Awesome Bokeh Thanks

So my husband and I were driving and he brings up that he needs to get some thank you cards for some guys at work.  He is giving them a small reward to thank them for extra hours they had to put in lately. Anyway, I just look at him and said "Really?!?".  Now he doesn't usually like when I say that (and "Seriously?!? as well).  But I just had to say it.  After all, he sees all of my stamping supplies and sees the Stampin' Up! boxes arrive on a near weekly basis.  So I don't know why he would even think to purchase any sort of cards, ever!  Furthermore, if he was thinking it, why even tell me???

Anyway, in the end he agreed that I should make the cards and I promised to not make them "girly".

I was perusing stamping challenge websites last week and came across The Friday Mashup! challenge #174.  This week's challenge is a technique challenge called Bokeh.  I have never heard of this challenge but it looked really fun so I decided to play along with this challenge for the cards I needed to make.

For the background I decided to use the Stampin Spritzer to make my own background.  I had some spritzers already filled with alcohol and ink so I decided to use these to practice.  Here is how this card turned out...

Now I have to be honest, I mixed these colors in the spritzers so long ago, I forgot what colors I used.  I believe they are crushed curry, bermuda bay, tangerine tango and strawberry slush.  

I used the 1-3/4" circle and the 1-1/4" circle punches to help make a template for the 2 circles.  I then used a sponge dauber to add the whisper white craft ink to the card.  Then I used the sponge dauber itself to make the smallest circles.  I really like how the effect turned out.  I think this is a new favorite of mine and can't wait to do this effect with the ladies from stamp camp!

The greeting is from Yipee-Skipee, again, as masculine as I could get.  The stars were die cut using the stars framelits (smallest star from the set made the bigger star on the card) and the circle card thinlits die (the small star on the card).  I popped the smallest star onto the card with dimensionals and then added a few rhinetsones. 

This was the "practice" card (and thank you cards for some ladies at work who helped me celebrate my birthday, thus the rhinestones).

For my husbands needs I decided to scrap the old colors in the spritzers and use the new in-colors!  I mixed up alcohol and 25 drops of lost lagoon, hello honey and mossy meadow reinkers and sprayed whisper white cardstock with the 3 different colors.

I like how the darker colors make the white circles pop a little more.  I believe these also passed the "masculine" test.

Hope you enjoyed the cards.  I will be playing with this effect a little more, maybe mixing up whisper white reinker with a little color from the other reinkers?!?

Have a great day.