do any of this hell without him

a new baby in the family and another on the way

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

To all of my American friends, readers of this blog and family over in the USA (who I know visit) we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

I absolutely loathe that the UK has adopted Black Friday in a big way and yet not thought at all about Thanksgiving. There is no national day of thanks but there are endless days of pure glorified consumerism as if Christmas hadn't been taken over enough by the shopping gods. I find it sadder each year.

Thanksgiving - every day not just today - is a central part of our lives . I end every blog post I make with thanks. I have a sign by my bed which is the first thing I see each morning and the last thing I see each night that says 'hem your blessings with thankfulness'. There are so many hardships in life. So many people are suffering in the world as a result of war, poverty, ill health, loss and we are suffering with health issues here at the moment but there is always, always something in every single day to be thankful for. Some days it might be harder to find and may seem very transient. Some days it may seem to take a lot of thought to find it. But it is there if you look, I am convinced. And so thanksgiving is important for us. We may not be celebrating the settling of the pilgrim fathers and the founding of a nation, but we are certainly celebrating our many many blessings.

The turkey is in the oven, the trimmings are prepared and it is a lovely thoughtful day.

We began our day with a walk by the sea as we so often do but today oh my goodness it was wild. We went to our favourite beach and for much of the walk we could not be on the promenade as the waves were covering it - but it was glorious in its roaring splashy beauty and yes - I got wet taking pictures!  I love the power of the sea - not by any means the roughest we have seen but rough for this secluded little beach and it was high tide too

No promenade left here

 

 

 

Doesn't he look happy to be asked to stop in the wind for photos!!!

 

 

 

This was one of the ones that 'got me'

 

 

I have new scrapping to share too

These were all made for my design team pages for A Trip Down Memory Lane this month

 

 

 

 

 

The birthday boy is a huge Taskmaster fan and got us into it too so it was fun to make him a taskmaster card with him and his wife on

 

 

 

 

 

And I love these two people so much

Today I am thankful for

• so so many things every single day and I do try to focus on them each night
• thanksgiving day
• turkey and all the trimmings
• living close to the beach

 

 

Another day - another beach

Not as warm as yesterday so we headed to 'our' beach. the beach we most often visit. The tide was right in and there was no actual beach but I loved seeing it rough

 

 

 

 

 

I have more scrapping to share too

Both of these were for scrap squad challenges

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can tell I am loving Autumn, as always

 

This was another page for being guest designer this month at Peartree Cut Files

Like the previous page it showcases the firelike colours of the Japanese Garden at Kingston Lacy

 

 

 

 

 

 

And because I haven't been able to share my art either - a little painting done two weeks ago with my bestie

 

Today I am thankful for

• living by the coast - I couldn't not see the sea
• chilled days
• a working blog

 

 

We may be back - fingers crossed

Well readers ... thank you for your patience. we may be back.

 

I think - against all odds - I might be able to share pictures again so - here goes.

 

I have been playing along with Scrap Squad's 12 days of Autumn scrapping and these are three companion pages made for different challenges but using the same collection because they are meant to go together int he album.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and I promise I won't overload you with lots of pages all at once but I do want to share two more.

At The Flair Hut where I am on the Designs Team, the team were all given the same set of flair to work with and I was the first to share my design using these gorgeous flair which are available in the shop at The Flair Hut

 

 

 

 

 

and finally - for today - I am a guest designer this month over at Peartree Cut files and this was my first Guest DT page

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• visiting wiith an old friend (well she is young but you get what I mean)
• not suffering any damage int he recent heavy winds
• being able to blog again - thank you so much for sticking with me

 

 

Pumpkin Patch Perfection

We had a lovely day out today visiting a pumpkin patch to select the perfect pumpkin for Nigel to carve and me to bake with

We don't celebrate Halloween so like to get our pumpkin early and on a day when there are not a lot of people. We were the only ones there which was awesome. It's yet another Autumn tradition I love

 

 

 

 

 

Nigel pickingt he perfect pumpkin, not too small, not too 'medium' but good and big and perfect

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have also been scrapping.

3 pages with photos taken Monday!

This is for Day 5 of 30 days of sketches with Christy's Beautiful life - a sketch by Lisa Sikorski

 

 

 

 

Our DT kit from ATDML this month was papers from Vicki Boutin Fernwood and these are two pages using that

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely morning at the pumpkin patch
• scrap time
• Autumn (think that is going to be every day for a while!)

 

 

Mega new releases for Digital Scrapping Day

Wow wow wow - the goodies at Pickleberrypop today are awesome. We are celebrating Digital Scrapbook Day in style with loads of special value new collections and I was lucky as part of my creative team work to work with so many of them this week.

 

Credits

Follow the fox collection by Jen Yurko

 

 

Credits

DSD Grab Bag Friends for Life by Just Because Studios and Lorie M Designs

 

 

Credits

Your Majesty Bundle by Kakleidesigns

 

 

 

Credits

Calendar 2023 by Natali Designs

https://pickleberrypop.com/shop/2023-Calendar-All-in-One.html

 

 

 

Credits

Beautiful Colors bundle and FWP transfers by Chunlin Designs

 

 

 

Credits

Forest Treasures Bundle plus FWP gift by TirAmisu Designs

 

 

 

 

Credits

Creative Soul Collection by Bellisae Designs

 

 

 

I had such fun this week. Do go and check out all of the special offers to celebrate Digital Scrapbooking Day - and remember - they work for hybrid projects too

 

The dentists' Chair and a trip out

Today has been a lovely day - yesterday not quite so nice.

 

I broke a tooth back at the start of July and the tooth was a dead tooth that the nerves had been removed from and it had been crowned. The crown came off taking most of the tooth, down to gum level. Thankfully as it had already been root canal filled it didn't hurt but it wasn't great and had a dressing on the top of it. The first hour and half appointment she had was yesterday (we were due to be on holiday but cancelled that so we could go to the dentist) I had been dreading it as I am quite dental phobic though she rarely ever hurts me. Nigel - who has to come in with me - said it looked like she had every tool out that shje owned and it was a big job. She had to put metal pins in the filled roots and then build a pretend tooth up around that so there was something for the new crown to go on. It was long and my jaw ached terribly. As it was a back tooth it meant a wide open mouth for the duration and when you have TMJ that's awfully hard. Anyway - part one is done and the temporary crown is on. Now just two weeks to wait for the fitting and I am relieved it isn't hurting too much at the moment. It's sore and battered but not too achy.

 

I have to share some photos of the Boyz this morning as the sun was blazing through the curtains onto the bed and they do like to join us first thing

 

 

 

 

 

Today we went out to Sherbourne ... just because we could

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have very little new scrapping to share though

 

I am making a combined Jubilee and loss of our wonderful queen album and this was the first page I have made - not the first page in the album - as it worked with the scraptember prompt of the rainbow.

 

 

 

 

 

And I also made two pages for my Design Team this month at A Trip Down Memory Lane using the lovely Let's Go by Simple Stories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• the skill of my dentist - she is awesome
• days out
• all three of my boys

 

 

Still stupidly hot

We have worked really hard today to keep the house as cool as possible, but it's like living in a cave - a hot cave - with everything closed up. I find it awfully depressing.

Nigel and I took a drive this afternoon just to enjoy some respite in a cold car. They have now declared an official drought which is something new. Most things in our garden have died and I just want it to end and rain - a lot.

I do have some nice scrapping to share though - from a day that was hot but not as hot as this.

I am so very very thrilled to be bringing my first page as a full Design Team member over at Scrap a Sketch. I have loved every single one of Lisa's sketches and so am thrilled to be a part of it. I stuck very closely to the sketch for this one as I loved it

 

I used very old simple Stories botanical bits and pieces and some coordinating papers which I distressed at the edges and faux stitched. I used white card - which I tend to do a lot, but added some platters of ink. The title was printed on card and cut out and there are flair of course too. The photo is from Abbotsbury Sub Tropical gardens and the little boat with the owl and the pussycat in was so unexpected and so beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• only having another 4 days of this hellish heat!

A busy day

Very short post from me today as it's been busy and it's hot and I don't like this heat - it makes me grouchy (Nigel's words not mine!!!' )

Our art exhibition is on all week and so I have been there this morning then playing catch up - slowly - this afternoon.

I do have a new page to share though - made for a challenge at Bramble Fox this month and for a challenge at Twilight Crop and Crafts. I used the left overs from one of my class kits at A Trip Down memory Lane.

 

The challenge was to use an old and a new photo and so I went for these two, 20 years apart, at the Grand Canyon. It was interesting to see what had changed - or not changed.

We are older, greyer, more experienced in travelling and - sounds corny but true - even more in love than we were then. Love grows and deepens over time. We are also colder in the second photo. Much much colder. The first was in August and it was hot, even at the high altitude of about 8000 feet. The second was in late October and  -16 degrees when we arrived. Nigel had laughed at me for packing gloves. we wore one each and kept the other hand in pockets. It was bitterly cold - but just as beautiful.

 

 

The class kit was Prima Marketting Inc Golden Desert and was just perfect for the many many desert photos i have over the years

 

 

 

 

I will share the class pages now too as they have been published.

 

This is one of my favourite pictures ever taken on my 50th birthday trip and in Death Valley. We have a huge canvas of this in our bedroom as we both we loved the photo so much.

 

There is a flap that opens revealing two more photos and journalling

 

 

 

 

and just to show it is not only suitable for deserts this is the second page

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a successful exhibition - everyone has done such wonderful work
• fans - I am way way too hot
• the opportunity to created classes