A lot of people talk to me about cards for the men in their lives and I agree - if it wasn't for steampunk, there would not be too much for the guys.
So what to do about it!? Well I think that this collection from Hobby Craft in the UK is a great answer. So with that in mind, in collaboration with Hobby Craft, I set about using one collection to create ten cards.
They could be given to anyone of course but the main part of the brief was to come up with a collection for men and boys.
Here we go!
The first of my makes is a square on a kraft blank. I layered simply with black card and the papers from the kit including a banner down the middle and some embellishments. I loved the puffy stickers.
Number two is another square 6" kraft blank and this time I stitched the paper down. There are some super cute hexie frames in the collection too and one made a perfect frame for a die cut. The bow is made with some twine wrapped around my first two fingers and the tied in the middle. it stays put beautifully and it can be glued anywhere.
Next had to have the bear stamp! I coloured the stamp with some Tim Holtz Distress markers and then glossed the fussy cut image with ranger Glossy Accents. My favourite thing on this card (apart from the delicious washi tape) are the cute wooden arrows which make for great dimension.
No camping trip is complete without critter spotting! I cut a stag head with a Christmas die (not in the collection but it really matches well and is a good lesson about looking at what you have to go with new stuff). you can see another string bow and more washi tape. The little crystals are great too and add a bit of sparkle.
I wanted to make some cards which were really simple and very quick. this is one of those! Simple use a piece of the paper and some die cut letters in black. The puffy stickers yielded a woolly hat and another arrow. And of course some twine wraps and a bow.
when you do this, wrap the twine first and the make the bow separately and use the tails of the twine wrap to tie the bow on. a dob of glue keeps it all in place.
Right! From one extreme to the other here! The last one was simple and this one is anything but. I used grey card stock for the background and made a little tent from some yellow paper. a puffy sticker made the camp fire and then I dived into the Christmas dies to find one which was perfect for the trees. my favourite way to frame a card is with sewing machine stitching. As you can see, it really sets it off nicely.
Simple again for hurried card needs. This one used washi tape and twine wrap and then a simple message in black die cut. I love this font which is a Sizzix one and designed by Tim Holtz. It is called cutout lower. I used some glittery copper washi tape which is not in the collection and a wooden arrow. Some copper coloured diamantes add interest.
I really would not be me if I didn't ink something! This time it is a piece of white card inked with some Ranger Distress Inks so that I could frame it with a wooden hexie and die cut a little lantern.
I made the words from my Sizzix font and I used some card onto which I had painted with acrylic paint using my Gelli plate. If you like that, I have a tute here. It is really easy and effective and the scrappy bits can be used for die cutting.
Back to a bit more complicated again! Another tent and you can really freehand this without a die. I laminated two pieces of paper together and then cut a triangle. cut about 2/3 of the way up from the middle bottom and then fold the flaps back. I cut some thin strips for the poles which you can just see at the top. a puffy sticker made the sign on the tent.
And then LOTS of trees from a Christmas die set. The stars this time are from a Sizzix Halloween Witch die set - here again, never assume that you have to stick to using things in sets. If something has a component that you need, use it!
Lucky last and actually one of my favourites! I made this one because a camp fire is really important and it must have sparks coming up from it! I free handed the flames and then inked them. the logs are some more gelli printed scraps (seriously do check that tute and give it a go. It gives you the best components for your projects and you can bulk make and then have them on hand).
Well that's it! I do hope that you have enjoyed them and that you are a bit inspired. These would be great for Father's Day and you still have time....
Thank you for stopping by! See you next time.
Hugs
Debs
xx
