HE BRINGS THE PRESENTS AND TRIMS THE TREE

I had meant to post something yesterday but I was fussing with trying to get a printer to work. I've gotten the scanning portion to work with Photoshop but for some reason the printer portion only works if I scan something then it will print. It won't print from a file off my computer. I'm sure it's something simple that I'm not doing but after wasting several hours yesterday trying to get it to work right I gave up and will try again another time. At least the scanner works which I do need if I want to scan any of my paper doll sets to post on this blog. 

Another adorable card from the book. 

Brougham

I finished The Raider and am rather sad at the ending. Not because Boyd and Lady Rosalin didn't  finally end up together but because Alex "The Dragon" Seton left the guard after a falling out with his partner Boyd over a raid (and what he perceives as the wrong treatment of Lady Rosalin) Boyd was going to make on Broughan under the misguided notion that Clifford, Rosalin's brother, had attacked the village of Corehead, a village outside Etterick Forest. He didn't but Boyd didn't find that out until he'd almost gotten to Brougham and decided to go back and find out if the raid had actually taken place. It almost had but at the last minute Clifford had shown up and saved the village from Sir Henry who was Rosalin's finance.  Seton, of course didn't know this, neither did Rosalin until Boyd came to get her at Berwick Castle. Seton, still stewing after his falling out with Boyd, cut up his arm that had the tattoo on it in

order to rid himself of the mark of the Highland Guard on his arm. The last we see of him, his him leaving Berwick Castle headed for London. His Highland Guard brethren know what he has done and feel that he has betrayed them. He hasn't but they don't know that. So I am hoping McCarty will do a book featuring Seton. I have started The Arrow, the last book written (thus far) in the series and she always has a list of the characters of the Guard and Seton's name is no longer among them!!!  Please don't leave me hanging as to what Seton's fate is!!  She still has to do a book featuring Eoin "Striker" McLean so I am hoping Seton will also have a story of his own.  I can't believe she'd just leave him to his fate at he hands of Edward II. 

I'm at the very begging of the Arrow where we first meet Cate who's village is being attacked by the English for their giving refuge to the rebels. Cate has been fishing in the loch but hears the pounding of horses hooves and knows that means one of two things: either the rebels have

Lochmaben village today

returned to seek refuge or the English have come to punish them for harboring Bruce and his band of followers.  Cate tries to reach her mother before the English do but it to late. She looses her mother and her unborn sibling and she is tossed down a well to parish. I left when Gregor MacGregor, also known as the Arrow, Eoin MacLean and Ewen Lamont have come across the village and thus far do not know that Cate is down the well. 


Today's paper doll is from 1953. 

12 20 1953

Til next time....                                 ALOHA!!!

HERE COMES SANTA

HERE COMES SANTA!!!

Stickers for the above page. The church  and the houses didn't have stickers to put on the page. 

Another card from the book. 

In the Raider the messenger Robbie sent to Rosalin's brother has returned but instead of immediately agreeing to a truce, wants to meet up with him at Melrose Abbey.  Now that it's finally time to say goodbye to Rosalin, he is reluctant

Melrose Abbey

 to let her go. The same can be said about Rosalin. She does not want to have to say farewell to Robbie, even though it would mean living in less than luxurious surroundings. 
As you are probably familiar with from earlier posts, I like to look up places mentioned in historical novels. Melrose Abbey must have been very impressive in it's hay day if the ruins of the church are anything to go by. There are times where I would love to take a time machine back in time just to see what these places actually looked like before they were torn down, or for whatever reason, dismantled. Churches now, just aren't as magnificent as those built in bygone eras. though some of them, especially the catholic churches, are pretty spectacular just not on the scale of those built centuries ago.

The paper doll for today is from 1949.

12 18 1949

Here is the strip that accompanied the paper doll.

Til tomorrow...                           Aloha!!!

SANTAS HELPERS AND JANE ARDEN IN PALESTINE

Todays card from the book is of two children who have fallen asleep while making their wish list. 

In the Raider they've left Kirkton Manor and are now in Etterick Forest. Robbie fund out about the escape attempt and was none to pleased with it. I'm at the part where it's the second day of their arrival at their main camp and Rosalin is assisting him (reluctantly I might add) with his bath. 

Here is Jane in Palestine. Next time it will be Jane in Czechoslovakia.

12 17 1933

Til' next time....                                            ALOHA!!!

AND MORE OF THE SANTA STICKER BOOK

More from the Santa Sticker and Punch out book

 Stickers that go with above page.

Another greeting card from the book. 

Just for fun I turned the above reindeer into Rudolph. 

In The Raider Rosalin has realized who her abductor is and wonders at the change in him. Robert has, for years, tried to discover who his angel of mercy was, so he could thank her for helping him escape, little realizing that she is the sister of his bitter enemy. He is none to pleased when he finds out who he has taken hostage.  I'm at the part now where The Black Douglas has ridin into the camp and found out who they have captured.  Rosalin, for her part, finds herself more afraid of Douglas than her captor. 

Today's paper doll is yet another Boots (I have tons of her) from 1957. This time we find Boots in the bedroom. 

12 15 1957

 And converted to black and white. I altered it just a bit so her lips, bed headboards, scarf, cuffs and belt can also be colored.  A digitally colored version is in the works.

Til' next time.......                                       ALOHA!!!

Til' next time........                                   ALOHA!!!

MORE FROM SANTA STICKER AND CUT OUT BOOK

Another page from the Santa Sticker and Cut out Book.

The stickers that go with the above page.

Another card from the book.

castle

I've started The Raider. Even from the first few pages, it's shaping up to be a good read. Lady Rosalin Clifford first meets Robert "the Raider" Boyd (who really existed) when he was imprisoned by her brother Sir Robert Clifford (another real historical figure though he didn't actually have a sister according to the authors note at the back of the book). She finds herself attracted to the big Scotsman and sets out to make his and his fellow captives life a little easier by providing them with extra rations, that is until the extra food is discovered and they are punished for "stealing". Sir Robert refused to believe that they were innocent and relegated Robert Boyd to the pit prison of the old keep at  Kildrummy Castle. She takes pity on him and frees him.  She will end up regretting her impulsive urge. 


Seven years will pass before the two meet up again. The Bruce is making headway at exercising the English from Scotland and The Raider is in charge of seeing that they English scourge is removed from the marches. He has a long standing hatred for Sir Robert Clifford, who was responsible for the death of his father, mother, brother and sister. As luck would have it, Rosalin has taken her young niece to a faire being held at Norham and to teach her how to sit a horse

Norham Castle

since her brother would not allow her to learn with his son Roger. While at the faire The Raider swoops down on the village in order to obtain supplies for the Bruces army in the process kidnapping young Roger and Rosalin to boot as she was trying to protect the young heir and get him away from the "barbarian" that had caught him. With little time to waste and the English troops swarming out of Norham castle (Meg and run to the stronghold to alert the garrison there), the Raider promptly puts a seed bag over her head, scoops her up and gallops hell for leather into the Lammermuir Hills. I'm at the part where Rosalin has taken the opportunity to attempt an escape with her nephew and The Raider, non to happy that the captives were not closely watched (Rosalin feigned a swoon in order to give them an opportunity to make a run for it while their guard went and got her the water she request from the nearby burn) gives chase. 

Today's paper doll is a Brenda Starr from 1941. 

12 14 1941

 I've converted Brenda to black and white and am working on turning the costumes into images you can color as well. 

Til next time...                                              ALOHA!!!