Sheena Dragon Fly Dance

Good morning all!, Well us Inkoids have all started to do 2  blog posts each month using Sheenas gorgeous range of products, revisiting older collections to give some inspiration, we sometimes forget our old stash when new collections come along! we are all taking it in turns.... our fabulous Design Team coordinator Donna has whipped up a rota to get us organised and today it's MY TURN!!

 so......I was looking through all my stamps deciding which set to revisit, when I happenned upon...

Dragon Fly Dance- Check it out on the website just HERE!!

a gorgeous stamp, I love Dragonflies so pretty. This stamp also has a coordinating die too as it is part of Sheenas Perfect partners collection, you can visit the full range just HERE!!

 but for this little CAS style card I decided I just wanted to use the stamp.

Quite simple to create , I have a circle mask and stencil set, so first off I used the circle mask, spraying with stick n spray to hold in place whilst I inked around the edges, once happy with that I removed the circle mask and popped over the circle stencil, so the inking was then covered leaving the circle space in the centre free....I stamped my 2 Dragonflies, and covered up with drawing gum ( amazing stuff this ! if you havent tried it please give it a go, its really usefull great for this tecqnique and lasts months!! here you go if you want to try it pebeo-drawing-gum-masking-fluid-45ml-p26259

once the drawing gum was dry, and keeping the stencil in place, I inked around the circle, 

then rubbed out the drawing gum and coloured up my dragon flies with Spectrum Sparkle pens! you can find those just here on the website http://spectrum-noir-sparkle-pens-c7689  

and here you go! A little simple mat and layer popped onto a white card base

and a quick simple pretty card !

next up on our blogging Journey is my lovely Inkoid teamie Alison, on Monday 1st August, you can find her blog right over http://cardsandcatswithali.blogspot.co.uk/

I do hope you will pop over and see what she has in store for you.

craft hugs Nicole

xxxx

Sheena Douglass Home Life Part ONE

Hi guys!! Time to share some samples from Sheena's Perfect partners collection....Home Life, 

Stamps and coordinating dies you can check the range out just over ....HERE! 

on the Crafters Companion website. I love this set and it was hugely popular when it launched. I made a few samples for this one so I'm doing a part one and part 2 blog!, part 2 being tomorrow!

there were 7 stamp plates in this set, I was lucky to work with the gardening set, they OBVIOUSLY stamp and die cut perfectly,

so heres Part one....

coloured with distress inks and Spectrum aqua tints and Aquapens

 

this collection is brilliant!! the seed packet stamp and die is the cutest thing EVER, and I love all the bold bright colours of the aquatints on these, 

I made quite a few for this launch so part 2 is tomorrow!! I hope you will drop back to take a look

Crafty hugs

Nicole

xxxx

Sheena Douglass "Day Of The Dead"

Hey guys! I'm BACK, with a bit more catch up!! ......DAY OF THE DEAD!! what an absolutely FANTASTIC collection!! Totally missing I thought from the craft world and I just love it all!! Collection of Stamps and coordinating dies from our Sheena for this launch, if you want to check them out you can over on the Crafters Companion website just ....HERE!!

So we have 8 fabulous stamps and 6 die collections...where to start!! The Inkoids had so much fun with this launch, I checked out on line the "Day of the Dead" festival to get a feel and some inspiration!!...my favourite just HAS GOT to be the Skull, its fantastic , great size too, would work brilliantly in mixed media, infact our DT Coordinator Donna made a fantastic canvas, you need to go check it out!! 

So here you go....... it's a loooooooong post!

 

here is THE SKULL!! isnt it fabulous!! I had so many ideas with this I just didnt know how to clolour in first...so I made 9 on a baord haha, Now the skull comes plain its not decorated as you see here, I've used some of the stamps that come in the collection and also used a fine line black pen to draw some of my own! so...endless combinations here!! this is also the Skull I teamed up with the skull on Sheenas new Torn collection I posted a couple of days ago!

 little close up shot!! Do you like my eyes on the centre one!! love it, so simple just used the waste from the die cut and drew them myself very easy

 and here's the beautiful lady! Adore this stamp, she doesnt
 come with her face painted, I added that myself!!here is
 the stamp so you can see how she comes..

...beautiful yes?! but I added the iconic makeup that is so well known with this festival, then her hat, is a stamp and die also in this collection that goes with another set!! worked perfectly I thought

 

Next up the skull again, this time as a floating skull, I made a diarama card with a piece of acetate in the centre that i stuck my skull to, gives the appearance it is floating!! These flowers are in the collection too!!

..... More skulls... and how amazing is that music stamp!!! also in the collection!

The couple... went bold and colourful on this one....unusual for me right??? hahahahha

next.....i LOVED MAKING THIS!! I didnt see it on tv which was a shame though lol but it was so much fun to make, and I am sooooo making a few to decorate the house when I have an halloween party!!

even the cat and dog are in on the act!!

...last but by no means least the card I was asked so much about was my tunnel floating skull card with the eyes that FOLLOW you!! I will be doing a step out for this card with much better lighted photos that this one shows!! because of the tunnel the eyes that are only on the base layer give the illusion of following you its so cool!!, will get the step out for this one done asap ...and I also need to make one for my shelf lol
right folks thats it!! Check out the rest of the Inkoids for some more inspiration and our Pinterest board too
thanks for stopping by! would love to know what you think so please do leave a comment!!
Hugs
Nicole

Sheena Douglass Torn Collection Part 1

Hey crafters!! well, I'm back with my Torn samples part ONE!! :) Oh my days... THIS launch was one of my favouirtes, it's the skull ...I just love the skull stamp and it teams very well with another fabulous launch of Sheenas ...."Day Of The Dead!" ( thats tomorrows post!) so if you want to check the stamps out on line you can find them on the Crafters Companion website right over...HERE!!

 6 stamp sets in the collection again, all amazing , I especially love the blank one, this gives you endless possiblilies using your own stamps!! but as you can see on my first sample below I used it to create an aperature in my card!! so heres my Design Teams samples for this launch!, all coloured with Spectrum Aquatints/ markers and Distress Inks.... 

 

I LOVE THIS SKULL!!!!!!!!

 so the big skull that I have used for the inside is from Sheenas, "Day Of The Dead " launch , more with that next post!

 all the torn edges I've made 3D wich give a fabulous effect!!

and there you go, Torn part ONE!

thanks millions guys for stoping by and checking these samples out!! please leave a little comment below, I would love to hear from you,

 hugs

Nicole

xxx 

Sheena Douglass Torn - Collection 2

Good evening crafters!! well I am back! in an attempt to get this little blog up to date and bang on track!! so....tonight I'm going to Share with you my Sheena design Team samples from the Torn range! I adore the concept of these stamps, they are just brilliant! so much you can do with them , the detail is just outstanding too! which after all when hand drawn by Sheena herself and then made by Crafters Companion...we would expect nothing less!! If you want to check the stamps out on line you can find them over on the crafters Companion website just HERE!!

 So this new range of Torn stamps Sheena brought out in 2 releases, these I'm sharing this evening are the second lauch that you may have not long seen on Hochanda, I'll share the first lot tomorrow ( I'm working backwards remember!! ;) ) AND I am extremely proud to say that for ALL the torn stamps I did the colouring for the packaging too! so I was well chuffed!!,

here we go, 6 fabulous designs, 5 with an image behind and then one stamp set with the edges and corners etc all the neccessary elements to create your backgrounds and complete the look!my favourite is the EYE!!! amazing I love it so much!, and I just HAD to change it up a little and make into an Alien type witchy type of card!! brillinat!!

 so all my images are coloured in with Spectrum Aqua pens and then my backgrounds are all Distress inks, photos show the cards as being quite flat but are actually 3D in parts.

To help create all the shading I used my favourite drawing gum over the stamped images first so I could add some dramatic blending and shading just in the right places on each one, absolutely love that stuff!! then simply rub away to colour in the main image.

thank you thank you THANK YOU for stopping by and checking out my cards and reading my ramblings. It really is very much appreciated!!

I shall be back tomorrow with the FIRST launch of Torn range.... the skull is totally fantastic!!!

hugs

Nicole 

xxx

Aqua Tint Samples For Crafters Companion

Good evening crafters!! well ....a few weeks ago I had the absolute pleasure of receiving a set of the totally FABULOUS Aquatints from Crafters Companion to make some samples!! I was soooooooo excited!! Some fabulous Sheena Douglas stencils too and a lovely little pot of Drawing Gum, Well you can imagine how excited I was to received this parcel! I couldn't wait to tear into it to see what goodies I had, My Aquatints were the Pastel collection...oh...my.....beautiful beautiful colours!!

Now I must admit, I love to paint and draw so I couldn't wait to try these out, but, I have never used a stencil or drawing gum before.. so i was a little aprehensive!, 

I had the BEST afternoon in such a long time, got totally covered in ink, made a lovely mess ( remember i did say i've never used a stencil!) and came up with these...

 for this first one I used my pastel aquatints, and the Sheena stencil Eiffel Tower. drawing gum and a white pen. I decided to make a couple of my samples up into calendars for a change from cards. I printed a sentiment - both on water colour card, and used my aquatints to match up with the back ground. I really cant begin to tell you how easy this medium is to use, they blend together effortlessly!

 Next up I used the stencil Beach Huts, here I used a lot more of the drawing gum, this stuffs ACE! you simply paint in on where you want the white to remain, let it dry....paint, ink or whichever you are doing then simply rub the drawing gum away! genius stuff! I then decided on a little spray of Spray and Sparkle- Pearl Diamond in the sky

 now to try something different!, Taking one of my very cute Bebunni christmas stamps, I stamped the image using a Clear Versamark ink pad, then used a white embossing powder over the top, ...blast with the heat gun, and created a white stamped image, then using my Aquatints I simply used them the same as water colour paints stright from the pots, so EASY! for the background I embossed a piece of water colour card with Embossalicious folder Vintage Holly, and simply painted on my colours which blended PERFECTLY

 for my next two...( I was enjoying using my paint brushes by now!) I chose two digi images that you can find on the Spectrum Noir DVD, a Gold fish and a lIlly, I printed both onto watercolour card  as feint as I could, so you could just make out the outline, coloured in with my Aquatints, and then taking a fine line black pen, I sketched over the top

 I love the look of these two with the pen over the top!

and finally a little wall hanging. here I used the stencil Paris Springtime. I wasnt sure where I was going with this one when I started, but I just went with it!! these colours are beautiful! A lovely sentiment that I printed out and coloured up to match the background and finally using my black fine line pen, a few sketch lines over the top.

I really can't wait to collect the rest of the sets! I neeeeeeed them all!, I was amazed by how easily I achieved such smooth blends, you guys need to trust me and treat your self to these ! oooh and it's birthday week this week over at Crafters Companion, so why not check out the fantastic deals they have!! I will be!

Thanks for stopping by to check out my post

Crafty hugs

Nicole

xxx