Sweet Stampin' ~ Masculine Makes

Hey crafty friends, I'm here with my creation for our latest Sweet Stampin' challenge. Our theme this fortnight is Masculine Makes and I have been busy post op catching up on work commitments and other chores, so I've pulled something out of my vault again. 

I'm not an inky crafter, quite frankly, I'm pants at it! However, I tried to create a grungy masculine sort of feel to this card using inks and sprays. I wasn't entirely successful, I don't love the harsh line left by my acrylic block which I'd used to lay down the first inky layer, but I decided to roll with it and keep going. It's much nicer in person, because I sprayed it with a good layer of gold shimmer spray, which really elevated the finished look. I stamped some clocks and compass stamps around the edges and then added a beautiful quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson which I love. 

I created this card for one of my brothers-in-law, to give to his dad when we was very ill. He was badly hurt in an accident and in intensive care for weeks. Happily he survived and is well again. I've seen him since at a family gathering, he's a man of few words, but he made a point of saying how much it meant to have that card and the strength it gave him as he was recovering. I was very moved by that, so just wanted to share the story behind this creation. I wished I'd had more time to redo the ink, I'd like a do over, but was on a tight schedule and had no time to create a second, so went with what I had, so it was lovely to hear how much it had meant to him. 

I hope you'll come and share your Masculine Makes with us too for this challenge. I think it's a great theme, as I don't tend to create masculine cards often, so it's fab to have an excuse to create and although I've used an unblogged older card for this creation, I have pulled out my masculine stash this week to have a play! So who knows, I may share another, sooner rather than later! Do pop by the blog to check out my amazingly talented teamies creations, they are truly fabulous. I'll be back again soon with another crafty adventure. See you then! Hugs, Wends xoxo