Barbara Gray Blog

Santosha

8th February 2026 Barbara Gray Comments 3 Comments

Hi there Happy Sunday. I went for a Japanese meal with my good friend Carron the other evening. She talked about “Santosha”. A Sanskrit term, meaning “complete contentment”, “satisfaction”. “acceptance”. Carron does yoga, and in Yoga philosophy, it represents an internal state of peace that is independent of external circumstances or material possessions. I guess it’s what I’ve always referred to as “an inside job”. Apparently, when we speak of acceptance in connection with Santosha, we don’t mean settling for…

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Sunday Artwork Gallery

4th February 2026 Barbara Gray Comments 20 Comments

Hi there As promised, here is a little gallery of the art samples from Sunday’s TV launch of our new Folk Art stamps, new Landscape masks and those irresistible Dawn & Dusk Toppers… Available HERE I also wanted to add a little step by step project here – one we didn’t get to during the 2 hour show – for you to try when your stamps and masks arrive… I used this rather useful mask set to create the backdrop,…

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Stamps that give you that perfect little Backdrop…

27th January 2026 Barbara Gray Comments 15 Comments

Hi there Maybe you caught the 2pm show on Monday? We introduced a super useful little set of Bijou Backdrop stamps, combined with matching mini 5×5 inch BOW-WOB papers. Available HERE So what will these stamps and papers do for you? If you are a card maker, but you often wonder where to start, then THAT’s where these backdrop stamps help a lot. They are the ideal size for a mini make, and they create a perfect little background. YOU…

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Yohaku – white space

23rd January 2026 Barbara Gray Comments 21 Comments

Hi, or should I say こんにちは Konnichiwa ? Dave and I went up to London today, to visit an exhibition of beautiful art and craft at Japan House in Kensington High Street. The Exhibition is called Hyakko. 100+ makers from Japan contribute to a collection of almost 2,000 beautifully hand-crafted pieces. Mostly ceramics, which was like heaven for me. Clay, glass, wood, leather, metal and bamboo actually, but primarily ceramics. Exquisite work. There is an energy in the gallery that…

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Floral ABC meets Entwined Framers…BIJOU!

22nd January 2026 Barbara Gray Comments 10 Comments

Hi there I was looking at this week’s Clarity TV schedule, and up popped some of our lovely Bijou entwined wreaths and SHAC framers. Deborah Wheeler is playing with them tomorrow at 10am and 2pm. I look forward to seeing what loveliness she comes up with. I LOVE these seasonal wreath-building stamps! I remember drawing them too! The thing about the Entwined Wreaths (I’ll pop the link in at the end of this ere blog), is that you can make…

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Life is better together

20th January 2026 Barbara Gray Comments 40 Comments

Hi there Had a hankering to make a card this evening. No particular motive, except to calm my scrambled brain, distract my thoughts, focus my mind. Dad has been on my mind a lot today. I do miss him. The minute I stepped into my artroom, I could feel my shoulders relax. Time to dig out some of my favourite stamps…The House Martins and the Bijou Backdrop Stamp… Add a word that gives you hope. I found the little Japanese…

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It’s Monday – and You’ve been framed!

19th January 2026 Barbara Gray Comments 15 Comments

Hi there. It’s Monday, and we’re in the SHAC at 10, finishing up those lovely faux fabric strips we’ve been colouring and doodling together. Nothing like a little get together with a bunch of like-minded peeps first thing on a Monday morning! I can only speak for myself, but it sets the pace for the week, and gives me a sense of purpose and calm in a completely bonkers world. What is going on?? It’s all too distressing, and the…

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Sunday sunshine

18th January 2026 Barbara Gray Comments 26 Comments

Hi there Apologies for going a bit AWOL for a couple of weeks. It’s never just one thing, is it. After a lovely break with the family, it was time to climb back into the Clarity saddle and crack on. But even when the company is shut, the turkey’s in the oven and we’re singing carols at the rugby club, my brain never really clocks off. It whirrs and cogitates and quietly gathers ideas. I jot things down so they…

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A NEW SHAC IDEA…

6th January 2026 Barbara Gray Comments 17 Comments

Happy New Year and Happy New SHAC idea ! We got together on Monday at 10am for the first session in 2026, and got started on what I think is going to be a great favourite of mine. And what’s the object of the project, Barb? Well, I wanted to create the illusion of strips of fabric, with a front aperture panel. Let’s look at HOW, so you can catch up with me if you fancy joining in next Monday……

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First Sunday of the month – and that can only mean one thing..

4th January 2026 Barbara Gray Comments 20 Comments

Hi there Yep, you guessed it! 2-4 Clarity TV. And today was no exception. First Sunday of the month – first Sunday of the Year in fact! Paul and I had such a fun time, and we hope you did too. Just got in, and will recap quickly, before we settle down to another episode of LANDMAN. Here’s what we laucnhed today: 4 x A6 Stamp Sets – Square Tree Apertures Available HERE (from 5pm Saturday 3rd) Here are the…

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