Author: birch press

  • Here For You Always | By Laurie Schmidlin

    Here For You Always | By Laurie Schmidlin

     

     

    Hi there!  Laurie here with you today sharing some crafty inspiration with you!

     

     

    I created two cards using the Butterfly Garden Plate Layer C die.  For the first one, I used warm ink colors that I sponged onto the die cut panel.

     

     

    For the sentiment I die cut the Big Hugs die from black cardstock and mounted it on a vellum shadow layer.  The great thing about this die set is that both the word and shadow layer dies are included together!

    The stamped sentiment is from the Dragonfly Greetings clear stamp set.

     

     

    When I’m needing to replenish my card stash, I try to create multiple cards at the same time.  It really doesn’t take that much longer to die cut the layers twice instead of only once.  Even though I chose different colors to sponge on the background, I used the same gold and white paint to splatter on.

     

     

    My second card features cool ink colors.  I usually choose three ink colors to use when I’m sponging a background like this.  I also try to choose colors that blend well together.

     

     

     

     

    I’m so glad you joined me here today!  I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

     

     

     

     

    Supplies

     

    Big Hugs Sugar Script
    Butterfly Garden Plate Layer C
    CL8121 Dragonfly Greetings clear stamp set
  • Textured Butterflies | by Jennifer Svare

    Textured Butterflies | by Jennifer Svare

    Hello!  For today’s project, I used the Butterfly Garden Layer Plate B and inlaid butterflies using textured papers.  I just love how they have a sheen that catches in the light, so when using the same color of card stock, it creates a simple elegance.  I’ll show how the papers catch the light in the video below.

    Textured papers are wonderful to use, but embossing also works! In the photo below, I used paper with a silky sheen to it and embossed it before die cutting it.  Also, rather than using white as the base for the dots to show through, I used the same color as a base.  This is a great, simple card base that could be embellished in many different ways.

    Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today, and be sure to check out the video below for more details!

    Supplies

     

    Butterfly Garden Plate Layer B
    Sending Sugar Script
    Love Sugar Script
  • Sending Wedding Wishes | by Tracey McNeely

    Sending Wedding Wishes | by Tracey McNeely

    Welcome to another inspiration post here at Birch Press Design. I just can seem to get enough of the new Mandala dies and today I have a video tutorial to create a pretty wedding card. I am using the Kaleidoscope Layer A, Kaleidoscope Layer B and Kaleidoscope Layer C craft dies along with the Big Sending Sugar Script die in a colour scheme that is perfect for a summer wedding.

    The mandala dies are very detailed and quite elegant but making this card was actually quite quick and easy. The dies do most of the work for you and along with the addition of a few other supplies you can make something really unique.
    The video below will show you how I created all the elements for my cards using Distress Oxide inks and Bristol Smooth cardstock to create my own custom coloured cardstock to use with the dies.


    As you could see in the video I decided to change the embossed sentiment from black to the same custom blue that I used for the mandala. The black ended up looking a bit heavy with the pastel colours. I pulled the blue from the deepest layer of the mandala to really make the sentiment pop.

    The Big Sending Sugar Script die was cut with a single layer of white and the shadow was cut from a piece of vellum. The sentiment strip were created from two clear stamp sets. Best Wishes came from the Sending Love clear stamp set and ‘On Your Special Day’ from the Wishing You The Best clear stamp set.

    One more look at the completed card.

    Thank you for stopping in today, we are hoping that you have been enjoying the more frequent posts at Birch Press Design. I hope that I have inspired you to use the mandala craft dies when you look at creating cards for summer celebrations.

     

    Supplies

     

    Kaleidoscope Layer A
    Kaleidoscope Layer B
    Kaleidoscope Layer C
    Big Sending Sugar Script
    CL8127 Wishing You the Best clear stamp set
    CL8126 Sending Love clear stamp set
  • Washi ButterfliesBy Jeanne Jachna

    Washi Butterflies
    By Jeanne Jachna

    Jeanne here today!  I hope you’re doing great and enjoying the Summer weather!  Today I’m playing with washi from the store!  Maybe you’re like me.. I just can’t resist stocking up on washi tape.  It’s easy to do when I find my favorite brand – MT from Japan in the store!  But sometimes I’m not so good at using the washi.. I find myself holding on to it for the perfect project.

    I had lots of fun mixing and matching washi patterns to make this pretty card for today!  You can see all the pretty washi patterns in the store here!

    I started by covering a panel of white card stock with washi tape.  I arranged them like the colors of the rainbow.. starting with pinks and red at the top and ending with blues and purples at the bottom of the panel.

    Next I die cut two of the Sparkler Butterfly Layer B from the panel.  I layered the die cut panel over a piece of gold glitter paper and then inserted pink die cut butterflies inside the die cut openings.

    The Celebrate Sugar Script makes the perfect sentiment.  I cut it three times from white card stock and adhered the cuts together to make one thick die cut.   Washi has a slippery smooth finish – to adhere the die cut “Celebrate” I used glue dots.  If you use liquid glue the sentiment will slip around before it’s completely adhered.

    Those left over die cut butterflies were too pretty to discard.   Here’s what I did with them!

    I die cut the solid Sparkler Butterfly Layer D from gold glitter paper and adhered the washi die cut Sparkler Butterfly Layer B over it.  I embellished the butterfly with gold twine and a button before adhering it to a wood stick.

    What an easy way to make the ordinary extra ordinary!  Have a beautiful day!

    Card Finished Size 4.25 x 5.5″

    Supplies

     

    Sparkler Butterfly Layer B
    Sparkler Butterfly Layer D
    Celebrate Sugar Script
  • Wishing You All The Happiness | By Eloise Blue

    Wishing You All The Happiness | By Eloise Blue

       

    Hi everyone, Eloise here and today I have a card to share with you all, using the Mandala Stencil Set. I used an embossing trick to get differences between all the layers of the stencil. I also pulled in the Big Wishing Sugar Script Die as well as Wishing You The Best stamp set for my sentiments today.

    To begin my card today, I started off with a piece of watercolour cardstock and adhered it down to a board. I then used the D Stencil first and ink blended over some Squeezed Lemonade and Mustard Seed ink. I cleaned off the stencil with water and a paper towel and lined it back up. I then pressed my Versamark Ink Pad over the stencil and clear heat embossed over the entire inked panel. This locked in the colour, so I could proceed to a darker colour that necessarily either wouldn’t blend well or since it’s darker so it would cover the yellow right up if I didn’t clear emboss over it.

    Now that my yellow layer was complete, I used the C Stencil and used Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks and repeated the same process. For the B Stencil, I used Cracked Pistachio and Peacock Feathers. Now that all the layers were complete, I pulled in the A Stencil and used Pumice Stone to create those little dots and again, repeated the same process.

    Now that all my background was complete, I thought it looked a little plain. So I decided to pull in some Dried Marigold and Abandoned Coral Distress Inks over the entire background. Just to give another pop of colour. Now, because I didn’t use an anti-static bag in between clear heat embossing, there was a lot of white ‘specks’ around from where the embossing stuck. Overall, when you look at close up photos, it honestly looks quite terrible; but in real life I don’t think it looks too bad.

    Lastly, it was time for my sentiment. I cut the Big Wishing Sugar Script Die from grey and white cardstock, layered then up and adhered them into the centre of my card. For the additional sentiment, I used the Wishing You The Best stamp set and white heat embossed the ‘You All The Happiness’ onto a thin black strip.

    That finished off my card for today, I hope you enjoyed. The video is linked down below.

    Thanks so much for stopping by today and I’ll catch you all next time.

    Supplies

    Mandala Stencil A
    Mandala Stencil B
    Mandala Stencil C
    Mandala Stencil D
    Mandala Stencil Set
    Big Wishing Sugar Script
    CL8127 Wishing You the Best clear stamp set
  • Missing You | by Jennifer Svare

    Missing You | by Jennifer Svare

    Hello!  Today I got to make two very fun cards that I’ve been excited to make for a long time.  I’m so glad I waited, because the new Sparkler Butterfly is the perfect touch for the focal point.

    The cards use the Honeybee layering set, along with paper from the gorgeous St. Tropez and Wild & Free 6×6 paper pads.  Each is unique, and so much fun to make!  It’s almost like putting a puzzle together, except you get to choose where the pieces go.  I sincerely hope you try this because you will be hooked!

    When die cutting the patterned paper for the little hexagon inlays, it was so much fun to see what pieces came through.  I love cards that have the depth of really looking into the details.  There are so many fun things to look at.  (I love the crab peeking out of the hexagon above).

    Layering dies give limitless look and feel to cards because of the color combination, layering, and inlaying options.  Using the same color for all of the butterfly layers really put the focus on texture.

    The thought behind the “miss you” card is very sentimental… the “Miss You” from the Love and Miss You clear stamp set is the inside sentiment, and it fits perfectly with the hexagons’ message of fun flip flops, flowers, words, and a beachy feel of days in the past.  The grayish blue adds to the nostalgic feel of the paper and balances the sadness of “missing you” with the happiness of the fond memories.

    I glued only the center of the butterfly so the wings would sit off the base.  A few jewels were added to the butterfly.

    Many of these layering dies would work for this general idea and any of  the Prima paper pads offer incredible, small details that are perfectly sized for the hexagons. The thank you card uses the beautiful Wild & Free paper pad, and the Big Thanks Sugar Script.

    I cut the thanks out of ivory cardstock, and dusted it with a shimmer pen and a coat of glossy accents.  The depth is incredible and I really love how this turned out.

    Here’s a video of me making the thank you card, and I’ll share some tips I learned along the way!

    Supplies

     

    Sparkler Butterfly Layer A
    Sparkler Butterfly Layer B
    Sparkler Butterfly Layer C
    Sparkler Butterfly Layer D
    57000-H Honeybee Layer Set
    Big Thanks Sugar Script
    CL8123 Love and Miss You clear stamp set
    58123 Love and Miss You die set
  • Starry Night Gift Box | by Olga

    Starry Night Gift Box | by Olga

    Hello paper crafters, I hope you are having a great weekend! Today I’ll be creating a matching gift box for a sketchbook that has Starry Night printed on its cover. To decorate the box I’ll be using Waves layering set as it reminds me so much of Starry Night.

    The box itself is a “back to basics” thing – it’s a super easy project made with just a paper trimmer and a scoring board.
    By the way, I have also added some stamping to a sketchbook itself to personalize it. Watch the video below for a step by step guide!

    Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed the project. See you again soon!

    Supplies

     

    Waves Plate Layer A
    Waves Plate Layer B
    Waves Plate Layer C
    Let Your Light Shine clear stamp set
  • For You | By Eloise Blue

    For You | By Eloise Blue

      

    Hi friends, Eloise here and today I’ll be using the Grace Layer Set to create my main focal background along with the Big You Sugar Script Dies and Sending Love stamp set to create a simple For You card.

    To begin my card today, I started off with die cutting my background. I cut the Layer A from Mint Cardstock, Layer B from Blue/Aqua Cardstock and Layer C from Yellow. Then I repeated the same steps for just the middle of the die, but in reverse, so Layer A was cut from Yellow. Now that all my layers were cut, I removed all the inner pieces and glued the layers together with liquid glue. I set acrylic blocks on top of them to ensure they stuck together well.

    Now that all my pieces were adhered together, I used the Mandala Circle Base and cut it from some white cardstock. Then using the larger circle piece, that looks like a donut; I adhered my yellow top layer on it, since I wanted to pop it up later and have the white behind it. While I had my die cutting machine out, I also cut the ‘You‘ sentiment from light and darker pink cardstock. I then adhered them together and my card was ready to complete.

    I adhered my main focal panel flat onto my card base with more liquid glue, then added foam tape onto the back of the next circle and inlayed that in . Then lastly I added the smallest circle in the middle of the popped up circle. For my sentiment, I added foam tape onto the back of the ‘You‘ sentiment and then adhered it into the centre of my popped up circle.

    To finish off my card, I used the Sending Love stamp set and white heat embossed the ‘For’ word onto a thin strip of black cardstock. I popped that up on more foam tape and adhered it into place. So that finished up my card for today I hope you enjoyed and got inspired.

    Linked down below is the video for you to watch, if you would like too.

    Thanks so much for stopping by and I’ll catch you all next time.

    Supplies

    Mandala Circle Base
    Grace Layer A
    Grace Layer B
    Grace Layer C
    56080 Grace Plate Layer Set
    CL8126 Sending Love clear stamp set
    Big You Sugar Script
  • Wishing You | by Tracey McNeely

    Wishing You | by Tracey McNeely


    Welcome to another Birch Press Design inspiration post. I hope that you have had the opportunity to play with some of the stamps from the newest release. Today I have a quick tutorial for you using the new Sparkler Butterfly Layered craft dies. These beautiful butterflies have four different layers that can be used together to create some awesome dimension or on their own with their distinct individual characteristics. Today I used the Sparkler Butterfly Layer A and the Sparkler Butterfly Layer C to create a pretty card that could be used for a bridal shower, a wedding, a birthday or even as an encouragement card.

    I began by sponging some Distress Oxide inks on to three panels of Bristol Smooth cardstock with a foam blending tool. I divided each panel in two and I sponged colours that complimented each other on the top and bottom.

    Next I sprinkled some clean water over the panels and then picked up some of the colour with a paper towel. Then I cut the tops with Layer A and the bottoms with Layer C.

    Next I prepared my sentiment using the Wishing You the Best clear stamp set. The phrase ‘you all the happiness’ was stamped directly on the card base and the word wishing was stamped and die cut with the Wishing You the Best craft dies.

    The butterflies were layered together and adhered in the middle allowed the wings to be free to bend slightly up for added dimension.


    These dies along with this technique made for a really beautiful quick and easy card with lots of interest and also easy for mailing as the butterflies can lay flat.

    I hope you were inspired today to go and make something beautiful. Have a lovely day and see you back here on Wednesday for another creative post by the design team.

    Supplies

     

    Sparkler Butterfly Layer A
    Sparkler Butterfly Layer C
    CL8127 Wishing You the Best clear stamp set
    58127 Wishing You the Best die set
  • Let Your Dreams Set Sail | By Laurie Schmidlin

    Let Your Dreams Set Sail | By Laurie Schmidlin

     

    Happy Friday!  Today I have a card to share with you featuring the Let Your Dreams Set Sail stamp set.

     

     

    With warmer temperatures finally here, I was inspired to create a nautical scene with rich summer colors.

     

     

    For the background, I die cut the Waves Plate A die out of white cardstock.  I lightly sponged some teal ink to the middle of the waves layer.

     

     

    I sponged the card base with yellow and teal inks, creating a sunny water scene.  Before adhering the waves die cut layer onto the card base, I sprayed some adhesive onto the bottom third of the die cut and sprinkled on some glitter.

     

     

    After stamping the images from the Let Your Dreams Set Sail stamp set, I die cut them with the coordinating die set.

     

     

    Thanks so much for joining me here today!  I hope you all can find some time to get crafty this weekend!

     

     

     

     

     

    Supplies

     

    Let Your Dreams Sail clear stamp set
    Let Your Dreams Sail die set
    Waves Plate Layer A