First Card of 2020

A little late, I know, but here is my first card of 2020.It is not what I expected for my first card of the year, but I am so pleased with how it turned out. When I saw that Kristina Werner was challenging herself and others to mail 1 card a week on Mondays, I wanted in. I am guilty of making cards but rarely mailing them.  So this challenge is a great motivation to actually put my cards in the mail.

The first Monday back to work after the holidays, I really just wanted to hang out with Netflix when I got home. I am at towards the end of a nasty chest cold and the idea of chilling on a comfy couch was very alluring. But I dragged myself from the couch to make this card. 

I  needed to mail a birthday card this week for one of my brothers in law. Thinking of a card design for him was a bit difficult. I struggle with making masculine or conventionally gender neutral cards, but I was up for the challenge.  He loves football, beer, and hiking. Initially I was thinking of doing a nature card. The problem was I don't have many scenic nature stamps.  So instead I looked through all my stamps and pulled any sets that leaned masculine. The Junk Food Artist Trading Stamp set from Fun Stampers Journey stood out to me. He loves good food, as do I, and what better way to celebrate special occasions than with delicious foods? The stamp set has some wonderful sketched images of a hamburger, hot dog, and pizza that I just love. 

Using Verasfine Onyx Black ink  on a 4 1/4  x 5 1/2 piece of cardstock, I stamped the images in multiple rows to create a to create a background. I briefly thought about coloring the images on the panel, but it was late and I was tired. I thought the sketchy images looked neat and simple so opted for a black and white card instead. I trimmed the panel down to 4 1/8 x 5 3/8. Then I used foam tape to adhere the panel to a black A2 card base made with black Recollections Heavyweight cardstock.

With the background complete, it was time for the sentiment. I pulled out the Stampin' Up Party With Cake stamp set. I found this gem at a local craft thrift store and quickly fell in love with the fun and sassy sentiments.  I chose the sentiments "Happy Birthday" and "Calories don't count today" for the front of the card. I used VersaMark ink and Recollections Detail Embossing powder in the color Snow to emboss the sentiments on a piece of black cardstock from my scrap pile.  I cut the sentiments down to size and popped them up on the card with more foam tape.

Now it was time for the inside of the card.  I took a panel of white cardstock cut to 4 x 5 1/4 and stamped the sentiment "sending many wishes your way" with VersaMark Onyx Black ink.  To tie the inside of the card with the outside, I stamped the 3 food images at the bottom of the inside panel using Hero Arts Shadow Ink in the color soft granite.  I used the same ink to stamp the images in the corner of a white A2 envelope.  And voila! A gender neutral black and white birthday card.  It was definitely not what I had in mind when I sat down to create, but I love how it looks. Do you have any tips, tricks, or advice for masculine cards? I’d love to hear it in the comments!