I’m so excited to finally be able to share that I’ve joined the Design Team over at The Male Room Challenge Blog! It’s such a lovely and talented team, and I’m absolutely delighted to be creating alongside them.
The theme for the month of June is “The Outdoors”, and I knew almost immediately what I wanted to make for my first DT card.
Back in October last year, I attended a wonderful workshop with Josh Griffiths, where we created beautiful countryside scenes using Beyond Stamping stamps and watercolour techniques. I met some lovely like-minded crafters and had the most amazing day in the wonderful Theatre Porto, Ellesmere Port.
I loved the project so much at the time that I’d been wanting to revisit it ever since — so this challenge felt like the perfect opportunity.
This time, I scaled the design down slightly so it would fit onto an A5 card base, while still leaving enough room at the bottom for a birthday sentiment and a little white space. I always think a bit of breathing room on a card helps the focal image stand out even more.
Using the Alpine Adventures stamp set, I began building up the scene by stamping lots of the lovely detailed images we’d used in Josh’s workshop onto a piece of watercolour paper. One of the things I love most about this set is how easy it is to create completely unique landscapes just by combining the different elements in different ways. I also added a few of my own little freehand squiggles and details here and there to personalise the scene even more.
Honestly, I could spend hours playing with these stamps!
Once all the stamping was finished, I settled in for a wonderfully relaxing afternoon of watercolouring. After attending Josh’s workshop, I treated myself to a Winsor & Newton watercolour set, and I’m still very much learning as I go — especially when it comes to mixing colours and understanding how much water to use. But that’s all part of the fun, isn’t it?
There’s something so calming about slowly bringing a stamped scene to life with colour, watching all the little details emerge as you go. I kept the colours fairly soft and natural to capture that peaceful countryside and masculine feel.
Once the paint was dry, I stamped a sentiment and then adhered the finished panel to the front of an A5 white card base.
Final Thoughts
I couldn’t think of a more fitting card for my first challenge as part of The Male Room Design Team. It combines so many things I enjoy — stamping, scene building, watercolouring, and just taking time to experiment creatively.
One of the things I particularly like about this design is how naturally it lends itself to a more masculine style of card. The outdoor scene, earthy colours and clean layout give it a strong, understated feel without needing lots of embellishment, making it perfect for birthdays or occasions for the men in your life. I think scenic cards like this work especially well for masculine makes because they feel personal and thoughtful while still keeping that relaxed, uncluttered look. As an added bonus, the card is completely flat for ease of posting.
If you haven’t visited The Male Room before, why not head over and join in with this month’s challenge? “The Outdoors” is such an open theme and can be interpreted in so many different ways — landscapes, gardening, sports, wildlife, travel… the possibilities are endless.
I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone creates, and I’m so happy to be part of the team.
Happy crafting!
Lily-by-Gilly 