Barbara Gray Blog

Hi there. Thanks for popping in. Thought I would share something very special which is coming up on HOCHANDA TV imminently…. A while ago, the ever clever Tina Cox designed a collection of fabulous doodle flowers and dragonflies and funky birds for our Groovi-Go! Parchment set. Remember? Let me go find the plates for you on the website…..ahhh. Here they are. Well. So many of you requested these images as stamps, that we finally went ahead. And our Maria, (aka…

Read More Read More

Hi there. Friday’s blog a private peek. So then, come into the garden with me, and rest a while. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin… Once upon a time, there was an old farmhouse. And in the grounds of that old farmhouse was an old pear tree. A gnarled old pear tree, which – although advanced in years – still bore fruit every single year. It was home to all manner of feathered friends, too. Nuthatches, woodpeckers, magpies,…

Read More Read More

Hi there! Thanks for popping in! Remember the 3-way overlay stamps which sold out on telly on Sunday? How about a technique I tried out for a demo? I had actually rejected it, because it wasn’t good enough to my mind. Got left on the side. Ahhhh…… Then Dave came in and said, “Wow! I like that one.” Then Paul came in and said, “Cor, I like this. How did you do this?” Then finally, Becca came in this morning…

Read More Read More

Hi there. Thanks for popping in. Wednesday’s blog is when we ponder not so much what we craft or how we craft, but WHY we craft, right? I must say, I am so grateful to be busy, busy, busy. It stops me thinking too much. Much better to get out of your head and stay with your hands – it’s much safer. Well, today has been a funny old day in my head. Apart from hustling at work, batting off…

Read More Read More

Hi there! Thanks for popping in, although it is rather late to be blogging this evening. I’ve been so focussed on the TV shows this weekend, that I took my eye off the wedding ball, so to speak. And now it’s really time to be ticking some boxes !! Yikes !! Don’t panic Mr Mainwaring!! It will all be alright on the day…. And there’s not much I can do at 10 o’clock at night, now is there ?! This…

Read More Read More

Hi there! Thanks for popping in. It’s a Big Clarity Day on Hochanda today! 2-4 stamping with yours truly. Then at 6pm Tina launches a sublime collection of baby parchlet plates, designed by her good self. The parchlet idea was something Tina started last year, encouraging people who were new to the world of parchment art to start small, to build up their skillsets and confidence on smaller, bite-size art pieces. In fact, there’s even a Facebook page dedicated to…

Read More Read More

Hi there. Thanks for popping in. It has been a great morning so far. So let me see…firstly, we were in Tunbridge Wells by 8.30, in good time for an early morning coffee with some good friends. Then, we went to the jewellers to collect the rings (You know what for!) Then we went to the organic farmshop and bought some healthy food. Then we went to a local pottery Open Day, and I signed up for a pottery class…

Read More Read More

Hi there. Thanks for popping in. Friday’s blog a private peek, right? About a year ago, we got the phone call that our Gracie had to have an operation on her thyroid. They didn’t know for sure whether it was malignant or not, but decided to operate within days of the biopsy results. Nothing like a rush to put the wind up you.  Do you remember? I do. Dropped and ran. Or should I say flew to New York, to…

Read More Read More