Dude!

I guess it's being a woman that makes making cards for men a little more challenging - what do guys like? Do they care about silly cards anyway? Could you just go to the store for a card? The answers are depends, yes, and no, in that order (well, you could go to the store, if you didn't hand make your cards for everyone else...). The fact is that receiving a card tells that person you care, you thought about them, it's a communication of good intent, and if it's personalized to their interests, likes or preferences, then it's more than the sum of it's parts. I just try to keep the ribbons, lace and girly stuff out of the picture when I'm making cards for the dudes.

Stamp Credits: Stampin' Up! and Magenta/Crafty Individuals
Ranger Distress Ink

What makes this special to the person who received it? A personal touch - a postmark from Camden, where the recipient of this card was born, and the background which has tickets for taking a dog on the bus to Castlefinn, or a bicycle to Donegal, where his grandparents are from. No need to get frilly or fluffy, but it's great to personalize wherever possible - encoding a card or project with a secret symbol, a favorite color or hobby, a personal message that only they might recognize. I kept it simple, but you can add some buttons, watch gears, pen nibs, washers or hardware if you're so inclined :)

So, let's hear it for the guys, the yang to our yin, and here's to finding balance and peace somehow in that arrangement, because life's too short to spend it battling with the boys.