Blue Smiles

This card is made with a masculine valentine in mind. Lots of pretty layers, My Mind's Eye 6x6 paper pack and just pretty layers to tell some guy - big or small...You Make Me Smile.

Going for a Ride?

This card used a 3/4" punch, 1" punch and 1 1/4" cut with my cricut. Stamps are from an Auntie's Attic set. Each one is embossed to add interst. I didn't have a rivet or tire tread kind of dry embossing folder, but I thought this herringbone gave the same effect. I left it without sentiment - one: because nothing layered nicely on that texture and two: I don't send enough masculine cards and I wanted this one to work for any situation. Four of these for OWH, one for that nephew of mine, and one for a friend of a friend who is having a rough time.

Inspired by this Pinterest

Retired

A gentleman at the office was retiring and I was asked to make a card for the group to sign and send on. I don't have much in the retirement category so I went off to Michael's to see what i could find. Not much!
There are lots of digis out there, but not one that I thought my still lacking copic skills could tackle.

So, I did what any good crafter does... I raided someone else's stash! I asked my facebook group of fellow crafters for goodies - three days later an envelope came stuffed with stamped sentiments... including a completed card!! Though the card was lovely... I didn't think Jim would appreciate the pink.
I am really liking this 6x6 style, it just presents really well. The craft and black stripe and damask are from the same sheet of Graphic 45 paper, layered on Stampin Up's cherry cobbler. All of the ivory was inked up with Tim Holtz's tea dye to coordinate with the G45 paper.
That image, stamped in the same cherry cobbler, and embossed is from Inkadinkadoo.
Some great brads to finish it off.

Rock My World

Webster's Pages, really rocks my paper world. The 6x6 paper pack had the globe here in the corner and I have been trying to think of a way to make this really pop. Until I realized I could cut it out and use it like a stamped image did a sketch come to me. The Stampin Up You Rock My World seems a great sentiment for someone from so far away. I really tried to keep it on the masculine side and thought bringing in that striped paper helped with that. And a bit of a chain border punch for fun down that st

rip. And something I rarely do, but really like here, I stamped the sentiment on a solid matching paper.

Gearing up for Father's Day

Operation Write Home mails blank cards to soldiers for them to send home about a month before the actual holiday.  So while you haven’t decided on a Mother’s Day gift yet – us card makers have put away the Mother’s Day stamps for next year and dug out the Father’s Day.  I will be making a box of mostly masculine cards to send in April and this one will fit the bill for any time or Father’s Day.  The sentiment is from one of the Hero Arts sets that is made with OWH in mind.  A portion of the sale of these sets goes directly to OWH to help with shipping costs.  The car stamp is from this month’s Aunt Annie’s stamp kit.

I stamped the car on white paper with Stampin Up’s chocolate chip ink(it was white when I started I promise) and embossed with SU’s clear powder  I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t see the need for a million colors of embossing powder.  I use a good ink and clear powder to heat emboss, that way it always matches my project.  I do keep some silver and white on hand as I find those inks don’t hold the powder for the heat process.

Next I used some Tim Holt’s tea dye to in the whole image and give it a vintage feel.  I find vintage and male to be a challenge and I like how this came out.  Next I layered it on brown and blue.  The patterned paper came in the Aunt Annie’s kit and was layered on the same blue.  I added some brads to the top to help anchor it.

The sentiment got a few pop dots under it to add some dimension. This part was made while grandson napped last week.  I haven’t made many cards this month as I was able to spend some time with family.  But I took some sentiments, card stock and ink to make a nice big stack of layered sentiments so I had them ready for card making when I came home.  It was nice to just pull out my little bag of words and pick the right one for this card.

Since this was a dark card base and our heros don’t have white pens, I needed to line it with white cardstock.  We try to give them lots of room to write home, but I do find a little image or touch inside makes the card feel more finished.  This one got a little car in the far corner.

In total this added four cards to the box.  The deadline for Father’s Day is April 30^th so I should be able to make a nice full box of masculine cards to tell those special guys at home they are missed.