A Guide for Guys Projects #1 - For the Graduate - Christopher

When I learned that my second cousin, Christopher, was graduating from high school, I was happy for him and happy for myself, because I got to use my new For the Graduate set from Papertrey Ink.

Then... on the PTI forums, one of my fellow forumites, Nerina, asked me my advice on making "guy" cards... so I thought I'd maybe start a series on "guy cards"... giving my advice as I went along. :) My first attempt at making a "series" that is both educational and entertaining! (Okay... one out of two isn't bad).  :)

Okay...so let's start, shall we?

Here's the "guy" graduation card:

In choosing the colors, I took in a couple of factors: 1) It's for a guy... so I went to the blue family (especially since Christopher's school colors are navy and grey). 2) It's for a pre-college-aged guy... so I went for a darker blue (rather than a lighter blue that would be good for possibly a little boy).

I went for an argyle pattern because "guy" is the middle sound of "argyle". No, I kid. I went with argyle because the very shape of argyle...with its sharp diamonds and mathematic/geometric pattern just calls out "guy" doesn't it?

I made the pattern "irregular" because 18-year-olds are often too "cool" to have nice, clean patterns, right? Check out their clothes next time you see one and you'll know what I mean.

I wanted something to tie it together and didn't want to use a navy ribbon (too much navy for my taste), so I went with some rustic twine. No bow of course... just a simple knot... one that a guy would tie if he were tying twine.  ;)

Here's a close-up of the focal image:

Went with two shades of blue here. Dimensionals make the images pop off each other.

And a close-up of the twine and sentiment:

Not much to say here. When choosing a sentiment for a guy, there really aren't many limits... although with the font, less frilly is better... in this sentiment, I choose one that has a nice cursive start, but ends with printing. :)

I hope this helps you a bit when creating guy cards. They're not always easy, but I'll let you in on a little secret: we guys like getting cards almost as much as the ladies do. :)  Go for it... it'll get a smile out of us. I promise! :)

Thanks for looking and/or commenting!

Recipe:

Stamps: A Little Argyle, For the Graduate (all Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Brocade Blue (both Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink)
Other:  ATG; Zots; Dimensionals; Rustic Twine (Papertrey Ink)