Dolly's Dreamings

Quiet days

The last couple of days have been quiet - little outngs for walks and scrapping and relaxing. It is what I dreamed of when I thought of retirement. Not every day needs to be exciting. Quiet and chilled is good too.

We enjoyed a lovely meal out for our anniversary and the garden is coming along nicely too. We are never going to be green fingered but we are doing OK!

And some recent scrapping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and another for the Cornwall album which has been sadly neglected really

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

lazy days

relaxing

 

 

New release day

 

It's new release day today at Pickleberrypop and, as always, full disclosure, I get to work with these kits for free in order to promote them for our fabulous designers.

Credits

Beginning all in one Natalie Designs

 

 

 

 

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April Showers full kit by Jen Yurko

 

 

 

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The blossom bundle by Tiramisu Designs

 

 

There are some truly gorgeous things in store so do go and check them out.

 

 

Wet wet wet

Well I guess we could interpret the title in two ways really.

It is certainly wet wet wet outside - cold and great and damp.

But Wet wet wet also had a hit with Love is All Around and it sure is here as we celebrate another year happily married.

We have celebrated by changing our credit card. Oh my what a palava that is these days. There are sooooo many places needing change. First world problems eh!

 

I have new scrapping to share with you though

I have been loving playing along with Scrap a Sketch and Scrap Squad challenges and also Peartree cutfiles and Lottie Loves Paper and including DAF too.

 

A Very unusual flower at Upton House

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love this girl to bits x

 

 

 

 

and a daft moment

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• admin jobs done
• marrying my best friend and staying best friends!

 

 

 

Fabulous time

We had a wonderful day yesterday. Christmas with our god-daughter - more like a daughter to us - and her hubby had been cancelled thanks to Covid so we had Christmas in April. Why not?

We met part way as it' a long way between us. We selected, at random, a pub called the Malt Shovel and it was perfect. Set in a  beautiful village it was beautiful and old and quirky and the staff could not have been nicer. They even put us in a a little alcove area so we were separate and called us all by our first names. The food was excellent but the company - well the company was just perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just had to take one of the dessert as I loved that the spoon was a little malt shovel!

 

 

 

 

 

So very special - love them to bits

 

Some scrapping to share and yes - two pages from yesterday

 

 

 

 

 

I loved this bee cutfile and backed the little bees with vellum

 

 

 

 

This was such a fun challenge over at Dotty About Flair. What would you tell your younger self. I have included a close up of the journalling so you can see just what I'd have told myself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• Samantha - she has been a blessing in my life for all of her life
• Chris - what were the chances we'd love her husband just as much as her.
• Christmas in April - such fun

 

 

It's new release day at Pickleberrypop and there are some fabulous collections (and please bear in mind I get given these for free)

 

Credits

Best friends bundle by Lara’s Digi World

 

 

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Berry Blends Kit Foody Garden by TirAmisu Designs, Lara’s Digi World and Reginafalango  FWP up to April 12^th

 

 

 

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Swinging on a star Bundle by Carol W

 

Do go and check out what is on offer because it is gorgeous this week and the free kit is wonderful

 

 

Warmer weather thank goodness

The sharp cold snap seems to have passed and the weather has been much warmer which is good.

Despite the cold we have ventured out a few places.

At the weekend we walked through the gardens and Coy Pond

 

We were fascinated by the bottom of this huge horse chestnut tree that was sprouting leaves from all around the bottom

 

 

The weeping willows are all out now

 

 

I love the bug hotels they have dotted around

 

 

and yesterday we walked round Upton Country Park and visited the art exhibition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today was art club and I finished my Portmerion painting - chuffed that it only took me 5 hours and I quite like it

 

 

 

and of course there has been scrapping.

These are all for the 12 days of Spring at Scrap Squad and for the seasons at Scrap a Sketch - two awesome facebook groups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• walks out and about
• painting - I do love the process
• scrapping challenges.

 

Carole thank you for asking about the class I am teaching. It is June 7th and if you would like me to I will ask if you would be allowed to come but I don't know the answer. If not I would happily teach the class at home if you wanted.  Maybe you would have a friend or two who would like to do it. It's likely to be watercolour wreaths

 

 

 

 

 

At last

Today was a good day.

A friend of Nigel's who runs a fabrication business came round, came up with a great design for the back steps and can make them. No rules and regulations, no sharp intakes of breath. It might take a while but we will have new steps and they will be maintenance-free and fab.

We also found  artificial plants for some of the pots. I gave up, years ago, on real plants in the pots because they need watering and I never remember and they die anyway. So have some nice artificial ones which don't take any care.

So a good day.

Plus I have scrapped

This was for the second Spring scrap squad challenge

 

 

 

 

 

and this is for the second Spring challenge on Scrap Squad.

I even used the colourful title though I hate the fact it is the American spelling.

 

 

 

 

Carol you asked about my art. Like you I hadn't really done any painting until I took early retirement. In 2017 I started going to an art club. Often we just do our own things but sometimes we all work on the same thing and we learn from each other. Different members of the club teach and some are very good. The club is all abilities. One of the members is an amazing graphite artist and when I started she was teaching drawing and I learnt so much. I still love love love to draw and do it all the time on scraps of paper. Drawing, for me, is the foundation of everything.  I have learnt so much from the organiser who also teaches. I am actually going to teach a few sessions this year too. Yikes.

I have never used pastels or oils. I have used acrylics (I am not a fan) and watercolour or pencil are my mediums of choice. I don't really have any tips other than drawing is the foundation of everything. My biggest tip - well it works for me - is that the end product for me never ever matters. For me it is the process I love. I don't really care if I like the end products (and they just go in a drawer anyway) so long as I have enjoyed the process, lost myself in art for a few hours.

 

Today I am thankful for

• someone who can do the job we wanted!
• artificial flowers
• heating - it's horribly horribly cold.

 

 

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.

 

 

New releases and new scrapping

It's new release day at Pickleberrypop and I have new scrapping to share too

 

Credits

Memory Lane Bundle by Chunlin

 

 

 

 

 

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https://pickleberrypop.com/shop/Heartfelt-Collection.html

 

 

 

 

 

And this was made for a challenge at Hey Little Magpie and scrap a sketch and it uses my latest painting.

 

 

 

 

 and this one

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apart from that my life has been pretty much trying to sort out the mess of Virgin Media where I can access one account on my phone only, one account not at all and one on my computer only.  It's been going on for a week and is pretty damned awful to be honest!

Today I am thankful that

• today I HAVEN't spoken to them and am accepting that my e mail is just a hot mess.

 

 

 

 

Sooooo tired

We have worked hard the last few days to improve the outside of the house out the back, which we had neglected a bit because we never really use the space.

We still have things to do but my goodness we have improved it. We still need to have a new set of stairs made but that will take time but we are in the process now. However, the set of steps down from he patio to the side of the house (it's a very odd set up because our house is s split level house) which were old, unloved, horrible and an eyesore have now been transformed. We did this on Saturday and yesterday we both ached all over. But it was worth it

 

 

The planters have all been painted and look like the steps too and the new furniture is ordered.

 

I have managed a bit of light scrapping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and this is a digital page with a new collection by Lorie M

 

 

and finally I decided that I would try and paint something very different - out of my comfort zone - a pen and ink picture of one of my route 66 photos

 

I'm unsure but quite pleased I managed it

 

 

Today I am thankful

for a day off from the hard work!