Guy cards can be hard. I'm lucky in that my guys have very definite tastes and interest so I know I can rely on themes like fishing, basketball, video games (the son), and nautical (we live on an island, and minus my son, the rest of the men in the family happen to find lighthouses intriguing. Go figure!).
But, what if your guy (dad, father, brother, friend, etc.) isn't into sports? Or the outdoors? Or tools? Or music? Or has absolutely no hobby whatsoever?
I've had this idea for a "generic" manly card for a while, and when Studio Calico released the Potty People Veneers, well, I just had to pull all the elements I thought would work together well into this card.
And, seriously? Who can resist something called "Potty People"??? Cracks me!
I love the Veneers in their natural wood form, but for this design I felt he needed to be tinted, so I stuck him on the sticky side of a Post It Note--this way I could hang onto him and keep him stationary while I tinted him with some Distress Stain in Tumbled Glass.
I didn't have any herringbone patterned paper, so I used this fabulous Herringbone Cover-a-Card background stamp by Impression Obsession to make what I wanted--love that I can do that with stamps! And, I used my favorite new gray colored ink--Memento Gray Flannel--LOVE!!!
BTW, I started out thinking the card base would be all herringbone, but as the project progressed, I realized it would be better as an accent with all the other elements I wanted to include, so I cut a strip from it and reserved the rest for a future project. I can see myself using the herringbone background stamp for making gobs of custom Washi Tape (video tutorial HERE) in the very near future...
I also knew I wanted to use one of my all-time favorite stamp sets "You're The Best" by Studio Calico/Hero Arts
There isn't a die to match that "seal" image, BUT don't be discouraged from fussy-cutting it out--it's actually quite easy and quick if you cut the points from one side, same direction, all the way around the whole image, and then go around and snip the opposite side of the points.
If you *really* do not want to trim it out, then try using a 2" circle punch or die--I didn't happen to have either one, but I love the look of it trimmed out anyway. So. *grin*
Once I realized I was going to need a different base card, I decided to go with black, for dramatic effect, and for texture I spritzed it using Mister Huey's in Calico White (tutorial for working with mists HERE). Calico White is *uber* cool on dark card stock, but it may take some time to dry (overnight). Or if you're impatient like me, you can take a heat tool to it to speed things up. The paper will warp a bit just from the mist, and from heating as well, so if that bothers you, once it's completely dry, stick it under a heavy book overnight to flatten. However, I found that, once it was dry, as I continued working on the card it just became flatter on its own without me having to do too much. The Calico White Mist also has a slightly chalky residue, just so you're aware.
Remember Snap Stamps? Karen Foster used to make them and we all went kinda nuts over them and then they quit making them. To everyone's supreme disappointment.
Well, Prima Marketing has picked up the ball (thank you, Prima!!!) and revived the idea behind those alpha stamps, but I'd venture to say they also improved on the idea with their Prima Press Alphabets! Ellen and I were super excited when we spied them at CHA! I'm using the one with the typewriter font (seriously, I cannot resist a typewriter font... ). I like the handle. I like the way the letters are screen-printed on the side of the plastic housing that mounts to the handle. I like that you can see very easily what you're trying to spell. I like that there are multiples of certain letters you'll probably need when composing a sentence or greeting. Like vowels. *grin*
For the scale of my project, however, the letters were going to be spaced further apart than I wanted if mounted to the handle, so I left them off and just used them individually to get tighter spacing. Worked FABULOUS!!!
If you're ever stumped for a generic masculine card that is suitable for pretty much ANY occasion, I hope this one sparks ya'.
Thanks for stopping by today!
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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:
STAMPS: Hero Arts/Studio Calico "You're The Best" Clear Set, Starburst Background Rubber cling, Stepping Stone Alphabet Clear Set (Heyday Collection, coming soon); Impression Obsession Herringbone Cover-a-Card Background Cling Stamp; Prima Press Alphabet in Typewriter font by Prima Marketing
INKS: Adirondack Mountain Rose; Hero Arts Butter Bar, Soft Pool; Memento Gray Flannel & Tuxedo Black; Versamark; Mister Huey in Calico White; Distress Stain in Tumbled Glass
PAPER: Neenah Solar White; Black Card Stock
EMBELLISHMENTS: Potty People Wood Veneers by Studio Calico
TOOLS: Embossing Magic; EK Success Honey Bee Scissors; Corner Chomper; Ranger Heat It Tool
