Category Archives: Masculine

A Husband Valentine

Husband Valentine

Here’s the valentine I just made for my husband!  I guess you can say I work best under pressure! At the last minute! I got the idea to use the little wooden people that came in a Paper Pumpkin Kit.  What a cute little 3D embellishment especially for a man’s card!  The ampersand and sideways banner is from Perfect Pennants. The Real Red heart is die-cut with one of the Hearts Framelits. That background paper is from the Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack.  The “love” die-cut is from the Expressions Thinlits that were in the Holiday Catalog and sadly NOT carried over!  What WERE they thinking??!  I’ll keep my fingers crossed that they reappear in the next Annual Catalog!

I hope you are having a great Valentine’s Day!  The bouquet of flowers has arrived, right? And your husband will be bringing home the box of chocolates and diamond necklace later, right? Well, if not, then you get a free evening of stamping!  Treat yourself!! One year I bought myself that purple bottle of Elizabeth Taylor perfume, whatever it was called, and had it gift-wrapped at the cosmetic counter…for myself for Valentine’s Day! Why not?!

Hope this card will inspire you if you need an idea for a husband Valentine!

Husband Valentine Close-up

Stampin’ Up! Monster Hugs Valentine Ideas–But Hurry!

Stampin' Up! Monster Hugs Girl Valentine

Stampin' Up! Monster Hugs Boy Valentine

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and who doesn’t like handmade Valentines?! I think Valentine’s Day is one of the best holidays, especially for children, because everyone is included. Remember the boxes we used to decorate for Valentine’s Day and how we often made our own valentines to hand out with red construction paper and doilies and maybe some glitter?

Here are some easy and cute Valentines you and/or your children can make!  Just order from me through my Stampin’ Up! Online Store by January 27th, if not sooner! Monsters are so popular right now and these are adorable ones. It’s a kit! Get 18 monsters, 18 googly eyes and 18 adhesive hearts. Make them as you see with a small piece of candy tucked under the monster’s hands or a lollipop or even stick the monster on a card front.

Here is another idea I saw someone from Stampin’ Up! make on stage with the Monster Hugs Valentines.  She made a box and attached it to the front of the monster, wrapped his arms around the sides and filled with candy.

Monster Hugs Valentine Candy Favors

If you would like to purchase cute Monster Hugs Valentines, you can find them in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store along with some other Valentine products! They do have to be ordered by January 27 so don’t hesitate! As we get closer to Valentine’s Day and the deadline for ordering, these Monster Hugs could go quickly.  You will also find other Valentine ideas and stamp sets in the new Occasions Catalog.

Go to my Online Store now and order your Monster Hugs Valentines! Or if you prefer, just contact me at Karen@KarenStamps.com and I can help you with your order.

A Father’s Day Paper Napkin Necktie

Paper Napkin Necktie

I received an email from Chinet, a company who makes paper table goods, that had a cute idea for folding one of their square paper napkins into a necktie shape for Father’s Day. To finish theirs off, they wrote on a paper tag the menu for Father’s Day. I thought it was a cute idea but used some Stampin’ Up! stamps, ink and paper to make a cute tag and attached it with a paper clip (like a tie clip!) The paper napkin necktie is pretty easy to make (only took me three tries!). You might call it simple origami! It would make a cute table decoration for Father’s Day. You can watch the video below.

For my tag, I stamped the images in Early Espresso, one on Crumb Cake and one on Whisper White with the Chalk Talk stamp set.  There are matching Chalk Talk framelits, but I don’t have them yet, so I just cut them out by hand. (There’s also a Chalk Talk Bundle to save you 15%!)  I also used the Curly Label Punch to add that extra colorful layer. I used the new In Color, Coastal Cabana.

Chalk Talk Tag on Paper Napkin Necktie

Shop the Stampin’ Up! Online Store Here!

Quotes and Sayings About Fathers for Father’s Day

A Saying about a DadFather’s Day is this weekend and I thought you might enjoy or be inspired by some sayings and quotes I found about fathers. I hope you will take some time to make a card for your father, grandfather, or husband and/or help your children make something special for their dad.  Make a scrapbook page or a mini album.  Decorate a picture frame. Make a gift bag for Dad. This is why we all have our stamps, ink and paper!  Let’s take the time to use them.  It’s faster than going to the card shop!

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Any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a dad. — Anne Geddes

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” — Rev. Theodore Hesburgh

The greatest gift I ever had came from God; I call him Dad! — Author Unknown

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. — Unknown

A father carries pictures where his money used to be. — Author Unknown

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ~ Mark Twain

A good father is one of the most unsung, upraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society. ~ Billy Graham

Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope. – Bill Cosby

“We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“It is a wise father that knows his own child.” – William Shakespeare

Lovely As a Tree Father’s Day Card

Lovely As a Tree Father's Day Card

Father’s Day is Sunday so time is running out to make that special man in your life a handmade Father’s Day card. As I looked over my current stamp sets, I remembered that Lovely As A Tree is ALWAYS a good set to use for a masculine card. I decided to keep this card extremely simple, and you probably have this stamp set in your collection (and if you don’t, you need to order Lovely As a Tree right away!).  The card base is Soft Suede and the Whisper White strip is layered over a piece of Pear Pizzazz.  I had planned on the ribbon being lower on the card, but when I accidentally place it right at the base of the Whisper White, I liked it very well right there. This is the 7/16″ Natural Trim Ribbon and it has a burlap look to it. I really like it and thought it was perfect on this card. The greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (another big favorite of mine!), punched out with the Word Window Punch and layered on the Modern Label Punch (should I say again, all favorites of mine?!)

Thumping Technique

To color in the trees, I decided to use the Thumping Technique. I selected three green Stampin’ Write Markers and colored in the leafy part of the trees and the grass on the stamp with the lightest color green. Then I picked up the next darker marker and held it so I could just “thump” the markers in spots on the trees…here, there and everywhere.  Do the same with the darkest green.  Then I took the Soft Suede marker and colored in the trunks of the trees and some of the branches.  It doesn’t matter that you are going over the green because the brown is darker. When I thought I had the stamp covered enough in the marker, I breathed on it real well or re-moisten the ink and stamped.  That’s how you get that variegated look to the leaves!

Have fun making a nice Father’s Day card for your father, your husband, your uncle, maybe your son….whoever in your life deserves a handmade card from you!

 

A Father’s Day Card Idea

Chalk Talk Father's Day Card

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 16th so we should all be thinking about making a Father’s Day card. Here is a Father’s Day card idea I came up with using a greeting from the new Chalk Talk Stamp Set.  And you won’t believe the designer paper I used for the background! It’s a pattern from Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper!!  Who would think you would find a suitable male pattern in a pack of Gingham Garden paper?! But the backs of the flowery papers have patterns like this one to use for a variety of projects!

The card base is Crumb Cake.  The darker brown is Soft Suede. The banner is cut out with the Apothecary Accents Framelits Die.  If you don’t own that die, you could use a rectangle and two small circles adhered to the sides. The cute little buttons, which I think just “make” this card are from the Naturals Designer Buttons and tied with a little bit of Linen Thread.

The greeting is from the new stamp set Chalk Talk. It’s a generic greeting that can be used in so many ways so I think it can be used for a Father’s Day card from a child, a step-child, a wife to her husband, maybe even a niece or nephew to a favorite uncle; anyone special in your life.

If you are interested in the Chalk Talk stamp set, be sure to notice you can purchase the stamp set (wood or clear) and the matching Chalk Talk Framelits DIes as a Bundle and save 15%!! You use the Framelits with the Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine to cut out those shapes.

And for the inside of the card, I added a Whisper White layer and a little designer paper. The Father’s Day greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (a must-have set, if you ask me!) By the way, a stamp set like this, with small stamps, I prefer to own in the wood-mount. Just a little easier to handle and clean.

Chalk Talk Father's Day Card Idea

For all of your stamping needs, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store here.

 

Valentines for Boys (or Robot-Loving Girls!)

Robot Valentines for Boys

Valentines are sometimes all "mushy" but here is a cute idea for valentines for boys! Not that they can't be for girls, too, of course…but in the craft world, it's often more difficult to find "boy" things. Anybody who loves robots will like these valentines…and not just for Valentine's Day either!  They would be just as cute for birthday cards or some kind of birthday party favors. The only bad thing is that the chocolate candy making up the body is pretty tempting and then the robot is kind of destroyed! But that's okay…we have to remember, it is only paper!

Of course I copied the idea from a couple I saw online a long time ago and then made them up my own way. On two, I embossed aluminum foil (the heavy duty kitchen kind) in an embossing folder in the Big Shot.

Embossed Foil

Here are close-ups of the robot valentines. The glare of the foil makes it a little difficult to take photos!

Robot Valentine
Here you can see the two chocolate nuggets forming the body (stuck together with one mini glue dot near the bottom of the candy and some Sticky Strip on the back.

Holding nuggets

Robot Valentine 2

Robot Valentine 3

Use your imagination and make some fun valentines like these! Once you get started, it is hard to stop!

Shop Stampin' Up! Online here at my Online Store!

Dude, You’re Welcome Stamp Kit for Your Man!

Dude You're Welcome

Be sure to check out this interesting stamp kit for your man! (And probably you would even like using it, too!) It was designed by men for use by men! It includes everything the man in your life will need for stamping a few manly cards all wrapped up in a nice box (which you will probably want to save for yourself!).

Watch the video then put it on your next order at my Online Store!

Owl Punch Three Monsters Male Birthday Card

Owl Punch Three Monsters Male Birthday Card

In trying to think of a birthday card to make for my son-in-law, I was a little stumped this year.  Last year I got an idea for a Star Wars card that I probably mostly copied from an idea I saw online.  I thought it turned out great and he liked it!  Right up his alley! But this year, the other things I knew he liked were a little harder to come up with in a card. When I saw an idea of using the Owl Punch somewhat like this, I decided to go with a "generic" monster/sci fi/comic character/whatever card for him. This is what materialized and I like it!

The Owl Punch is one of the greatest tools you can own! Not that I think of these things, but other stampers come up with a multitude of ways to use our Stampin' Up! punches and make them worth their weight in gold for crafting! To make my little monsters (or whatever they are!) I punched the owl, drew on his mouth and teeth with a Stampin' Write Black Marker and colored in the teeth with the Signo Gel Pen. For the arms I stuck a little strip of paper in to punch just the feet of the owl and then cut the strips to make arms. I punched out the white eye circles with the Owl Punch although I colored them in with black around my Googly Eyes.

The sentiment is from the stamp set You're Amazing and die-cut with the Big Shot and the Apothecary Accents Framelits Dies.  The brads are the  3/8" Designer Printed Brads.

If you are looking for a male birthday card, for child or adult, this is a good one and fun to make!  If you prefer just stamping your monsters, there is the Make a Monster stamp set!

You can order any and all of these products and more from my Stampin' Up! Online Store.  Go there today….and also check the Clearance Rack if you are doing an online order!

Male Birthday Card…or Any Occasion Card!

You're Amazing Birthday Card

Twenty-four years ago today I was driving my daughter home from Sunday School and had to practically stop the car while I let a contraction pass. When I got home I called my parents in St. Louis to say probably something was happening. We four all ate lunch and in the afternoon I baked cupcakes for the cake walk at the Halloween carnival that would be down the street the next night. Naturally I had some licks of the batter and frosting! Since we would be at the carnival and trick-or-treating the next night, I decided to cook a special Halloween dinner that night. In the midst of batter-licking and frosting-eating and dinner prep, I decided maybe I needed to quit eating and go sit down and time the contractions. By half-time of the televised Sunday night football game (my husband always appreciated the timing!), it was time to calmly call my friend and ask her to come get the kids since we'd be going to the hospital sometime that night. She rushed over and by the time my husband helped get the kids buckled in their seats in her car I was more than ready to be going to the hospital. The nurse taking my information laughed when I told her my last meal was cupcake batter and frosting!  In just a couple of hours, Steven was born, just about 45 minutes short of being a Halloween baby! How can that be so long ago??!!

We think making a masculine card is hard since we crafters seem to often be using flowers and colors and other images that don't seem to be appropriate for a man or boy. I actually started off thinking I would copy a card I'd seen online, but once I changed the shape of my stamped greeting from "You're Amazing" by cutting it out with one of the Apothecary Accents Framelits, I came up with this design instead. Great way to use up paper scraps, great way to make a card for a male birthday, great way to make a card for ANY occasion! The background of the card is embossed with the Stripes Embossing Folder. And a couple of Glimmer Brads add some pizzazz without being too much bling for a boy!

The paper strips (Summer Smooches…and you wouldn't think that paper would work for a masculine card but it does!) are just cut to varying lengths and widths, no big deal, just whatever you want.  And then cut a little "v" out of the end or use a square punch to punch it out. (I think it is easiest to just snip).

Have fun stamping today!

Make an Easy Father’s Day Card!

Easy Father's Day Card 2012

This easy Father's Day card will take just minutes to make! To add some texture to the background, I used the new Chevron Embossing Folder #127749…of course you could use most any folder you have…or none at all. Then I just cut strips of designer paper into little banners to decorate the front.  This paper is the beautiful new International Bazaar Designer Series Paper #126920, but you could use any that you have on hand. The "DAD" is stamped with the Broadsheet Alphabet (p. 144). I kept it super simple and didn't even use layers!  The card base and ink color is one of the new In Colors, Midnight Muse.

Stampin' Up! products make coordination easy and simple. Now get busy and make an easy card for the father in your life today! 

Happy Father's Day to all the dads!

Handmade Father’s Day Gift Idea: Stamped Picture Frame

Father's Day Picture Frame

It's getting down to the wire!  Do you have a Father's Day gift yet? Here's a very easy handmade Father's Day gift idea….just make a stamped picture frame! I bet you have a picture frame of some sort around the house or they are inexpensive to buy.  Either using the mat that comes with it or cutting your own from Whisper White card stock, so some stamping on the mat and insert your photo! On this one I used the My Friend stamp set.  The leafy image was easy to stamp and good for a Father's Day gift.

Just to fancy it up a bit, I first inked up the stamp a bit with the new In Color Summer Starfruit, then the Gumball Green and finally some tapping with Old Olive.  As long as you start with the lightest color first it won't affect your ink pads.  It just gave a little bit of a varigated look to the leaves.  If you had some leaf stamps, you could stamp those randomly around the mat.

Make a matching little gift card by stamping the leaves on a small card.

An easy gift for the kids to help with, and you probably have the supplies around the house!  And Dad will treasure it!

Father’s Day Scrapbook Page in My Digital Studio

Father's Day Page 2012-001

How about using My Digital Studio to make a Father's Day scrapbook page for photos of Dad and the children?  You can put it in a scrapbook (if you print it out) OR you can print it and frame it!  You most likely can find any size frame these days, particularly one made for scrapbook pages.  Add the photos where you see the black boxes. Or if you prefer, just use this design for a starting point and make it the traditional way with paper, ink and stamps!  Add your embellishments and you have a great Father's Day gift.  Personalize however you like!

For more information on My Digital Studio, click HERE.

It's very easy to either completely design your own page…or do like I did and start with a template in My Digital Studio and change it up how you like it!

Handmade Father’s Day Card Idea

Handmade Father's Dad Card Idea

 

There are a lot of these Father's Day card ideas out there with the shirt and tie.  Usually the tie, and sometimes the shirt, is an origami technique, but I wanted something easier for a handmade Father's Day card idea.

For the shirt, I started with a piece of designer paper (this one is Summer Smooches #125409 from Stampin' Up! cut 4" x 5 7/8". At the top score at 5/8" and again at 1 1/4"….that is, if you want the collar to match the shirt (so that your designer paper is folded over twice). Otherwise, just score at 5/8" if you want the other side of the paper to show for the collar.  Either is great!  Where you want the collar to fold in, cut in at the sides one inch. That gives you the collar separated from the shirt so you can fold that much in toward the center.  Find the center of your paper (2") and fold those top tips to that mark making the collar. Use Stampin' Dimensionals #104430 under the collar edges to hold it down.  

Before glueing down the collar, make the necktie.  I just used a piece of the new 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon in Gumball Green #126848 (p. 172), tied a little knot at the top and snipped off the bottom to make a point.  Then I stuck it down with a Mini Glue Dot at the top and one lower down.  You could also use a little mini brad for a "tie tac". After you have the tie in place you can stick down the collar edges.

Here is what the necktie looks like:

Ribbon Neck Tie

Adhere the Father's Day shirt to a card base and add a greeting and you are done!  So cute and relatively easy!

A Father’s Day Gift Idea for the Gardening/Yard Dad

And what dad isn't involved in at least a little bit of gardening or yard work?  This is a Father's Day gift the children can make with some adult supervision by Mom.  Buy some roof flashing at a home improvement store, cut it out with your big shot and an appropriate die and then hang on a stake of some sort.

Metal Yard Art

 

This is one of my photos from the San Antonio Regional back in January where I learned to make these. As you can see, you can cut out most anything with your Big Shot and then punch a hole and hang it and stick it in the yard or in a pot of flowers or a plant.  Perhaps it will even scare off the squirrels from the garden….that's what we're trying to do in our garden!  But it is pretty and eye-catching no matter what!  The flashing has sharp edges until you run it through the Big Shot so you do need to be careful if children make this for Dad.  Use your imagination!  Once you make one I bet you'll have to make more!