With Valentine’s day looming around the corner and Father’s day creeping ever so slowly upon us, I thought I would take this newsletter to talk about one of our favorite things! Men!
While they may be one of our favorite things, it is sometimes very difficult to sit down and compose a straight-forward, simple, uncomplicated, honest card for them. With these tips and techniques and my list of absolute must-haves for your man cards, you are sure to have a much better time in the future bringing it back to basics, and not being tempted to do too much or add that extra bit that you will regret later. So let’s start!
Tip #1: ADD TEXTURE
Whether it is distressing edges, using clear embossing on dark card stock, using twine with twists and turns, or adding stitching to dark card stock to mimic a man’s suit, these are all ways of adding interest to a card without getting to flourishy or feminine. No flouncy bows or ribbons. Keep it simple. This is not to say you can’t have fun within these boundaries. Try juxtaposing distressing and clean lines in the same card for example.
Nautical Card: Juxtaposes distressed edging with a clean sail-like center focal piece. Twine made to look like rope. Just take more twine and rope it around the center of the loger twine pieces to gather it like a knot.
Valentine’s Card: Using stitching on black cardstock gives a really tailored look to a Valentines card. Using heart punches would otherwise be difficult on a male card if the colors were not bold and mono-chromatic. Simple, yet effective.
Tip #2: Keep Lines Clean and Simple-
Keep those border punches on the shelf. Put the lid on the primas, and don’t even look twice at any punches with scallops. When planning out your card design, keep the lines clean and simple. Add texture where you can and embrace pattern papers with distressing and earth-tone colors.
Texture- distressed patterned paper, Clear embossing on dark cardstock which leaves the effect of leather, added metal in the eyelets, a bit of twine
Simple Lines: Clean lines all-around, a nice clean masculine stamp image, a background stamp that has a nice, clean masculine font.
Tip #3: Metal, Wood, Chipboard, Buttons and Fabric!
Whether it is stamping on basswood veneer, adding big chunky eyelets, brads or hinges, stamping on chipboard, or adding fabric, all of these add extra texture and richness to a card that will go a long way with a man’s sensabilities.
Stamping on high- quality mat board and using a clean type font for a sentiment gives a much added masculine lift to the inside of this card without it being too sentimental.
Knotting twill and pulling it through chunky eyelets gives a nice frame to this center image which is stamped to match the fabric. No fancy stitching is needed to bring attention to the fabric panel. The use of twine for the center of sail not only grounds the sail image, but gives extra texture as well.
I hope these tips helped and reinforced ways to approach making cards for the men in your life. Now for a list of must-have images, paper, ribbons and card stock colors which are my favorites! These are all worth checking out and falling in love with!! Trust me!
Stamps:
Father Knows Best, Forest Friends, Men of Life, Out to Sea, Pond Life, Wise Owl, On my Couch, Mailbox Greetings, All-Star Team, Star Prints, Background Basics: Text Style II, Background Basics: Retro, Guide Lines
Patterned Paper:
Bitty Box Basics, Turning a New Leaf, Father Knows Best, Bitty Dot Basics, Bitty Star Basics, Autumn Aubundance
Card Stock and Inks:
Soft Stone, Rustic Ream/White, Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Enchanted Evening, Ocean Tides, Scarlet Jewel, Ripe Avocado, New Leaf, Terracotta Tile, True Black, Smokey Shadow
Accents for Texture:
Buttons, Filagree Detail Clear Embossing Powder, Rustic Cream Twine, Rustic Jute Twine
Ribbons:
All Grosgrain, Saddle Stitch Grosgrain and Twill in the following colors: Vintage Cream, True Black, Enchanted Evening, Terracotta Tile, Ocean Tides, New Leaf, Ripe Avocado, Scarlet Jewel
I hope this gets you focussed on designing even better for men and having a list of products that are my personal favorites at your fingertips! Hope you all have a great day and are inspired to create for the gentlemen in your life!
Nautical Card: Stamps: Father Knows Best Paper: Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides Ink: Versamark, Dark Chocolate Other: Jute, eyelets, coluzzle, dauber
Valentine’s Card: Stamps: Signature Greetings Paper: True Black, Vintage Cream Other: Large Heart Punch (Available at Papertrey Ink) Stitching
Feel Better Soon Card: Stamps: On my Couch, Background Basics: Text Style II Paper: Kraft, Dark Chocolate Turning a New Leaf Patterned Paper Ink: Dark Chocolate, Versamark Other: Clear Embossing Powder, Jute, Eyelets
Grateful For You: Stamps: Guide Lines, Friends Til the End Paper: Kraft, Vintage Cream Card Stock Ink: Vintage-Touch Inking System: Chai, Dark Chocolate Other: High-quality Mat Board
Uncle Card: Stamps: Men of Life Paper: Dark Chocolate, Spring Moss, Stamper’s Select White Ink: Various Chalk Inks Other: Large Eyelets, Twill, Jute, Nestability Die
AWESOME! Especially love the nautical card, so cool!
It is such a challenge for me to make masculine cards! :-S
These cards are fabulous and your tips are awesome. Just one small point of disagreement. I think some border punches do work for masculine cards. What about a snowflake or other themed punched edge? I also think that MS cornice punch looks architectural and is great for guys as is the EK success wave slim line punch. The one with a wide, shallow wave with zillions of little holes. I think it works really well with beach themed stamp sets which are often my go-to sets for guys.
Great tips, cards…all of which I’m going to put to use in the near future. Thanks for sharing!
These are great. Masculine cards are so hard for me to do. Thanks for sharing all of the wonderful tips. Now I just have to put them to use.
Wonderful ideas for “man” cards Becky; thanks so much!
Very classy cards. Thanks so much for your thorough instruction and creativity abounds!!!!!!!!!
Oh. Wow. The Valentine card, especially, caught my eye. And I can think of several color combos that would be really masculine and dramatic. Love all of them. Thanks so much for the ideas!!! They’re all fabulous!
I am new to your website and I just love it…
I have been making homemade cards for quite a few years and my hardest ones are for the men in my life. I want to thank you for some wonderful inspiration and I look forward to you mentoring me once again in the near future.
Wishing you the Best in 2010
lovely cards. and thanks for those tips. I am lost with men cards.
Love all of these Becky, especially the Nautical one with the knotted jute! Thanks for all the inspiration!!
I am absolutely impressed with your masculine cards. I think these (and your other creations) are beautiful. I love your style! Thank you for sharing.
Great cards, and great tips! Thanks for sharing the ideas.
Oh my goodness this is about the best tutorial I’ve ever read on the topic of designing for men. The 100th Clean & Simple Fall-to-Layout is being celebrated this week with a Blog Hop. Generally I don’t participate (short on time), but this is a celebration so I decided to work on it. At the same time, I needed a masculine card. But the sketch has a scalloped border at the bottom, and I have found NO border punch is masculine enough for a really masculine card. And boy do I have the expensive border punches to prove it.
My latest expensive mistake, in that regard, was a rope punch I thought would be the perfect solution. No matter what else I do with the card, the rope punch makes it look fussy.
Anyway, thanks for the wonderful examples and text on the subject. Your cards are sooooooo artistic, and I really appreciate the fact that they’re not loaded down with gee-gaws and trinkets.