Happy Birthday Sheilah!!!

Hello everyone,
Hope you had a good weekend! Mine was just what I needed - good friends and some time in nature. Sunday was a close friend's birthday party. I've been working on a mixed media card for her using Candra and can finally show it here without spoiling the surprise.

I'm not really sure where to begin explaining how I did this one. It's been a work in progress for a long time. I would add one layer... get stuck... leave it... and repeat... Adding acrylic paint into the mix is fairly new for me and I haven't yet figured out a process for what works and what doesn't. Lots of experimenting!

The background started with Dylusions Ink Sprays as usual. I then used modeling paste through a TCW stencil that I borrowed from a friend. After it was dry I used Golden Regular Gel (Matte) to paste down pieces of handmade paper. It's grid pattern (seen in top photo) added some nice texture along with the stencil. I also used Glossy Accents to glue on some glass seed beads for even more texture.
Overtop, I applied many layers of gesso and acrylic paint. In hindsight, I might add the beads after the paint layer so that they don't get covered like these did. Depending on what you want it still has a neat effect. The gold peaking through in some areas is by Golden.

I just love this paint! Head on you can't really see it but when you look at the surface at an angle the paint shines brilliantly. I used the blue version on the wings of the moth. You can see the effect below.

Candra viewed head on. I stamped onto a Japanese rice paper with VersaFine and then coloured around the image with a light blue Tombow marker leaving the inside the natural paper colour. I then painted on some of the Interference Blue. You can see only a subtle hint of it in this shot.

Candra viewed at an angle. You can really see how the blue pops out. So yummy! The gold is doing the same below.
I think that's about it for this one. Hope you enjoyed it. Many thanks for the lovely comments that were left for me on my last post. I enjoyed reading them :)
Bye for now,
Ryn

In Search of Clear Water

Hey everyone,
The weekend is here again and I am looking forward to a couple of days away with my friends. Hope you enjoy yourself as well - whatever you have planned. It's Victoria Day weekend here in Canada. That means an extra day off for most people and fireworks. Do you celebrate this holiday where you are?
I thought I would post something quickly before I take off. This is a card that I made a little while ago using Clown Fish and Seaweed Set from my collection.

The background is a combination of Dylusions Spray Inks. I used modeling paste with a stencil from TCW on the left and rubbed some Distress Ink on top to add a bit of colour. It's hard to see in these photos but I also brushed on some gold acrylic paint from Golden.

The colour combination was a strange one for me but I just kept working with it. I brought out the greens by rubbing ink around the borders and stamping Seaweed Set in a clear area. It's organic form created a neat contrast to the almost mechanical feeling geometric shapes of the stencil.
I made the Clown Fish for another project but decided that they fit this one better. I never would have expected that I would like the bright orange on that background but I think that somehow it works. I imagine the two characters on a journey through the polluted ocean to find some clean and healthy water.
Well that's it for now. I hope you like my latest little experiment. Wishing you all a great weekend wherever you are :)
Ryn

Customer Gallery #13

Hello everyone,
Hope you're enjoying the Spring and that you had a great a great Mother's Day :) Here are the latest sent in projects. Sorry it's taken me a bit longer to get your gallery up.

By Barbara using Gerbera. Her blog post HERE.

Another make by Barbara using Raindrop Set. She created this beauty at Eileen's latest workshop. You can check out Eileen's workshops HERE.

Frédérique's make with her free stamp (Silhouette Dove Set) from March's Customer Creation Draw.

Another piece by Frédérique using Raindrop Set.

Sabine's creation using Raindrops. Her blog post HERE.

Theresa's used Raindrop Set, Ornate Leaf Set and Seaweed Set in this card. She's got a great visual tutorial on her blog post HERE.

Shoshi's created a great tutorial for this card as well. She's used Water Droplets as honey. Why not?! A great idea! Her blog post HERE.

Julie's underwater world using Rising Bubbles.

A big thanks again to everyone who shared their art this go around :) Bye for now,
Ryn

May News!

Hello everyone,
The time has come for some new sales and to announce the Customer Creation Draw winner for April. For the month of May I have chosen these three stamps to discount by 50%.

Begonia ~ $4.49

Black-eyed Susan ~ $4.49

Day Lily ~ $4.49

The random winner of last month's Customer Creation Draw is... Jools Robertson!!! Below is her contirbution to the draw using Water Droplets from my collection. Many thanks for sharing your art with us Jools and congratulations on winning a free stamp :) Please get in touch with me through email designsbyryn@gmail.com to collect your prize.

Her blog post for this creation.

That's it for now. Wishing you all a great month of May :)

Ryn