Hello there!

So back to my last Blog, I have ticked two things off my list. I have blogged again within the same Month!!!

AND I have finally got my workshops booked in for 2020

Well what was I worrying about anyway, Crafters Companion Store at Newton Aycliffe, where I hold my Workshops, are always so lovely to me. Mutual respect is a great thing don’t you think. There I am rushing in with my email, Oh no I might be too late to book my workshops, and there Gemma is with her professional, pleasant tone, don’t worry about it, you are booked in on all your chosen dates – done! Ha ha now I know that this means there is someone who is less organised than me and hasn’t booked theirs yet but I will just worry about mine for now. To be fair it does get pretty fully booked especially at weekends so I am lucky.

So here are the details of my workshops for this year 2020 – Blimey, I remember our 2000 New Years Eve Party in our Garage like it was yesterday? 20 years ago!!!!!

All my workshops are held at Crafters Companion, Newton Aycliffe Store. They can be booked via the Booking Bug on line on the link below

or via telephone to the Shop on 01388 743763

https://uk.bookingbug.com/home/49977-Crafters-Companion

All of my workshops run from 10.30 – 3.30 and the cost is £25

We get a break for Lunch at 12.30 for 45 minutes so you can do a bit of shopping too. It’s a very sociable occasion and we generally all sit together for lunch so don’t worry if you want to come along on your own, we are a friendly bunch.

You can bring your own food but the Cafe in the shop make lovely food and it is a great price too. I like to support them too because they always provide us with morning and afternoon tea/coffee for free and they even include a biscuit or cake.

My Workshop Dates for the year are……..

February – Saturday 8th

March – Saturday 7th

April – Saturday 4th

May – Saturday 9th

June – Saturday 13th

July – Saturday 11th

August – Saturday 1st

September – Saturday 12th

October – Saturday 10th

November – Saturday 7th

December – Saturday 5th

Last year I changed my workshops back to being on a weekend from a Tuesday, just simply because people who work in the week but used to come to my workshops before could only come on a weekend. I miss my Tuesday Ladies though. So here is a little proposal, If enough people come forward and say that they would like to attend a “duplicate” workshop on the Tuesday following my weekend workshop I will see if I can book them up. These would be from 10.30 till 3pm with a slightly shorter lunch break . So please contact me if you are genuinely interested. Don’t you Saturday Ladies move to Tuesday though!!!!xxx

I was in a Workshop with Dyan Reaveley recently and after a conversation about sewing, I looked up this YouTube video I made,

my very first Video and my first home designed shopping bag! I could have sold it 10 times over but don’t generally repeat anything.

The photo above is blurred because it is from a video.

So for my first workshop we will be looking back over the year of 2019. I would class this as a good year on a personal level as far as my Crafting Discovery goes. I found a lot of new techniques to play with and we made some interesting projects other than cards too. I know my Workshop Crew had a good time because they told me so. (I am listening to myself type and I sound Soooo official???) and self complimentary?? Ha ha. Let’s call it confidence shall we??

Anyway, because it was a good year I thought that we could make a little Tag Book of some of my favourite techniques – or all if we can fit them in?? We will make some of my favourite DT cards from last year too. So if you were part of my 2019 Workshop Crew it will be a little reminder and a good excuse to get some of our favourites techiniques out again. To anyone who will be joining my Crew for the first time in 2020 well, you will definitely learn a lot in your first workshop.

So, that’s it, I hope you will remain or become one of my Clarity Mixed Media Crew Members, but if you can’t join us, well, watch this space because I am re-vamping my YouTube Chanel this year. I will also be posting Blog Tutorials like I used to on my old blog. But Crew Members get first dibs, obviously.

So I hope you stay with me on my Blog this year. Please like, comment, follow me and you could always tell your friends about it too. MMMmmm does this make me a Like looker or a Look liker ???? You know, one of those people who get a buz out of a little tick on FB!!! Yep I probably am! Ask me how many times I have checked to see if my Claritystamp YouTube videos have been watched more times than the last time I looked!!!!! I need encouragement. X

It’s not what people say it is though, everything I do, I do it for you – sorry that slipped out, the song came into my head as I was typing. But there is some truth in it. If I don’t have an actual reason to get out my Gel Plate, my sewing machine my stamps, I don’t craft! I like all my projects to be useful, either to me or to other people. I think this is why I love being on a Design Team and being a Demonstrator and Teacher too.

Even when I was younger and in the Air Force, one of my favourite jobs was working as a Recruitment Receptionist in Gloucester. I had to greet people as they came in to enquire about a Career in the Air Force, I would tell them all about the process, the jobs the lifestyle etc. I loved it because I was so excited about being there myself and I couldn’t believe I was getting paid to do a job I loved so much, I would have done it for Free. But even better than that we worked weekends at the biggest Air Show of the year, The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucester and at Farnborough Airshow. I felt so proud of myself in Uniform standing next to the Handsome Pilots who seemed to get surrounded by women. They would pose in their cute little fire protective onesies on the wing of their Jets!!! You think I’m kidding??? They did pose, as if Time Magazine were taking a photo. Xx The girls used to give us WRAF’s such looks of jealousy. I must admit I do like a Man in Uniform but they weren’t allowed to fraternise with the “Lower Ranks”! I turned down the offer of the “drinks party in the VC 10 after the show and quickly jumped in the back of the truck which was out Taxi back to Camp.

I have been playing around with digital images from my work too. Just for my private use though.

Well, and everyone on my FB Page and my Blog!

Anyway, where did all that come from?? Back to the point. Oh actually, I think I am done for the time being. Thank you for nipping into my Blogland. I will see you again soon. Hope to see you in my Workshops too.

Keep on Crafting.

Sam Crowe. Xx