I often hear papercrafters say that they find making masculine cards a challenge. Flowery stamp sets work well for ladies and there’s no shortage of them, but for the guys the choices tend to be a bit more limited. That’s why I was so excited to see the Geared Up Garage Stamp Set and Garage Gears Dies. These were released last spring and were carried over into the Annual Catalogue, but sadly the coordinating paper wasn’t. That didn’t stop me making this masculine card as part of my World Cardmaking Day challenge though.

SIMPLE GRAY LAYERS

I began this card with a series of simple grey layers starting with the card base. For this I used my Paper Trimmer to cut and score some Basic Gray Card. Then I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

Next I chose a pattern from the Peony Garden Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack. Yes this pack does contain a lot of floral designs but like many of the DSP packs there’s some that are great for masculine projects too.

First I cut a piece of paper 2-1/4″ x 6″ and using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) attached it to the flap of a Whisper White Medium Envelope. Then with my Paper Snips I trimmed the paper using the edge of the flap as a guide.

Next I cut a 3/4″ x 5″ piece of the DSP. This piece was glued close to the edge of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ layer of Whisper White Card. Then I fixed the layer inside the card base.

Finally I cut a 3-3/4″ x 5″ piece of the DSP. But before going any further I decided to stamp onto it using the ‘oil spill’ image from the Geared Up Garage Stamp Set. After stamping the image a couple of times with Smoky Slate ink I glued the DSP to a 3-7/8″ x 5-1/8″ layer of Gray Granite Card. Then I tied some Linen Thread around the layers before fixing them to the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

GARAGE GEARS DIES

In no time at all I was ready to work on the main parts of my design.

This part of my project began with the tool box image from the Geared Up Garage Stamp Set. I wanted the tool box to stand out and decided to stamp it onto some Brushed Metallic Cardstock. I was a little worried that the stamp would slide over the smooth surface so I brought in my Stamparatus to help. Then using StazOn Jet Black ink I stamped the image and set it aside to dry for a minute.

Meanwhile I pulled out the “you jump start my heart” sentiment and used StazOn Jet Black ink to stamp it onto some Whisper White Card.

Now it was time to bring in the coordinating Garage Gears Dies. First I cut out the tool box and attached it to the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Next I took the ‘badge’ die and used it to cut out the sentiment. Finally I used the same ‘badge’ die to cut out a darker piece of the Brushed Metallic Cardstock. This time it was the frame part that I needed. Then, once I’d glued the frame to the card front and inserted the sentiment inside it, my masculine card was complete.

Make sure you check the DSP packs you have and identify designs that could work for masculine projects when you need them.

GINGERBREAD DEADLINE

Today is your last chance to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin if you want to get the November Christmas-themed kit. Jolly Gingerbread contains everything you need to create 15 gift card carriers with a gingerbread house theme. If you don’t need 15 gift card carriers why not use the pieces to create gift tags or cards instead. Make sure you subscribe today so you don’t miss out on the fun.

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