Howlstooth & Scaringbone | Dot Dot Stamping Designs

I’ll be the first to admit that I love making cards that are girly – pinks, purples, ribbons, lace and vintage in style, but I also really enjoy making masculine cards.
A lot of people have commented that they struggle with making cards for the men in their lives, so this year I plan to share with you lots of tips and ideas for male cards, and hopefully some inspiration too 🙂

This particular card uses the new Sale-a-Bration stamp set called Feeling Sentimental, and it is great for masculine cards. I am also going to enter this card in this week’s Paper Players challenge #129, which is a sketch challenge. Pop on over to their site, lots of inspiration for you!

So, my first tip for making masculine cards is, don’t be afraid to use patterned papers, as I have done in this card. I have used the Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP here, which is perfect, but don’t forget to look at the packs of papers you already have. Stampin’ Up! are fabulous when it comes to incorporating all sorts of possibilities, so have a look through those flowery papers and look for stripes, spots, even what may seem like a girlish pattern, could be cut so that it changes it’s look. How about some of those Christmas papers? Red or green stripes or spots or patterns could easily be turned into a background for a tree or other masculine image.
Let’s see if I can give you an example…. The Twitterpated DSP is a lovely flowery, pretty pack of papers, but have a look at the reverse side of each paper. Green and blue checks… stripes…. geometric designs in grey, and a red geometric pattern that could easily be cut to look masculine.

For my card, I have die cut the patterned paper using the Window Frames Collection, and then layered that over my stamped image. This particular patterned paper is only available for a few more days, so make sure you get in quick if you want to get hold of some!

Happy Stamping!
Chris

This week it is my turn to set and host the challenge at Our Creative Corner, and I have chosen a sketch challenge for you for this week. I would like you to make a card for a male using the sketch, and an extra but optional challenge for you, if you choose to accept it, is to use a Monochromatic colour scheme.
The zebras on my card are from the Zoo Review stamp set and have been watercoloured, then one has been cut out and raised and layered over the other. I have used a masking technique for the sun – I punched out a circle of Post-It Note and then sponged around the circle using a sponge dauber. The tree has been double stamped with two different colours of ink to give it that shimmery look.
The background paper is from the Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP (patterned papers), and the strips of Cajun Craze card stock have been run through the Big Shot using the Woodgrain Embossing Folder.
The colours I have used are So Saffron, More Mustard, Cajun Craze and Early Espresso.

So, here is the sketch for you to use for your own card.

Make it as simple or as complicated as you want, we would love to see what you come up with. And make sure you check out the inspiration from the rest of the Design Team.
Happy Stamping!
Chris