Hi there Thanks for popping in. Funny old day. Going through the motions, going through the paperwork. The sadness comes in waves. One minute you think you’re fine, the next you’re in floods of tears. I daren’t listen to Billie Holiday. We had Billie Holiday on all through the weekend with Dad. He could still hear EVERYTHING, and was evidently enjoying his favourite singer. His arms were up in the air, and he was tapping away to the rhythm of…
Hi there Thanks for popping in. Our darling Dad died late last night, just before midnight. It’s been a struggle for a while, and I guess, at 85, the old body was just worn out. But not the spirit – never the spirit! My brother Steve and I were with him. In fact, we camped in his room at the beautiful nursing home with him all weekend, the three of us, right till the end. Never left his side. And…
Hi there Thanks for popping in. Happy New Year to you! I hope that today marks the start of a happy, healthy and better New year, filled with love, laughter and creativity! Let’s not dwell on 2022! Let’s leave it in last year, and skip into 2023 with a spring in our steps – or at least let’s try to cheer up and look for the positives. That’s my advice to myself, because the incessant negative whining in my head…
Hi there Thanks for popping in. I hope you had a good Christmas and are enjoying life? It‘s been full on here; a house full of young energy and action. It really has been lovely to spend time with the kids, but they have to get back to their lives. Grace and her Mark headed back to New York yesterday, and Dave is driving our Mark up to Heathrow this morning, so he is on his way back to San…
Hi there The year was 2015, and we were flying high. Claritystamps and stencils were selling very well, our Create & Craft TV shows were getting busier, and we were going like the clappers! Our new website was looking good, and we were certainly moving online. We had never had a bricks and mortar shop; we had always been a mail order company, and we have had a website / online shop for as long as I can remember back!…
Hi there. The story continues. We launched our Claritystamp range on telly in about 2008 – and that’s when things really took off. Our little corner stamps and pattern-building tricks proved very popular. It was something new to TV, and folks loved the way we presented. So we moved out of the portable cabin in the garden and into an industrial unit on a farm. It was the Old Pig Shed!! Our team grew then, to keep up with orders….
about 30 years ago, I had a bright idea…. Hi there. Thanks for popping in. In the run up to the GRAY FRIDAY SALE at Clarity (We leave Black Friday to the rest of the world), I thought I’d use these 4 days to tell you how we evolved in the the Claritycrafts Company that we are today. It was the early ’90’s, the kids were nippers, and we lived in Northern California. My Brother Steve and I were already…
Hi there Thanks for popping in. Have moved my Mac from above the cold garage into the much warmer and more welcoming dining-room. So you never know! I may well start blogging more often now! Time will tell… Had a little break away from reality in Lyme Regis, down in Dorset this weekend. Such a beautiful place! We met up with Dave’s sister on Saturday, to celebrate her birthday, then went walking and fossil hunting all along the beach on…
Hi there Thanks for popping in. Proud Mum Moment here. Can you hear me smiling? Gotta shout about our Grace’s second narrated book which was released on Audible yesterday. Call me a doting mother if you like, but I’ve already listened to the first eight chapters – and YES YES YES! She has nailed it once again. What’s the title of the novel, I hear you ask… Invisible by Day Written by Teri Fink, Narrated and edited by GRACE GRAY…
Hi there. Thanks for popping in. Up with the sky lark this morning. Restless night. So much to consider, to do, to think about. Our Queen’s death has had such a profound impact on so many, including myself. Speaking personally, I’ve never been one for crowds, even less so since COVID, so although we live very close to London, I choose to pay my respects to her good self and her family from a distance. Needed to get out of…