Dolly's Dreamings

Getting there

The lounge is coming on well. As I sit typing Nigel is painting the ceiling then all we have to do it paint all of the walls - twice!! Then we need to assemble the furniture ready, do a few more tip runs and wait for the carpet to be fitted a week on Monday. It's been bearable but several rooms are in a real mess with stored stuff and the boys are hating being shut out of their beloved lounge. But I think it will be worth it.

 

I have new scrapping to share 

 It is my turn to share my take on the weekly sketch. I loved this sketch but had several failed attempts at a star that worked with A4. It is easily possible but was beyond me so I cheated and went with circles!. The photo is of my goddaughter and her little girl modelling the Christmas coat I made for her. I used quite a few bits from the Christmas Printables - Traditional Christmas and also the circles stencil

This was the sketch (and if you don't belong to the Facebook group Scrap a Sketch I urge you to join. You will find a new free weekly sketch every single week and lots and lots of inspiration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the little coat I made for her

 

 

I also have two design team pages for A Trip Down memory Lane to share using the lovely PinkFresh Studios Holiday Dreams collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• being on design teams - I never take it for granted
• the lounge progressing well

 

 

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

 

 

Our wonderful coast

It is no secret to anyone who reads here regularly that I love the sea, I love the coast and so my design team kit from A Trip Down Memory Lane this month is Simple Stories Simply Vintage Seas was perfect. I have already used the collection before and so it was lovely to have more of it to work with

 

This one is from Lulworth Cove

 

 

 

 

and this from the Minack Theatre in Cornwall

 

 

 

 

I also made another coast page - not with the same collection - of the walk to Durdle Door - a piece of cake walking down there - harder walking up - much steeper than it looks in that photo

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely DT kit
• Nigel getting a cancellation appt for his check up today
• scrapping

 

and some cute photos of people interacting with some great sculpture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Out of the depths

Well I am pleased to report the light is shining brightly at the end of the tunnel/ No not THAT light, the light you don't want to do towards!

We are over the worst and recovering from Covid, however unlike so many people who have said 'oh it's nothing, just a couple of days', we seem to have had a worse version. Maybe it's our extreme age! However, we avoided it for 27 months, we have now had it and apparently this variant gives no immunity - well we do NOT want it again so will again be very cautious. I have never had a cough as persistent and life disturbing. And the lack of sleep just made everything worse.

BUT - onwards and upwards. We are recovered, though I am still tired.

I haven't done a great deal of scrapping I can share - well I have done a lot of scrapping but most of it is for the ATDML cybercrop next weekend, DAF and SAS design team projects.

But I can share this which was for the DAF insta hop on Monday

It used the fabulous sketch from Lisa at Scrap a Sketch and I loved seeing the whole team have a different take on it.

 

The photos were from the Wimborne Folk Festival in June and I love seeing all the people dressed up.

 

The red paper is Vicki Boutin and so are the flowers but they are from the digital collection which I printed and watercoloured.

 

 

 

 

 

I also have a page from a new release today over at Pickleberrypop

 

Credits

Yesterday is Here by Dutch dream designs

 

The photo is Nigel's stunning grandmother who, when she was young, was an artist's model.

Today I am thankful for

• recovery
• scrapping therapy
• being blessed to be on design teams

 

Cyber cropping

I have had such a lovely time today taking part in several cybercrops - predominantly Hey Little Magpie and Under the Influence of Scrappy Adam.

But before I share the pages I want to share this which was a guest design team page for Lottie Loves Paper. I am lucky that this is the second time I have DT'd for Sarah and I was thrilled.

I used Simple Stories Vintage Seas which is one of my current favourite paper ranges

 

 

 

 

 

The theme for this week is transport and you can enter by going to the Lottie Loves Paper facebook group

 

I am only going to share two of the pages today for cyber crops as I think that is quite enough overload for one day

 

 

The challenge was handmade embellishments and these are mine

 

 

 

 

and this one and I just love the colours and I even got my sewing machine out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news Nigel is still positive and I haven't tested because what is the point, though I have developed a cough now. Good job it's not Covid eh!

 

Today I am thankful for

• Nigel having covid but NOT being poorly poorly
• a gentle breeze before the expected heatwave
• cybercrops

 

 

All good and scrap time

Well things in the Covid house are looking better. Nigel's throat and cough have cleared and he says he feels fine. And I am STILL testing negative. Yesterday I was exhausted and couldn't do anything. I have never been like that before and assumed it was Covid but NOPE. Still negative.

It would be easy to think that we have wasted our care for the past 27 months in isolating, sanitising, being careful etc. But the strain now is highly infectious but mild. We know we still did the right thing being ultra careful and fully vaccinated and this new strain apparently offers no immunity protection either. Oh well - we made it through this one.

On a happier noe I have scrapping to share.

 

Sometimes I do a page I love and this was one of them as it was just a perfect photo and it was based on one of Lisa Sikorski's amazing sketches in the facebook group Scrap a Sketch and ... guess what ...

 

drum roll

 

I am now on her new permanent Creative Team and I cannot tell you how thrilled I am

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have also been playing with my new Design Team kit from A Trip Down Memory Lane (I am blessed to be on some gorgeous design teams and know I am very lucky)

 

Our kit this month was Echo Park New Day - perfect for my many many garden photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• Covid being pretty much done here - just the residual tiredness
• the heat not being as bad as expected
• nice kits to play with

 

Gorgeous new releases

It's the release of the new Berry Big Deals at Pickleberrypop today and oh my the colours are so utterly gorgeous. I love them and they all coordinate.

 

Remeber I get these for free in order to promote them as part of the creative team

 

Credits

Big Dreams Bundle by Fayette Designs
You can get the entire collection for just $8 through Friday. That's a 79%
Discount!

Credits

Wildflower BBD Bundle by Bellisae Designs

 

 

 

Credits

Free Spirit Bundle by TirAmisu Designs

 

 

 

Credits

Do Your Thing Bundle by Chunlin Designs

 

 

 

Credits

Small Joys Bundle by Lorie M

 

 

 

Kim thank you or your lovely comments and you sked about flair. Yes they are the little round embellishments. Think small badge/buttons without the pins int hem. They do add a bit of bulk but not oo much and they fit very easily into page protectors. Adam, who runs the company, is here in the UK but he has lot of customers int he USA. Several of the new design team are also in America and Canada. The web site is DOTTY ABOUT FLAIR and that should be a clickable link  and there is also a fabulous facebook group called Dotty About Flair full of ideas and such a happy community

 

Exciting News

I am so thrilled I can share my exciting news at last - it has been so hard keeping it quiet.

I am one of the new 2022 Design Team over at Dotty About Flair.

 

I have been a huge fan of flair for a long time now, since Natalie started DAF, and my obsession has gown plus the DAF group on facebook is such a lovely friendly happy and supportive community. I am thrilled to be working with Adam and so many other talented scrappers. It's a whole new thing and I am very excited.

 

 

 

So watch this space.

 

I have some new pages to share that I have made today that - as it happens - include flair of course. And they are also for various challenges at Under the Influence of Scrappy Adam, Scrap a Sketch and Scrap Squad

 

 

 

 

I have also made another page using Paige Evans Splendid which I was given as part of my Design Team work for A Trip Down Memory Lane

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• people believing in me ... I am actually a very simple scrapper and blessed to be on the design team for three companies I have huge respect and admiration for; Dotty About Flair, A Trip Down Memory Lane  and Pickleberrypop

(all of those are now clickable links to the companies themselves)

 

A 'SPLENDID' day

The title refers to scrapping, which I will come to. Today was an odd job day. We started off buying Nigel's Apple watch. It has taken me three months to convince him to get one. Finally!

Then we went to Hobbycraft as I had a voucher to spend and went to Haskins to enquire about our dead bamboo. They offer a guarantee on plants and as this was over £80 and it has died already we wanted a refund. They assured us - didn't really want to see the photos we took - it wasn't dead but poorly and would come back to life. They asked us to give it a chance for another few weeks. We are not convinced but will wait and see.

Other than that we have been sat in the garden and I have been scrapping.

My free design team kit from A Trip Down Memory Lane was a selection of papers from Paige Evans new range, Splendid. (Now the title makes sense!)

One of the papers was a gorgeous floral wreath which I wanted to use, but I scrap largely A4 and so had to do some creative cutting. And it means I have flowers left over. Result.

 

 

 

 

 

and I also made this page from out trip to Burley a week ago

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful that

• Nigel has an apple watch at last
• that I have nice DT stuff to play with

and these made me smile ... cat owners will understand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of glorious days

We have had a couple of beautiful days. Yesterday we walked round Creekmore Lakes and the light was gorgeous and then, a complete surprise, my lovely cousin Ann turned up as she was visiting from 'oop north' and so we spent a lovely time with her.

 

 

Whilst she was here and we were all sat enjoying lunch and the sunshine on the balcony, the contractors working on the heath had a bit of a to do with our wall and the upshot is we have to have a new wall! Thankfully not at our expense but still tedious to have to have it done.

 

Today we went for a walk to the bluebell woods which was lovely and then I have largely been scrapping.

 

 

 

 

 

I had a lovely selection of Vicki Bourtin Sugar Rush papers given to me in order to promote them as part of my design team work and these are four of the pages. The papers are bright for me but I did enjoy using them.

And two of them are photos from today!!

This was from today

 

 

 

 

 

and this

 

 

 

 

 

 

and these two from photos earlier in the month

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a difference a week makes

Just a week ago we were in tee shirts enjoying ice-cream on the beach. This morning, after a very early start, we were wrapped up warm on the beach in 2 degrees. But it was stunning down there, clear and crisp and bright and I couldn't live anywhere else.

 

 

 

 

I have some scrapping to share and 30 minute painting (actually it was 28 minutes but heck - I was just playing around)

 

A gorgeous retro van from Winchester

 

 

 

 

another day at the beach in March (yes we do go a lot - yes I DO need it!)

 

 

 

 

and whoops - another beach!

 

 

I made a total of 72 pages in March bringing my total for 2022 up to 227 which I am quite chuffed with. I managed to complete all of the 30 days of sketches challenges along with many other challenges from a variety of sites. I do wish I wasn't quite as addicted to challenges as I am but heck - it is at least using up some of the stash.

 

I have a couple of pages made today too, they were using the gorgeous new Simple Stories Simply Vintage Indigo Garden and made for challenges and as part of my DT work for A Trip Down memory lane

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• the beach
• the fact that we have now cancelled a project we had doubts about. As it happened we were right to have those doubts. All is well that ends well
• Central heating in this cold but Lord knows how much it is going to cost us.