Oh my word....

....just realised how long since I last blogged....bad blogger!! You'll never guess what I've got for you today.....CHRISTMAS! Yes you heard me right, it's Christmas, well maybe not but it's time for the launch of the first part of Sheena's Christmas collection.  There are some brilliant new embossing folders and some lovely new stamps featuring some great wording/sentiment designs.  I think you will love them :)

Here's a sample that I've made for the show featuring one of the new scenic embossing folders which as you can see is something that could be definitely used all year round......

I've used Dyna paints to create the background, simply sponging on the colour and then I ran it through the embossing folder. Then to highlight the embossing I used all three colours of Pebeo Gilding Wax. 

The launch shows will be on Create and Craft on Thursday at 8am, 11am, 2pm, 4pm and 7pm, there's bound to be lots of great demonstrations from Sheena so make sure you catch the shows if you can.

Donna xx

And so it's time.....

.....for my very last post as part of the Country View Crafts DT . It was a hard decision to step down but as I said the other day work and other commitments 'told' me it was the right thing to do, it's truly been a privilege to be part of such a talented bunch of ladies!

This months theme at Country View Challenges is 'Shabby Chic' and for my second make I've used some of the same techniques and materials as my first card but with a completely different look .......well at least I hope so anyway!! Lol!

Again I've used gesso over card and then embossed but this time I used Kraft card and I also added a tiny amount of pink AquaTint to the gesso so it had a slightly pink look in areas. I added a die cut clock face (Tim Holtz's old Weathered Clock die) and then used Sheena's Wild Rose stamps and dies for my flowers.

 

To create the buds I simply cut up one set of the petals and then rolled one or two individual petals up to form a bud like shape.
Please do pop over and join in the fun at the Country View Challenges blog.

See you soon
Donna xx

Shabby Chic.....

....is the new challenge over at Country View Challenges. This will be my last month with the Country View Crafts Design Team, it's been a lot of fun but work and other commitments mean I have to move on. So here is my penultimate make, a little shabby chic card ....

The background was made using one of my favourite techniques with an embossing folder.....I painted a piece of card (black) with some gesso and when it was dry embossed it with an embossing folders from Crafters Companions Vintage Floral range before lightly sanding it back.The images are actually taken from one of there CD-rom's  -Times Gone By. I used Sheena's Wild Rose stamps and matching dies for the floral embellishments

Why not pop over to the challenge blog and join in the fun.

Donna xx

Furry Friends....

....is the challenge over at Sunday Postcard Art this week.  Now I'm more of a dog person than a cat one but I love this cat stamp so here's my make for this challenge......

....why not pop over and join in the fun :)

Donna xx

Time for another flower...

....from the new Victorian Floral Stamp and Die range that Sheena is launching tomorrow on Create and Craft.  Yesterday I showed a couple of my samples using the Poppy, today is the turn of the Anemone.  First off I have another bit of recycled art for you, a tin can decorated with flowers cut from sheets of craft metal.....

...I had intended to colour the flowers using my eBrush and Spectrum Noir pens but as I was putting it together I decided that I liked the shiny silver look!  Next we have a decorated MDF plaque, I used black gesso, gold dyna paint and PVA for the crackle background with a bit of texture paste added for good measure! I die cut the flowers in black, stamped and embossed in black and then painted them with Pebeo Dyna paints....not the best picture I'm afraid, the Dyna paints are truly beautiful in real life but are the devil to photograph!! 

...then last but not least a simple little card.  Background is gesso covered Kraft card which I embossed with one of Sheena's old embossing folders, the flowers were coloured quickly and simply with some blended Distress Inks.... 

...This launch is a weekender so there will be several shows over the weekend, lots of chances to watch Sheena demonstrate these great new dies and stamps :)

Donna xx

New stamps and dies are on the way.....

...from Sheena! If you love flowers then you're going to adore this Victorian Floral collection.  It comprises of 6 matching stamp and die sets featuring Poppies, Anemones, Sweet Williams, Lillies, Bluebells, Lilly of the Valley and last but definitely not least Pansies. They will be launching on Create and Craft this coming weekend, 9th/10th May, so you'll be able to see lots of demonstrations from Sheena.

Here are a couple of samples I've made, both featuring the Poppy stamp and die set but showing just how different, at least I hope so, that they can look. The first is showing the Poppy as most people think of it.....that gorgeous red flower that pops up along our roads and in our fields. I've used a couple of older Sheena stamps in this sample; the cottage is 'Milestones and Moments' and the poppies in the background hidden behind top panel are 'Poppies and Daisies', both are from the Little Bit Sketchy range. All the colouring was done with AquaTints...

Next we have a bit of arty up-cycling of a Liquorice Allsorts Tub that I'd saved from Christmas. I coated the sides with black gesso to cover up the writing, then crackled it with a layer of blue Dyna paint, layer of PVA and then a top layer of more black gesso. The Poppies, this time Blue Himalayan Poppies, have been coloured with AquaTints.... 

So what do you think? Pretty stamps and dies aren't they? So blooming (sorry!!) versatile as well!  I'll pop back tomorrow to show you one of the other flowers from the collection :) 

Oh and if you're a Sheena fan and are on Facebook, I've set up a group on there, along with my fellow Inkoids, called 'Sheena's Ink-ettes'.  Basically its a group where you can share your 'Sheena' creations, get tips and loads of inspiration.....we'd love to see you over there!

Donna xx

Another little scene....

....for the Country View Challenge 'Simply Scenic' challenge. Now I went all warm and sunny for my first make so for this one I've used similar elements but changed the colours for an end of day scene with maybe just a little frost in the air....just catching the branches and the hills as the bird soars high above the fields.....

The technique is pretty much the same as my first card; first I stamped the images (Sheena's Perfect Partner stamp range) to create the scene, added the wash of colours using AquaTints and then added highlights and a moon by damping areas with a damp paintbrush and blotting with a bit of kitchen towel.  I also flicked on tiny spots of water and blotted to give the look of the first signs of stars in the evening sky....

I used the black AquaTint to fill in the tree and to paint a bit of a ground line across the bottom to 'plant' the tree firmly to the picture, also darkened the edges with some black soot distress ink...... 

To add a bit of a frame I used Sheena's Wildflower and Shady Meadow stencils.  Then stamped the wording and the bird before adding a few extra highlights on the tree using a white pen.

Why not pop over to the challenge blog, join in the fun and create your own scenic creation :)

See you again soon

Donna xx

Simply Scenic....

....is the new challenge over at Country View Challenges blog, chosen by me this month :)

I've used some of Sheena's Perfect Partner range of stamps, along with some from her Silhouette Grasses and Silhouette Garden stamp plates. I've used AquaTints for the colour but if you don't have them you could get pretty similar effects by blending with distress inks......it's just not as quick!!

So first off I stamped the main images onto some white card using a black archival inkpad....

....next for the colour, I wanted a warm, lazy scene so I went for washes of bright yellow, orange and pink which I applied quickly with a flat brush....

....then I gave it a quick dry. Next using a damp paint brush and a bit of kitchen roll I lifted out some of the colour to give me a sun and some highlights.  All you need to do is damp the areas you want to 'bleach' of colour, leave a few seconds and blot.....

Next I darkened the edges by blending on a little black soot distress ink before stamping the leaves and grasses to act as a frame to the scene. Adding the dark black round the edges make the centre glow more and gives a feeling of looking through into the light. I then stamped the sentiment, the dragonfly and the little bird sitting on the front of the tractor. To give even more feeling of light and sun I used an alcohol marker in a pale grey to add extra shadows around the tractor and beneath the trees...

All that was left to do was to mount it onto a card blank.  Hope you enjoy the scenic challenge and have time to play along :)

See you again soon

Donna xx

A journal page...

...for my weekly That's Crafty DT make....

...as usual all details are on the That's Crafty blog.

 Donna xx

Keep It Simple...

...is the new challenge theme over at the That's Crafty Challenge Blog.  I've made this quick and simple stamped and stencilled for the challenge...

...why not pop over and join in the challenge, you could win £20 to spend at That's Crafty :)

See you again soon
Donna xx

Back with another make....

... for the challenge over at Country View Challenges where the theme is 'Use Kraft'.  For my second make for this months challenge I've used one of the new Create a Card dies from Crafters Companion, the Moroccan Lattice but no Moroccan feel here more a touch of English countryside...

The dies are A6 in size so because I wanted to keep it all quite quick and simple all I did was cut a sheet of A4 Kraft in half lengthways, scored in half to create a tent fold card and then used the Moroccan die to cut the front side of the card...

With the card closed I stamped the sentiment through the aperture onto the inside of the card. Then I stamped the squirrel from Sheena's Little Acorn stamp set and cut it out, I also stamped some of the oak leaves and acorns and used the matching die set to cut them out. I roughly laid them onto the card before colouring to check if I had enough and then snapped a quick picture on my phone to help me remember where I'd positioned everything ....

.... I often do that it helps with positioning and it saves trying to remember where everything was when it comes to gluing! Lol! Anyway they needed to be coloured so I painted them with distress inks - Mowed Lawn, Vintage Photo and Spiced Marmalade. Once they were coloured and stuck in place I decided the inside needed a little extra colour so I stamped and painted a few of the tiny acorn leaves around the sentiment...

..why not pop over to the challenge blog and join in the fun, you could win a £20 voucher :)

Donna xx

Use Kraft...

...is the new theme over at Country View Challenges. I often use Kraft card, it's such a versatile and easy card to work with so this was a fun challenge.  For this make I've used one of my favourite techniques, combining Kraft with gesso and embossing it...

I started off by painting a square of Kraft card with gesso and then using a mixture of the stamps from the Textures Collection by Crafters Companion added some stamping around the edges...

...then I embossed it with the Hessian Embossing Folder from the same Textures Collection.  Once I'd embossed it I sanded it back to reveal some of the Kraft card showing through the gesso, then I caught the edges with some silver gilding wax...

I mounted this onto a Kraft card blank and then set about sorting out the flowers etc.  I used Sheena's Wild Rose stamp set and matching die from her Perfect Partners collection and cut and stamped them from some more gessoed Kraft and some plain Kraft card.  The ones which had been painted with gesso I also lightly sanded back...

Next I stamped some words onto bits of Kraft, cut them out and roughed up the edges a bit. Then I just arranged and glued everything in place to finish.

Why not pop over to the challenge blog and join in the fun, you could be in with the chance of winning a £20 voucher :)

Donna xx

Gold and Silver....

...is the new challenge over at the That's Crafty Challenge blog. I've made a quick and simple little bookmark with some scattered gilding flakes for my make this time....

...I simply blended on some Abandoned Coral and Mustard Seed Distress ink onto a strip of card, then randomly stippled on a bit of Flitter Glue before adding some gold and silver gilding flakes...

..then I just added the stamping to finish. Make sure you pop over and join in the fun there's a chance to win a £20 voucher to spend at That's Crafty.

Donna xx

Playing with my eBrush....

......thought I'd have a bit of a play with my eBrush.  I've used Sheena's Lily stamp combined with the eBrush, Spectrum Noir pens and some Texture and Wording Stamps from Crafters Companion ....

I had fun playing around with this, first of all I stamped the flowers masking each lily off as I went with Pebeo Drawing Gum and then I added a few splats and swirls of the gum (using the tip of a paintbrush).  Once it was all dry I used the eBrush to apply the colour to my background, spraying random splodges (technical term there!!) of blue and green...

...while the drawing gum was still protecting the flowers I used Sheena's Distress Grid Stencil and sprayed some dark grey through again using the eBrush. I also used some of the Texture stamps to add some wording and a bit of extra background interest, then the fun bit of starting to rub off the Drawing Gum with your finger....

...once it's all rubbed off you will reveal pristine white flowers all ready to colour, along with some interesting white blobs and swirls left from where the Drawing gum was splashed and swirled... 

...then I simply coloured in the Lily's using my Spectrum Noirs, as pens no eBrush for this step. To finish off I added a bit more stamping this time overlapping the flowers slightly, I also added a few random dots and circles by using pen lids and ends as stamps...

...to finish I simply mounted it onto a white card blank.

Donna xx

Another little look....

....at the new stamps and embossing folders from Sheena Douglass that are launching on Create and Craft on Thursday, along with Spectrum Noir AquaTints.....

Make sure to catch some of the shows :)

Donna xx

Ooh I love new stamps!!

....and there are new stamps and new embossing folders on the way from Sheena this Thursday on Create and Craft.  They are designed to compliment the Perfect Partner stamps and dies that were released at the beginning of the year but if you haven't got those it doesn't matter because these will be beautiful on there own.  Here are a couple of samples I've made for the show......

There will be a number of shows...8am, 11am, 2pm, 4pm and 7pm ...so try and catch one of them (or all !) if you can :)

Donna xx

A fishy tale....

.....my make this week for That's Crafty....

....my first little play with Brusho's (I know late to the party!) mixed with AquaTints; full details are on the That's Crafty blog as usual.

Donna xx

More playtime....

...with some Dina Wakley stamps for the Country View Challenges March challenge where the theme is 'Anything Goes'....

...nice quick and simple one today!  A bit of distress ink applied to my craft mat, spritzed and then the colour picked up with a white tag. Then some stencilling with a couple of Tim Holtz layering stencils before stamping one of the figures from the Dina Wakley 'Silhouette Women' set. To finish it off I added a bit of doodling and some stamped wording (Kaisercraft).
Donna xx

Anything Goes ....

...is the theme for Country View Challenges March challenge. Decided to have a play with some new Dina Wakley stamps, her 'silhouette women'....

...started off by applying a bit of Pebeo drawing gum through a stencil onto a white tag....

..then added some colour using Ripe Persimmon and Mustard Seed Distress ink which I picked up from my craft mat after spritzing with a little water...

...I then added a little bit of script with a Kaisercraft stamp before rubbing off the drawing gum with my finger and the stamping one of the figures. I gave the figure a wash of pink (Picked Raspberry Distress Ink) before starting to add some scribbly lines around it with a black pen...

..I also doodled a little border and some hanging stars before adding some stamped wording (Kaisercraft)...

...make sure you pop over to join in the fun, there's a chance of winning a voucher to spend at Country View Crafts or an invitation to be a guest designer!

Donna xx