The Male Room #214: Dots and/or stripes

Dia daoibh!

For The Male Room Challenge #214, the theme is Dots and Stripes, and this zebra has arrived wearing both with the confidence of a man who lost a bet with a box of highlighters and is now daring anyone to mention it.

The wonderfully unimpressed zebra is from the Katzelkraft Les Jungles stamp set. I stamped him with Memento ink and coloured him with Promarkers. Zebras already come with stripes, of course, but this fellow felt nature had not gone nearly far enough. The sentiment is from the Taylored Expressions Enjoy Today stamp set. It says “Sending Good Vibes,” although his face looks more like he is sending a strongly worded complaint about the dress code. I finished the card with Tonic Studio's Nuvo enamel drops, adding plenty of colourful dots around him. At this stage, he has stripes, spots, a rainbow jumper and the expression of someone who has just realised he is dressed like the craft aisle during a clearance sale.

We would love you to join us over at The Male Room with your dots, stripes, or both. And remember, confidence is not about looking sensible. It is about wearing every Promarker colour at once and acting as though everyone else got the memo wrong.

Thanks a million for joining the colourful fun at The Male Room  ❤️

Sláinte,

Wendy R.

THE MALE ROOM - HOBBIES

Dia daoibh!

I am back again with another card for The Male Room, and this time we are talking hobbies for Challenge #212. The challenge runs from 1st July to 4th August, so there is plenty of time to get those crafty brains warmed up and ready for action.

For my card, I went with a gaming theme. It is also taken very seriously by the person holding the controller, especially when they are one button away from victory and suddenly remembering the exact meaning of dramatic panic.

I kept the design clean and bold with a large game controller as the main feature. The die cut is from the Silhouette Design Store, and I added Glossy Accents to the buttons and cable for a bit of shine and dimension. The black and white stripes give the card a fun retro feel, while the bright coloured buttons add just the right pop of colour. The sentiment is from the Level Up Stamp Set from Taylored Expressions. A few green Nuvo Drops finished it off nicely, because apparently I cannot leave tiny shiny dots alone. They sit there looking innocent, and next thing you know, the bottle is in my hand. Crafting is not always a planned event. Sometimes it is a tiny glossy ambush.

This was such a fun theme to play with, and hobbies give you loads of room to create. Gaming, fishing, sport, music, gardening, model making, cooking, reading, collecting craft supplies and pretending they are not slowly taking over the house. All very valid hobbies.

We would love you to join us over at The Male Room Challenge. Show us your favourite hobby inspired makes, whether they involve controllers, clubs, tools, brushes, hooks, rods, or a suspiciously large paper stash.

And remember, in crafting as in gaming, sometimes you win, sometimes you learn, and sometimes you just need more snacks.

Sláinte, 

Wendy R.

THE MALE ROOM - THE OUTDOORS

Dia daoibh!

Well lads, grab the flask, lace up the walking boots and tell the weather to behave itself, because I am absolutely delighted to share that I am now on the Design Team for The Male Room! I am thrilled, honoured, and only slightly trying to act calm about it. Inside, I am doing a little jig with the grace of a startled sheep on laminate flooring.

The new challenge over at The Male Room runs from June 3 to June 30, and the theme fro challenge #211 is The Outdoors. Perfect timing really, because nothing says outdoor adventure like sunglasses, mountains, trees and the brave hope that the rain will hold off for longer than seven minutes.

I kept the design clean, crisp and masculine, with a little bit of outdoor drama. Mountains in the lenses, adventure on the card, and not a single midge bite in sight. That is what I call crafting with benefits.

For my card, I used a diecut design from the Silhouette Design Store. I cut it from Tonic Studios Core cardstock and mirror cardstock. The sunglasses have that cool reflective look, like they are ready to climb a mountain, spot a lake, or judge your picnic sandwich choices from a distance. I embellished the card with Nuvo Drops and Clear Glossy Accents. The sentiment was stamped with StazOn ink, which behaved itself beautifully, unlike most umbrellas in an Irish breeze.

A few challenges:

• I Spy with My Little Eye #37 - Monochrome
• Creative Moments #282 - Make it masculine
• AAA Birthday Challenge #86 - For Boys

I would love for you to join us over at The Male Room and show us your outdoor themed makes. Whether it is hiking, fishing, camping, gardening, cycling, or simply standing outside wondering why you came out in the first place, we want to see it.

So come on over and join the fun. The outdoors is calling, and this time it is not just the bin needing to go out.

Sláinte, 
Wendy R.