Dolly's Dreamings

The weekend is here

Oh I am so glad it is now - my weekend has started.

I can't say work is hard - I just sit and watch other people work - but it is tiring and I am not used to doing anything now, but it is done for the week and I have earned my 3-month fitness club membership!

And I did have some funny stories out of it too.

The students are lovely and a joy to work with - but it is the weekend now and I am glad.

 

My knee held up OK. I hit a bit of a wall yesterday but today was not so bad.

 

I even have new scrapping to share

Despite work, I am managing to keep up with the daily prompts.

 

This was the 15th which was portrait. It documents how in one of the world's most gastronomically good capitals we STILL opted for the Hard Rock! We know what we like and we like what we know.

 

 

Today's prompt was tags - used some very very old Hot off the Press tags cut from one of their books.

 

and I even got a digital page sneaked in with a new collection called  Love Life by Natalie Designs which is beyond gorgeous.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• my working week of three days is done
• my knee held up
• the weekend

 

 

Tropical Travelogue Part Two

It's been a lovely day here today - just a nice chilled relaxed day with a long walk and nothing much happening. Not every day needs to be amazing. Truly! But every day can be lovely. It's just that some days you have to look a little harder ... today I didn't have to look far.

 

I shared some of the Graphic 45 Tropical Travelogue work the other day so this is the remainder of the things I got to create

 

This was different again - very much a water theme with the aquarium at Seaworld

 

 

 

 

 

 

and this was another 'wild page using lots of the leaves. One thing I will say about this collection was that I used a LOT of fussy cutting ... but I do like fussy cutting.

 

 

 

 

A tropical Travelogue set had to have pictures of the Caribbean Beach - our tropical paradise ... well, it used to be. They have ruined it now. It is no longer just tropical with gondola monstrosities and huge towers and it certainly isn't our idea of paradise, but it WAS

 

 

 

 

 

And I couldn't resist using it for a Pismo page - still my favourite ever sunset. Sandbanks and evening hill is close, but this was perfection 

 

 

 

 

This is my favourite page made with the collection and I confess this one is framed in the hall. I have a lovely frame - I think it is a Ribba from Ikea which is about 16" square with a 12" x 12" opening inside the mount - where I change the pages regularly. This is in the frame at the moment.

 

 

 

and finally three more cards I made with the left overs

 

 

 

Do check out the collection HERE

 

Barb you asked if I always do pages quickly. I never leave an unfinished page... I generally spend between an hour and two hours in a page ... any longer than that and I lose interest... I also have to clear my desk and put away everything after each layout even if I am doing another page that day. I am terribly OCD 

Today I am thankful for

• being married to someone who gets the simple things of life too
• nice days - not just special days. Although it is true what they say, every day you are alive is special

 

 

Finally - some people made things a little more special by painting the ordinary and making it extra-ordinary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Design Team work .. from the past

There has been little new scrapping that I can share over the last couple of days. I have been busy living (and working) making those memories to scrap so haven't done much scrapping ... well at least not things I can share just yet. 

So I have some older scrapping that I wasn't able to share until now.

A little while ago I was invited to guest design for Charmed Cards and Crafts. I was thrilled to have been asked and had such fun making projects for Karen and her store.

She sent me an amazing pack of the Graphic 45 Deluxe Collectors Edition Tropical Travelogue

I had such fun playing with it making such a collection of pages. I loved that there were blues and greens and brights and then also more subtle things. I added nothing to these pages - no extra embellishments, just the papers an stickers included int he kit - and quite a lot of fussy cutting.

 

I won't bore you with all of them today - I will split this over two posts as it will be quite picture heavy and heck - that's tough!

This was one fo the first I made. I loved the colours that were in the collection and this page used a mess of fussy cut flowers from one of the papers.

 

 

 

You can see that better in a  couple of the close-ups

 

 

 

 

This page is in complete contrast - focusing on the wild and green and jungle aspects of the collection

 

It begged to be used for zebra pictures

 

 

This third page seems to be a combination with some jungle bits but a vacation theme

 

 

 

 

And this one different again - I love the borders that come in the Graphic 45 range - they lend themselves being cut out and used in different ways

 

The pictures are of Mom and me - they were taken about 20 years apart when Mom was about 26 and I was 16 ... I made everything int he picture of me black and white except me so it was more in keeping with Mom's picture. My Daddy carried this picture in his wallet until the day he died. I am not surprised - she looks gorgeous

 

 

 

I loved using the little leather effect journal

 

 

and finally today a couple of the cards I made

 

 

 

 

You can see why I loved working with the collection

 

Today I am thankful for

• being asked to guest design
• having gorgeous things to work with
• Autumn - still my favourite time of year

 

And yes- bored panda - perfect for Autumn evenings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Largely positive

I had a lovely day yesterday. No pain relief needed at all and a lovely friend I used to work with came to visit.

It was so lovely to see Simon. When he left that was one of the final things that made me determined I was going to leave. Simon was such an integral part of what the school used to mean that his leaving had a huge impact on me. I am thrilled he left for the best of reasons and now has his own school and is loving it. But goodness I missed him every day and it is always so good when we get to catch up. Lovely day. However, go figure, bad night. No pain really all day, horrid pain, even with pain relief, all night. No idea why. I think maybe it is the intercostal tendons that are sore now and at times they just go into spasm.

 

I also finally found a couple of decent bras. You would think that wasn't hard wouldn't you! I always buy my bras from M and S and I always buy them on line. The never have the full range of styles and sizes in store so it is just easier. I have a style I like and stick with it. Well, I figured I did. I ordered the wrong style in three colours first off. Just slightly different but actually bore no resemblance to the bras I love. I think bras are such a key thing to wear. They are not the comfiest thing int he world (hence why they tend to come off as soon as possible when we are slumming at home ladies!) and just the slighest thing I find can turn it from OK to 'Oh my goodness I am in an instrument of torture, get me out get me out get me out!' 

And no - I don't get them fitted. I went once and the contraption they put me in which they said was the right size, unlike the size I had been wearing, was an absolute no. I think wearing and all metal bra would have been more comfortable.

Anyway - they had to go back and I finally figured what I had done wrong (they look the same but one style had a bow and one style had an elongated bow but they look identical, same price etc.)

They came and I ordered three colourways and they might as well have sent three different sizes. I did double check they hadn't. They hadn't. One was perfect in every single sense. One was way-way too big and one was - well just off. Very off. Monoboob off. I actually put the three together, thinking maybe my boobs had suddenly changed dramatically between bra one and two and three. They were sooo different. So the perfect one was kept, I reordered the gorgeous magenta one I loved that was way too huge and when the replacement came - the same size - it was perfect. So, long process but new bras and 5 to return! HOW can things vary so much.  Hopefully, the issue of finding the right bra has resonated with some of you ... or maybe it is just me!

 

Went for a lovely walk today and also called into the library to get a few books on watercolours. I figured now I have been painting for a year it might be an idea to learn how to do it properly. I have a very tight and detailed style and I would love to be able to paint more loosely and abstractly. We will see.

I also have new scrapping to share.

 

This page is not the most artistic I have ever made - though it took an age - but I felt very strongly about it.

I saw the new pictures of the Caribbean Beach resort and how awful the new gondola stanchions look - so close to the buildings, not camouflaged etc. They have ruined our home resort. It was so very very beautiful and tropical and peaceful and they have destroyed it.

 

 

I stitched the flap on as I wanted to hide the photos of what it looks like now. The one on the front is the view we knew and loved. It now has a huge pole int he way and what on earth it will be like when the gondola is whizzing overhead I dread to think.

 

 

 

This is a cut file I have had for ages and never used so it was fun to use that yesterday too

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely visit from a good friend
• a pain-free day
• a fitting bra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a bit of a Disney mood

I guess the title of this post is a bit of a given.

I am always in a Disney mood.

 

Having scrapped a few Disney pictures the other day I felt it was time for more.

There are always more Disney pictures to scrap and I am guessing that each time we visit there will be more still.

It is not unusual for us to come home with a couple of thousand pictures even though we have been so many times. There is always something new to take a picture of - and lots of things we already have pictures of but hey - that's the beauty of digital cameras, isn't it.

 

I was born at a time when photographs were for something special and most fo the pictures I have from my childhood are from birthdays, Christmas and family holidays. We really didn't take many photos as the film and developing was expensive and well, you just didn't. It wasn't unusual to have a film int he camera all year and it would last for birthday and Christmas before filling up the shots - often on a 24 roll, a 36 if you were feeling flush. When I had my own camera in my teenage years I was still frugal with the shots but there were pictures of days out too. I used to send my pictures off to Tru-Print and there was always the excitement of getting them back in the post. And you go three prints of each shot - there would be the main photo and two small pictures, I am guessing something like 2" x 2". It was an expensive hobby though and I remember when we went on our first trip to Florida in 1993 we came back with about 8 rolls of 36 photos (amazing that we went the Disney for what we thought was the only time we would ever go and came back with under 300 pictures) and we couldn't afford to get them all developed at once. We did 4 rolls one month and 4 the next. And then in a  roll of 36 you would find maybe 20 that were good and that you would put in one of those wonderful sticky photo albums that would destroy your precious photos.

How times change eh!

 

But I also think it is sad that many photos now only exist digitally. They never get printed and shared. I guess that is one of the things I love about our wonderful hobby of scrapbooking. I have also started making a conscious effort to make photo books of some of our holidays.

I did a massive photo book of 120 pages of our WOW tour last year and also another 120-page book of various other holidays from the past 10 years. We also did a wildlife one of all our best animal photos. I thought these were quite expensive but they are not when you consider the past costs. I buy them on sale and usually spend about £40 on a 120-page book which can quite easily house 300+ photos. Consider 36 rolls of film was about £4 and developing was about £6 making £10 for 36 photos and it makes you realise getting digital photos printed is very reasonable. Plus it means the pictures get looked at and shared.

 

Anyway, I digress terribly. I was in a Disney mood the other day and so have been scrapping more Disney pictures. This is the last couple of days work.

 

 

Splash mountain is just about my all-time favourite ride anywhere in Disney World ... though I also love Everest and Tower of Terror. The photo is from the final scene of the ride.

 

The picture of Nigel is still Disney but it is Disneyland from last year's holiday - outside the Haunted Mansion which has a Halloween Overlay.  I couldn't find the right embellishments but I happened upon the papers with the little cameo type detail which echoes (in my mind anyway) the portraits and roundels you see inside and the chandelier block at the bottom just seemed very haunted mansion. 

 Finally not strictly Disney but still Disney. We stayed at the Anaheim Majestic Garden lst year and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. They had a shuttle bust that took you to the parks and it was by far the nicest bus we saw of any resort - even the Disney resorts and it was so regular. Brilliant service.

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• the first trip in 1993 NOT being our last. It  was booked by fluke actually as we were meant to be going to visit Nigel's brother in New England but he then said that Nigel's other brother was going to stay and as he had never been before they were going to stay with them when we were going so could we no longer come at that time. Perhaps go another time.  We couldn't and didn't want to change our dates so we looked for an alternative holiday. I went to a travel agent and came back with a load of options such as Italy, RHine cruises etc and said ... or we could go to Florida. We had never been and always felt Walt Disney World wasn't REAL Disney - we had already been to Disneyland twice. In the end, we decided to take a punt on Walt Disney World. Oh, my - we have never looked back. It is home from home.
• Digital cameras - giving us the chance to record the mundane things as well as the special.

 

 

 

 

 

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Something different

OK so I feel for the time being I have had enough of catch up.

Christmas music is playing

I can smell baking. I love the smells of Christmas ... Pine and cold, spices and gingerbread, cinnamon and happiness. Yes happiness smells!

 

The holidays are well and truly here (and I do love Christmas so much) and so it was time to have fun NOT playing catchup of things I don't want to do.

So I decided to browse my photo files - I have just one or two of those!!! One or two thousand I guess. And pick whatever took my fancy.

This is what I came up with. Two totally unconnected pages that I made JUST BECAUSE.

 

 

This one is from a trip in 2005 to the Animal Kingdom and watching the welcome show - I remember quite clearly Minnie holding up a scroll with 'rules' and one was to wear sun cream. We have never managed the welcome show again. I think we are just too lazy now! I am not sure they even still do it. They no longer do the afternoon parade we loved ... Though it is good they change it up ... Always new things to see and do and enjoy. 

I wanted to use the tiger papers to match the safari vehicle they were in but it was the wrong colour as it was orange, not reddish and so I coloured it in to match.

 

 

This is another Disney page - I guess I must just have been drawn to Disney - either that or the fact I have a gazillion Disney pictures to scrap. I loved this picture of Nigel at Epcot. It would have been better if the monorail had been in it too, but I seem to recall we got bored of waiting (I have a very low boredom threshold) I had fun with the clusters and echoing the globe of Spaceship Earth.

 

It is nice to catch up and finish albums that you have been working to finish but also nice to just play with whatever you want just because!

 

 Today I am thankful for

• the joys of the Christmas season - I love this time of year
• Lights - Christmas lights are so special - here are a few more of the lights that decorate our home  this time of year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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OK so it is early

It's no good.

I can't stand it any longer.

I have been making Christmas themed CT pages today (can't share them yet)

and Christmas presents (can't share those yet either) and listening to Christmas music whilst I made them.

 

So I went and made a Christmas header and - yes I know it is early - but it is up.

 

It's my favourite time of year so what the heck. 

 

I have also made a page for the challenge on UKS and it couldn't be less Christmassy - it is really bright and summery.  Heck - let's mix it up a bit eh!

 

Yet another for the ever expanding Disney albums. There are a lot of them now. I need to stop!

 

We went out to enjoyt he sunshine for a wlak this morning - and it promptly rained so we had a sit by the sea instead.  Hence why I had time to come home early and scrap.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a happy day of crafting
• impending Christmas

 

 

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Into the winter period

So I guess we are into the winter now. The clocks went back last night which was lovely and meant an extra hour asleep. Well, it would have done if Nigel hadn't been stupid. He got up early to watch something on TV and then decided it was late and he ought to wake me up. The clock in the lounge, which hadn't been changed, read 8.30. He remembered the clocks had changed but thought they had gone forward and thought'oh crikey, it's 9.30 she will be cross to have slept so late so I had better wake her'. So he did - it was 7.30.... on a Sunday ... wifey not thrilled!

 

There is a definite chill int he air today too and the ground is covered with fallen leaves. I like it though. I like winter. I like the dark nights and being in all cosy and warm.

 

We have seen two more films this week - oh so very different. We kept seeing trailers for Jigsaw and had no idea that it was part of a whole franchise of films. Nigel spotted Saw - the first one - for £1 and so we watched that and I am glad we did as it helped us understand Jigsaw. I thought the story was very clever but it was overly gory - I liked the story, not the gore. And I feel no need to watch the other half a dozen in the franchise.

The other film we saw was Breathe and it was awesome. I cried and thought it was very well made, very moving and remarkable as it was a true story. I love it that the son ... the little boy in the film ... made it. It made it so personal. Nigel and I have rated all the films we have seen this year - well since March. It totals 55 films and I have given 8 of them 5 stars. We want to watch the Oscars this year as we will at least know what they are on about and feel we know some which should win awards. My recommendations for major awards are The Promise, The Zookeepers Wife, The Shack,  Breathe, Goodbye Christopher Robin, Dunkirk, Their Finest and probably others I have forgotten. If Mother wins anything I will be turning the television OFF. I know the films we have loved probably won't be the ones chosen for awards as we tend to have very different tastes to many. The bottom line, though, is we are loving our cinema membership.

 

I have new scrapping to share today as well. It uses Dawn Inskip products and is her free template for her monthly challenge. The photos are all from the creature workshop at the Harry Potter Studios tour.

 

 

And this is a paper page for the Disney album. It is from Coronado Springs and Ithink I am going to have to have a special resorts album. I need to do something to make my Dsieny albums sorted as there are so many. I have a rides album, year albums, general Florida albums, Disneyland albums, a World Showcase album etc so I think a resort album is next. It's much brighter than I usually do as I was trying to capture the carnival/fiesta sort of vibe.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• Unlimited cinema
• lunch by the lake at Poole Park
• Central Heating
• almost that extra hour in bed

 

A quiet few days in Tupperware

It's been a quiet few days here and the weather has been pretty rubbish.

 

My favourite Bill Bryson quote - again - it is like living in tupperware ... grey and damp and drizzly.

 

We did manage to enjoy Nigel's birthday though at our favourite beach restaurant -  though not the weather to enjoy it really.

 

I have new scrapping to share - another Disney page for the Magical Scrapbook class. This one of the African drummers in Harambe int he Magic Kingdom. Straight as a die really but not photographed well.

 

 

 

 

I also can share this page now - I was let down on UKS by the challenger again so had to set the challenge myself ... it's a good job I keep pages ready for the unexpected.

 

This is another for the WOW tour album as it is from Disneyland.

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• pampered feet
• central heating
• fresh baked bread - house smells fabulous

 

 

Goodbye Christopher Robin and other such things

We went to see the above named film today and very good it was too. It hasn't had great reviews but I thought it was terrific.

I was raised on Winnie the Pooh - not the Disney version - the real version, the books. My Mom used to recite poems to me when she put me to bed and Vespers was one of our favourites and Daddy used to read to me and it was often Winnie the Pooh. Then I grew to love the Disney version too and collected all of the characters on our various trips and they were a permanent feature in my office that the children loved and a regular feature of my assemblies.  One of the few LPs I kept was my Winnie the Pooh LP - oh yes - I know how to live. ###

So the film was a must for me and it was sad and moving and beautifully filmed and left much to think about. I am so pleased we saw it and I whole - heartedly recommend it

 

I finished my LSNED today and thoroughly enjoyed it again. Not sure if I will print them out or not yet.

 

 

and a paper page to show I do still manage to fit in some scrapping every now and then!!

 

I realised I had very very few pictures of Universal Studios so I have made a promise to address that. Whilst I am not keen on the two parks we have been and they are memories and as such deserve to be recorded. This was Kings Cross and the London area  and I love the picture at the top where I caught Kreacher peeping out.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a wonderful September
• Great films - we have seen so many in a month
• author who write such wonderful books they enrich our lives
• Winnie the pooh ... a part of my life

 

and two videos to end with - enjoy x