Two Masculine Cards

New stamps are definitely helping me to make more masculine cards for my stash LOL!  I've liked the SU!  Autumn Days set for a while but I like the foliage elements much more than the pheasant and so I've never bought it.  A used set recently appeared on eBay and I thought I'd go for it if I could get it at a good price - which I did!  Those poor stamps sure needed some TLC, they were rather grimy!  I've taken before and after photos.  Here's what the stamps were like when I got them.

The next photo shows them after being lovingly restored.  I sanded the wood blocks and gave them a thorough clean.  I love Ultra Clean stamp cleaner, it's a miracle worker!

Here's the card I created - and I made myself use the pheasant stamp in addition to the lovely wheat stamp!  I stamped a stems stamp from a Hero Arts set first in Pear Pizzazz and then Old Olive inks.  Then I added the wheat in Crumb Cake ink.  I lightly sponged So Saffron ink at the bottom and some Bashful Blue towards the top and I edged the panel with Old Olive ink.  I inked the pheasant with More Mustard ink but then used markers to add colour here and there on the stamp - Always Artichoke for the head, some Really Rust for the body and tail and Chocolate Chip for the legs and the tail markings.  I cut him out and I've popped him up with thin pop dots.    I stamped the flock of birds and added the sentiment oval with vintage brads.

My great friend Debbie came to play in my craft room yesterday and she stamped all the images from my Inkadinkado Utopiary set.  I loved how she inked the oriental tree and pagoda image using different coloured inks and I just had to have a go myself today.  I do like to create different shaped cards from time to time and I haven't made a card like this, where an element hangs over the side, for a while.  The Creamy Caramel card base measures 5 3/4" x 3 1/4".  The Labels Ten shape hangs over the side but the card still fits in a C6 envelope.

I inked the stamp with various chalk ink colours and I've edged the image and sentiment ovals with Tea Dye Distress Ink.  I also used this to edge the patterned paper and I also added a touch of Chocolate Chip ink.  I wrapped some linen thread around the paper and then I've added a button with a gold brad centre.  I layered two punched photo corners and popped up the image and sentiment ovals.  I finished off by adding gold nailheads to the Labels Ten shape.

Supplies for thinking of you card:
Stamps: SU! Autumn Days & Sincere Salutations sets, Hero Arts Earth Flowers clear set, Hobby Art Flock of Birds
CS: SU! Crumb Cake, Old Olive & Confetti White
Ink: SU! Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Bashful Blue, More Mustard & Chocolate Chip, SU! markers in Really Rust, Always Artichoke & Chocolate Chip
Tools: Petite oval Nestabilities dies
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Vintage brads, sponge daubers,3d foam pads

Supplies for birthday wishes card:
Stamps: Inkadinkado Utopiary clear set, sentiment from Waltzingmouse Stamps Asian Gardens clear set
CS: SU! Creamy Caramel, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip & Confetti White
Patterned paper: Basic Grey Sayuri from the Kioshi line
Ink: VersaMagic Tea Leaves, Spanish Olive, Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread & Jumbo Java chalk inks, Tim Holtz Tea Dye Distress Ink
Tools: Petite oval & Labels Ten Nestabilities dies, SU! Photo Corners punch
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Linen Thread, button, gold brad, gold self adhesive nailheads, sponge dauber, 3d foam pads