I'll be one of the first to admit that I have trouble coming up with masculine card ideas. It's tough. With all the flowers, and butterflies, and vintage frills, and cutesy stuff out there, there are simply not many manly images to choose from in the stamping world.
I'm sure it's because women are generally the ones making the cards and mostly the ones receiving them, too. But, don't be fooled into thinking that a guy doesn't appreciate a hand-made card. Case in point is my former neighbor, who, three years later, still has the card I gave him thanking him for mowing my yard hanging amongst his tools above his workbench. Or, my cousin Scott, who has saved every Christmas card that I've ever sent him, even before he got married (and oh, what a wedding it was!).
But, I digress!
Bottom line, if you need a masculine card, sometimes you have to really get creative!
Today's showcase features some fun ideas for adding a manly touch to your hand-made cards. For complete card details, click the link under the image.
Created by Rhonda Nelson at Kreations by Zabrina.
Masculine Stamps—Of course, the most obvious idea is to use some of the Stampin' Up! stamps that are designed specifically for dad's and dudes. The Best Dad Ever is perfect for that, but it's really one of very few Father's Day specific selections available in the current catalog.
Created by Jean Tarrio at Jean Stamps and created by Carol Taggert at Still Stamping..
The Open Sea is another set that's perfect for a Father's Day! I love the nautical theme on the two cool cards shown above.
Open Sea Push & Pull Card by Monica Weaver at Add A Little Dazzle.
I found this fun card design using The Open Sea stamps. When you pull one side of the card the other side pushes out, too! Click on the link above for more info. Monica's also the metallic embossing queen, but if you don't have tooling foil, keep reading for some alternative ways to do metal backgrounds.
Best Dad Ever MDS download by Christine Miller and Sail Away hybrid card by Heidi Tekunoff.
Masculine Images on My Digital Studio—There are many more masculine brush images to choose from if you want to try your hand at digital designing, like the first card shown above using the Father's Day digital brush kit! Go to MyDigitalStudio.net to see the complete catalog of downloadable images. Remember, there's now a 30-Day My Digital Studio Trial, so you can start your digital project right away just to give it a try!
Digital Hand-Made Hybrid Cards—Even if you're not into creating on the computer, you can also use the digital images on your hand-made cards as a hybrid, like the second card above. Heidi uses the digital Sail Away image with direct-to-paper coloring, so it blends perfectly with the hand-made elements of the rest of the card.
Created by Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty and created by Catherin Pooler at Create, Inspire, Imagine.
Geometric Elements—When in doubt, go geometrical! When I can't find a stamp image I like for a masculine card, my back-up plan is to try some stripes, circles, or some other bold shapes for the background, then add a sentiment. Here are two cool examples: colorful scalloped stripes from the Tasteful Trim Die and big, bold polka dots from the new Patio Party Designer Series Paper.
Faux Metal Tin Ceiling Tutorial by Diana Gibbs at Stampin' With Di.
Faux Metal Tiles—There's something about the look of shiny, silver metal that looks guy-like to me. Even though the above card is shown with a flower (not so manly), I think the Faux Metal Tin Ceiling Tiles are perfect for a masculine background. Diana simply embossed a couple layers of Silver Embossing Powder onto a neutral color of card stock, then texture embossed with an Impressions Folder.
From the Stampin' Up! Facebook page.
Faux Metal Card Stock—You can get a similar faux metal look by running a sheet of the Brushed Silver Card Stock through the Big Shot with a Texture Impressions Folder like Houndstooth. A row of silver brads, and even some nuts from the tool box help to accent this card!
Created by Terry Duncan at Classy Cut-Ups Creations.
Faux Metal With Foil—You can even make a cool metal background using Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil. Two ways to prepare your foil before running it through the Big Shot with an Impressions Folder (like the Square Lattice shown): 1) Adhere the foil to a sheet of card stock with Multipurpose Glue, or 2) Lay four sheets of the same size of foil on top of one another.
Tractor by Georgia Caulkins at Stamping With Georgia. Grill by Linda Rodenberg at Pretty Inky Paper Crafts.
Punch Art—If you can't find stamps, you can always use some punches! I found two cool punch art images that I hadn't seen before. The tractor and grill are perfect themes for Father's Day projects! Oh, and there's that metal background again!
Created by Tasha Hickert at Tasha's Design World and created by Andrea G. at Paper Addiction.
Keep It Simple—I'm always showing my husband my card creations and if his opinion is any indication, simple is better! A solo image of a tree, or a leaf, or a silhouette of an animal makes a simple, yet bold, statement. Lovely As A Tree (which may be the most versatile stamp set ever created) is a favorite for this style! OK, the second card isn't exactly "simple," but I loved the stained mosaic technique with the trees!
Created by Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty and created by Krista Fenton at Krista's Stamp Spot.
Choose The Right Colors—Neutrals, blues, greens, and reds are my favorite choices for guy cards, and you can see that all of the projects that I've featured support my theory. For some reason, red, white & blue must mean all-American guy, because that is a very popular combo. It's also appropriate for all those dads who have served our country! Apparently, flying objects, like balloons from Up, Up & Away, and kites from Sending Me Soaring (MDS only), are good for dudes, too!
Created by Michelle VanWiggeren and created by Martha Stewart at Seasons of Stamping.
Created by Susan Carlson at Stampin' Mom of Four and created by Lisa Flemming at Peanuts and Peppers Papercrafting.
Shirts, Shirts, & More Shirts—They are everywhere! Some are casual, some have ties, some are only embellishments, and some open up as a full card. Click on each of the original links above for more details!
Created by Wendy Wixler at Wickedly Wonderful Creations.
…And Vests—I couldn't pass up this super-cute vest idea for the more preppy father! Love it!
__________________________________________________________________________
Thanks for exploring some of my favorite masculine card ideas with me! Hope you found something to inspire you for when you need that perfect "guy" card!
Angie