Father's Day -- ScrapbookPal.com

(Click to enlarge)

Can you believe I didn't take a single picture of my hubby and kids on Father's Day last year?  So this year, thanks to the Cricut Father's Day cartridge from ScrapbookPal.com, I am getting a jump on things early!  This layout has a space for a nice big 5x7 picture.

I love how the "Best Dad Ever" shape from the Father's Day cartridge looks when mounted onto an accordion medallion (I made mine with the awesome new accordion die from Tim Holtz) -- it turns it into something really special!  I used Scor-Tape to adhere the paper for the accordion -- man, that stuff is awesome!  I'll be using it for more projects next month.  The other product I'm featuring this month is the Cat's Eye chalk ink from Colorbox, which is one of my all-time favorite tools.  I use it for adding a nice soft distressing touch to the edges of so many projects.  On this layout I used Dark Brown for all the distressing (definitely one of my go-to colors), and Warm Red to stamp the "Completely LOVED" seal on the tag.  I love the nice soft finish these inks create, and the shape makes them perfect for getting into nooks and crannies.

I painted the tag with Liquitex acrylic ink in raw umber to give it a really old finish, but you could achieve a similar effect with the Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  I used the Country Life cartridge for the title -- love this font!

Other materials:  Patterned papers and stickers -- Cosmo Cricket; Stamp -- Autumn Leaves

Man Card (don't peek, honey!) -- ScrapbookPal.com

So my hubby and I have a running "discussion" about handmade cards for guys.  He asserts that it just isn't worth it to make fancy cards for guys because it just isn't their style and they're never going to fully appreciate all the hard work you put into it.  When I received the new Father's Day seasonal cartridge from ScrapbookPal.com and saw this "Man Card" image, I knew that was just what I needed to make a card for my man for this year's Father's Day.

To make this card:

1. Cut base of card by cutting 8 1/2x11 cardstock in half the long way, so your card will open on the bottom. Round the two bottom corners.
2.  Cut non-froofy patterned paper block to 3 3/4x5 1/4.  Round the bottom two corners, then adhere to card base.
3.  Write your "no_____" strips onto cardstock (you can substitute in your own go-to girly things) and draw a black outline.  Don't make it perfect.  Then cut out each strip and mount to card.
4.  Write "THIS IS A" on a strip of black cardstock with a white GellyRoll pen, then mount to card.  I thought the screw-top brads were a nice manly touch. :)
5.  Cut the "Man Card" image and the oval bottom layer, adhere together, then adhere to card with 3D foam.

6.  For the inside, cut the "foam finger" image with its layer, then adhere together.  I used a base circle of the same patterned paper from the front of the card to help it stand out better.  Write the rest of your sentiment with the white GellyRoll pen.

Anyone else here on the endless quest for cool handmade masculine cards?  What are your go-to solutions?

Thanks for stopping by!

My birdie obsession continues...

Okay, I think my love for little birdies may be going overboard! Just about every card I've made lately has some little birdie element. They're just so dad-gum cute, don't you think? So much fun!

This one used scraps from my "Lucky" layout from last week. This cute birdie is from the Cricut Joys of the Season cartridge -- it's a Christmas cartridge, but I think it's extremely versatile -- cut at 2". I used it for my Mother's Day cards, as well. The flourish the birdie is sitting on is also from JOTS, cut at 2" on shadow. "Thank You" is cut with Alphalicious, I think also at 2".



This simple card is a favorite layout of mine -- it comes together so quickly; it's great when you need to make a big batch of cards. The color scheme here was inspired by some lotion packaging I saw at Old Navy. I'm not sure how I feel about the black inking on the embossing, but I do love this little birdie embossing folder for the Cuttlebug. The stamp and scallop circle are from Stampin Up.



Here's another one with the same embossing folder, but the photo so does not do it justice because it really doesn't pick up the embossing on the white cardstock, but the card is so pretty and delicate. This one uses another stamp from the same SU set, and the scallop circle punch. I also used the Fiskars Threading Water Punch for the scallops on the bottom -- I love it!



I picked up this adorable Imaginisce penguin stamp for less than a dollar and decided he would be perfect for making some fun, fresh Father's Day cards for my grandpas this year. (I usually end up doing something "masculine" with lots of blues and browns, but my grandpas are all pretty fun guys and I think they'll enjoy this even more!) I used watercolor pencils for the green and orange, and blue craft glitter for the popsicle and swirls.



This one is for my aunt and cousin who are traveling to England even as I type. This little birdie is a Quickutz die that followed me home from the craft store on Friday. "bon voyage" is from the Cricut Beyond Birthdays cartridge, and the journaling block is something I designed myself and cut with SCAL. I love this shape, which is so popular right now, but I didn't have one on any of my cartridges and I couldn't find one as a dingbat. I LOVE that SCAL gives me the flexibility to do it myself! Recognize the paper? It's scraps from the penguin father's day cards! Just goes to show how versatile a couple of pieces of paper can be!