Happy New Year!: FM#39

My partner's birthday falls withing days of New Year's. So even though this really is a birthday card, you can't really tell from the cover. It just so happens that he loves fireworks so putting it all together means I end up with a card that is essentially no different than a New Year's card (except for the inside greeting.) 

Stamps: Canada Day (retired), Something to Celebrate (retired), Afterthoughts (retired)

Paper: Espresso, Not Quite Navy, Brushed Gold Cardstock

Ink: Versamark

Extras: Gold embossing powder, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Heat and Stick powder, Gold glitter

Using The Friday Mashup challenge for this week, I decided to add some sparkle but I wanted to keep it masculine and so here's what I came up with...eeeee! I'm so happy with it! I hope he likes it.

I'll be honest, I never quite know which stamp sets to get. I hum and haw over them all and can never make a decision, even for sets that I love. I have decision-making difficulties in general... but for some reason I knew I wanted the Canada Day set. Maybe it because fireworks are the ultimate expression of celebration, are they not? And since they are a big deal in this household I suppose that helped.

I chose to use the little firecracker on the inside of the card but wanted to emboss the spark in gold, while keeping the stick blue. I coloured the bottom stick with the Not Quite Navy Marker then inked the tip in Versamark and sprinkled with gold embossing powder. I was a little surprised to see that the gold embossing powder actually clung to the area I had stamped in Not Quite Navy even though I wasn't using craft ink. Hunh. I'm sure the coverage wouldn't have been anything as good as if it were craft ink but anyways...I just brushed it off and chose to have the spark be in gold.

I'm sorry it's not all that clear in the picture but it's pretty cute :)

For New Year's I will be seeing some long time friends that I haven't seen in awhile. We're having an evening of game board playing and potluck deliciousness. No crazy party, just a lovely evening of chatting, eating, and maybe some heated game board playing! It's been too long since I've had some real game board fun. No fireworks, except on the inside, the kind that come with being around people you miss but luckily get to see every now and then.

May you all have great fun celebrating the ending of this year and the start of a new one! Wishing you a safe and happy new year!