Three Minute Thursday - Using Growing Green

Good morning! Welcome to Three Minute Thursday - my weekly inspiration spot for people who want to be able to whip up cards in minutes. Now, people keep telling me that the cards they find most difficult to  think about are male cards - and when they're pressed for time it becomes even more difficult! So I've compiled a list of my own dos and don'ts for making them:

Avoid:
Fussy: frilly borders are best left to the girls; grosgrain ribbon in a manly colour might work but I prefer to use linen thread and a knot is preferable to a bow. Lace is definitely out!
Shiny finishes: satin ribbon, glitter, jewels are all pretty feminine. The only exception is that Crystal Effects can work for male cards.
Anything cute: unless it's a private joke between you (okay so you call him your ickle bickle teddy bear!) I really would leave the cute images to children and to those ladies that appreciate them.
Pastel shades aren't usually a guy's first choice.
Florals and polka dots tend to be quite girlie.

Go for:
Sports images (if appropriate).
Realistic or graphic nature images such as plants, trees, leaves, birds and animals.
Sentiments as focal points can deal with many a tricky situation.
Darker colours, regals, or neutrals tend to appeal to men and flashes of bright colours or bright, graphic colours on their own can work too.
Patterns such as stripes or checks/plaids work well for male cards.
Metal embellishments seem to go down well along with scored or pierced lines.
One layer and clean and simple cards are a good choice!

Of course this little list is a personal one based on my own male friends and relatives, so I'll stop wittering on now! After all, you've probably come here because you're a bit short of time! Here's my nippy little one-layer card for the day:

I am so pleased with this design - it was one of those things that started as a vague idea and when I tried it out it worked straight away! It started with me wondering if water-colouring would work on my favourite card stock of the moment Confetti Cream and Confetti White. And it SO does! I love the extra interest the speckles give to a simple project like this one.

If you haven't tried this gorgeous, heavier weight, slightly speckled card stock, I absolutely urge you to do so - it's fab! And at only £8.25 for 40 sheets - it's almost rude not to!

I thought this design would come in very handy so I made a birthday one too.

The sentiment is stamped in Basic Black over the top of the leaf, which dried in seconds, and I curved the corner of the card to add a little interest.

It was only after I made this that I realised it fits this week's Less is More challenge! Chrissie and Mandi have a habit of putting these things into my mind! Thanks ladies - I LOVE your challenges! EDITED TO ADD: Thanks Jenny for also pointing out that it's perfect for this week's One Layer Wednesday challenge too - I've been wanting to join in with that for ages!

Here's how to make this card:

• Cut a 9cm x18cm piece of Confetti Cream card stock. Score and fold in half to make a card base.
• Ink up the leaf image from Growing Green with Always Artichoke ink and stamp several times in the bottom right-hand corner.
• Squash the lid of your Old Olive ink pad hard. This will make a pool of ink in the lid when you open it. Use this pool and an aqua painter to colour in the leaves. Be quite haphazard with this!
• Curve the top right-hand corner with a corner rounder.
• Use a stamp-a-majig to stamp a sentiment across the leaves using Basic Black ink.

Supplies
Stamps: Growing Green, Plane and Simple (sentiment)
Ink: Always Artichoke, Old Olive, Basic Black
Card stock: Confetti Cream
Other: Corner rounder

I didn't need to have a birthday this week to know that time flies by and here's another example of it:
My youngest son went round to a friends house a few days ago. When he got back, I asked him how it went and he told me enthusiastically how he'd really enjoyed playing with his friend's giant teddy bear. I was rather surprised to hear this as I thought he'd outgrown teddies but when he went on to describe what a brilliant time they'd had, sliding down the stairs on the teddy, clutching its ears, I began to see the attraction...

Thank you for coming to see me today. Are you around tomorrow? I have a simple gift project to show you, so do pop in if you have a minute. Hope to see you then,