Dolly's Dreamings

Scrapping frenzy and physio

I have been loving doing all of the challenges for iNSD and am proud that in 10 days I have made so many pages.

I made this summary yesterday - but have done 2 more pages today

 

and I have really enjoyed the challenges.

 

I am sharing a couple more of the pages made for various challenges

This should have been called 'butter wouldn't melt'

 

 

 

a page from our trip this week

 

 

another for the Paris album

 

my famous fur babies

 

I have met with the Fracture clinic and the physio and it is not an ACL issue but a cartilage issue so I am pleased with that and I have walked - albeit in pain - for 4000 steps today. Progress ladies - and I am very happy. 

My scrap room is looking denuded as the replacement windows go in Tuesday so we have been clearing and painting the windowsill as the new windows will be white inside and wood effect outside which will look lovely. It will improve my view as the existing window is olf and the glazing has gone clouded so I am sure it will all be worth it in the end. The undercoated windowsill looks very odd against the old wood frame though!

Today I am thankful for

• good health news
• scrapping fun
• walking

 

 

So Physio then!

Finally saw the doctor today with the knee issue. She was surprised there was no swelling, no pain on pushinga nd prodding but pain on bending and standinga nd moving. So have been given stronger pain meds (which are already making me feel sick and haven't touched the pain) and referring me to physio. From there if no joy they will review. I asked about x ray or MRI and she said X Ray was no point as it was bound to be soft tissue damage and they won't MRI until physio has failed. Oh well. Looks like I am int his for the long haul then.

 

On a happier note I have some new scrapping to share made with my latest Design Team products from A Trip Down Memory Lane

I was working witht he glorious Kaisercraft Blessed collection which I absolutely loved. I used the papers to do some more of my Paris album and lots of fussy cutting and even some watercolour paints.

 

This was me on the river trip down the Seine.

 

 

 

and this is of two photos of me I don't like butt hey were necessary for the story. When we went in 1986 we were broke and one day resorted to sharing a crepe as a meal - we could only afford one. This shot was taken on our first evening when I excitedly bought a crepe each, just as a snack, because I could. How 25 years changed eh!

 

I even got the watercolour paints out for this one

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful that

• at least I have been referred to physio
• not being sick - yet - though I feel awfully nauseous
• my hair being cut - hopefully this evening!

 

 

 

 

Happy Easter

What a beautiful day - Easter Sunday - one of the happiest days of the year and the weather has joined in. It is hot and sunny, not a cloud in the sky and we have just enjoyed being home and being together in the sunshine on the balcony.

Love it so much.

We had the balcony for 26 years and must have used it half a dozen times if that. It was pretty grotty with a poor floor and rusting wrought iron we had to rub down, rust treat and repaint every two years. Two years ago we had the balcony replaced with glass screens, new roof and new flooring and we live out there so much - from February until about October. It has changed the way we use the house completely.

 

Scrapping has taken place this weekend but some of it I cannot share yet as it is new for both digital and paper design teams.  These are pages I made earlier this month that I don't think I have shared - and apologies if I have

 

One of the things we like best about staying at Riverside is the quiet pool where we are often the only people and is just steps from our room. Perfect for us.

 

 

More for the Paris Album - a visit to Moulin Roue - but only outside.

 

This was a challenge to do a rainbow page - well it is certainly bright!

 

 

and another Paris page - bridges on the Seine cruise.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• Easter - our Lord has risen!
• Time together
• sunshine
• our balcony - simple pleasures.

 

 

Good Friday

I wish you all the blessings of this most sombre of days. The day that had to happen before we could rejoice on Easter Sunday. My Mom always used to say it often rained on Good Friday as the angels were crying. No rain today - it is a glorious glorious sunny day - even needed suncream and shade on the balcony.

 

I felt motivated today to do some of my Bible Journalling after church. It was an idea I lifted directly off Pinterest but it was just what I wanted to do.

 

 

This is a digital page I made for a challenge at Pickleberrypop using Kathryn Estry's Furever Friends - just sums my naughty little boy up a treat.

 

 

This is a paper page using lots of American Crafts scraps and was made for a challenge on UKS. It records the somewhat challenging walk from where the airport shuttle dropped us off at the Arc Du Triomphe down a very very busy Champs Elysses. Worth it though!

 

 

and finally, I made this page earlier in the week. I had the photo of Notre Dame on my desk ready to scrap as I am working my way through Paris when the tragedy that saw Notre Dame burn unfolded. The photo was taken 8 years ago almost to the day. The loss of so much of this wonderful church is such a loss to art, to history, to faith and I was saddened, but I confess that I am even more saddened by the huge sums of money that have been raised - sums in the millions. Even Disney gave $5 million.  Very laudable. It will help the re-build, but no-one died. No lives were lost and I feel there are so many many more things wrong in the world that need money pouring in in order to save people, to save lives, to save the world and whilst the loss of a beautiful piece of history is awful, I can't support the money given to this and yet not given to other humanitarian causes.

 

Anyway - my page of Notre Dame

 

Today I am thankful for

• my faith which means so much to me - quietly - on a daily basis
• a lovely long weekend ahead.
• sunshine and balcony days

Pretty in pastels at Pickleberrypop

Today is the release of this months Berry Big Deals. A chance to get coordinated collections at stupid prices - too good to miss.

I was lucky to work with six of them this month ... and may yet do more.

 

Have a look at these collections and I am sure you will find something you just HAVE to HAVE

 

This is Aurora by Tiramisu Designs and was so very very pretty

 

 

Pretty enough for Alice!

 

 

And this is Celebrate Life by Lorie M

 

I used it to scrap a surprise Birthday celebration I had a couple of years ago - candles ably blown out with help from Elinor

 

This is Flawed and Fabulous by Chunlin Designs

 

 

 

 

It has been a long process but these days I celebrate my flaws

 

 

 

And this is Like Sweets by Dita B Designs

 

 

 

And I used it for another Paris trip page (I am doing the digital and the paper albums of this trip)

 

 

This is You Gave Me Wings by Fayette Designs

 

 

and I couldn'r resist playing witht his photo of Alice and adding her wings

 

 

And finally Treasured memories by Palvinka Designs

 

 

 

Just us - dressed up!

 

Do go over and have a look.

 

I am not sure what I am thankful for yet but I know I will be thankful for having a lovely visit with a colleague from my old school and for having such lush stuff to play with

 

Have a giid day and happy scrapping!

Cyber cropping fun

The fun of the cyber crop continued yesterday - in between a few other things.

I went to Hobbycraft and bought a new trolley to aid the organisation in my scrap room. I have so much stuff and the trouble is the small things are not well organised so I forget I have them and don't use them. Hopefully, this will help. I plan to sort it next week as this week is busy busy busy.

 

 

We also went to London to collect my brother-in-law and sister-in-law who are over from America to visit with Nigel's mom but we will get to see them too.

 

Anyway - without further ado - more cyber crop pages. I had a blast. I still have three more challenges to complete.

 

I have been enjoying working on my Paris album - this records how happy I was when we finally did the trip down the Seine - I only waited 25 years!

 

 

 

This is a page of Disney on Ice. Not my photos I am afraid. Mine were really poor.

 

 

Another Paris - this time a walk through Montmartre which was lovely.

 

 

And this one took an age. I punched lots of circles in two different sizes, cut them in half and then stitched them on a large circle.

 

Sacre Coeur where we renewed our vows after taking mass.

 

 

 

and finally Forsyth Park in Savannah and also took ages - I found it hard to fill the beautiful cut file with scraps. But I got there and I do love that file.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• knee is a little bit less agony
• Nigel looking after me and stopping me doing too much
• new storage to play with
• cyber crop fun - the scrapping community is so generous.

 

 

 

 

Lovely day but paid the price

I have been really good about resting my knee and it was starting to heal and be much better.

However, I walked far too much on it yesterday and it is back to square one.

 

However, yesterday was not to be avoided. We went up to Birmingham to see Disney on Ice.  I had always wanted to see it and so were pleased we had the chance.

The journey - normally 2.5 hours, was a long one, taking 4 hours due to sheer volume of traffic. Running the length of a very long service station to go to the loo didn't help the knee any (I say running - more like some sort of mutant limping oddity trying to go fast). Once there we were impressed with Resorts World Arena. Great parking at a reasonable price, great choice of restuarants and relatively close to the arena. Very close under normal circumstances. Tollerable for a hobbler. we were staggered by how empt it was. Less than a quarter of the seats were taken and the view we had was great. I tried photos - not good. I forgot my camera and the phone didn't cut it. The music was great and the skating good apart from a few falls, but we felt disappointed that there were not more technological effects - I guess we are spoilt by Disney USA. There was snow - but not like Disney snow - during the Frozen section, but it just seemed a bit 'cheap' somehow. I don't know if we have just been spoilt with what we have seen. Anyway we did enjoy it but were awfully late back and my leg is paying the price today.

 

However, there is a cyber crop on at Lottie Loves Paper and I have managed four of the challenges in just a few hours so I am pleased. Here goes....

 

My new photos from paris arrived this week so I was keen to use some. This is me stepping out of Sacre Coeur just after re-newing our vows to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary (can't believe we have been married 33 years next week!)

 

It was a challenge to make and use cathedral windows (the little folded circles) and I have never made them before so that was fun

 

 

 

This was a challenge to use tags and was inspired by finding a tag that someone made for me in a swap about 13 years ago - it is a gorgeous shaker tag and so it inspired me to get out stamps and stencils and distress inks and make three more tags and even use some fibres that hadn't seen the light of day in 10 years or more.

 

 

 

This was a colour swatch challenge and was just a bit of fun with the pink and blue and yellow

 

 

and this was the last one made today - a moody misty one with a photo taken on a gorgeous misty beautiful morning in February

 

 

Lots of machine stitching - it was a sewing challenge

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a relaxed day
• a great show yesterday - a dream fulfilled
• safe travels there and back
• Nigel looking after me today so I rest my knee

 

 

Mixed Media day

I have missed blogging a few days - had issues with my knee which means sitting - as the knee is bent - is painful. It is a tiny bit easier today but no idea what I have done or how I have done it.

Anyway - a quick catchup of life then some lushness!!! 

 

Yesterday I had the easiest blood test ever. Nigel pre-warned the phlebotomist that I always had problems and I think a phlebotomist doing it is always better anyway as they are the experts whereas doctors and nurses have to do so many things they are often not so good at taking blood. Apparently, I have tiny veins (she described Nigel's as tree tunks) and they wiggle and collapse. She used a butterfly needle and was straight in first time with no issues. I can't tell you how relieved I was. 

Last night we went to a concert at Leaf Academy and oh my goodness - the students were amazing. There were three group numbers but some 20+ soloists and they were all terrific. Some of them were truly West End quality. Such power, such confidence and three of the students had also written their own songs. It was a terrific night and we were both in awe.

 

Today I have been on a mixed media day and it was awesome. We could do whatever we liked and the other ladies made canvases. I chose to decorate a box and a mirror and I got to play with a lot of products I haven't used before - but will use again as I have now bought them of course!

 

I was really pleased with the box which is about 6" x 6" and made of wood not MDF.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can see me decorating a lot of things. I will post the mirror when I have finished it.

 

I have some new scrapping too

I have a rule that cats are NOT allowed in the scrap room but sometimes I relent and then THIS happens!

 

 

 

This was one of the gorgeous murals at ground zero that was so bright and beautiful and seemed to shout out HOPE 

 

 

and the birthday boy at Disney!

 

Today I am thankful that

• my knee is starting to be a little easier
• I had a fabulous crafty day
• new products to try and to play with
• Great nights out - at little cost

 

 

 

 

 

A little bit of freezing

It's been foul weather - rain and wind and gales - but it is still mild.

So where do I get the freezing from?

 

Well, Nigel and I had a FROZEN (and not the Disney version) day yesterday. We both had a little bit of cryosurgery on some pre-cancerous skin things. Nigel's looks no different at all, which is good as his is on his face. Mine - both on my thigh - look horrible. They are swollen and red and scabbing. I know that is what they are meant to do - but it's not pretty. However, having had a malignant melanoma I am just glad to get things treated early.

Two full days of work so far this week and I am shattered - and bored senseless.

But I have still made time to scrap. In fact, being under pressure forces me to scrap more quickly and decisively. Each of these was just a half hour job! 

 

This is the minute man statue and Old North Bridge in Concord where the shot that echoed round the world was fired - the shot that started America's journey to independence from the British. 

It is not only historic but a beautiful place.

 

 

 

I realised at the weekend that I had never scrapped a proper album of our amazing Paris trip in 2011 that was to renew our vows. I made a mini book I loved but not a proper album - so I am starting on that too.

This is a photo from The Hamlet at Versailles - a place I had longed to visit and which was just as magical as I hoped. Although it was April it was hot and sunny and beautiful

 

 

Today I am thankful for having

• a brilliant GP who is very kind and very vigilant.
• being half way through my work session for these mock exams. I prefer being indolent!

 

And finally - a very talented embroiderer and some utter beauty to brighten wet days

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stash Busting weekend

I have had a lovely weekend. There was a mini cyber crop on at Stash Busting and so it was fun to lay along and get more of our Fabulous Fall album done. Actually it is now in three albums ... so far ... and may end up being more. We were away for almost a month, saw so many amazing things so there are a lot of stories to tell. I know no-one other than us will ever see the albums but, to be honest, I get so much pleasure from the act of making them that that doesn't matter at all.

 

Anyway - here are my weekend paper pages (I have also scrapped a mess of digital stuff!)

 

We were so keen to go back and visit New York post 9/11 and pay our tributes at Ground Zero. It was the only reason for the visit.

 

 

We read about this monument just before we left and knew we had to see it. Not so well known, it was out at Bayonne by the cruise ship terminal (quite an adventure getting there) and it was beautiful. Massive massive sculpture and the windiest place I have ever ever been. Never seen a fountain going sideways before! 

 

 

My very favourite pizza in the world is the mushroom pizza at California Pizza Kitchen - it so deserved to be recorded!

 

 

We had a whole tour of covered bridges planned in Amish country but for various reasons it didn't go quite to plan - the route was hard to follow, there were road closures and some of the bridges were derelict. This one, however, was a beauty

 

 

Not every page is happy. I had a very traumatic time on the PATH train to the World Trade Centre due to a broken down train and consequently impassable platforms. I am scared of the underground at the best of times and this was truly horrible.

 

 

This isn't for the Fabulous Fall album. I realised I have never scrapped a proper album of our trip to Paris to mark our 25th wedding anniversary - so expect more French Pages. This was me at my much loved and longed for a visit to Versailles.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a wonderfully scrappy weekend relaxing, creating and being with Nigel.