It seems ages since I last designed a masculine card so that was my challenge this morning. I grabbed some patterned paper, a stamp set and dies and set to work. I quite liked how it was going, but in the end it was the addition of a single metal star that made me happy.

COME SAIL AWAY

I began with the small yacht pattern from the Come Sail Away Designer Series Paper (DSP). After cutting a piece I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) to mount it onto a layer of Whisper White Card.

Then I cut a 1″ strip of the DSP and glued that down the left edge on the front of a Whisper White Medium Envelope.

Finally I cut one last 1″ strip of the DSP and glued that down the right side of a layer of Whisper White Card. Then I fixed the layer inside a Night of Navy Card base.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

The sentiment came next, using the coordinating Well Said Stamp Set and Well Written Dies.

First I stamped “happy” onto some Seaside Spray Card with Night of Navy ink. Then I punched it out using the Timeless Label Punch, keeping the word towards the top.

Next I used the die to cut “birthday” twice from Whisper White Card. Then I used liquid glue to fix the two pieces on top of each other.

Now I was ready to start assembling the main panel for my card.

I began with some 3/8″ Denim Ribbon wrapped around the mounted DSP and secured on the back with Tear & Tape Adhesive. Then without any adhesive I slipped the stamped sentiment into place behind the ribbon.

Next I used liquid glue to attach the die-cut word onto the ribbon. I loved the contrast this created but something was missing. I wondered if I needed an extra layer around the punched sentiment.

After trying various colours and shapes of card I settled on simple Vellum Cardstock punched using the 1-1/2″ Circle Punch. Because the sentiment wasn’t yet attached I could then slide the vellum behind it. Unusually for me I liked the asymmetrical look, so I used liquid glue to fix it in place. Then with the final placement of the stamped sentiment decided I added some liquid glue behind that too.

STAR ELEMENTS

Now I just needed to used Stampin’ Dimensionals to attach the completed panel to the front of the card base.

Just one thing niggled me, the empty area at the bottom of the sentiment piece. It needed something.

As it was a masculine card I quickly decided against pearls, rhinestones or sequins. I looked at the Sail Away Trinkets, but they were just a bit too large. Then I noticed a pack of Star Designer Elements. The colour, the size, everything about these self-adhesive metallic stars was just perfect. So I fixed a single star to into place and my project was complete.

It’s funny how I used to avoid making masculine cards but now I find I really enjoy designing them. Of course it could simply be that Stampin’ Up! have a lot of great products that make the process so easy. Whatever it is, long may it last!

If you’re looking for a masculine birthday cards with a bit more shine check out my previous blog post Noble peacock colours.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING SPECIFIC?

Did you know that one of the reasons I set up this new website and blog last year was so that my readers could easily search for inspiration?

If you scroll down past the end of this blog post you’ll see three links under the heading “Related”. That’s the website making a few suggestions for you.

However just below that you’ll see “Filed under” and below that “Tagged with”. Each of the phrases or words in these two sections are actually links. Click on one of these links and any posts that I have tagged with that phrase or word will come up with a small photo. If you see something you like you can then click on the title of the post to be taken straight to it. I’m still tweaking this function but do try it out and let me know what you think.

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