Showing posts with label Masculine style. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Masculine style. Show all posts

Saturday, 25 June 2016

Happy Birthday - Masculine Card for a Mate

Several days ago I made a card for Peter M, my husband's good mate and ex- coworker since decades ago, whose birthday is coming soon.   Peter (my husband)  told me that Peter M's having his birthday away with his siblings coming from NZ and Brisbane, so I guess I'll have to give the card to him after he comes back.

Peter and Peter are always goofy when they get together.  Although they haven't seen each other for many years with Peter being an expat all over the world, they still bound and remain good mates.
I've never seen my husband so chatty with another person other than me, so you can just imagine what sort of person Peter M is.  Besides being pleasant'y chatty too, he's always a joy to talk to, and is absolutely lovable.   When my Peter was looking for a new job after we moved back to Oz last year, Peter M had always tried to call and catch up with him at least once a week.  I could see that he tried to cheer my Peter up since job-seeking at this time of the economy was not entirely like a summer breeze.   He found a new job later in April so the stress was taken out a great deal.  Not a perfect job, but not bad either.

Now, there's something I haven't mentioned.  Peter M lost his partner early this year, and the terrible sickness had taken her away and along with his cheerful spirit too.  He couldn't eat or sleep well, he looked terrible at that time,  and had since lost a lot of weight.  We love Peter dearly, and therefore always invited him over for coffee or dinner quite often.  And I guess from January to April was the special time when both Peters needed a great deal of morale support from each other, and they gave each other that.  They talked about anything and everything, from the goals in life to that drilling tool on special at Aldi's.  They would go bike riding with other mates for a whole day and then had dinner altogether.   I'm happy to say that Peter M has at least cheered up quite a bit from then, and although not fully recovered from the loss, he has at least put himself together.

Peter M and I would go out too.  We have been to IKEA and Costco, and chatted along and laughed a lot.  We talked about life, work, and the future too.  To me he's a dear friend as well, and he demonstrates what friendship is all about.  He supports my husband spiritually whilst he himself needs it at the most difficult time of his life.  You can't ask more than that from a friend.

And here's Happy Birthday, Peter!


I use Hello Honey cardstock for the base, and Moonlight Designer Series Paper Pack.  I got the paper pack from clearance a couple of months ago and it's a steal.  Got lots of simple geomatric patterns, perfect for masculine styled cards.

The stamp set is from Sale-bration early this year.




PS: For men's birthday I never think it's a good idea to put bows or ribbons on.  It's just too feminine.  Unless he specifically likes those things.  To me a men's greeting card should always be simple and cool.  They don't want flowers or butterflies so don't put them on just because we like them.

I use the following Stampin' Up materials for this card:




Thursday, 5 September 2013

Best Wishes card, manly style

Every time I make a card or something, I always show it to Peter and he always replies"Ahhhh... very nice. " with a smile.  Whether or not if he truly like it I feel it's his support that makes my life as a housewife even more meaningful.  (Well he knows if he can have an opinion if he wants to have a bad evening haha!)

Well there you go, a simple manly Best Wishes card using some stamps and glue. 


1. Make card base from brown card stock
2. Make and trim a patterned strip, a white rectangle panel and a patterned panel and  from card stock. Lightly distress the white panel. Affix to card in order with the strip from top, white panel next and then the patterned panel.
3. Affix chevron washi tape on patterned panel.
4. Trim a white panel, stamp airplanes and trim the end into a swallow tail. Punch hole and affix the brad.  Affix panel to card.
5. Stamp Best Wishes on card.



Sunday, 1 September 2013

Father's Day card for Australian Father's Day

Yes, my husband is Aussie. And in Australia Father's Day always falls on the first Sunday of September.  Good thing about handmade cards for men is that they tend to be simple - less the feminine effects (flowers, embossing, frills and flourishes, etc) that is. Therefore, this is another simple card without any technical gadgets rather than just your scissors, trimmer and scoring board.



1. Make card base from cardstock. Blue/grey
2. Make a while panel smaller than the card base.
3. Affix washi tape lines across the panel.
4. Cut neck tie from scraps. Adhere to panel
5. Stamp Happy Father's Day sentiments
6. Adhere panel to card base.


Thursday, 29 August 2013

A masculine HAPPY BIRTHDAY card. Easy!

Here's another card I made on my paper-crafting Wednesday.  A manly Happy Birthday card.

Strange thing I find some of us scrappers like to put cute or feminine elements on the cards for men.  But really, doesn't matter how lovely we think they are, seriously, men DON"T like those cutesy things.  Nothing cute or feminine, please.  Men do not like to receive cards with polka dots, butterflies, flowers or buttons. If they like them, they're lying.


(Chervron is a bit borderline cute I recon.)


1. Make 5.5" by 5.5" dark espresso card from cardstocck
2. Cut six 1.5" by 1.5" squares (or use a square punch) from scrap paper, or white ones taped with washi tapes.
3. Find a middle point in upper area and line a square in the center first. Then align with two other squres. Same method to line the second row of squares.
4. position Happy Birthday alphabet stickers on card base.