Hi there, Thanks for popping in. It’s been such a very busy and energetic week! Super successful TV shows, great teamwork at Clarity – and the highlight that was Thursday, which, looking back, was clearly meant to be. Let me explain… Dave is a very thoughtful husband. He knows me well, and knows also, that after a busy Hobbymaker TV day, I am pretty wiped out the following day. So he often tries to distract me and plans a little…
How one unexpected creative detour reminded me why Clarity is the bridge to art. Hi there. Thanks for popping in. On Friday afternoon, during our live Clarity Social TV show, I found myself heading off in a completely unexpected direction. We were launching this month’s Product of the Month: A set of Butterfly stamps, hand drawn by myself, and a new pack of very summery Cloud cards to add to our Elements range. I was demonstrating a pair of cards…
Hi there, Thanks for popping in. Sunday morning feels like a good time for stories…. There are certain places in the world that leave a mark on your soul. For me, New Mexico and Arizona have always been amongst those places. Dave and I were fortunate enough to spend some time there again this April during a wonderful 3,000-mile road trip through the American Southwest and California. It was one of those journeys that stays with you long after you’ve…
There’s something rather lovely about a few simple words landing at exactly the right moment. That’s really where the idea for our new Affirmation Cards began. Not because life is always easy. Quite the opposite, in fact. Most of us are juggling far too much far too often — work, family, worries, responsibilities, deadlines, laundry baskets, ageing parents, aching backs, forgotten passwords… the list goes on! And somewhere in the middle of all that noise, it’s very easy to lose…
Hi there Happy Sunday. I went for a Japanese meal with my good friend Carron the other evening. She talked about “Santosha”. A Sanskrit term, meaning “complete contentment”, “satisfaction”. “acceptance”. Carron does yoga, and in Yoga philosophy, it represents an internal state of peace that is independent of external circumstances or material possessions. I guess it’s what I’ve always referred to as “an inside job”. Apparently, when we speak of acceptance in connection with Santosha, we don’t mean settling for…
Hi, or should I say こんにちは Konnichiwa ? Dave and I went up to London today, to visit an exhibition of beautiful art and craft at Japan House in Kensington High Street. The Exhibition is called Hyakko. 100+ makers from Japan contribute to a collection of almost 2,000 beautifully hand-crafted pieces. Mostly ceramics, which was like heaven for me. Clay, glass, wood, leather, metal and bamboo actually, but primarily ceramics. Exquisite work. There is an energy in the gallery that…
Hi there Had a hankering to make a card this evening. No particular motive, except to calm my scrambled brain, distract my thoughts, focus my mind. Dad has been on my mind a lot today. I do miss him. The minute I stepped into my artroom, I could feel my shoulders relax. Time to dig out some of my favourite stamps…The House Martins and the Bijou Backdrop Stamp… Add a word that gives you hope. I found the little Japanese…
Hi there Apologies for going a bit AWOL for a couple of weeks. It’s never just one thing, is it. After a lovely break with the family, it was time to climb back into the Clarity saddle and crack on. But even when the company is shut, the turkey’s in the oven and we’re singing carols at the rugby club, my brain never really clocks off. It whirrs and cogitates and quietly gathers ideas. I jot things down so they…
Happy New Year!! Dave and I went up on the Ashdown Forest for the first walk of the year. Cold and bracing, but beautifully crisp and sunny. Gorse in full bloom – bright yellow everywhere. A year ago, almost to the day, we attempted the harbour walk at Rye, through the bird sanctuary. Dave hadn’t been able to walk 50 yards before he had had to stop. His knee was crippling him with arthritic pain. A year on, and a…
Hi there. It’s still dark outside. Proper early. The quiet sort of early when the world hasn’t quite woken up yet. Ragnar and Erik have just come charging in through the back door, both of them cold, bushy-tailed and full of purpose. Side by side, tails straight up like dodgems at the fair. They always arrive like that – as if they’ve got somewhere important to be. I do love those two. After I fed them, I did something out…