Week 7 Theme Challenge - Masculine!

What wonderful entries there were last week and how very inventive you all are. It has been so rewarding to see so many participants submitting several cards as confidence grows and imaginations are sparked.  

It's practically a full time job for us to visit you all, but this week we were delighted to receive comments from lots of you on our personal blogs.We truly appreciate this and hope that you will continue to visit us.Thank you so much!

Our challenge this week is a 'bete noir' for many of us, so in the true spirit of challenges our theme this week is

A MASCULINE card

As ever, we would ask you to observe our guidelines above in creating your card for a man.

Chrissie

For this card, I used a stamp from the Stampin' Up Studio Sketches set, stamped in Chocolate chip ink onto ivory card. I wondered about inking around the edge of the image whilst in the die, but after consideration decided to leave it plain.

 This Spellbinders Label set (no 12) comprises 6 dies, each one just over 1 cm smaller than the next largest in the set. This gap seemed too large a border for my image to I decided to do a little inventive trimming.
Modifying Die cuts

• Firstly I cut a spare shape the same size as the one for my image.
• Next I cut the mount for my image using the next size larger die.

• I attached the spare card to the mount using a dab of  re-positionable glue. I put it in one corner leaving the appropriate size border that I wanted for the finished mount on two sides.

• Then I placed the same die I had used for cutting it, around the next corner using the spare card as a guide, and put it through my Cuttle bug,(corner to be cut facing toward the machine) and wound it through just enough to cut that corner and then wound it back. 

• I then turned the card once more, placed the die around the next corner, and with that corner facing the machine just wound it through enough to cut that corner and then wound it back once more.
• I repeated the process for the final corner.

I also did a bit of jiggling with my sentiment tags. Previously I'd never managed to get a mount for a tag, but using the same process I did it today.

I stamped the sentiment, die-cut it with the appropriate gap on one side, then moved it along the die and re-cut, just winding through the Cuttlebug enough to cut one end then winding back!

I did the same with the larger tag for the mount!
You must excuse my badly scarred cutting plate, but it's seen a lot of wear!

And now it's over to me Mandi

Masculine cards are probably the ones we find most difficult.

I have decided to show a simple option for those times we need to make a card where the man has

no hobbies, doesn't like sport, doesn't drink! Yep aren't they a pain!

Us girlies are so much easier to cater for eh!

So what do we do for men!
I think a bit of texture, pattern or colour goes a long way.

I had originally decided on strips of textured embossed card in black and white, then as I was searching I found my Fleur de Lis [FDL] embossing folder and 'ting' remembered my FDL die cuts!

And this happened

So black or white....I don't know which I prefer, I keep changing my mind!

The font I used is called

Abaddon

you can find it here

A little mention about placement.

The sentiment is off centre, and I placed the FDL off centre too, but bringing it in about the same distance from the edge as the Happy Birthday, giving balance
For the white example, I offset the large FDL die cut, rather than placing the whole thing onto the card. It creates a different effect i think!

As always we would like to to continue to visit fellow participants blogs to leave a friendly comment. With the growing popularity of our challenges, we are finding it increasingly difficult to get to everyone's blog, but we have just about managed to date. If numbers increase radically we may have to share the commenting between us and so your commenting will be even more welcome.