Hello and welcome to my blog, where today I have got something a little bit different for you, a fabulous grungy masculine card. We all know that Stampin’ Up! do florals and cute critters beautifully, but sometimes we just need to make a card for the men in our lives, and that can be a real struggle!
So, today I am stepping out of my comfort zone and getting a little bit inky (literally!) with the soon to be released Gears and Textures bundle. This set is absolutely perfect for those masculine cards or for anyone who loves a bit of a steampunk, industrial vibe. It’s not often we see something this grungy, but I have had so much fun playing with it.
I wanted to create a really atmospheric background for this card, so I started with a piece of Basic White cardstock and my Blending Brushes, with Secret Sea ink.
Now, usually, we are aiming for a lovely smooth blend, aren’t we? But for this industrial look, a bit of blotchiness is actually perfect! It makes the card look like old, oxidised metal or stained concrete, which is exactly the vibe we are going for.
I also added some versamark with my fingers (I told you this was a bit messy!) round the edge of the card and used silver heat embossing powder to add a little shine.
A New Technique: Finger Stamping!
Yes, you read that right! To get that properly distressed, grungy texture, I actually put my acrylic blocks away for a moment.
For the mesh and the ink blotch images, I tapped the stamp into the ink, stamped it off once onto scrap paper (to get a lighter, more faded look), and then pressed the stamp onto the cardstock using just my fingers.
Because your fingers don’t apply even pressure like a block does, you get these patchy, imperfect impressions that look worn and weathered. It is such a fun way to add texture, and you really can’t get it wrong!
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Songbird Stamper project without a little bit of shine, so I decided to heat emboss the chain images, some stamped gears and added texture elements directly onto the background using WOW Embossing Powders. The heat embossing gives a fabulous raised texture against the flat ink, and makes the chains look like they are rusting right off the page.
To finish it all off, I used the coordinating dies to cut a selection of gears from Silver and Copper Foil Sheets. I just love how the metallic foils pop against the Secret Sea background. I layered these over the top of the background, almost like a collage, to create that mechanical movement.
A simple “Happy Birthday” sentiment, heat embossed in Silver on a dark strip of card, was all it needed to finish.
I hope you like this grungy masculine card! It is definitely a bit different from my usual style, but I really enjoyed getting messy and trying something new. Do let me know what you think in the comments below, and why not grab the set and have a go yourself too!
Until next time, Happy Stamping!
Heather xx
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