How to use Plaid to Make Birthday Cards for Guys

 Hello, my joyful friends!  Every Thursday at 11 AM ET I go live on The Joyful Stamper Facebook Page.  Everyone is invited for a half hour of stamping fun!  I'll post the replay and project sheet with measurements below after the Live.  You can print the project sheet for easy reference.

I had a request for birthday cards for men so I searched the Holiday Mini catalog for ideas to inspire me.  Success!  Can you tell which card I CASED?  Hint: it's towards the back of the catalog.

This card THRILLS me with how it turned out!  I mixed the Buffalo Check background stamp with a Bumblebee Stampin' Write Marker to create my own plaid pattern.  The pumpkins (from Gather Together) look semi-watercolored but were actually colored with a Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write Marker.  

Tip: when doing simple coloring without any shading or layering of hues, or when coloring in small areas, use your Stampin' Write Markers.  They're more economical!  

This card features a homemade plaid background using Stampin' Write Markers and a Chalk Marker.  A ruler and Grid Paper were helpful in keeping the lines straight. 

Note: I actually went a different route for the background with this card in my live.  Now the background looks like faded flannel!  You have to check it out!  The project sheet shows my detoured project.

A detail that is totally me - the more frayed the Braided Burlap Trim, the more it makes my heart sing!  Do you have a stamping detail that says YOU?  Leave me a comment letting me know what it is!

Get the Project Sheet with details here.

If you need a copy of the catalog, request one here and I'll promptly send one out to you.

August Reward Code

Use when shopping my store to earn a $50 shopping spree!

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Request a catalog package here, if you don't already have a demonstrator you love.
• Subscribe to Stampin' News, a weekly email that delivers fun, tips, and specials right to you.  Get a free exclusive Stampin' News Subscriber pdf tutorial as a sign-up thank you!
• Shop my store and to save money check out the Clearance Rack and Discounted Bundles.
• Use this month's Reward Code to earn points towards a $50 shopping spree - read the details here.
• Join me every Thursday at 11 AM ET for my weekly Happy Half Hour Live stamping show on my Facebook page.  

Joy in being creative, community in sharing a common interest, purpose in what we make - this is stamping at its best!  Thank you, friends, for choosing me as your demonstrator!

Slimline and Easel Cards - Happy Half Hour Facebook Live

Hello, my joyful friends and stampers!  Every Thursday at 11 AM ET I go live on The Joyful Stamper Facebook Page.  Everyone is invited!  On yesterday's live, I demonstrated how to make both an easel card and a slimline card.  Both are super easy.  The easel card is great because it's a fun fold that still fits in a regular A2-sized envelope (those are the ones that fit a standard 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card) - no extra postage required, nothing crazy, but something different!  A slimline card fits in a business-sized envelope, and those you can get 40 for a $1 at the dollar store!  

The sentiment strip is adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals so that it props the folded part of the card upright.  The sentiment comes from Timeless Tropical.

Here you can see the form of the easel card.  I put the measurements in the project sheet (found at the end of this post).  You can also watch the replay below to see how to make this card.

This is a slimline card, using Timeless Tulips stamp set and the Tulip Builder Punch.  You start with a 7" x 8-1/2" piece of cardstock and fold it in half at 3-1/2".  It fits in a business-sized envelope with room to spare (that's why my Highland Heather tulip can extend off the card edge).  My stamps are pretty much the only way I'll ever have a pretty flower garden🤣   

Get the Project Sheet with the details for these two cards here.

Watch the replay of Thursday's Happy Half Hour Live.

Shop from now through August 3 to earn $5 coupons - no limit!  And you can earn Joyful Stamper Rewards, too!

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Request a catalog package here, if you don't already have a demonstrator you love.
• Subscribe to Stampin' News, a weekly email that delivers fun, tips, and specials right to you.  Get a free exclusive Stampin' News Subscriber pdf tutorial as a sign-up thank you!
• Shop my store and to save money check out the Clearance Rack and Discounted Bundles.
• Use this month's Reward Code to earn points towards a $50 shopping spree - read the details here.
• Join me every Thursday at 11 AM ET for my weekly Happy Half Hour Live stamping show on my Facebook page.  

Joy in being creative, community in sharing a common interest, purpose in what we make - this is stamping at its best!  Thank you, friends, for choosing me as your demonstrator!

Send Your Man Some Love

Where has all the yeast gone?  I've been baking for years and used to have to check the expiration dates on jars of yeast on the shelves of grocery stores because they'd sometimes sit there unsold for so long!  Now....it's a yeast desert.  We've been substituting romaine lettuce leaves for homemade hamburger buns, which isn't a bad thing actually.  

The hardest thing to bear, however, has been not being able to make pizza dough.  The Steele family loves its pizzas!  Nearly every Thursday, I make a batch of dough and let it sit in the frig for a few days, then bake it over the weekend.  We try different topping and cheese combinations and it's become a tradition in our home.  I'm down to the last couple teaspoons of yeast and the situation is dire.  

My last couple trips to the store have also shown there to be no flour on the shelves.  Is there a way to grind yard weeds into flour?  Because I've got plenty of that.  I bet Ma Ingalls could've done it.  She once made a pie from a green pumpkin and vinegar and Pa loved it.     

Pa Ingalls may have liked a card like this, too, and I KNOW Ma could have made it.  The Country Club Designer Series Paper is retiring so you'll need to grab that now, but the High Tide and Itty Bitty Greetings stamp sets, Stitched Shapes dies, and Stitched Nested Labels dies are sticking around.  

Please don't call the stamping police on me, but I did use retired Green Garden satin ribbon and a heart enamel dot.  It's all about using what you love!

Because the card base is so dark, I glued a liner inside the card.  Of course, I had to decorate it with some more High Tide images.

  

I used this sketch from Splitcoaststampers for my layout.  This is a classic go-to to keep in your stamping tool box.  Make sure to pin or save this sketch to your device (right on your Joyful Stamper board or folder 😊).  **Bonus: You could win this card plus extra goodies!  We're celebrating the 800th sketch and doing random drawings from cards posted to win the design team's cards plus a little extra fun.  Post your card by Saturday May 9 to be entered!**

Card Measurements Just For You (and Ma Ingalls)

• Basic Gray card base - 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", folded in half at 4-1/4"; scrap to die-cut Stitched Nested Label die
• Country Club Designer Series Paper - 1" x 5-1/4" (left side); 3" x 5-1/4" (right side)
• Whisper White cardstock - to die-cut largest Stitched Shape Oval
• Sahara Sand cardstock- scrap to stamp and cut lighthouse
• Night Of Navy cardstock- 1/2"x 2" to stamp sentiment

May Reward Code = New In Color Sampler

Use the May Reward Code on orders placed in my store of $50 or more (before shipping and tax) to get a free 2020-2022 New Stampin' Up! In Color sampler!  Sampler packs will be sent out by the end of May PLUS you'll get a new catalog package from me! 

New Catalog Alert: If you have ordered from me since November, you are automatically on my list to receive a new Annual Catalog package next month.  If you'd like one and haven't ordered since November, place an order of any size to be automatically included or email me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com.

Email me to order a Card Kit To Go from The Joyful Stamper

What's Included:

• All the supplies to create 12 cards - 3 each of 4 designs
• All kit elements are punched, die-cut, and scored for you
• a bottle of Tombow "green glue"
• 12 envelopes
• full-color photos of each card
• die-cut word sentiments in sticker format - just peel and stick!

Create with your kids!  Make a Mother's Day card!  Celebrate a graduation or birthday!  Tell someone thank you for that nice thing he or she did!  Let a friend or family member know you are thinking of them!

To Get Your Card Kit To Go:

Message me on Facebook or email me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com.  Kits are $25 for porch pick-up or add $5 to have the kit shipped to you.  Printed papers may vary slightly from the photo but they will all be from the same pack with the same colors and similar patterns.

Get a kit now!  I have a limited number available. 

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Request a free catalog package by emailing me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com or with this form.
• Subscribe to The Joyful Stamper Stampin' News, a weekly email that delivers fun, tips, and specials right to you.  Get a free exclusive Stampin' News Subscriber pdf tutorial as a sign-up thank you!
• Shop my store anytime to give yourself the best crafting experience.  Check out the Clearance Rack and Discounted Bundles while you're there.
• You'll love my crafting videos on The Joyful Stamper YouTube channel!  Subscribe while you're there and click the bell so that you always have fresh inspiration.
• Looking for community, a hobby, or a way to make extra money?  My team of My Joyful Stampers has a place for you!  Read more here.

I love stamping and I love Stampin' Up!  Thank you so much for choosing me as your demonstrator.  I am grateful for YOU!

Father's Day Fun Fold Card + Video

Yesterday we saw a Mother's Day fun fold card.  You can see it here.  But we can't forget about dads or the other special guys in our lives!  So let's take a look at how to make a different kind of fun fold for HIM.  At the end of this post is a project sheet with measurements and a supply list plus a video showing how to make this card.

It's called a Gate Fold and this is how it looks closed.  The manly argyle and plaid patterns are Country Club Designer Series Paper.  This combination of Night Of Navy and Garden Green is classic!

The belly band slides off and the card opens from the middle.  Score the card base on the long side at 2-1/8" and 6-3/8" to create the gate folds.  It's still 4-1/4"x5-1/2" when closed and can fit in a regular envelope.  

I had some fun with the inside by stamping in Smoky Slate ink the light beacon image around the sentiment.  The images are from High Tide.  I love adding fun touches like this!  Stamping is so fun! ♥ 

The lighthouse is stamped in Night of Navy on Whisper White cardstock and trimmed using Paper Snips.  The Sahara Sand/Night of Navy Twine (just $2.80 right now!) is wrapped three times around the belly band.  The Stitched Nested Labels were cut from Smoky Slate cardstock and the sentiment is from Itty Bitty Greetings.

Watch the video to see how this fun fold card was made by clicking the image below (card begins at 23:00).  The first card in the video is a Mother's Day Fun Fold that you can see in this post).

See the Project Sheet here for measurements and supplies.

New Catalog Alert: If you have ordered from me since November, you are automatically on my list to receive a new Annual Catalog package next month.  If you'd like one, place an order of any size to be automatically included or email me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com.

Email me to order a Card Kit To Go from The Joyful Stamper

What's Included:

• All the supplies to create 12 cards - 3 each of 4 designs
• All kit elements are punched, die-cut, and scored for you
• a bottle of Tombow "green glue"
• 12 envelopes
• full-color photos of each card
• die-cut word sentiments in sticker format - just peel and stick!

Create with your kids!  Make a Mother's Day card!  Celebrate a graduation or birthday!  Tell someone thank you for that nice thing he or she did!  Let a friend or family member know you are thinking of them!

To Get Your Card Kit To Go:

Message me on Facebook or email me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com.  Kits are $25 for porch pick-up or add $5 to have the kit shipped to you.  Printed papers may vary slightly from the photo but they will all be from the same pack with the same colors and similar patterns.

Get a kit now!  I have a limited number available. 

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Request a free catalog package by emailing me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com or with this form.
• Subscribe to The Joyful Stamper Stampin' News, a weekly email that delivers fun, tips, and specials right to you.  Get a free exclusive Stampin' News Subscriber pdf tutorial as a sign-up thank you!
• Shop my store anytime to give yourself the best crafting experience.  Check out the Clearance Rack and Discounted Bundles while you're there.
• You'll love my crafting videos on The Joyful Stamper YouTube channel!  Subscribe while you're there and click the bell so that you always have fresh inspiration.
• Looking for community, a hobby, or a way to make extra money?  My team of My Joyful Stampers has a place for you!  Read more here.

I love stamping and I love Stampin' Up!  Thank you so much for choosing me as your demonstrator.  I am grateful for YOU!

Another Masculine Card Using High Tide + Video

I've been showing love to sets in the Annual Catalog recently.  Yes, the Holiday and current Mini Catalogs are amazing and exciting, but the Annual Catalog is 212 pages of loveliness itself!  I shopped my stash and pulled out High Tide.  Tha nautical images are fantastic for layering to create depth and to make water scenes.  Monday's post featured a card using High Tide for someone not expected to get better.  Today's card has a sentiment that makes it all-purpose and great for any occasion.  I like to shake up my projects by using quotes rather than the standard "happy birthday" or "thank you".  I adore words, and a card is a perfect canvas for using them in interesting ways!




Pinterest inspired this.  Watch the video to see how this was put together!




Card Recipe:

• High Tide stamp set
• Ink: Sahara Sand, Night Of Navy
• Night Of Navy/Sahara Sand Baker's Twine
• Night Of Navy cardstock: 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 base folded in half at 4-1/4; 5 x 3
• Sahara Sand cardstock: 5-1/4 x 4, edges distressed with Paper Snips
• Very Vanilla cardstock: 1-5/8 x 2-3/4 (2 pieces that are the left and right panels); 1-1/2 x 2-3/4 (1 piece that is the middle panel)
• Adhesives: Multi Purpose Liquid Glue; Stampin' Dimensionals

***Monday's card uses the same supplies***

Remember, any order of $35 or more (before shipping and tax) receives the project kits from Tuesday's Live!  Be sure to use Reward Code AHKD9ZWS for orders under $150.  Orders over $150 will get their own Stampin' Rewards plus the project kits.  Place your order by Midnight ET tonight!

You can find the project sheet for Tuesday's Happy (half) Hour Live projects here.

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Want a catalog and don't already work with a demonstrator you love?  Request a free catalog package by emailing me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com or via this form.
• Never miss a beat in the stamping world - subscribe to The Joyful Stamper Stampin' News, a weekly email that specially delivers fun, tips, and specials right to you.  Sign up and get a free exclusive Stampin' News Subscriber pdf tutorial as a thank you!
• Stamping is more fun with pretty products you can count on.  Shop my store anytime to give yourself the best crafting experience.
• You'll love my crafting videos on The Joyful Stamper YouTube channel!  Subscribe while you're there and click the bell so that you always have fresh inspiration.
• Looking for community, a hobby, or a way to make extra money?  My team of My Joyful Stampers has a place for you (and the Starter Kit is the especially ULTIMATE bargain right now)!  Read more here.

Thank you for choosing me as your demonstrator!  I appreciate your business!

By Your Side card using High Tide

What kind of card do you send someone who just isn't going to get better?  What should it say?  What should the colors be?  

Recently, I was approached with that challenge.  Combing through my supplies, I came up with several sets that had appropriate sentiments for that situation.  

The first set I discovered was High Tide.  This particular sentiment strikes just the right note for a card in which the person isn't going to get better.  It lets s/he simply know that you are right there with them to walk this journey.  The understated, neutral colors of Sahara Sand and Night Of Navy are appropriate for a man or woman and, combined with the nautical theme, produces a gentle feel.  Water has long been known to naturally relax and calm people.

To add dimension to the card, I used the largest square from Stitched Shapes dies to remove a portion of the rectangle panel.  I stamped the sentiment in full-strength Night of Navy and the birds in stamped-off-once Sahara Sand.  Then I used Multi Purpose Liquid Glue to adhere it to the Night Of Navy card base, inside its own negative space.  The Sahara Sand panel is adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals to give the inlaid square a recessed look.  

The lighthouse is stamped in Night Of Navy ink on Sahara Sand cardstock and cut with Paper Snips before adhering to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.  

For the full step-by-step directions to make this card, just click the image below to pin, download, or print the tutorial.

Tomorrow on my weekly Happy (half) Hour Stamping Class on my Facebook page, I'll show another card of this type using a different stamp set.  Make sure to join me at 2 PM ET.  As awkward and challenging these types of situations feel to us, it is important and worth the extra effort to make and send these kinds of cards.  When I resist sending a card because I feel inadequate, I remember this from Proverbs 25:11 - "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver" - in other words, valuable and precious to the other person!

If you are enjoying The Joyful Stamper site

• Want a catalog and don't already work with a demonstrator you love?  Request a free catalog package by emailing me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com or via this form.
• Never miss a beat in the stamping world - subscribe to The Joyful Stamper Stampin' News, a weekly email that specially delivers fun, tips, and specials right to you.  Sign up and get a free exclusive Stampin' News Subscriber pdf tutorial as a thank you!
• Stamping is more fun with pretty products you can count on.  Shop my store anytime to give yourself the best crafting experience.
• You'll love my crafting videos on The Joyful Stamper YouTube channel!  Subscribe while you're there and click the bell so that you always have fresh inspiration.
• Looking for community, a hobby, or a way to make extra money?  My team of My Joyful Stampers has a place for you (and the Starter Kit is the especially ULTIMATE bargain right now)!  Read more here.

Thank you for choosing me as your demonstrator!  I appreciate your business!

Making The Toughest Card Of All

I've been stamping for 20 years and have talked to many cardmakers in that time.  We've shared how much we love making Christmas cards, how excited we are to construct Valentine's Day treat holders for our kids' class parties, whether or not it's worth fancying up the candy we pass out at Halloween (yes, it is, just for the fun factor).  We've discussed the appropriate colors for sympathy cards and how many ways we can creatively present a gift card.  

The ONE project that generates a collective groan among SO many cardmakers, though, is the masculine card.  Because I love delving into the mysteries of the human psyche, let's puzzle this out, shall we?  Is it that we find it easier to work with a more feminine color palette?  Do we love our bows and ribbons and rhinestones and pearls so much that we can't imagine what we would embellish a man card with?  Do we struggle with knowing just what stamped image a man might enjoy receiving on his card?  

(Layout uses Hand Stamped Sentiments Sketch #317)

I love using Stampin' Up!'s High Tide stamp set to make masculine cards.  The lighthouse conveys ruggedness and stability and all the images look great in traditionally darker male colors.  Linen Twine and Braided Linen Trim also make great embellishments with this set and style of card.  Read on for the card recipe!

More sets that would make fantastic cards for men, young and old:

• Capture The Good item #150388
• Sailing Home item #149457 or Bundle with Dies item #151066
• A Good Man item #149270
• Rooted In Nature item #148217 plus Nature's Roots Dies item #146341
• Best Catch item #148598 plus Catch of the Day Dies item #148815
• Country Road item #151356
• Geared Up Garage item #148590 plus Garage Gears Dies item #148521

Card Recipe:

• High Tide stamp set
• Crumb Cake cardstock (5-1/2 x 81/2 base, 4 x 5-1/4)
• Night of Navy cardstock (2-7/8 x 4-1/8)
• Balmy Blue cardstock (3-1/4 x 2, scrap for lighthouse image)
• Sahara Sand cardstock (1-7/8  2-3/4)
• Night of Navy Ink Pad (lighthouse, water)
• Early Espresso Ink Pad (sentiment)
• Crumb Cake Ink Pad (sponging, sand) 
• Sponges
• Basic Pearls
• Braided Linen Trim (frayed)
• Paper Snips (to fussy cut lighthouse)
• Stitched Shapes Dies
• Stitched Rectangle Dies

Shop my online store here to begin making masculine cards with confidence!

If you prefer a hard copy of Stampin' Up!'s annual catalog and don't already 

work with a demonstrator you love, you can request a catalog here by providing your name and address.

Thank you for visiting my little blog on the big Internet today and I so appreciate the opportunity to earn your business!