Hello and good morning dear friends!

Raksha Bandhan is just around the corner and how awesome it'd be if you could handcraft something special for your brother? ^__^

I'm Halak and today we're going to be doing just that!

I have a masculine layout tutorial for you folks packed with tips so let's get started.

These are the 4 sheets of paper that I used from The Gentleman Paper Pack by Papericious.

Tip : Once you select the papers, before you begin working on them, always have a rough layout in mind. Call it a blueprint of sorts, it's what helps you move ahead without getting overwhelmed and confused.

I always chalk out a rough idea no matter what project I am doing. Then, I click a picture of it and work step by step.

Here's how I wanted my layout to look :

Tip : We're working with masculine theme so I selected a stamp set that'd go well with it.
Here's a list of stuff that goes perfect with such layouts : Gears (Could be a stamp / stencil / die-cut shapes or even miniature metal charms), Grunge themed stamps, Geometric stencil designs, Colors like black, brown & grey etc.

What I love about these layouts is the fact that it lets your creativity run free. You don't have to be perfect. It's all about having fun.

Once I was satisfied with what my blueprint looked like, it was time to trim the sheets.

Measurements :

Outermost Sheet = 22 cm x Original Length

Middle Sheet = 18 cm x Original Length

Central Sheet = 16 cm x 30 cm

(Papericious papers are a little longer than 30 cm so when I mention original length / size, it means I did not trim down that portion.)

I cut these two pieces from the 4th sheet (extreme right in pic #2) because I wanted to layer them among the other sheets.

This is how I wanted to layer :

The basic look of the base achieved, I moved on to the next bit.

I wanted a rough look so I went with random stitched border stamps and abstract stencils.

Tip : If you don't have grunge themed stencils and stamps, think outside the box. Think of all the day to day objects that you can use like bubble wrap, a fine tooth comb, generic white and grey shirt buttons or string dipped in black paint!

After the background was done, I moved on to decorating the page.

The sentiment and those really cool glasses are from the Die-cut sheet which is provided with The Gentleman Paper Pack. (Yep, the awesome folks at the product designing end over at Papericious really do think of everything!)

I used a geometric pattern stencil with the classic gears stencil + assorted bunch of stamps to add detail.

Apart from that, I have also used three clock images which are from the Papericious Circular Collage Sheet line. (Product name : Vintage Time)

And there you have it folks, one layout which would make a really nice present!

Tip : I used the sentiment as the focal image but if you want to personalize it you can adhere your brother's picture and elements that he likes. Example : Miniature sports embellishments, pictures of places he likes to visit or even his favorite dessert!

Tip : Just because it's a masculine layout, it doesn't mean you need to lose the bling completely. Just make sure you don't go over the top.

In the above two images, you can see a few elements that I covered in black glitter.

Signing off with my favorite closeup.

The Kala Chashma! (Dark Glasses) ^__^
I covered up the fussy-cut image in glossy accents! The picture does not do it justice but I tried my best to capture that glossy look.

Thank you so much for taking time out to check my tutorial!

Have a lovely day! *Hugs*