Hi there

Sorry I’ve been AWOL. It’s a bit of a scramble right now, friends. Since Create & Craft folded, we have been pedal to the metal here at Clarity! Firstly, we had to focus all our attention and transfer all our energy to our own little TV channel, in a bid to keep going. If you are on Facebook at all, you will have seen that loads of suppliers and presenters were on the move almost instantly. Totally get it. They had to find work, right? We decided to try it alone; see whether we could build our own arc, so to speak. If you never try, you’ll never know. We’re about 3 weeks in – and so far so good! But since we are going live weekly, every Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 10am and 2pm, it’s a lot !

Added to that, Our Clarity Christmas Open Days took place about a week after they went into administration, and that requires a helluvalot of planning and organising! Hats off to the whole team for making it a success. My guess is Sue took these pics xx Thanks Sue 🥰

We even managed to recruit a Clarity Choir, to head up the hourly carols. Mulled wine was flowing, and we ate hundreds of mince pies! Hundreds! It was actually delightful. I loved it! Switched off from all the rubbish which was rumbling around in the business background, and just settled in to a loving weekend with the Clarity family. Apologies for not reporting back here, with photos and fun, but we rolled straight into the Sunday workshop, so I didn’t draw breathe, let alone have time to build a blog here.

I know, as soon as I sit down to blog, that about 2 hours will roll by before it is ready to post. I may just sit in front of the TV for 2 hours of an evening, but trust me – by 7pm I am absolutely cream crackered and fit to drop. Ask me if I’m doing any pottery, I dare you! I’m in the office every day, bouncing between the design department, the accounts department and the TV studio. The team will tell you! I’m pretty full on at the moment, a bit bossy to be honest. I know it, and I don‘t relish it, but I have to be if we’re going to make this work. There’s simply no time for banter and play right now! They’re all just jumping to it, getting things done quickly and efficiently (What they say about me behind my back is really none of my business). But thank goodness for a Can-Do team!

Like today. I had an idea for a new product very early this morning. (Just before it gets light. That is the BEST time for good ideas!) Shared it with Lisa, who jumped to it straightaway. By lunchtime she already had the first prototypes for us to all look at. We tweaked and discussed as a whole design team, and by the end of the day, we’d nailed it. The prototypes are ready for us to put through their paces first thing tomorrow. THEY LOOK AMAZING!!! In the meantime, I was working with Paul and Stuart on TV production and marketing of said new idea, which is set to launch – wait for it – this coming Friday!! Not only the product and its packaging have to be in place; e-shots and product photography have to be set, loaded onto the website. There won’t be time to send off to our DT, the sample makers, so Paul and I will have to prep together some time between now and Friday. There‘s so much to consider. There always was, but now it just feels more urgent, because we’re flying solo and flying often.

So yeah. Not much time or energy for a blog, I’m afraid. But today was such a good, wholesome, creative day! Oh. Added to which we did 2 hours of LIVE TV! Paul did Groovi Tuesday, and then we both showcased a set of brand new Groovi plates by Linda Williams. Yes. It’s a lot.

But wait till you see what we’ve rustled up for you on Friday!! Honestly! We are all pretty chuffed – especially me!!

And that‘s what makes it all worthwhile. Now I just hope you love it as much as we do! It’s exciting to think you can have an idea in the morning, and it be going into scalable production by the same time tomorrow. By scalable I mean we can make a dozen, a hundred or a thousand. And that, my friends, is the mark of a good team. They have the ability, as a team, to perform really well and maintain top quality even when the workload expands.

Gotta go and stop thinking. Rest the head. Pause the Gray Matter. Just for an hour or so.

One more thing…we have been nominated (by your good selves) for no less than 5 awards in 5 different categories! Huge thanks to you for getting us this far! Now it’s time to vote for us. Here’s the LINK

We sure would appreciate your time. I must say, it has done us the power of good to even be recognised in the nomination list. After over thirty years, you do sometimes have to wonder whether you haven’t outstayed your welcome. But here she still is!! And here they still are! Hahahaha. There’s still life in the old nag yet!!

Love always,

Barb