Hello Handsome colour palette

 For the final card in this unusual colour palettes for masculine cards I give you Hello Handsome.  Of the four colour paletes perhaps the most traditional. With it's rich dark brown and shades of terracotta these earthy tones are perfect for an autumnal feel as well as great for a masculine card.

The stamps and dies I have paired with this colour palette are the Perfectly Pears bundle.  The stamps in this set are beautifully detailed and give the images a very realistic vibe. The stamps are a two-step set which means that there are outline and infill stamps. The infill stamps are perfect for those who don't enjoy colouring in!  The coordinating dies not only cut out the images there is also a fun texture, a lable and floral dies to add extra to your projects.

The stamps don't have to be used as two-step they can of course be used individually. This is what I've chosen to do for today's inspiration. 

I started by stamping the pear infill stamp with the darker shade of terracotta called cajun craze.  I then stamped it again without relinking the stamp to get a second generation image. This technique allows you to get multiple shades of the ink colour a great way to stretch your stash 😉. Then I cleaned the stamp and inked it up with the lighter terracotta ink called calypso coral. Again I created a second generation image as well. Next I stamped the infill leaves stamp in the beautiful rich dark brown called early espresso. 

I die cut the pears and leaves. I also die cut the foliage die using early espresso cardstock  and the texture die cuts from cajun craze and calypso coral cardstock. 

I used the second generation images on the front of the card. The card base is in early espresso.  A very vanilla mat was embossed using the Birch-wood 3d embossing folder.  A simple sentiment and the card front was complete.

For the inside of the card I used the first generation stamped images and adhered them to a vanilla insert as well as stamped leaves.

So do you think this card is suitable for a man?

Festive Fella colour palette

 When do you start your Christmas card making?  Do you do it all year round? Start with Christmas in July?  Have a regular Rudolph craft day each month? Are you a last minute dot com creator? Or are you like me and start in September and are all over it by the end of October?  Why are we even discussing the topic seeing as it's only August!  Well as part of my mini unexpected Colour Combos for masculine cards series one of the colour palette's is called Festive Fella so it just had to be done!

Now the Festive Fella palette is made up of a deep dark blue/green colour called secret sea combined with a rich shade of red called cherry cobbler. The pop of colour in this palette is the beautiful bright turquoise called costal cabana.

With a title like Festive Fella I just had to pair it with the uber cute puppy in the fun Long Time No See stamp set!

I love that this stamp set isn't just for Christmas it covers birthdays and more too!

So colour palette and stamps chosen on to the design. As this is a masculine card I decided to check with my 25 year old son on what style to go for. He said graphic and a little humour are good for him so here you are....

 

I stamped the cute puppy and coloured him using Stampin Blends. These alcohol markers are available in the same colours as the colour palette except for the costal cabana. There is a lighter version of turquoise called pool party and as Blends come in a duo pack of light and dark the dark worked just fine 😉. I also stamped and fussy cut out 5 of the strings of lights from the stamps to wrap around the pup.

Next I took out the Alphabet A La Mode dies along with cardstock in the 3 colours and cut out my sentiment. I adhered the letters onto a plain white mat then using 3d foam adhered the pup in place too.

The background was created by adhering strips of cardstock diagonally across  a piece of cardstock slightly larger than my card front. I find it easier to cut the background down especially when covering the entire card front. After adhering this panel to the card base I adhered the focal panel on top.

For the inside of the card I stamped more of the lights and added an off cuts of the background panel.

 

This Festive Fella colour palette is now a firm favourite 😍 I'm thinking not just for Christmas either! And definitely not just for the men! What do you think ?

Dapper Dude colour palette

 For the second of the unusual colour palettes for masculine cards projects I have chosen to use the Dapper Dude colour palette.  

This palette includes the soft neutral smoky slate, the bright yellow called daffodil delight and the surprise pop of pink from flirty flamingo. This unusual combination was a little perplexing to start with but once I started looking at the  textiles around me the solution was easy.... checks! I love all styles of checks gingham, plaid, tartan houndstooth I love them all! I think they're timeless, elegant , ageless and gender neutral so perfect for this mini series of masculine cards 😃 Do you feel the same way? Or are checks just not your thing? 

So back to the colour palettes so far I've shared a project using the Groovy Guy and today's inspiration is using the Dapper Dude which leave 2 for projects in the next few days.

So with the colours and style sorted it was time to find stamps to help me achieve the look I was after. I decided to go with the Painted Stripes large background stamp to make the basis of my check pattern. 

This stamp gives a watercolour striped image when used. So to create the basis of my check I stamped it once onto a piece of white cardstock in smoky slate ink. Then reinked the stamp with the grey ink and rotated my cardstock 90° and stamped again . This gave the basic check pattern. 

I then took a ruler and my daffodil delight Stampin' Write marker and using the brush tip drew a grid pattern over top. I did this by eye but of course you could measure neatly if you'd prefer. 

I then took the flirty flamingo Stampin' Write marker and using the bullet tip drew more  grid lines on to the panel.

The finished piece had a great flannel check feeling to it just what I was after!

I mounted the panel onto a smoky slate A6 card base along with narrow borders of the yellow and pink cardstock above and below the check panel. 

The sentiment was heat embossed with white powder onto a piece of the same grey cardstock. Then I fussy cut it out and adhered it using 3d foam.

As the check panel was smaller than the stamped piece there was a lovely off cuts to use for the inside of the card.

All in all this card came together quickly and is certainly a technique that I will be using again. The colour palette is both pleasing to the eye as well as trendy and timeless at the same time for a masculine card. What do you think? Would you use this colour palette on a card for the men in your life?

Groovy Guy colour palette masculine card

 Yesterday I created a card during my weekly Facebook live. This masculine card is made using a fab colour palette called Groovy Guy. There aren't many of us who don't struggle with making cards for men. So when I saw this collection of four unusual colour palettes for masculine cards I just knew I had to use them to inspire 4 cards to share with , and hopefully inspire, you.

So from the colour palettes above I decided on Groovy Guy. Now this a challenge because more usually this combination is one that would lend itself to florals!

So after some rummaging through my stash I came up the Scenic Adventure stamps and coordinating dies.  These are fun set with  plenty of outdoors vibes.

The dies in this set are what I call builder dies. You can create all manner of scenes with the trees, mountains , bushes and other bits and bobs.

So with the stamps and dies sorted and the colour palette checked here is what I created.

Inspired by a card by the lovely Mikaela Tetheridge the layout is clean and simple but with pops of the beautiful Groovy guy colours.

And as always no surface left un decorated.... a little stamping and a small strip of cardstock bring the outside in 

So what do you think of the colour palette?  With its deep purple, lighter shade of purple and zingy green I think it's fantastic !

Want to see how the card came together?  Then watch this video for all the fun...

Also with these fantastic colour palettes was this brilliant quote which I think we should all as crafter take to heart.

Perfectly Pears

 As we head towards harvest time and the evenings are just starting to draw in do you find that you start changing the colours you use for your projects? I certainly do. In fact this year I've even started to be drawn to a very different feel especially to the pattern papers I'm choosing. One such paper is the stunning Painterly Pears. This double sided paper is definitely not in my usual wheelhouse but I'm loving it's strong colours ways and full on prints!

The paper pairs, pun intended 😜, beautifully with the Perfectly Pears stamps and coordinating dies.

The card inspiration here used a soft peachy pink called petal pink for the card base and the gorgeous dark secret sea for a cardstock mat. All topped with a fun fold piece of pattern paper that shows off both sides always a bonus when you can't decide which to use 😉.

The pattern paper measures 12.5cm x 24cm scored at 8cm and 16cm. ( 4¾" x 9" scored at 3" and 6").  Then mark down 2cm (¾") along the first scoreline and up 4cm (1½") from the bottom right-hand edge of the panel. Next cut diagonally between these 2 marks. Then fold the scorelines as a valley then a mountain to create the fun focal point of the card.

The mat for the pattern paper is 12.9cm x 8.5cm (5" x 3¼") and is adhered to a standard A6 card base or A2 cardbase if you're using letter size cardstock. 

Of course no surface should remain undecorated on a card so a die cut piece and a stamped and coloured pair of pears went on the inside of the card.

The fold of pattern paper folds nice and flat for posting . The Low profile sparkle dots that come in coordinating colours added to the project add a subtle sparkle to the finished card.

If you like this project and would like to see more projects using these gorgeous products, on the last Sunday of August, the 31st, from 10.30am till 12.30pm, I will be hosting a free online craft-a-long event and I'll be using these gorgeous stamps , dies, papers and embellishments.  If you're interested in joining me please message me at Caryscreativetable@gmail.com before Saturday the 30th of August 2025.

Masculine colour palettes

 Unexpected Colour Combos for Men

When you think of a masculine colour palette, your mind probably goes to blues, greens, browns, and greys. 

But masculine colour combos don’t have to play it safe. Try anchoring your palette with one traditionally masculine colour, then shake things up by pairing it with two unexpected or brighter hues. 

You might be surprised how fresh and stylish the results can be!

 Here are some examples to get the creative juices flowing.

Which colour palette would you try 🤔 ?

Sunflower 3d embossing folder

 For the final card using the beautiful  Sunflower 3d embossing folder panels that I created during a recent Live at 5. This time I've chosen a wacky colour palette but kept the card simple. 

I chose to use the beautiful lost lagoon,  a soft sea green/blue. Pretty Peacock a bold darker sea green/blue and  the fresh summer splash which is a beautiful turquoise. 

I created a palette by dabbing the ink pads on to an acrylic block then used a water painter to use the ink to watercolour the petals and leaves on the panel.

Once dry cut the panel to fit on a mat of pretty peacock cardstock. Then die cut a circle of pretty peacock cardstock and a smaller white circle . Stamp the sentiment on the white circle slightly to the left and adhere onto the other circle. Next adhere the sentiment panel onto the mounted sunflower panel and trim off the edge.

Save the off cuts to use on the inside of the card.

This card is a simple and easy way to use the beautiful Sunflower 3d embossing folder panels. A few gems are all that's needed to make it just that little bit more.

Want to see how this background and severance others were created? Then watch this video

Sunflower 3d embossing folder Pattern of Friendship

 When is a sunflower not a sunflower?.... when you look at the embossed images differently! Today's inspiration is created using small sections of the amazing Sunflower 3d embossing folder . 

It all starts with a fun technique to add colour to an embossed piece of white cardstock. (To see the technique in action watch the video at the end of this post.) The technique is simple using the debossed side of the panel colour in the dips then swipe a darker coloured ink pad across the whole panel. And voila a beautiful colourfull panel to use on your cards!

These pieces are so pretty that they have to be the hero piece on the card! So for the first sample I have created a floating panel card.

This sample has a rich autumnal feel with the oranges and browns used. The colouring was done using alcohol markers. This sample is definitely a sunflower 🌻. 

This simple fun fold only requires the addition of a piece of acetate . Cut the acetate to 10.5cm x 14.85cm ( 4¼c x 5½"). The take a piece of cardstock measuring 10.5cm x 18.5cm and score at 14.85cm ( 7" x 4¼" scored at 5½"). Then cut a panel at 10.5cm x 2.5cm ( 4¼" x  ¾") this will become the bottom of the card front. 

Adhere the acetate to the back of the short side of the large panel up to the scoreline.  Then adhere the smaller piece of cardstock to the bottom edge of the acetate to create a standard size card.

Next take the embossed and coloured panel and cut to 10.5cm x 7.5cm ( 4¼" x 2¾"). Adhere this panel into the center of the acetate window.

If you wish you can cover the inside of the card so that the acetate doesn't show.

The second card is a simple z fold card with strong bold colours. 

The card base is made by taking a piece of cardstock measuring 10.5cm x 29.7cm scored at 7.4cm and 14.85cm.   ( 4¼ x 11" scored at  2¾" and 5½" ) Fold the first scoreline as a mountain and the second as a valley.

Decorating this style of card is great fun as it allows for do many spaces to show off your stash. For this card thought I wanted the embossed panel to be the hero piece. 

I added colour to the debossed side with sponge daubers then swiped a dark ink pad over the whole panel. This panel is the cut to 10.5cm x 7.5cm (4¼" x 2¾") before mounting onto black cardstock and adhering it to the front of the card. Only applying the adhesive to the small panel on the left-hand side. 

I think in this panel the flowers have the look of a Protea flower rather than a sunflower.  Possibly because of the colour but also because of the position of them. What do you think?

Here is the video where I share loyalty of ways to add colour to your embossed/ debossed panels.

Sunflower 3d embossing folder easy colouring

 Looking for a quick and easy way to add colour to any embossed surface? Well look no further! I'm sure if you've been crafting a while you'll find the magic tool already in your stash and if you don't then maybe they will be soon 😉 ..... and the magic tool is... the humble sponge dauber! These often overlooked little work horses have so many uses from glue application to blended backgrounds. So for today's inspiration I have used a background that I've embossed with the amazing Sunflower 3d embossing folder. 

The flowers and leaves are coloured with 3 of the beautiful 2025-2027 In-Color.  Timid tiger the gorgeous orange,  darling duckling the yellow and the pretty strawberry slush pink. 

Use the dauber to gently apply ink directly over the raised / embossed parts. Top tip go lightly and when you add ink to the dauber dab it on a piece of scrap paper. This stops there being a dark blob when you start working.

It's also a good idea to start with a larger panel that you'll ultimately need.

Then when you trim the panel to size don't discard the off cuts use them to decorate the inside of the card.

I used a strawberry slush card base and a layer of timid tiger cardstock to give this a bright and breezy feel. A few darling duckling gem bring the yellow in too. 

The sentiment is from a great set called Simply Said stamped in another gorgeous 2025-2027 In-Color called secret sea. Don't they all work together so well ?

Want to see how I coloured the panel? Watch the video below and you'll discover how this one was done as well as several other ways to add colour to your embossed panels 😀

Double embossing with the Sunflower 3d embossing folder and copper embossing powder

 It sounds confusing  but double embossing is a great technique to have under your belt especially when you use the fantastic Sunflower 3d embossing folder! This fun technique is shown in my video further down this post.

During the video you see me use both sides of an embossed panel of dark brown cardstock. When you use an embossing fold it produces and embossed side and a debossed side. We usually use the embossed side for our projects but don't disregard the other side there are lots of fun ways to use it!

The first card I'm sharing today uses the  embossed side which I then double embossed with copper embossing powder.  (Watch the video to see how it's done 😉)

The simple colour palette is very elegant and allows the embossed panel to shine. To create the copper mat swipe a versamark ink pad around the edges of a vanilla mat then heat emboss with the same Copper embossing powder as used for the panel.

For the debossed panel I added some beautiful green stripy pattern paper and a dark brown card base to give the card an autumnal feel.

I used a twist of linen thread and some Pressed flower motifs embellishments to add a little something extra.

Which do you prefer 🤔 the embossed version? Or the debossed one? 

Here's the video where I share how to create the double embossed panels as well as other fun ways to add colour to embossed cardstock.