Once upon a time I wasn’t a huge fan of patterned paper. To be honest I simply couldn’t see the point in spending extra money to add layers to my cards. But I came to realise that patterned paper could solve one of my biggest headaches, making masculine cards. So now when I see new Designer Series Paper (DSP) from Stampin’ Up! I immediately look for masculine or gender-neutral options. That’s why I couldn’t resist the Woven Textures DSP pack. For example, this cane pattern really does all the work.

WOVEN TEXTURES DSP

Having chosen the cane pattern I used it to help me decide on a colour scheme for my project. I started by cutting a 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ piece of Smoky Slate Card. Then with the long side at the top I scored the card at 4-1/4″. After folding the card along the scored line I sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder to create a basic A2 card base.

Next I turned to the full-size card layout samples I’d created a couple of months ago and randomly chose one of the samples. Using that as my inspiration I cut a 3-7/16 x 5″ piece of Basic Gray Card and glued it to the left side of the card base, leaving an even border at the top and bottom. Then I cut a 3-3/8″ x 4-7/8″ piece of the DSP and glued that onto the left side of the Basic Gray layer with an even border at the top and bottom.

Going back to the DSP I made sure that the pattern direction matched the card front before cutting a 2-1/4′ high x 6″ wide piece. Using liquid glue I fixed the DSP onto the flap of a Basic White Medium Envelope. Then I trimmed off the excess DSP with my Paper Snips, using the edge of the flap as a guide.

Finally I cut a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card and two pieces of the DSP (each one 4″ wide x 1/2″ high). I glued the DSP strips along the top and bottom edges of the card layer, then fixed the it inside the card base.

CARD LAYOUT SAMPLE #6

Now, with the woven cane details done I was ready to stamp. Looking at the card sketch again I decided to look for a sentiment that was quite wide. In the end I found exactly what I needed in the Wonderful Thoughts Stamp Set. So I cut a 3/4″ x 3-1/2″ strip of Basic White Card. Then using Basic Gray ink I stamped “You’ve come so far & accomplished so much” in the centre.

For the mat layer I cut a 3/4″ x 3-1/2″ strip of Silver Foil Sheet. Using liquid glue I layered the sentiment on top, 3/16″ in from the left edge and 5/16″ up from the bottom. Then I mounted it onto the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Now my project essentially looked like the sketch sample, however I wasn’t quite finished… I wanted a little extra detail so I added a line of three Rhinestone Basic Jewels to the right-hand end of the silver layer. With that my masculine card project was complete.

Check out these earlier blog posts for card projects using more of my full-size sketch samples library:

• Love my new sketch samples
• Woven textures

PRODUCT LIST

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES – You won’t find the Woven Textures 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper in any Stampin’ Up! catalogue. This is because it’s part of their Online Exclusives range. As such it could be discontinued at short notice. So if you like this item please order as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.