Tell us a bit about yourself
"My Mam was a keen baker and my Dad was a printer by trade. There was always creativity going on in the household with plenty of card offcuts lying around from dad’s work. My parents would encourage me to draw and paint from an early age. I was lucky because although money was tight, they would insist on buying me good artist-quality products to use but less of them, rather than lots of children’s colouring pencils in mass! I champion this mantra still today when teaching art and crafts to adults and children alike; it’s that important. In later years I studied art both in the UK and in California, USA where I lived for three and a half years, but the need to work took me away from studying for my final degree. I returned to the UK and from there my knowledge of art and crafts has been developed through self-teaching over many years. Like everyone else, I am never too old to learn new things and I am constantly evolving"

I am best known as an artist/designer, colourist and educator for the craft industry. I draw realistic stamps, dies, stencils and embossing folders and impart my knowledge of art and colouring to crafters worldwide

What is your preferred cardmaking style?
"Stamping. I am best known as an artist/designer, colourist and educator for the craft industry. I draw realistic stamps, dies, stencils and embossing folders and impart my knowledge of art and colouring to crafters worldwide. One of my areas of expertise and my first love, is to take the products I design, weave a craft technique and a theme around them and get teaching. Education is my very favourite part of crafting. I get just as much pleasure from demonstrating craft to people in a workshop as they get from proving to themselves that they really can produce great results when they believed it wasn’t possible. This is another of my mantra’s; there’s no such word as can’t! You just need the right tools, the right surface and the right education and all is possible in crafting."

What is your go-to craft tool?
"Gosh! That’s an almost impossible question! It sounds cliché but there really isn’t just one item in the kind of messy craft and colouring that I do. Each is as essential as the other to produce the goods. I love my colouring products but without good brushes and a low chalk content card on which to apply it, the results just won’t be good enough"

What is the one item you couldn't live with out?
"Good-quality colouring products – usually water based"

SHOP SHEENA'S PRODUCTS AT CRAFTSTASH FROM 20TH MAY

What is your favourite crafty project you’ve made recently?
"I have recently got into using a planner – it's only taken me 58 years! I had fun sketching and doodling a design that I could colour in for the front cover... once a crafter, always a crafter!"

Do you have a craft space at home?
"I have a craft house... seriously, with my designing, experimenting, crafting and painting not to mention product testing and storage, I seem to have overflowed from my craft studio, taken over the dining room, spread my wings into the living room and filled my crafty cabin in the garden!"

How long do you spend crafting in a week
"How many hours are there in a day, days in a week? It feels like almost 24/7 Craft! When I’m not designing, drawing, demonstrating on TV or with Facebook education, I’m thinking of new ideas, lol. We can’t take the dog for a walk without the camera coming out and doing its thing!"

I have a craft house... I seem to have overflowed from my craft studio, taken over the dining room, spread my wings into the living...

Do you have a favourite-ever product you've designed?
"That’s hard because I love them all and like most crafters, I prefer different designs on different days depending on my mood; much like music. I like variety and versatility and that’s what I try to bring to people. Where possible, I try to ensure one Sheena collection is capable of working with another, so I can mix and match elements and create differing scenes – it allows me to keep changing it up constantly when I’m crafting for fun. Having said that, I loved the ‘Shaping Up’ double exposure range as I felt we successfully brought over a concept from photography to the world of craft using stencils and stamps and some wizardry with freezer paper"

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What are your favourite papercraft brands and why?
“It’s not just papercraft product for me, it’s about finding tried-and-tested artist-quality colouring products. I endorse using product that I’ve self-tested, that are ‘light-fast’ (doesn’t fade quickly) where possible and highly pigmented for great popping colour whilst giving great value for money in the longer term. Ranger produce great inkpads that are consistent go-to items in my stash. I was lucky enough to attend a ‘Ranger U’ course in New Jersey, USA many years ago. The course was for ‘educators’ of Ranger products worldwide to learn the theory, science and practice behind the products. It’s never enough as an educator to simply use a product without having a solid background knowledge of why a product works as it does and what can and can’t be done with it. With this understanding, I have been able to push the boundaries of using these products even further than before for example by employing my now well-known use of vegetable glycerine to great effect.”

Is there another craft you'd like to try, but haven't yet?
"Upcycling furniture. I did quite a bit of this many years ago and would like to get messy with that again at some point. I also really, really want to find time to make old fashioned ‘clippy rug’ as we call it in Newcastle, also known as a ‘rag rug’ using sack cloth and upcycled clothing... wish me luck!"

What exciting things can our members look forward to from you in the next 12 months?
"Sumptuous stamps, dynamic dies, superb stencils and enviable embossing folders – all with a Sheena twist and did I mention, excellent education? So… no pressure there then Sheena!"

QUICK-FIRE ROUND

• Favourite colours to craft with: Primaries
• Stamps or dies: Stamps
• Dry embossing or heat embossing: Heat
• Baker’s twine or Washi tape: Washi
• 3D foam pads or adhesive: 3D
  Watercolours or alcohol pens: Watercolours

CLICK HERE for the latest news from Sheena Douglass

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