Birthday Brother-in-Law #2

With my two brother-in-laws having the same birthday date, I had to get busy designing TWO masculine cards.  I don't know about you, but telling me I have to make a masculine card immediately throws me into a sense of panic.  The fact that each year starts out with my two very first cards for the year having to be masculine really throws me into a panic.  Okay, I have one down and am pretty pleased with it.  Now I have to make brother #2 a card too!

I really didn't think I could top my first card, and that added even more stress, but I'm actually equally pleased with card #2. . .SURPRISE to me!  Since all brothers in this family, including my husband, are very handy with tools, from cars, to building, to cabinetry, to plumbing, to electrical, to machinery, they have talent in it all.  So, I decided to stick to hand tools for brother #2 as well.  I used the very same stamp set, Totally Tools, again, and I used a background stamp, Tool Shed, as well.  I bought these two sets of stamps several years ago at the same time, and as mentioned in my post for brother #1, had never used them!  Stampin' Up retired them, making them unavailable for purchase, about three years ago.  I am really happy that I finally dug them out and used them as they went well with my theme in mind.

With my second card, I decided to try making it using the Encore Gold Metallic stamping ink, purchased through Stampin' Up and add gold foil as one of my underlying layers.  I stamped the Tool Shed background stamp onto SU's Night of Navy cardstock.  From there, I built out my underlying layers to determine the size of my card, which turned out 4-3/4" x 6" in size.  I used the Totally Tools stamp set, stamping with StazOn Black onto gold foil to make my tools with gold metal.  I also stamped the tools onto Copic paper and colored the handles in the blue theme.  I fussy-cut each set of tools out, trimming down the handles on the gold foil and adhere my Copic colored handles on top.  I am very pleased with the results.  Don't you love it when it works out the way you had it envisioned in your mind!  I hope Jeff enjoys the results of his happy birthday card.

Recipe:  Cardstocks: Recollections-Cap Code (blue pack), Stampin Up-Night of Navy, Gold Foil.  Darice Core'dinations-Dark Blue Plaid.  Stampin' Up stamps:  Tool Shed (background), Totally Tools, Happiest Birthday Wishes (sentiment).  Ink: Encore Gold Metallic, StazOn Black, Memento Tuxedo Black (stamps to be colored with alcohol-based markers, i.e. Copics/ SU Blendabilities).  Copic markers.  Recollections-Screw Brads (colored gold with Copics).  Size: 4-3/4" x 6".