Wednesday, February 22, 2012

hubby's birthday

Today is my husband's birthday! It's so easy to remember, since it's the same day as George Washington's birthday. Interestingly enough, Washington is one of Chris's history heroes. And while they both have a thing with cherry trees, I'm happy my husband uses his to make pies and wine :}
My hubby enjoys getting some of the "fancy stuff" (as he calls it) that I make, and his birthday card is no exception:
Masculine cards can be a little tricky to create... why is that? Well, it's a lot more fun to make a card that screams "Yoohoo!! Hey! Look at me! Love me - I'm gorgeous!!" At least I think that's what my cards are shouting  ;)  But with a masculine card, it needs to be more subtle, as in, "hey. What's up? Yeah, I'm a handmade card. Cool, dude." Soooo, I tend to use more "fall" colors and neutrals, plus LOTS and LOTS of texture.
Now, that doesn't mean the card has to be boring! I added lots of detail, subtle detail, to the background. First, I used Cajun Craze ink and a Sponge Dauber to stencil the fleur-de-lis image (from the Elegant Trio set). Then I spritzed the background using a Not Quite Navy marker in the Color Spritzer Tool. I used a stylus to dry emboss a few bits of the image from the Houndstooth Embossing Folder, and then tore a bit from one corner of the card base.
The layer of River Rock has been treated to what I call a "faux leather" technique. First I crumple the heck out of the card stock. Then I sponge the same color ink over the whole piece, including the edges. It starts to look and feel like really worn out leather. For more subtle detail, I lightly sponged some Not Quite Navy ink onto one corner, and then lightly spritzed the Not Quite Navy marker onto two opposing corners.
The strip of Well Worn Designer Series Paper is dry embossed using the Houndstooth Embossing Folder through the Big Shot. *Tip: cut your DSP strip a teeny, tiny bit longer than the width of the card, as the width will "shrink" a smidge after it's embossed. I sanded the raised places a little, but the exposed white core was a little too white. So, I used a sponge to lightly rub some River Rock ink over the DSP.
The birthday sentiment is stamped in Not Quite Navy ink onto Very Vanilla card stock. I distressed the edges, and added a layer of Cajun Craze card stock behind it. A snip of Blue 3/8" Denim Jean Ribbon (with frayed edges for more texture) and a Chocolate Chip 5/8" Jumbo Brad are all the embellishment this card needs.
It was pretty darn convenient that the challenge over on the Paper Player's blog is for a masculine-themed creation. How'd they know I was making a "boy card" this week??? Cool, dude  ;)  

Thanks for dropping by - enjoy your day!

Pin It!

10 comments:

  1. Wow! What fabulous texture! This is a perfect masculine card! Thanks for playing with The Paper Players!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a great textural card...love that stencil image. My DH makes wine too, but not from cherries....very interesting! Thanks for playing with the Paper Players this week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thx LeAnne - my husband also makes wine from a variety of grapes and berries. He makes a yummy wine from apples grown at a local orchard. I definitely enjoy the benefits of his hobby ;)

      Delete
  3. This is fabulous! Love the texture and the stencil is gorgeous! Um, I mean "dude, it rocks"! Thank you for joining us at The Paper Players!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lots of interest on your card here! The stencil you have used is such a great accent! Thanks for joining us at the Paper Players!

    ReplyDelete
  5. So much fantastic texture on this card, Jennifer! I really like the rich colors and that fleur de lis stencil, too. You really added a lot of extra "dude-tastic details" to this one! Awesome job! Thanks so much for joining us this week at the Paper Players! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lol- "dude'tastic"... I'll have to use that word! :)

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...