Simple Homemade Cards for Men – rising to the challenge

Mixed Media – a variety of media used in an entertainment or work of art – loosely interpreted by me as any craft goes. I feel sure that I should in fact be following more rules for this beautiful craft, since much of my Pinterest research offers fabulous interpretations: One day, when I capture more of the elusive stuff they call time, I shall explore this art much further. For now though, I am bound to tell you this week’s creative blog post is an amalgamation of all things crafty. My personal nod to mixed media. Today you will be treated to wire art, watercolours, fabrics, stitching, gluing and the perfect opportunity to use up magazine cuttings you have no idea why you saved in the first place. I was recently challenged by several readers to create a blog post showcasing my ideas for simple homemade cards for men. And with Father’s Day on the horizon for some of us, join me today to see if I did indeed rise to this challenge…

A recent brainstorming session with the men in my life revealed these ideas for handmade cards for men. Sport – golf and rugby in particular, alcohol – beer in particular and gardening – nothing in particular. Not especially helpful since I see all this depicted on shop bought cards. And so when we realised all the ideas we discussed have been done before, I took a different approach to today’s craft.

I doubt any of my simple homemade cards for men are original ideas. My execution of them however is. So perhaps those of us looking to reinvent the wheel for cards for men shouldn’t. Perhaps instead we should take the age-old idea of say, gardening and look to create a particular element of the garden which interests the recipient of the card. For example, does the gardener like vegetable gardening or is he a lover of ferns and hostas? Is the book lover interested in a particular genre of book which we might explore further. And so on. Not quite sure what you would create for a 24-year-old enthusiastically doing up his old car; a spanner or spark plugs perhaps?

I took the car theme a little further for another special man in my life who has a birthday coming up soon, so I gathered together all I needed and decided to hone in on the particular car he might like to drive. I began with experimenting with water colour painted first onto a scrap of vintage white linen before painting the real thing. This time I really diluted the paint – there was scarcely any on my brush – since I wanted a far more subtle result than I had for this first project. Greens, blues and yellows created a sunny spring-like back drop.

My collection of threads came in handy to stitch bluebells and daffodils on my landscape. These are made up stitches. They possibly could be real I suppose; if indeed they are, luck played its part and not skill.

Then Master M artfully drew me a suitable car which I secured to an old cork board from the M children’s childhood, using my sewing pins. I silently recalled the conversation with Mr M where I suggested we keep the board since it might come in handy one day. You know that conversation.

Next, you simply wind thin wire – used in this crafty post – around the pins, bending at appropriate points. I see you scratching your head deep in thought as to the type of car; if you know, you know.

A few over stitches secured the wire car to the fabric and buttons taken from Master M’s prom shirt were suitably wheel like and thus far, I was extremely chuffed with my efforts. I didn’t really think the whole, what to do with the car itself thing through enough. I had a vision of, gunmetal grey with the sky showing through the windows in my mind, so I set to without practice – I may never learn – using water colour pencils and I think my result, a little amateurish. A thought to not share this card with you passed through my mind and then as quick as a flash I decided my homemade attempt to be far more thoughtful than a shop bought equivalent and so, stuck with it and mounted my finished piece.

I fashioned a card for a male friend who enjoys a glass or two of bubbly using the distinct metal cap found on top of the cork of a favourite tipple; this card is a little easier to create if you are time poor…

And for a book loving gardening enthusiast – the easiest card to design and make and my particular favourite – I used the perfect torn magazine cutting I’ve had forever hanging up at Belle’s as my base to which I added pressed flowers from last year’s cottage garden, a paper flower and a message, layering as I went. Three different and simple homemade cards for men showcasing a variety of the crafts I enjoy the most, with extremely pleasing results you shouldn’t find anywhere else.

So, did I achieve my challenge to create simple homemade cards for men? Only you can say however I am a firm believer in going around the mountain if climbing it feels too extreme. On that basis, yes I think I did. A future card for Master M’s birthday remains tricky though; any ideas for the car enthusiast who specialises in the wheels on the vehicle themselves? I am not sure shirt buttons alone will cut the mustard.

And that my friend is it from me until after the summer. I have much to achieve in the home and garden and I do believe the builders are making a noisy return shortly. There will be time to recharge my batteries and I shall be back in September when hopefully you will be ready for more original and crafty ideas. Just before I go, I shall continue to post regularly over on my Instagram account throughout summer, with updates from the home, garden and Belle, so if you’re not already following, you know what to do. Thank you. For being here, reading and supporting as always and whether you are cosying on down or enjoying the great outdoors and some much-needed sunshine, be happy and be safe. Until next time x

You can find more homemade card ideas here and here plus a beautiful personalised stationery idea here.