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Author: Barbara Gray

A new career path for me…

A new career path for me…

Hi everyone! I’ve got some big news, and I think you should be the first to know. I’ve been considering a new career move. I mean, let’s face it, there must be more out there than stamping and brayering for 20 years? Not so long ago, I blogged a recipe, my world famous German Potato Salad, and it went down a storm. People loved it! So I got to thinking, maybe there’s room for another Celebrity Chef. I mean, I…

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Hope.

Hope.

“The very least you can do in your life is  figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope.  Not admire it from a distance, but live right in it, under its roof.” Barbara Kingsolver. You need:  Hope, a tree to plant, a window to the world, and a fine black pen,  to write down your thoughts. Lest you forget. Stamp Hope boldy in black, but make sure you also have a…

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Happy New Year

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!!! So Wednesday’s Blog is something New, and how fortuitous that it should be New Year’s Day! I am writing this on New Year’s Eve. The kids have gone to a party and Dave has kindly given them a lift. So I have got 10 minutes to myself, to reflect. 2013? What a year! New? New? The whole year has been laced with NEW! From Gelli plates, to stencils and masks, from the new DVD to…

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It’s Tuesday, and it’s P for Presentation

It’s Tuesday, and it’s P for Presentation

Tuesday’s blog rolls back the hours, so I thought we might take a little trip down Memory Lane again… Back in the 90’s, stamping really wasn’t as popular a pastime as it is now. I would like to think that we have played a part in P for Promoting it!  But back then, it was hard to make an all-year living from our stamps, so we had to come up with something else to supplement our income during the summer months….

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Flower boxes on a rainy Monday…

Flower boxes on a rainy Monday…

Happy Monday eh?  It is pouring down outside, so I decided to brighten the morning with some fresh spring flowers. Here’s a cracking ( or should I say crackling?) set of Flowers which make the most delightful notelets. I also used a crackle stamp to age them a little. I used Daffodils Bluebells Dog roses Primroses SPECIAL OFFER:  All 4 mounted flowerstamps in a Kit for £19.99 Crackle Stamp Theuva Card, cut to size Black Adirondack Promarkers Spring Set and…

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3 days to go…

3 days to go…

It’s the last Sunday of 2013, so in Clarityland that means two things.  Firstly, the December Stencil of the month needs airing one more time. It’s the lovely Rose Panel. So I thought I would do a very simple step-by-step stencil card, for those who are still not sure how a stencil actually works. You need Rose Panel Stencil Long white Card Low-Tack masking tape Stencil Brushes Make-up sponges Distress Pad Old Paper or Frayed Burlap Distress Pad Peeled Paint…

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Full Moon, Whimsy Village…

Full Moon, Whimsy Village…

Hi there!  Saturday’s Blog a new technique…well new for somebody! Here’s one I did earlier, using the funky cottages and the garden gate. I think what I like about it is the huge orb for a moon and the blue black sky. Most of what I have used here you probably already have. I think that’s important. If you have been following me for any length of time, be it weeks, months or years, you will know that I always…

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And now for something very tasty….

And now for something very tasty….

Friday’s Private Peak, and I decided to let you in on a very specialecial secret… my world famous,  handed-down-to-me-by-my-Mum-and-through-generations  GERMAN POTATO SALAD RECIPE !! Nothing to do with making cards, but certainly something to serve friends and family.  It’s so easy! Here’s what you need: Red Potatoes Mayonnaise Gherkins Lardons (German Speck) Chicken Stock cube Onion (red for a little colour Salt and Pepper to taste Quantity? If you want to make a batch for say 8-10 people, use a…

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Boxing Day Blue Blog…

Boxing Day Blue Blog…

Happy Boxing Day!  Had enough turkey yet? Today we’re on cold Turkey and potato salad German style. But before I crack on with celebrations and family affairs, I thought we’d look at a picture of what Christmas weather is like in my deluded mind. Remember this snowed in scene? Not this Christmas! Certainly not here in the south of England! But please allow me to briefly explain how this picture was created. Using your Black Archival inkpad, stamp the Snowed…

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Happy Christmas Day!!!

Happy Christmas Day!!!

Happy Christmas ! I hope that you are on high ground, and enjoying the festivities? I have just retreated for half an hour to chat to you, and left the family to clear up the breakfast things. One nephew is playing the piano (well, sort of), the other one is moping because it is raining again, and he can’t go and play on the trampoline (?), and the adults are all having a general banter in the kitchen. The turkey…

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