Men’s Birthday Card

 Hi, ya’ll. I have 2 male birthdays coming up in September, so I’ve been working on some more masculine cards.  I’ll also be entering them in the Stamping Sensations August Make it Masculine challenge. Good timing, eh? 

Here’s one I recently finished.  I really like how the shimmer of the metallic silver and more rustic granite embossing powder contrast. The depth & texture provided by the embossed mat and raised embossed heart add a special touch too.

Lot’s of new stuff on this one.  I made a black card base and cut a 4”x5.25” mat in a medium gray.  I then cut 2 smaller mats in black and white. 

I used  a “gear” embossing folder. First I dabbed a slightly darker gray ink on the raised portions of the folder (Memento Gray Flannel), added the mat, and ran it through my Cuttlebug.  This really highlighted the embossing.

The gear heart design was purchased on Etsy and cut out in triplicate using my Maker.  After gluing the 3 hearts together, I embossed them using 3 layers of Lindy’s Stamp Gang Groovy Granite Embossing Powder to give it a real 3-dimensional look.

For the mat under the heart, I used the “Black Ice” technique.  First I cut a piece of metallic silver cardstock, stamped it with a crinkle background stamp using My Favorite Things Extreme Black Hybrid Ink, and then completed the “Black Ice” technique.  This tutorial from Melissa’s Crafting Treehouse is great. 

I used a tape runner to attach all the mats and the sentiment strip, then added the heart using foam dots. 

Masculine card #2 is almost done & I’ll post it shortly.   Thanks for stopping by!