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I know that masculine themes fall under certain broad standards: golf, tools, sports, hunting, fishing, general outdoors.
But the vast majority of men in my life care about none of those things.
Most of my male friends are into history, computer gaming, technology, bicycling, beer, sci-fi, books, motorcycles, and cooking. Yes, I'm a nerd and therefore my male friends are generally also nerds.
While I don't generally have trouble making cards for my male friends and family, I do grow tired of the stereotypes that say men must like certain things, and not other things. I wish certain images were easier to find, like technology and science themes.
Yes, I know my subset of friends is a bit out of the ordinary, but I wonder if anyone else has trouble with the traditional masculine themes just not being appropriate for the men in their lives.
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
I agreee with you, too. But I am lucky.... I got the whole lot!! hunting, fishing, cowboys, books, hiking, biking, gardening. Sometimes I can make a Birthday card with just cake in a "manly" color (like blue or green) with no girly embellies and they are fine with it. Guys either like getting cards ( no matter what the image, well as long as they are not really girly) or they don't . IMHO
Oh, I SO agree with you!! Men are usually the ones accused of holding stereotypes about us ladies, but it sure goes the other way around too! I know companies are compelled to maximize sales by appealing to the greatest common denominater, but it really does get old when everyone has the same limited list of what makes a 'masculine' image.
I'm lucky enough to have a couple of golfers and hunters among the male members of my family, but I know they'd just as soon appreciate a cute furry little critter on a card or a nature scene or a birthday cake. Going for gender-neutral usually works best for me.
Very good point! The men in our family are not into typical outdoor guy stuff, either. And even if they were, those types of realistic images don't fit my cardmaking style anyway.
My default go-to image for guys in our family is usually a whimsical dog image. Most all of them have a dog, or if they don't have one, they at least like the idea of dogs.
I did one a while back with a goofy little dog on the front and a Happy Birthday sentiment.
Inside I put: "A tail has been wagged in your honor." It was a big hit.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Oh yes! I usually use "masculine" colors, sometimes like buggainok, dogs or large Happy Birthday stamps. One year I used Graphic 45's Proper Gentlemen papers. My DH is a model railroader so I sometimes use train stamps for him.
Motorbikes are pretty easy - there are quite a few stamps out there (though DH won't accept a card made with a Harley, and I can't find a Ducati so mostly he gets landed with Snoopy, LOL But he can't mind too much, since he asked for a card front for his work desk), and there are fun techniques which work really well like faux leather, with brads or snaps.
And books are easy to work with too - I often use a PB stamp of a cat sitting in a big armchair with a pile of books - and I've just ordered the lovely new Impression Obsession cover-a-card which is books.
Actually, so long as cartoon style is OK a lot of the Snoopy and Peanuts stamps work very well for my guy cards!
And yes, I'm in your camp that the traditional guy themes (apart from tools) don't work for my DH and most of our friends.
I totally agree with the OP. I am perhaps fortunate that alot of the older (50+) men in my family/extended family love/have dogs so I make birthday cards for them with dogs on them. And several of them love cats so I make cards for them with cats on them! Very recently, I have been using some of the Docrafts Wellington Bear range to make a few male cards (you can see them in my gallery - click on the link in my signature below). My husband is a very gentle soul and loves any card with a cat or a teddy bear or pretty much anything cute (he is sitting on the couch as I type this with our cat curled up on his knee trying to juggle using his laptop). He adores our cat and plays with her alot - and he loves to read. None of my male relatives fit the male stereotypical type usually associated with Australian men.
For most other younger male relatives (ie: under 30), I often reach for my Taylored Expressions 'You're my Hero' set because they are into music (one runs a recording studio) and this set has lots of fabulous images of guitars, rock stars and co-ordinating sentiments - and this set is suitable for girls who love music as well.
Most of my male friends are into history, computer gaming, technology, bicycling beer, sci-fi, books, motorcycles, and cooking.
These two elements particularly had me thinking immediately of this stamp.
Lots of stuff at Viva Las Vegas Stamps might suit you, in fact. They have a whole section headed Aliens/UFOs/Space, for instance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cook22
Motorbikes are pretty easy - there are quite a few stamps out there (though DH won't accept a card made with a Harley, and I can't find a Ducati so mostly he gets landed with Snoopy
Triumph any use to you? One of the recent photo stamps from Darkroom Door is a classic Triumph against something that looks like an old shed or garage door. It's here on the DD site - lots of UK places stock their stamps although I'm not so sure about US for people like the OP. Actually, quite a few of their photo stamps and sets work well for masculine cards without being the usual cliched stuff (e.g. places like Prague, Paris, New York and Sydney, Australian animals, music-themed stuff, a skateboarding set for those tricky teens and in fact I've just remembered there's a classic motorcycles set here). I have some DD stamps (including that Triumph!) - they're nice quality natural rubber stamps and sets come on cling in a DVD case, single photostamps may be either on cling or plain rubber.
I agree with the OP--none of those stereotypical images of men fit ANY of the men in my life--and I live in Montana, land of hunting, fishing, skiing, cowboys, and sports worship.
Mo's digital pencil has some good images--a young guy sitting on the edge of a chair with a gaming controller, a guy kicked back in a lounger, a guy in front of a multi-screen computer set-up, a guy walking holding the hand of (what appears to be) his toddler daughter. You might want to check them out.
I've made some cards with them, but haven't uploaded them to my gallery yet.
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Triumph any use to you? One of the recent photo stamps from Darkroom Door is a classic Triumph against something that looks like an old shed or garage door. It's here on the DD site - lots of UK places stock their stamps although I'm not so sure about US for people like the OP. Actually, quite a few of their photo stamps and sets work well for masculine cards without being the usual cliched stuff (e.g. places like Prague, Paris, New York and Sydney, Australian animals, music-themed stuff, a skateboarding set for those tricky teens and in fact I've just remembered there's a classic motorcycles set here). I have some DD stamps (including that Triumph!) - they're nice quality natural rubber stamps and sets come on cling in a DVD case, single photostamps may be either on cling or plain rubber.
That looks like a brilliant set! DH is Ducati heart and soul, but I'll certainly be putting that on my wishlist as he has a good few biker friends.
Last card I made for a "male" had penguins on it. He likes penguins so penguins he got! Two cards worth actually! LOL! Next male card will have a train on - specifically ordered it from VivaLasVegastamps!
That looks like a brilliant set! DH is Ducati heart and soul, but I'll certainly be putting that on my wishlist as he has a good few biker friends.
You (or your DH) might do better than me on id for the bikes, too. The top one's a Triumph (I spent a lot of time on the pillion of one of those many years ago so that one's easy!) and I think the bottom one is probably an Enfield but I'm not sure about the one in the middle.
I've noticed no one has mentioned doing some non-images - like more of a modern art feel. Just a thought. I use the Puns of Praise set from CMTH in browns and greys. It has glasses, a bankers lamp, an old polaroid... stuff like that. You can always just not stamp the attached greeting (or cut them apart). Ialso use the D is for Dog and C is for Cat (from SU) for pet lovers. Seems like there are a lot of bicycle stamps. For people who are into hiking... what about a terrific vista?
__________________ - Happigirlcorgi Shyla P Middleton
Fan Club Member
Most definitely! I have a hard time finding images and tend to make very similar masculine cards.
None of the men in my family/life fall into the hunting, fishing, golf categories. Most of the men in my family are auto racers as are most of the other men in my life. My son is a tri-athlete.
I have not found a really good image of the type of race cars that my Dad and nephew drive. My Dad is in his 70's and my nephew is in his 20's so I definitely do not want a cartoon-ish image. And I want something other than the few NASCAR style car images that I've seen (and have a couple of).
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with this problem. And I've discovered some new stamps to try for the not-so-traditional men in my life.
It goes the other way, as well. I have many female friends who are simply not into traditional stereotypical feminine pursuits. They wouldn't be caught dead "shoe shopping", they don't get their nails done, they don't gossip over tea, or whatever. Most of them can hold their own against the men in athletic pursuits, in a heated political conversation, and/or in a debate about which Star Trek captain is best.
I made a robot card for one of my best friends, and she absolutely loved it! I sent another an alien card, and she also loved it!
My problem wit the Sci-Fi images is that so much is copyrighted, so we just can't get the images we want. I could do a lot with a Jawa image, for example, but I doubt I'll ever find one.
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
Masculine cards, for me anyway, are the most difficult because first off we look for something they have for a hobby to create off of. With women, well, they love all things frilly and fancy, sweet and glamorous; bows and ribbons and flowers and on we go. My hubby loves all my cards and said that if I made him a card with flowers or something like that on it he would love it. WEll, I made him an absolutely gorgeous card, tried to keep it lower key than I would for a gal, with a wonderful message inside. He was impressed with the card undoubtedly, but I could tell...yes I could tell, that it was really did not hit the spot! So, this years b-card was about shapes and cool paper. Used the Spellbinder Gold circles dies which really set off the number for his birthday. If anybody finds a site where lots of guy cards are let me know! I need inspiration!
Most of my stamps are flowers, butterflies, hearts, general birthday and summer related. . I am always looking online for masculine cards. I recently bought an airplane stamp. DH loves airplanes. I need lot's of ideas as I make cards for Operation Write Home.
It's not easy to design masculine-themed stamps other than the more commonly available designs that you describe. I believe the primary reason for this is that they also have to appeal to the women who will buy them. I have always been told by store owners and stamp companies that women ask for the masculine stamps but then they do not buy them. The nature-related types are also appealing to women so they sell.
You'll do well lately finding bicycling, photography, and cooking themes. And I think robots are fairly easy to come by for sci fi/technie types.
I've often been told to go for humor with a man's card. More quirky vs. cutesy animal images. For example, I plan on getting this set which I love: Penguins Art Rubber Stamps
Another strategy is simply design vs. a main image using more abstract images and focusing on technique or patterns.
Also, you could use catalog, book or magazine pages. If they aren't "clean" black and white images, you can scan or make copies of them for some cool effects. Or find advertisements online that hit the spot and print them in b & w. You can get really creative using some of the effects choices on Paint.net (free). Or take your own photograph and do the same. I've had a lot of fun putting photographs into the effects program.
I also think we tend to pidgeonhole our stamps too much.
We have an uncle that loves tending to his flower beds - so a flowery card IS appropriate.
Another who collected a case of butterflies - so why wouldn't I make him a butterfly card?
I think sometimes if we have block on masculine cards at home we should go to the store and see what masculine cards actually speak to us for that person. If none then it is time to go out of the box and maybe do a technique challenge etc.
FWIW I do more cards for men/boys than women - I'm just outnumbered in my circle like that!!! and my women cards alot of them are into cars/motorbikes etc.
Another thing I will say about "masculine" cards is I bought a cell phone stamp a few years ago. Now that is "retro" - so it is hard to keep up with technology and find stamps that are general. Also now that everything is a tablet (the flat screen tv to a phone) it is difficult to make something like that into a card/relevant.
For masculine birthdays (esp. adult males) I often use a retired birthday word background from Stampin'Up! The idea is similar to these stamps from Local King:
I put Hello Kitty on cards for one guy. He's secretive about it, but he loves Hello Kitty! And he's not gay.
My brother (also not gay) likes the new "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic".
I used to have a co-worker who wanted me to make him cards. I said I would but ONLY if he would accept ultra-girlie cards, because I didn't like making masculine cards. He agreed, and loved every card I made.
edited to add: Not to imply that gays typically like girlie things like Hello Kitty or My Little Pony. I just know that sometimes it's a stereotype.
Sophie, I just had to smile when I read your post. I don't remember what we were looking up the other day but there is this whole cult of men and boys who are INTO "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic." Women too, but these guys have made it into something all their own . . .
This was so completely unexpected - my daughter was a huge MLP fan and I know we were just wondering something about the newer Pony shows so hit Google.
I put Hello Kitty on cards for one guy. He's secretive about it, but he loves Hello Kitty! And he's not gay.
My brother (also not gay) likes the new "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic".
I used to have a co-worker who wanted me to make him cards. I said I would but ONLY if he would accept ultra-girlie cards, because I didn't like making masculine cards. He agreed, and loved every card I made.
edited to add: Not to imply that gays typically like girlie things like Hello Kitty or My Little Pony. I just know that sometimes it's a stereotype.
I'd say just simplify your thinking and go with a color-blocked card using River Rock/Black/Blue. Or you could just create a scene with a tree, mountains, ocean. Don't focus on the image so much and you will have lots of fun with this. I'll enclose a couple of ideas that may help.
I make lots of masculine cards. Not too many of the males typically like fishing or golf type cards. They are not fans of cards with ties on them either. They like beer though! I found and ordered a cute set from DRS Designs, with a stamp of a beer mug and Ben Franklin's quote: "Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy". With this I can make many male cards. I use typical masculine colors, and distress the papers and sponge edges. Texture is awesome on male cards too. Burlap, corrugated paper, sandpapered papers, and metal embellishments.
My DH was in the Navy for 25 years so I'm always safe with a nautical theme for him! I do a lot of masculine cards. One really easy look is to embed graphic shapes like circles, offset circles or squares. The chevron craze is good for masculine cards as well.
I'd link a card, but I'm at my mom's computer and I haven't a clue how to do anything with it (and neither does she ;))
I just wanted to add that I have looked at the last 96 uploads in the gallery and easily over half are unisex and many others could be made more masculine with just simple changes such as just use ribbon or twine instead of a bow or swapping out a flower for a different focus or a different image.
Sometimes I think we think too hard about these things. There are so many unisex images and even girl images can be made masculine by a sentiment or coordination.
Last weekend I co-hosted a Fifty and Fabulous Birthday party and the theme color was Pink (her favorite) I bought some clear/white plates/cups as well as pink - well the men just honestly didn't care, they were rocking their pink cups etc. Yeah, I probably wouldn't color a cupcake pink on a man's card but if there was some patterned paper that worked best with a bit in I wouldn't worry about it either.
At times I have used images from the clip art section on my computer. It's under the 'insert' button on my upper toolbar. There are thousands of images on there, just type in the thing you want and choose from the list. Some are cartoonish or stylized, but others are real photographs, and beautiful, too. Examples: spaceships, wolf, dragon, motorcycles, different foods, flowers, landscape scenes, kayak, knight (brings up chess board also), card games, etc....It may not be 'politically correct' since this is a stamping site, but other than the main image, all the steps are the same to make the card - you can still stamp a sentiment, layer, add embellishments, etc.
I also have one with a cowboys on it. I was casing a card by Lauraly on these. I didn't have a cowboy image and that's how I ended up using the clip art images.
My problem wit the Sci-Fi images is that so much is copyrighted, so we just can't get the images we want. I could do a lot with a Jawa image, for example, but I doubt I'll ever find one.
email VivaLasVegastamps - they are very good at getting near images.
In the past few months I have been challenging myself to create more 'masculine themed' cards which I struggled within the past. I found keeping my cards more simple and trying to think outside the box has really helped.
I like simple, more graphic cards for men.Instead of pictures, I often just use a bold greeting with an interesting font (absolutely love Bauhaus) I've used things like graphing paper, math symbols and numbers, or letters, all die-cut.
Hi, I've kind of been specialising in Male cards for a while. I recently did a Dr Who birthday card for my Whovian brother using the Phone Box from SU Sale-a-bration set 'Feeling Sentimental'. I also have a very versitile humerous set and a set of transport images from '7 gypsies', (Bi-plane, steam train, vintage car etc.) Check out my gallery some time. I have a sample of the 'Darkroom Door' bike. It is great. I sell my cards and can't make enough of them.
Sometimes when I need to make a masculine card but my mind goes blank and I need to get the card in the mail, I will sometimes give-in and go and buy a card from the shop - but when I look at the range of masculine cards in the store (of course there is always a much smaller choice than buying a card for a female), I see how simple the cards usually are and I will think to myself: "I should do a card like that". Trouble is, that I go home and still can't replicate what I have seen. Why is that? Is it because I am used to more layers and find CAS cards take me longer than something more complicated? How can it be so hard to make a simple card?
"Masculine" themes
