Masculine Birthdays

We held our second class for the new year on Friday!

At this time of year everyone is hoping to restock up on their birthday card stash.

So let's not forget to prepare for the men in our life who are having birthdays...

Most of us find creating male cards a bit of a challenge.

How to make a card without flowers, butterflies, ribbon and bows?

Knowing what he likes can help... Cars, bikes, boats, road trips, fishing?

And rough textures, distressed edges, natural fibre, anything wood, metallic,  flags or tool related.

We enjoyed a cup of tea while stamping with some cool new backgrounds stamps.

On the first card we used the new Hardwood background in Basic gray ink on slate grey cardstock. 

An ocean scene is easily created with "The Open Sea" stamps in pool party and Bermuda Bay ink.

For texture and contrast we added some free Saleabration twine and looped it around. A few glue dots and two way glue pen and its all held together. No triangles in sight!

The second background stamped card featured the World map stamp.

 This has to be one of my favourites. A great stamp to celebrate farewells, retirement, travel, holidays.

 We sponge daubered in Coastal Cabana, Pistacio Pudding and Crisp Canteloupe inks.

The Happy Birthday stamp is from the Label Love set with its matching punch.

This card had a few more techniques such as markers to rubber and embossing on silver foil paper with the arrow embossing folder.

How's your stash of male cards going - Sons, brothers, nephews, uncles, fathers, grandads sorted?

Next Friday we are back to the normal girly cards right?

Masculine cards are all at sea

By request I have been dabbling in the male and masculine style of card making.

Fortunately a new Seasonal catalogue is just around the corner and my pre order has a beautiful background stamp that is just perfect!

The  background stamp is called "hardwood". It works so well with "The Open Sea" . 

I chose Bermuda Bay and pool party inks to stamp the world map and ship sailing across the whisper white 6.6cm circle punch. 

I was trying for a Sailing theme here with a port hole in the wood panel wall of a ship. Using a piece of vellum I stamped my ship in Bermuda Bay ink.

It lies beneath the layer of Slate grey cardstock with a port hole punched in a circle 4.4cm wide.

And this one I have stamped on velum, again, layered over a white 6.6cm circle which is kind of roughed-up around the edges.

Of course the boat-theme was just crying out for some rope and knotted twine. This one comes brand new in a Saleabration free pack of Sorbet coloured accessories.

The twine is attached with glue dots and a touch of two way glue pen. 

The Happy birthday is a cute little sentiment from the Hostess rack called "Postage Collection".