No Foo-Foo Card

I needed a card for a male friend who just turned sixty.  Call me crazy, but I think a birthday card should make you feel better, not worse.  It should add to the enjoyment of the day, not make you feel like you are three steps away from The Home.

But I'm a bit nervous about making cards for men.  There was one spectacular failure - a card made for my very special uncle that involved the da Vinci  man, a strategically placed ruler sticker  (so I wouldn't embarrass an elderly gentleman) and this quote,  " you measure up in every way".  As I was putting it into the envelope it hit me that the  picture + ruler + message = a bit risque!

I'd kept this insert from some Tim Holtz Grungepaper - loved the colors and swirls.  Turns out it made the perfect background for my card.  I added in a strip of text, and yes, some ruler sticker !

Then a great stamp from River City Rubberworks.  I love this distinguished guy! I embossed him with fine embossing powder so the ink wouldn't smudge on the glossy background.   And because I did want to acknowledge the importance of the "zero" birthday, I added some Aged Photo Distress ink to a small tag and stamped the numbers.  I attached it to with a brad and added in a couple of die cuts.

Easy, quick, masculine  - mission accomplished!