‘Twas the Night with Tina

‘Twas the Night with Tina

Hi there

Thanks for popping in! Let me tell you a story..

Once upon a time there was a young Mum called Barb, who had two little children. Every Christmas Eve, Gracie, the eldest daughter, would read Twas The Night Before Christmas to the family. The first time Grace was a little apprehensive, because there were quite a lot of long words for a nipper. So they made a deal, Barb and Grace, and had a secret sign. When Grace came across a word she wasn’t sure about, she was to wink at her Mum, who would then gently prompt her.

Picture the scene. The whole family was gathered around the tree on Christmas Eve. Grace was perched on a little stool in front of the tree in a dark blue velvet dress, big book poised, all ready for her performance. And then she began…

Twas the night before…. She winked at Barb, who whispered Christmas, (and thought to herself, Blimey. This could take a while. We could be here all night!!)

I remember it as if it were yesterday. I started illustrating the Poem by Clement Clarke Moore, one verse at a time for the children. Over several years – about 20! – I managed to complete 15. It’s not the whole poem; just extracts which flow into each well to make a shorter version. Grace would have appreciated that back in the day – and so would the rest of the family! Nah, not really. There’s nothing quite like watching kids perform and sing and dance. Grace and Mark use to sell us tickets too! Straight up!! They’d put out the chairs, and make tickets which we had to buy if we wanted to watch them perform. Golden.

But enough woffle. I was thinking about all this early this morning, because another good friend, Tina Cox, is taking the stage today on Create & Craft. And she’s showcasing our Twas the Night Groovi Collection!

Here is some inspiration from the design team

Gracie is a professional Voice over actress now. She reads audible books, is the voice of BBC America, and has a formidable portfolio. If you‘re interested, check out her Voice over website. You’ll be impressed. Click here

She also took the time to read the whole poem for us…beautiful artwork by yet another good friend, Jane Telford.

What a wonderful family heirloom Jane has created there, using the Groovi ‘Twas The Night Collection. I notice there was a little tag on the front: For Amy. That’s Jane and Colin’s daughter. I hope she’s having a blast at Glastonbury this weekend! Amy, not Jane!! I don’t think Jane could stomach the Long-drop loos!! Yummy…

Anyho ho ho! I hope you can tune in at 1pm & 5pm and keep lovely Tina company. Let’s see what magic she comes up with…

Quote for today?

It’s not what we have in life, but who we have in life that matters

Love always,

Barb x x x

17 thoughts on “‘Twas the Night with Tina

  1. Awww what a lovely voice Grace has! ❤️ A magical set of plates!
    I will be watching Tina at 1 pm.
    Love the quote of the day too. 😊 OXOX

  2. I’ve listened to Grace with an audible book or two and she is so relaxing. I’ve had these plates years and not done enough with them so thanks for another round of inspiration !

    Hope you’ve got water now ! X

  3. Grace certainly has a lovely voice ! I have these plates and I will be watching Tina’s shows-although I’m not sure I should as the last one I watched got me hooked on embroidery!!

  4. Hearing Grace with this poem,it make you wish it was Christmas time already instead of these high temperatures.
    Take care and have a lovely weekend together.

  5. Wow Grace’s voice and talent for accents and sensitivity to each project is awesome. Beautiful inside and out – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree Barbara. Just wow.
    Beautiful artwork as always ladies. xxx

  6. This is a real ‘go to’ set year in year out. Only have the one groovie plate but the rest in stamps – love them xx

  7. This is a real ‘go to’ set year in year out. Only have the one groovie plate but the rest in stamps – love them xx

  8. I love the story about Grace reading the story as a child – many memories made from Christmas’s past & now she has recorded it as an adult you have it forever to listen to.
    We listened to our eldest granddaughter sing With You from Ghost the musical the other night with just a few dancers behind her – definitely a tissue moment but also a proud grandparent moment. They have recorded the show so we will have a copy to keep.
    Its memories that keep you going when things aren’t so good .
    Will be watching Tina later, meanwhile I am off to check out Grace’s blog on claritymattersblog.com for Saturday Share xx

  9. This poem is very special to me, as well Barb. Not just because I read it every Christmas Eve to my two children but also when I retired at the end of the Christmas term from my job at a local school (your old school, Barb, Fort Pitt!) I was asked to perform it to the whole school assembly, dressed as Father Christmas! What a magical way to be able to say goodbye to all the staff and students. Unfortunately the Tech team forgot to record it for me! They were on the “Naughty List” that year! 🤣🤣
    Looking forward to seeing what Tina has in store for us on C&C.

  10. Christmas in July. Its cold enough here to imagine that. Congratulations on your anniversary Barbara and Dave. We celebrated our anniversary today as well with a visit to the Rembrandt exhibition in Melbourne and a lovely lunch afterwards. Have to watch Tina later. Sample Cards are fantastic.

  11. HAPPY 5th ANNIVERSARY BARB & DAVE

    Twas the Night stamps and Groovi plates were made into coasters and a banner last year. Watching Tina now and I see she has also made coasters. The samples are great as usual. This year I plan to make a book incorporating the whole poem and using otherChristmas elements to decorate the “just prose” pages.
    Grace’s reading of the poem is lovely.
    Have now placed my order for Linda’s new Christmas set and have earmarked some pennies for the following sets.
    Have a good weekend.

    1. My very first audio book was narrated by Grace, a beautiful voice,easy to listen to and am afraid to say that nobody else has come close.❤

  12. Hello Barb, Grace has a beautiful voice. She is very talented in how she uses it. Love the artwork by Jane, and all the DT too. Take care everyone. Bx

  13. These are such an amazing set of designs that have absolutely stood the test of time! Every year I think about investing in the stamp set – this might just have to be the one to do it!!

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