Fun technique - Bokeh with sponging

I learned about this technique on our Newfoundland Stampin' Up! demonstrators FaceBook page. The group in St. John's had someone show them how to do it at a team meeting. As I'm on the other side of the island I don't get to go to these team meetings so I hit google to find out what it was all about. After watching a number of different videos of different ways to do the technique I finally decided to give it a try.

For my first attempt, shown on the right, I used re-inkers and water in a Stampin' Spritzer. I wasn't thrilled with the result but I probably will try it again. For my second attempt, shown on the left, I used sponging. It was so much fun and I love how it turned out. I will definitely be trying it again. I loved both even more when I used them to create cards.

This card was made with the paper on the left. I'll share the card made with the other paper soon.

For this card I cut a 5 1/4 x 4 piece of whisper white card stock.

I gathered my Pistachio Pudding, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Canteloupe, and Hello Honey ink pads. I prepared a small piece of sponge for each one.

Starting with one of the colours, I dabbed the sponge on the ink pad a few times to ink it up before using the sponge to apply ink to the card stock in a circular motion. I did this in random places all over the card. I repeated this with each colour and continued adding circles of colour, overlapping in places, until all the white was covered and I was happy with the result.

It is important to let this ink dry for a bit before proceeding to the next step.

Using a piece of paper with circles punched out as a stencil and placing it randomly over the card, I used Stampin' Up!s Whisper White Craft ink pad to sponge circles. Using the stencil gave these circles a more defined edge. Finally I used the eraser part of a pencil as a stamp to make the tiny dots.

I let this dry for a long time before stamping the sentiment in the corner.

The sentiment on this card is from the Simply Wonderful stamp set, which is one of the Sale-A-Bration items that can be earned for free when you spend $60 during Sale-A-Bration. I stamped it with Memento Ink.

Next I prepared a card base by cutting a 4 1/4 x 11 piece of Calypso Coral card stock.

I cut a 5 inch piece of the Calypso Coral ribbon from the Best Day Ever Accessory Pack, another item in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure. I taped it around the background piece before attaching it to the card front.

Supplies I used to create this card:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

With the help of my 9 year old, I created this video demonstrating how to do the bokeh technique with sponging.



I will show you what I did with the paper I created in the video in a coming post.
(Update: Check my Birthday Bokehs blog post to see what I did with the paper)


If you are interested in trying out the Bokeh technique, let me know by filling in the contact form at the right and I'll try to arrange a class.

If you place an order with me for
- three ink pads of your choice
- card stock to match at least one of your ink pads
- ribbon to match at least one of your ink pads
- whisper white card stock
- whisper white craft ink
- sponges (pack of 3)
you will have an order totally just over $60 which, will make you eligible to pick a free product from the Sale-A-Bration brochure. If you pick the stamp set I used you would be able to make 48 or more cards similar to the one I made here.
If you live out of town you can have the order shipped directly to you and I can teach you the technique via Skype or FaceTime.

Card inspired by Sale-a-Bration Product of the Week

The above card was inspired by one of the cards in the February 3, 2015 Sale-a-Bration Product of the Week project sample PDF.

Here's a funny for you - I put the front of the card together and was so proud of how it looked. When I picked it up for a closer look I discovered the card was upside down! I had to take everything off and reposition and re-stamp. So remember to check and make sure your card is the right way before you start adhering and stamping.  :-)

I love the papers in the Best Year Ever Designer Series paper pack. You get 12 beautiful double sided 12x12 sheets. When I started gathering my materials to make the card I was disappointed to discover that while I had card stock in most of the colours listed to match the papers, I only had one of the ink pads listed, but to my delight I discovered that some of the colours I did have matched just fine.

I knew that the Best Day Ever Stamp set coordinated with the Best Year Ever Designer Series paper but I didn't realize how well until I went to stamp this card. I love how closely they match and can't wait to do another card with another of the papers and stamps to show case just how well they match. Both of these products, along with the Simply Wonderful stamp set that I also used in this project are not available for purchase but may be earned for free simply by purchasing other merchandise. They are featured in the Sale-a-Bration brochure and are only available until March 31. If you would like to know more, let me know.

I started by cutting an 8 1/2 by 11 piece of whisper white card stock in half so that I had an 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 piece to make my card base. I scored and folded this at 4 1/4.

I cut a 5 1/4 x 3 piece of patterned paper and stuck that to the card base.

I used a 2 x 2 1/2 piece of whisper white card stock to stamp my image on. It just so happened that I had this piece, already sponged around the edges with a mixture of crisp cantaloupe and blushing bride, in with my scraps from working on other projects. I love when I get to make use of my scraps! I stamped the images using crisp cantaloupe, hello honey, coastal cabana, and wild wasabi with stamps from the Best Day Ever stamp set.

I cut a 2 1/4 x 2 3/4 piece of soft suede card stock as a mat for the stamped image and adhered the two together before adhering them to the card. I stamped the greeting directly onto the whisper white card base in baked brown sugar using a stamp from the Simply Wonderful stamp set.

The inside of the card is stamped with the same colours as the front with stamps from the Best Day Ever Stamp set.

I'd love to see any creations you might make inspired by these cards.

These are the products I used to create my card:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

 If you are interested in trying out or purchasing any of these products, let me know.