Happy Happy New Year!

Hi! Just quickly popping in with this New Year card, to wish all of you a very Happy Happy New Year! We will be spending the evening at home, and welcoming in the New Year by Skyping with our dear friends in Iceland. Yeah, you know they have just about the best New Year's Eve celebration anywhere, and we are going to wish we were there!

Fireworks over Reykjavík Dec 31, 2014

I previously posted the card above as a technique of the week here. If you missed it, please go back and check it out. The technique and supplies are listed there, including this great Magenta stamp, which would be fantastic on a Birthday Card also.

41.036.D Calligraphic Accent 3

Technique of the Week: Bokeh

In Wikipedia, "Bokeh" is described as such: "In photography, bokeh (Originally /ˈboʊkɛ/, /ˈboʊkeɪ/ BOH-kay — also sometimes pronounced as /ˈboʊkə/ BOH-kə, Japanese: [boke]) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens. Bokeh has been defined as 'the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light'".

This is a popular technique in card making  and very easy to accomplish. In this card, I applied color by applying two of the new Distress ink colors directly to paper. I used 80# Solar White card stock  Super easy and fast.

I stamped the sentiment with Versamark ink, and embossed with White Diamond embossing powder from Judikins.

Taking a finger dauber, I applied the circles with Memento Luxe Wedding Dress ink. The dots are applied randomly, and it's best to apply them as second and third generation dabs. In other words, ink up your dauber and stamp it off onto scrap paper. Then dab onto the inked surface several times before re-inking again. The effect is like out of focus lights in the distance. The streamers were added with Magenta stamp 41.036.D Calligraphic Accent 3, using more of the Wedding Dress ink.

Various sequins were randomly sprinkled around using Ranger Multi Medium Matte adhesive.

This technique is very easy to do, and always striking. I hope you give it a try! Oh! if you are local this card is a sneak peak at one that I did for the Art 'n Soul Annual Christmas Party. I hope you will join us at Art 'n Soul on Sunday October 18 from 1:00-4:00, and see all of the cards we have made to inspire you!

Magenta Stamp used:

Calligraphic Accent 3 41.036,D

Other Products used:

Hero Arts G6117 Happy Happy New Year

Distress Ink: Mermaid Lagoon, Blueprint Sketch

Memento Luxe Wedding Dress Ink

Versamark Ink

Judikins White Diamond embossing powder

So Silk Fair Blue paper

Various sequins

finger dauber