What a bunch of Tools!

Hi there!

Thanks for popping in.

Yes, I know.

You thought I meant that North Korean bloke and his buddy with the bad hair. Well I did!

But what’s the point in getting excited or having an opinion about them? Like they give a monkeys what we think!

In the words of Nasty Cersie’s Dad from the Game of Thrones,

“The lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of sheep”

So.

Let’s talk about USEFUL TOOLS !!

PERGAMANO TOOLS!!!

 On Sunday, we have a double-bill line up for all you parching addicts!

Tina Cox is set to delight you between 2pm and 4pm with some fantastic new Groovi plates. She has a talent for creating wonderful doodles, and we have simply captured them in acrylic.

Then at 6pm, the inimitable Linda Williams herself is appearing on TV for the very first time.

Don’t worry - I shall be fanning her brow!

She has written the most brilliant, informative, comprehensive must have Handbook for Pergamano Multi-Needle Tools EVER!!!

Oh goodness me! 

What is that beautiful piece of loveliness hiding behind the book?

More will be revealed.............

And we will be launching it, together with the tools and 3 brand new Groovi plates, designed by her good self.

Dragonfly Circle

Bumble Bee Circle

Butterfly Circle

So I hope you can join us all this Sunday on Hochanda

SKY 663 (24/7)
   
FREEVIEW 85 (6AM-7PM)
   
FREESAT 817 (24/7)

Right, must dash!

Appointment with the hairdresser!

Love & Hugs

Barb xxx

My new Porsche - with great underseat storage!

Hi there.
Wanted to share my latest Porsche news with you...
Remember a little while ago I had you all going with the news of my new Porsche ?

Here’s what I wrote:

Well, I’ve waited patiently for months

but finally it’s here.

I’m so excited, I can barely contain myself. 

And Dave is building it with his own bare hands....

What?? 

A Porsche?

No no no.

A porch!

Well, I am proud and excited to unveil the finished masterpiece,

complete with Dutch door!

And just look look look at the oak bench Dave built, too!
Isn’t it beautiful?

We even have underseat storage for our wellies...
Quack quack!!

Not just glued together, you know...



The real deal. Built to last!



 Weighs a ton!



What a wonderful little porch.
Traditional lime plaster.
New roof made with old tiles.
New floor made with old tiles.
Old crittal windows, to match the old kitchen windows.
Old barn door, converted into a stable door.
Looks like it grew there, doesn’t it?
Looks like it’s been there all its life. 
The old one was open, falling down and leaking badly. 
The new one is perfect.

#chuffedtobits

I absolutely love it. 

Right down to the hand-painted tiles embedded in the plaster.

We found them in a little art-shop in Brighton.

#littlethingspleaseus

Everybody needs a Dave, I can tell you!

He’s still a bit secondhand, cough cough coughing.

Mind you, you should have heard him coughing and spluttering when he got the quotes in from a couple of local dingly dell Sussex Porch-builders a few months ago !! Mental money. 

But there isn’t much he can’t turn his hand to, so he did.

It’s not about the biggest and the best, is it?

It’s about the fit and the feel.

Give me this porch over a Porsche all day long.

Thanks Dave.

x

Love & Hugs

Barb

xxx

FLAT OUT - and great new news

Hi there!

Thanks for joining me here today.

And thanks for supporting the Gray Friday Sale too!

Oh boy oh boy oh boy.

Did we expect such a response? Noooooooo!

Are we rising to the challenge? Yesssssssss!

First thing we did was order more packaging boxes!

Next thing was get the kettle on and make a plan.

So while the Clarity Elves are jumping around filling your orders,

I am here to tell you we are on it like a car bonnet!

FLAT OUT!!!

The thing is, we had a blanket sale. 

In other words, pretty much EVERYTHING.

Not just selected items which we had a load of, and which we wanted to shift.

I do wish other stores had done that. I personally probably would have spent plenty if I had been able to buy what I WANTED instead of what they wanted me to.

In actual fact, I didn’t bother at all.

We also said that we wouldn’t sell out, that we would make things fresh if they ran out. So there was no scramble, no fear of a sell out either. 

And we are surprised it went so well!

Please do us a favour.

Just leave us to get on with it and get the parcels out to you. The more phone calls we get chasing orders, the more time we waste tracking orders, the longer everything takes.

So back to the blog for me.

I have been making a plan for the Clarity Retreats next year.

Dates are in. Hall and Room Reservations are in. 

If you are in the Clarity Clubs, look out for the next Newsletter in December... First come, first served this year. 

There you go!! Another good reason to join the Clubs!

Club Members go first. It is fair, don’t you agree?

Our annual 2-day retreat in July is an all round arty, inky, painty, stampy, printy retreat, with a Groovi session included. 

Brilliant fun, even if I say so myself, An opportunity to come away to Crowborough for a couple of days and just get creative with a bunch of like-minded people. 
I teach this one myself, and Paul always helps me. 



I have been running these for 20 years; I think folks enjoy them...

So many lovely people!

It really is special.

A right old hive of activity!

Here’s Rosie, mastering the art of printing too.

I love that the Parchment experts want to learn what we do.

Here we see Linda Williams getting to grips with the Gelpress,
with Jane Telford by her side, helping her....

Speaking of Linda Williams, 

GUESS WHO’S ON TELLY ON SUNDAY, 

LAUNCHING HER NEW BOOK ?

Not to be missed!!!!!

It has taken me months to talk her into it!

And the book? Well, it’s blimming amazing.

6pm HOCHANDA SUNDAY

Happy Days.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING NEW!

Next year, we are introducing a brand new retreat in March - just for Groovi and Parchment. Linda Williams, Rosie Cottrell, Paul and I will be teaching for two days at the Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells. Different skill levels in different rooms. All very exciting. 

I just feel that there is a real desire among Groovi fans to learn more about parching. And there is another huge group of people who want to get into Groovi, but feel they have missed the train.

So we will have a real beginner’s group at that retreat too. 

Anyway, that’s what I’m doing now. 
Planning ahead again.
You have to, you see.
These things require loads of planning and thinking! 

Love & Hugs,
Barb
xxx

Almost Time, Ladies & Gentlemen !

Hi there.

Thanks for popping in.

Well, today is the last day of the GRAY FRIDAY SUPER SALE ...

Oh my oh my.

We thought it might go well, but never did we anticipate this!

The website never faltered, never keeled over -

which is more than I can say for me!

I was cream crackered yesterday!

Not going any younger, are we....

And my bright idea with the FREE stencil yesterday and today, to lure you back to place another order over £20!

Last thing I said to Jim on Saturday evening, after we had drawn and tested the first holly stencil before we went home was,

“Get your Mum to make 50. That should do it for starters.”

(Jim’s Mammy, Claire, runs the Stencil Department).

First thing I said to him this morning when he got into work was,

“er..make that 650!” I kid you not.

Yikes

The sale ends at midnight tonight.

The pickers and packers are going like the clappers now.

More doughnuts required!

Rest assured they are going as fast as they can.

Let’s just let them get on with it now. 

So here’s that FREE stencil I mentioned....

Yesterday I did an inverted print, 

so that the stencil became the stamp.

remember?

Which then led to a ghost print.

The Holly Aperture stencil is still available FREE until midnight tonight, with any order over £20.

So today, how about we use the ghost print?

And add that wonderful You Hung the Moon Stampset

Use a grey pencil to add a dropshadow on the holly leaves.

Tear a piece of copy paper and add some hills with a grey and blue loaded Clarity brush.

Trim the paper back. It is only copy paper after all.

Use A Fancy Fuchsia Artistry ink pad to dust some pink around the edges.

Brush a little peach into the centre.

Edge the piece with black.

Matt and layer on a sheet of the Rainbow River paper.

I went with the more subtle side, the softer side. 

Worked with the softness of the child better, for me.

Hope you like it.

It never ceases to impress me what you can do with a piece of copy paper and a stencil.

Love & Hugs,

Barb

xxx

LAST ORDERS and a FREE STENCIL !

Hi there.

Thanks for popping in!

Beautiful sunny day here in Sussex.

Goldfinches have come into the garden today - wonderful.

And the Gray Super Sale continues!
Runs till midnight tomorrow night in fact, because we have so many guests abroad now, and they often phone in on the last day.

I’ve been reading all your comments about how you might pop back and have another look, maybe put another little something in your basket..yes no yes no...sitting on your hands....

So how about we give you another good reason to pop back?

On top of the 33% blanket sale, 

and in addition to your gold and diamond member’s discount,

If you go back in to the Gray Sale and spend another £20 before Monday midnight (after discount),

we will send you a brand new, fresh out of the oven,

never been seen before, very beautiful and extremely useful - not to mention seasonal - Holly Aperture Stencil

FREE.

It won’t show up on your order.

We will simply include it when we pack your 

SUNDAY/MONDAY ORDER.

So in a nutshell:

ANY SUNDAY/MONDAY ORDER OVER £20 

(after all your discounts).

If you put your order in this morning and it was £20 +, 

you’ll receive the beautiful stencil too. 

I made you a card with it this morning.

After yesterday’s pickathon, I’m not good for much else!

Would make a great Christmas Pud too!

Turn it round. See?

Make a hinge join at the top with low tack masking tape and attach the stencil to a piece of 7" x 7" Stencil Card

Add a moon mask.

Flap the stencil off the card, cover the card up with copy paper and spread Paynes Gray Golden Open Acrylic over the stencil inner with a Speedball brayer

Flip the stencil back, so the black paint is sitting on the card.

Get it?

Run it through a mangle. I have an E-Bosser.

The squeeze will transfer the paint from stencil to card.

I ran the card through the mangle without the stencil to dry it, and got a really cool print on copy paper, so I shall add that to my arty papers stash!

Wash the stencil under the tap, dry it, and replace it on the card.

Brush in some blue Artistry Ink.

What??? You didn’t put brushes in your sale basket??

BRUSHES

Tear a piece of copy paper and add some hills.

Stamp the lovely Celtic style Merry Christmas into place.

Comes from this Stampset. Bargain in the sale!

Click here

The beautiful grey-blue from the paint can be matched in ink by mixing Archival Black and Cornflower Blue. Works a treat.

Add a few birds and trees from the Wee Stamps

Add a little white acrylic paint with a Groovi tool for the snow or stars...

The Pergamano Ultra-fine Glitter will cling to the wet paint if you are fast too.

PergaGlitter - 6 Pots. 

 Blimming good price in the sale too.

Right. 

It’s time for a walk, before it gets dark!

Love & Hugs,

Barb

xxx