E for Excited…

E for Excited…

Hi there.
Happy May Day!
Thanks for joining me today.
The love bird is in residence, the sun is out, 
Dave has stopped the leak from the bedroom radiator (don’t ask),
and I have come upstairs to my little sanctum to chat to you.
I’m always a little anxious before a TV weekend,
even so much as a week in advance! It’s the way I’m wired. 
I’m sure anxiety and excitement are nearly the same thing, just from a different angle though, don’t you? They certainly seem to me to have the same symptoms, but I’d much rather be excited –
so let’s get excited!
The other way I can calm myself down is to get organised !
So here I is, making a plan !
Really enjoyable though;
having a little trip down memory lane at the same time!
There is so much to consider, so much to prepare, 
so much to remember.
Next Sunday at 8pm, as always on the first Sunday of the month,
 I shall be launching a One Day Special.
Last month, if you recall, it was those super cool outline stamps with the miniatures which sold out: the stag, the toadstool, the trees, the bird and there was one other….ah yes – the leaf.
Then, while I was away on holiday, 
Rosie did another One Day Special: The Groovi O Framers.
That was also a sell out:
What’s next? Well, this one is a biggie.
We’ve been working on this since Christmas, and it is
something particularly dear to my heart.
It’s the entire Nursery Rhyme ABC in Groovi Plates,
and we’ve even published a beautiful little ii-book 
with the verses to go with it.  
(ii = Ideas and Inspiration)
If you have the time or the inclination, go back to the blog I wrote on 12th November, 2013. It will shed some light on why this Victorian ABC is so important to me.
Not only because I illustrated the letters and wrote a fair few of the verses myself. No, no. It symbolises the very foundation of Clarity. Everything else stems from this.  
You may recognise the two nippers in the poster below. Yep. Grace and Mark.
We decided it was T for Time to transform those illustrations 
into Groovi parchment art.
Josie Davidson

Not only has this been a mammoth production run;
the entire Design team has been beavering away at samples for months too. I love what Josie has done here with 
T for Twinkle Twinkle little Star.
It’s a fantastic collection. 
Major.
More will be revealed tomorrow ….
Love & hugs,
Barb
xxx

53 thoughts on “E for Excited…

  1. Waouh!!!! That is great. Will they also be sold individually? I have to make a congratulations card for July and that will just be perfect. Thank you so much.
    Enjoy your sunny 1st May day
    Laurence xx

  2. Do you think my £20 voucher will cover this one? I suspect not! However, it will go some way to something I know I will use. Looking at the pictures, the different size initials will be a major part for me. I already have the stamps and the lovely poster, and they have been used a lot. I can understand why you are so excited about their conversion and introducing them to a whole new audience to enjoy. When I bought the stamps, I bought extras of some, the initials of my grandchildren, and handed those over as part of their Christmas present together with an Archival ink pad for each. They were a great success. I am sure this new set will fly out. Just as a matter of interest, last week had been a bit brought, but winning the quiz has swung my mood round completely. Instead of being depressed at how much stuff I still need to sort, I am now celebrating every bag or box dealt with. (Major tip run tomorrow) So it is all a matter of turning your mind set to a healthy one and away from the destructive scary side. So Happy May Day to everyone and rejoice in every positive step. xxx Maggie

    1. Maggie I understand something of what you are feeling – having lived in our cottage for 17 years & still not even unpacked it all. We need to move next year, so I began the sort out last year. I have just been doing the 1 drawer/box @ a time & it works! As you & Barbara say it's about training your mind to view it from a better angle. So from now on I shall think of you each time I am doing this & will wish you well with you doing yours! Hugs, Gilly xx

    2. Thank you, Gilly. Having half filled the bin that was emptied on Friday, and filled the car with cardboard that will not fit in the recycling bin, I am now having my after lunch coffee, before tackling another set of bags. The best thing is that I can now see a difference. One step at a time. xxx Maggie

    3. Going to be time for you to dig deep Maggie, knew as I read the blog you would want these. They look wonderful but I might have to be happy with a few relevant letters. Glad you getting your sorting done but remember to give your body time for a rest. xx

    4. I am pacing myself, Lynne. One bags sorted and then a sit down for a drink, before another bag is tackled. I have managed to get all the cardboard torn and rammed into one large box, so that was an achievement which could be done while sitting down. xxx Maggie

  3. Ohh Wow. I do remember your blog on this wonderful stamp set and now you are spoiling us groovi groupies with the entire set too So excited now or is it me being anxious that it will sell out. Lol
    I will be there watching you launch this brilliant set Barbara. Good luck but you won't need it as you are always the consummate professional. Hugs. X

  4. I am excited that these are going to be Groovi plates. I am sure that the design team will have come up with some amazing pieces for these lovely plates. I still covet the stamps and I know I will get them. I just need to get lots of money now for both the stamps and the plates!
    I remember your blog from that day as I found it inspiring how your wee idea has steadily grown into what Clarity is now with your shear hard work and determination.

  5. Awesome idea and I can't wait to see the design team samples which I am sure will be simply brilliant. Glad the lovebird decided to stay. Enjoy your May Day. Xx

  6. Hi Barbara, how special, I know your unique alphabet has a very special place in your heart. I'm sure many folk will be snapping them up, even if that's just specific letters. And even more special to have the rhymes too. Grannies can make books for their wee grandchildren, that I'm sure will become heirlooms. Glad your Lovebird survived the night.

    Great that you can turn anxiety into excitement, for at least some of the time. I'm just like you, fear kicks in big time about a week before. But I don't know what excitement is, I don't have that emotion, just the fear. A very dear person years ago tried to help me change fear to excitement in me, but we didn't manage it, sadly.

    What's special about 1st May? I remember as a kid folk would go up Arthur Seat at dawn to wash their face in the dew. Is it an ancient festival marking the arrival of spring or something? Must add it to my list of things to check out. Right now I better get moving, get today's housework bit done. And then see if I can start a couple of cards, that I've been trying to since Friday! Too wabbit, and scrambled in my head just now.

    Happy May Day, hope you have a happy day
    Love Brenda xx

    1. May Day has, like most religious festivals, its origins in pagan festivities to celebrate the coming of Spring. That is the dancing round the maypole bit. It was then taken over by workers, unions etc to demonstrate against the bosses, and was then added to the list of Bank Holidays, mainly because so many people failed to go to work that day. I have rambled a bit here, Brenda,but I hope you understand. xxx Maggie

    2. Thanks Maggie. Dancing round the May pole is purely an English thing. Making me laugh imagining the reactions if it had been tried to be introduced up here, past and present!!!! xx

  7. Love them! Thank you for bringing these as groovi Barbara! I keep changing my mind as to which is my favourite!
    Love what you've done Josie! Really pretty!
    Enjoy the rest of your day off!
    Love and hugs! Xxxx

    1. Thanks Jane, as soon as I saw the T plate I knew I wanted to do it on blue parchment and add glitter….well it is twinkle, twinkle little star so glitter was a must lol! xxxx

  8. Gosh Barbara – what a true labour of love! I am very happy for you, as I can only imagine what this must mean to you and yours! Totally agree with the changing of the mindset – I am happy to read that you are now feeling excited about next weekend's shows. You will be wonderful (as you always are) but it shows how modest you are about your amazing talents – which just goes to prove what a truly lovely person you are! Love and hugs, Gilly xx

    1. Hi bloggy friends – sorry that I have been AWOL for a while. We have just got home from a fantastic 2 weeks holiday in Spain – with our amazing friends (who have become our Spanish family)! It was my surprise birthday/anniversary gift from Neill, bless him! We had to fly and he HATES flying! He wanted me to have a holiday in the sun, as I hadn't been too well and this would be a boost to my health – before he has his knee op next month! I am a very lucky woman to have this man as my husband. Hoping that you are all as well as can be, love and hugs Gilly xxx

    2. Hi Gilly,
      Great to have you back with us. What a lovely surprise for you from Neill and so pleased that you had a good time. Hope you are feeling better. We are both lucky to have hubbies who treat us to holidays although Spain is a bit more exotic than Norfolk! Love and hugs to you and Neill, Alison xxxx

    3. Ah thanks Alison & Diane! Yes we both feel so much better for our time in Spain – meeting up with some very special friends over there and also just being super lazy and trying out the new and amazing Ice Cream Parlour – which is owned by some lovely Spanish people that we already know and love! We are off in our motor home tomorrow to a site further down in West Cornwall and meeting up with some relatives who are on holiday there! Yes we are greedy I know – and the forecast for tomorrow onward is looking much better too! Not sure if we shall have wifi down there? xxx

  9. Oh these plates will be AMAZING. While I am here can I just say a BIG thank you To you Barbara and your team. I am new to Groovi and I am loving it. I looked at parchment craft years ago, loved but felt it was way beyond my capabilities. With Groovi I find I am producing work I never thought possible. I have even posted a picture of the piece I did using a section of the Art Nouveau Lily. It's costing me a fortune lol but you can't take it with you, right. Thank you again xxx

  10. Oh these are amazing! I have the poster and the original set of stamps, love them. Sadly, probably can't have the plates (yet) as I have just reversed the car into a tree and the Husband is not happy… Oops. Xx

  11. The new one day special looks amazing, think I will have to choose just a few though. Going to be useful though I am sure. You always come across on TV fine and your demos are great. xx

  12. What a great idea to make this alphabet for the Groovi system Barbara, and such a big undertaking but very worthwhile especially as it is what Clarity was built on, and I know it will be a big success. x

  13. Hi Barb,
    I remember when you did the blog about these and now it's exciting that you've turned them into fabulous Groovi plates. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the Design Team have created from them and I know without seeing that they will be fantastic. There's one thing certain – I'll never be rich !!! I think I really need to have a massive sort out of craft stuff to make room for all f the new things I want. Pleased that your lovebird is still with you. Love and hugs Alison xxx

    1. Hi bloggy friends,
      Hope you've all had a good Bank Holiday. It's been a housework session for me today as. Didn't want to go away tomorrow leaving the house a tip! Nothing nicer than coming back from a break to a nice tidy house. Brenda, sorry I haven't had a chance to rummage for the DVD yet, but I do know it was some kind of spirit which you said has nasty side effects for you so it might not be any good for you anyway. Love and hugs to you all, Alison xx

    2. Don't worry about it Alison, like you say, it probably wouldn't be something I could use anyway. Thank you for the thought though. Hope you enjoy your break. Love Brenda xx

  14. These ok amazing Barbara and I am looking forward to seeing all the wonderful art work on the one day special. Today is my 46th wedding anniversary, so we are off out for dinner. Made a Groovi card for the other half, using the Celtic O plate. Very nice too.

  15. Oh no, you've done it again, just as I was thinking how good I've been not to order anything (thought I'd save myself for the retreat!). Out come these adorable Groovi plates. I didn't know they were already stamps, are they still available as stamps? Would love stamps too! Just had to order another 3 months supply of contact lenses and they ain't cheap! Have to have them to see my crafting! You are a star Barb. Been watching you on a DVD I got for Christmas, so inspirational. One talented lady, love ya! Xxx

  16. Fan…tab..u…lous! These look amazing! Will have to wait a while tho as have had a few lovely Clarity/Groovi treats lately so need to be a good girl (for a change)! That said things may change…will see on Sunday lol!

  17. Hi Barb
    like the idea of these, just a quickie, we had a yellow two spotted parrot visit our garden several years ago, so we deceided to catch it, using bananas on a perch or stick in the garden with a fishing keep net hanging upside down a piece of string attatched leading to our back door, it took us a week with sveral failed attempts, but it still kept coming back, it must of been hungry, finally caught it, borrowed a large cage from a friend, it had a ring on its leg with a number, rang the police the rspca all the local vets but to no avail, went to a large parrot show at sandown park, no luck no record of it, after several weeks we gave up, we gave it to a friend who had parrots, can you picture it two adults taking turns on THE string the other at the window to give the ok to pull it, well hope it gives you a laugh like it does us when we remember back, the things you do eh!
    Regards
    Julie Bee

  18. Hi Barbara
    It lovely to hear the love bird gas taken up residence in the box and all is right with the world. It's so funny isn't it, I get all worked up about something I'm excited about, it's such a fine line between excitement and nerves isn't it. Oh how lovely you gave converted these beautiful stamps to Groovi plates. I know how important these images are to you, the beginning of Clarity and you and Steve making and selling them. How times have changed- not! That must give you quite a boost to see how far you have come. Im looking forward to seeing the plates next week.
    Love Diane xxx

    1. Hello lovely blog friends hope all is well. It's been rather soggy here this afternoon, the weather must have known I needed to get some gardening done! Sending hugs xxx

  19. OMG Barb, I know darned well I will want all of them – I can't buy from Hochanda (cos I live in Ireland) , so I don't get the special price they offer. What am I going to do???

  20. Oh Dear Barb, you (and all the Clarity team) have just gone and done it again. I can just see all the bank managers hanging their heads with tears in their eyes. Looking forward to the shows. Take care. Bx

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