Day 3 – August Arty Challenge – There Is Joy In The Making

Day 3 – August Arty Challenge – There Is Joy In The Making

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Good morning! Today’s affirmation is one that feels especially close to my heart: There Is Joy in the Making. So often we focus on the finished piece – whether it’s a card, a painting or a parchment project – but the real magic happens in the making itself. Those quiet moments at your craft desk, choosing colours, adding little details and simply enjoying the process are what creativity is really about. It doesn’t matter if everything goes exactly to plan….

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Day 2 – August Arty Challenge – I See Beauty In Ordinary Things

Day 2 – August Arty Challenge – I See Beauty In Ordinary Things

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Happy Sunday! It’s so easy to rush through the day without really noticing what’s around us. This affirmation made me stop and think. There really is beauty in the ordinary – a weathered fence, the shape of a leaf, the texture of an old wall, even the way ink settles on paper. Today’s project is a reminder that you don’t need lots of fancy products or complicated techniques to make something lovely. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the ones that…

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Day 1 – August Arty Challenge – Every Artist Starts somewhere

Day 1 – August Arty Challenge – Every Artist Starts somewhere

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Hi there! August has always felt like the perfect month to slow down, make a little time for yourself and simply create. So this year, I’d love you to join me for something rather special. Every single day throughout August, I’ll be choosing one of our Daily Affirmation Cards and decorating the reverse with a different creative idea, technique or little artistic adventure. You don’t have to make what I make—in fact, I’d much rather you used my projects as…

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Why Every Creative Person Needs to Look Up

Why Every Creative Person Needs to Look Up

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Hi there, Thanks for popping in. Got a cuppa ready? Well, let me tell you about last week… There are times when life reminds you to look up. Not just in the metaphorical sense, but literally. To lift your eyes from the to-do list, the emails, the deadlines and the never-ending jobs that seem to fill every waking hour. Because when your nose is permanently pressed to the grindstone, it’s remarkable how much of the world slips by unnoticed. Now,…

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Why Making Something Every Day Can Change Your Life

Why Making Something Every Day Can Change Your Life

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Hi there. Thanks for popping in. Every morning, without fail, Dave reads a page from his little book of Tao Daily Reflections. It’s become part of our routine. Tea, toast, the cats wandering about looking hopeful, and then a quiet thought to start the day. This morning one sentence leapt off the page. “The irony of life is that it’s a one-way journey.” I’ve been thinking about it ever since. It really is, isn’t it? There are no U-turns. No…

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Looking After Ourselves – The Return of the Gray-Scalers

Looking After Ourselves – The Return of the Gray-Scalers

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Hi there, Thanks for popping in. During lockdown, Grace and I started a little Facebook group called The Gray-Scalers. It wasn’t about achieving the perfect figure. It wasn’t about fad diets or impossible targets. It was simply a group of friends gently encouraging one another to make healthier choices, sharing the occasional victory, admitting the occasional wobble, and remembering that it’s always easier when you’re not doing it alone. Like so many things that began during lockdown, life gradually moved…

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It All Starts With a Pencil

It All Starts With a Pencil

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Hi there. Thanks for popping in. I’ve been thinking about this afternoon’s TV show, and it struck me that you only ever really see the finished result. You see a new stamp collection. A new set of Landscape Colour Washes. A workshop project. A TV demonstration. What you don’t usually see is how all those things are connected. So today, I thought I’d show you behind the scenes a little. Everything starts with a pencil. If I’ve got an idea…

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Fancy a day out?

Fancy a day out?

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Hi there. Thanks for popping in. I do hope you are coping with the heat! We’ve had a few storms and showers, which are very welcome. But you know what they say about the weather in England. If you don’t like it – wait a minute! I wanted to tell you about our rather splendid day out yesterday. It was a Dave plan. During the week he had asked me “Fancy a day out on Saturday?” “Sure. What do you…

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The Power of Saying Hello

The Power of Saying Hello

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Hi there, Thanks for popping in. It’s been such a very busy and energetic week! Super successful TV shows, great teamwork at Clarity – and the highlight that was Thursday, which, looking back, was clearly meant to be. Let me explain… Dave is a very thoughtful husband. He knows me well, and knows also, that after a busy Hobbymaker TV day, I am pretty wiped out the following day. So he often tries to distract me and plans a little…

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How Wee Stamps Took Me Back in Time…

How Wee Stamps Took Me Back in Time…

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Hi there, Thanks for popping in. This afternoon on Clarity Social TV, Paul and I will be introducing a brand new collection of Wee Stamps. Three A5 stamp sets of little characters. We are calling these our Wee Family & Friends – Life & Love, Dream & Wonder, Childhood Days. We also made a set of ALL the characters in miniature. These are absolutely brilliant – not only for Mini Makes, but also for creating depth and perspective. See here?…

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