Christmas in July with Forest Canopy and Large Cosmos | by Colleen Balija

Hi there! Today I’ve got a card for you that reminds me of Christmas -only in July! This wasn’t intended to be a Christmas card, but after seeing the finished product, I will definitely be creating similar cards for the holidays using these new products! I’ll be using the new Large Cosmos Contour Layers die and Forest Canopy Layering dies. As usual, I will share the product links at the end of my post!

I chose to use shades of brown, green, and coral for this card (very similar to the card I shared in my post a couple weeks ago). Step one was to create the background. The Forest Canopy is a layering die set, which Birch Press Designs is known for creating in great detail! I die cut each of the layers using heavy white cardstock. Then I applied shades of green color, going from light to dark, by ink schmooshing to create a variegated, natural look to the leaves. This set comes with berries as well, and I inked those up in shades of coral.

TIP: To ink schmoosh, apply the ink onto a glass media matt, spray with a bit of water, and then place the card panel directly onto the ink and “schmoosh” around over the ink to apply color to the card panel. Repeat this step until you’ve achieved the desired look that you want. If you notice in the photo below, this technique achieves more depth as opposed to basic ink blending.

Once the inking was complete, I adhered the layers together and applied them over a card panel that was inked in shades of brown. I am in love with how earthy and beautiful the colors are coming along!

Next I focused on the Large Cosmos Flower die. Did you know that Birch Press Designs embosses the layers on the flower so that you know exactly where to place each layer? I think that’s genius! They also emboss highlighted areas that add interest and depth to the flowers!

I die cut each layer of the flower onto white cardstock and then ink blended the layers in shades of coral. Then I went around the edges of the flower and the stamin with gold embossing powder for added shine and interest. I adhered my layeres and placed the Cosmos Flower onto the lower left corner over the Forest Canopy leaves, and then added gold metallic splatters over the entire panel. I finished with a sentiment from the Memory Box Gracious Florals stamp and die set!

Next time I may change up the color scheme and create a few holiday cards using these new dies! I’ll be sure to share them with you! Thanks for stopping by today!