Crafting with… guys?

So the other day, my boyfriend (Matt)’s roommate texted me and asked if I could bring something over to exercise his right brain. So after work, I grabbed some supplies and headed over to… make cards with guys.

This was my first time really teaching guys to craft, so I made sure to think things through really well before I went over. I wanted to keep it really simple (Jake was kind of worried about the whole idea of stamping, but I brought stamps anyway. I had a plan!) Here’s what I packed to keep things simple:

• Paper trimmer, Cutterbee Scissors, Tim Holtz Cushgrip Scissors, an AC Dots Tape Runner
• Jenni Bowlin Brown Sugar Ink and Tea Dye Distress Ink + blending tool
• Pre-folded cards in Vintage Cream and Kraft cardstock, Envelopes
• Four 6 by 6 pads
• Flower stamp sets and Sentiment Stamps (Lawn Fawn and Papertrey Ink)
• Three acrylic blocks

My theory was keep things simple. We had already determined that we were making Mother’s Day cards (guys and totally justify doing something “girly” for their moms!) I told them to pick a 6 by 6 pads they liked, stamp a flower on one of the papers and cut it out, pick out a coordinating piece for the background, and then embellish. They also learned how to ink the edges of things. Jake said it best, “No, Matt! Ink the edges like she says. It sounds like it won’t make a difference but really does!”

Here’s Jake (right) and Matt (left) working away. They wanted to put the alcohol bottles on the table because they thought it would be funny and manly. Yup, definitely guys.

Here’s Jake’s card. I’m so impressed with his skills! I guided him a little by asking him questions like “Do you like this better here or here?” and “What else do you want to add?”, but other than that, he did this all himself. I’m so proud! He has some skills if I do say so myself, and I think his mom will really love it.

Here’s Matt’s. This is a prime example of his sense of humor and why I love him. He put everything together so nicely but then added a ton of buttons and a ton of exclamation points. I love it! I’m sure his mom will love it, and I think it’s adorable. I didn’t even really expect him to join in our cardmaking, but I’m so glad he did. It’s cool to know that my friends approve of my beloved hobby. :)

And here’s mine from that night. It’s using the exact same instructions that I gave the guys, just with a little added pen detail on the flower. Really, the fun for me was in the teaching the guys. I love that they know what a tape runner is now. And in Jake’s words once again, “Wow! I thought it would be so hard to do, but it’s actually really easy when you do it.” Anyone can make cards and do it well, even pre-med and pre-pharm guys. :)

Supplies: [All] Cardstock – Papertrey Ink, Ink – Ranger (Distress Ink in Tea Dye and JBS ink in Brown Sugar), Buttons – Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream), Twine – Papertrey Ink, Stamps – Papertrey Ink (Delightful Dahlia, Year of Flowers: Roses and Year of Flowers: Marigold) and Lawn Fawn (Sophie’s Sentiments), White Pen – Signo Uniball, [Jake’s and My Card] Patterned Paper – Basic Grey (Hello Luscious 6 by 6 pad), [Matt’s Card] Patterned Paper – Cosmo Cricket (Pixie-licious).

I hope you enjoyed this little story! I know I did. I wanted to share the process I went through, because I bet a lot of you have been asked to teach someone how to craft before and didn’t know where to start. This was the way I found easiest and will definitely teach others again in this manner. After just a couple of cards, your students will be comfortable with the basic tools and concepts and want to step out of the box a little more. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Love,

Brit

P.S. – If you want to leave a comment for Matt or Jake, feel free to leave one here and I’ll make sure they see it!