Masculine Birthday Trio

I think masculine birthday cards are the most difficult to make. Unless I am adding an image that has to do with sports or a male hobby, it's a bit tricky for me. And I kind of steer away from those images unless I know for a fact the intended recipient is really into that sport/theme.

So when coming up with a general card with a masculine feel, I'm still not great with the options. Most of the time, I pick a design and recreate it in different colors. That's exactly what I did here. I made the same card three times, only changing the colors.

The stamp is by Stampin' Up! from the Alphabet Soup set (which I don't believe is available any longer) The other materials are various from my stash.

Here's one final picture of the three together. 

The only problem here...I'm not sure which one I like the most. Which one is your favorite?

Sweet Birthday Wishes

Today I have two cards to share. I often pick a stamp or a card layout and make more than one similar card with variations. In this case, though I was using the same stamp, the cards look completely different. 

Both cards use the large cupcake stamp by Inkadinkado. The sentiment for the first card is by Studio G. The patterned paper is by DCWV and was the inspiration for the color scheme. The ribbon and jewel were in my stash, so I'm not sure where they came from, but the ribbon most likely came from Michael's. The little flower is Heidi Grace Designs with a small brad added to the center. I used the Polka Dots embossing folder for the background.  

I don't have any of the fancy Copic Markers...just haven't made the investment yet. So I color with other markers and colored pencils. The problem with colored pencils is that you can see the pencil strokes. But I saw a great tip on Pinterest where you take a cotton swab dipped in some rubbing alcohol and rub it over your colored image. I gave it a try and I am very pleased with the results! It really did blend my pencil strokes for the most part and it's not so obvious I used colored pencils! I'll be using this technique a lot...until one day I make that investment for the "good" markers! :)

For the second card the sentiment is also from Inkadinkado. No clue who the paper is by...like most of the paper in my stash! And again, the ribbon is probably from Michael's. On this cupcake, I used Studio G glitter glue to highlight the sprinkles, and a small gem for the "cherry" on top. 

There is a similar card buried deep in my files that I saved forever ago where I drew my inspiration. I wish I knew who the original card belonged to so I could give credit, but I saved it long before I knew to keep up with that sort of thing. But to whoever designed the original card...thank you for your inspiration!

Versatile Birthday

Anyone who makes cards knows it seems to be a little more difficult to come up with designs that work for the men in our lives. I'm no different...but occasionally a card happens that will work perfectly for a man without a ton of effort put into it.

Yesterday I chose a patterned paper I wanted to work with and had no idea what kind of card(s) I'd end up making with it. I chose a solid to go with it and even some ribbon. Before I was finished, I had made five completely different cards.

I like when that happens. If I'm going to have the supplies out to make a card, I may as well make a few more with the same supplies, right? Maybe others don't work like that, but I find that I do it frequently.

One of the cards I ended up with was this birthday card. And when I finished it, I realized it would be great for either a man or a woman! The colors are neutral and the ribbon is minimal, so it's not to feminine, but not overly masculine either. I love when something comes out with a bit of versatility to it!