Author: birch press

  • Poinsettia Blues | by Toni M Maddox

    Poinsettia Blues | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today with a glorious holiday card. Isn’t the Splendid Poinsettia die set absolutely stunning?!

    It was so easy to create this detailed bloom using Distress Oxide Salvaged Patina, Peacock Feathers and Uncharted Mariner with just a touch of Mustard Seed on the stamen. Gor-ge-ous!

    For the card base I added a layer of double-sided tape then carefully positioned the Herbarium Plate Layer A on top. I then burnished Doodlebug Design Lily White Glitter into the openings with my finger. It’s messy to apply but the tape secures the glitter really well.

    I glued down the poinsettia next (love it so much!), tucking in a few Oval Leaf Branches Contour Layer sprigs among the leaves.

    I added the rather retro Holiday Hugs sentiment, opting to use only the outline so some of the glitter would show throught. You can’t have too much glitter!

    I hope you enjoyed today’s card and have a great rest of your week!

    Supplies

    57517 Splendid Poinsettia Contour Layers

    57525 Oval Leaf Branches Contour Layers

    57540 Holiday Hugs Vintage Sentiment

    57458 Herbarium Plate Layer Set

  • Fall Adornment Oak Leaves | by Colleen Balija

    Fall Adornment Oak Leaves | by Colleen Balija

    Hey friends,

    It’s getting to that time of year when the leaves turn on the trees and we begin to crave hot cocoa and Pumpkin Spice Lattes! Yummm! Fall time of year can be messy and yet it can also take your breath away with the sights and smells! So today’s card is a tribute to all that is fall! I will be using the NEW Adornment Oak Leaf die, Membory Box Ringading embossing folder, and Memory Box Gracious Gloral stamp set.

    I started with the Adornment Oak Leaves by die cutting two of the base layers onto a card panel that I had sprayed in various autumn colors. Next, I die cut the 2nd layer using silver cardstock. I splattered white ink over the leaves to finish and set them aside to dry.

    Next, I worked on the black backdrop that would sit behind the leaves and the background. I trimmed a piece of black cardstock and then heat embossed 2 sentiments from Memory Box Gracious Floral stamp in white embossing powder. Then I added some white splatters and set it aside to dry. This technique of randomly stamping a sentiment is a great mixed media tool that is easy to do and very effective! It takes a piece of plain black cardstock and adds subtle detail and interest!

    The background panel was created using Memory Box Ringadings embossing folder, which I embossed over a card panel that was sprayed in shades of grey and tan Mica. The Mica adds texture and shine, another great mixed media tool! If you don’t have sprays, not to worry! Just use your inks and you’ll achieve a similar look.

    After I embossed the image, I went over the raised parts of it with a sander and removed some of the color. You can see in the photo below the distressed look this technique provides! And it’s so simple to do!!! By the way, you can find sanders at just about any craft store! It’s a great tool to keep in your stash!

    The last step was to put everything together. I adhered the embossed panel over a 5.5×4.25 white card base, and then adhered the black panel over it, slightly off center to the left. Then I added the 2 Adornment Leaves and a sentiment from Memory Box Gracious Floral!

    This card may look complicated, but it was so easy to create, and you can do it with your own stash! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

    Supplies

     

    EF1015 Ringadings 3D Embossing Folder

     

    cl5280 Gracious Floral Clear Stamp Set

     

    57484 Adornment Oak Leaf

     

  • Hoping Today | by Rosemary Dennis

    Hoping Today | by Rosemary Dennis

    Hello everyone! Rosemary here on the blog today. Can’t believe it is the end of September! But the weather here in the Pacific Northwest is telling me that yes, fall has arrived! Today I have a fall inspired project to share that I made using the new Budding Twigs Contour Layers dies.

    I had created a different card for today’s post, but decided to save that for a later date because I have had this idea for the Budding Twigs dies in the back of my mind for a few weeks now. Had to get it out, lol! The design is super simple, but I think very impactful.

    The die is one piece and so I only had to die cut the die twice to get all the pieces I needed to complete my little twig frame. I die cut the pieces from smooth bristol cardstock and then used some Tonic Studios Aqua Flow pens to color them in red, orange and brown. Aqua Flow pens are similar to ZIG Clean Color Real Brush markers in that they have concentrated watercolor in them. You apply the color and then blend it out with with water. The die cuts are very delicate and it was a bit of a task to color them, but I think it was worth the challenge!

    Once I had the pieces colored I let them dry and then adhered them together with liquid adhesive. While the pieces were drying I used a Memory Box Rectangle Frames die to die cut a piece of white cardstock that I had stamped with the sentiment from the Kind Hearts stamp set using VersaFine CLAIR Acorn ink. I then inked up the edge of the rectangle with Old Paper distress ink. The twigs were then adhered to the rectangle using liquid adhesive. I die cut a panel of kraft cardstock with the Pinpoint Contour plate and adhered that to my card base with tape runner. I then attached the rectangle to the center of the panel with foam tape. I finished with a few Open Studio autumn Fairy Jewels.

    I love the sweet little frame the Budding Twigs created and think it would be fun to create one for spring. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

    Supplies

    57529 Budding Twigs Contour Layers

    57511 Pinpoint Contour Plate

    cl8163 Kind Hearts clear stamp set

    94672 A2 Rectangle Frames Die Set

    jwl004 Autumn Fairy Jewels

  • Pink Branches | By Seeka

    Pink Branches | By Seeka

    Hello and welcome! Seeka here and today I’m sharing a clean and simple card featuring the Curved Leaf Branch Contour Layers die set.

    I started off by spraying a panel of heavy white cardstock with deep pink and orange ink sprays. When the sprays were dry, I cut the panel using the base layer of the Curved Leaf.

    Next, I used the Pinpoint Contour Plate to cut a piece of white cardstock. I trimmed 3/8″ off both the length and width of the panel and then adhere the leaf to the panel using foam tape.

    I finished by adding a hot foiled sentiment made with the Thank You Note script die, and gluing the card front to a 4.25″ x 5.5″ card base.

    Thank you so much for visiting!


    Supplies


    57513 Curved Leaf Branch Contour Layers
    57511 Pinpoint Contour Plate
    BPF511 Thank You Noted Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set
  • Alcohol Ink Adornment Leaves | by Crystal Komara

    Alcohol Ink Adornment Leaves | by Crystal Komara

    Hello friends and happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful (and hopefully creative) weekend. This is Design Team member Crystal Komara here today sharing two cards I made using the new Adornment Oak Leaf dies and some alcohol ink backgrounds. I love creating backgrounds with alcohol inks, they add so much visual contrast and color to cards. For more alcohol ink inspiration that I’ve created using Birch Press Design products, please check out this vibrant pink pumpkin or these blue balloons.

    Card details:

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White cardstock. This is my go-to cardstock for everything from die cutting, Copic coloring, card bases, ink blending, all of it. I create my alcohol ink backgrounds on high quality photo paper (in lieu of the more pricey Yupo paper). I promise it works just as well and it will save you money. For this first card I used violet alcohol ink, salmon alcohol ink and Valencia alcohol ink (all by Ranger Adirondack).

    I die cut the Adornment Oak Leaf dies from purple cardstock, rust colored cardstock and then gold glitter cardstock. I then layered the more detailed gold leaf layer over the solid colored cardstock using a fine tip glue. I adhered the leaves to the card and then stamped the sentiment “forever grateful” in Versamark ink and then heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. This sentiment is from the Brush Sentiments clear stamp set. I used an oval punch to punch out the sentiment and adhered it to the card with some linen thread behind it for added texture.

    For the second card, I used the exact same alcohol ink background and card measurements, except I used just cranberry alcohol ink. I die cut the Adornment Oak Leaf from cranberry cardstock and gold glitter cardstock. I layered the two together before adhering them to the card with 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I used the same sentiment and again added linen thread beneath the sentiment for texture.

    I hope you have enjoyed today’s cards! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

    Supplies

    57484 Adornment Oak Leaf

    SP1001 Berry Red 6×6 pack

    SP1008 Twilight Purple 6×6 pack

    GP1007 Glitzy Glitter Pad

    CL8158 Brush Sentiments clear stamp set

  • Adornment Wreath | By Natasha Vacca

    Adornment Wreath | By Natasha Vacca

    Hello Crafty Friends! It is Natasha here today and I am excited to be back on the blog today! Today I am sharing the beautiful new Adornment Wreath die set! So let’s get started!

    I love this gorgeous wreath and wanted to create a card using the wreath as my focal image. I started by die cutting the Adornment Wreath. I die cut the base layer 2 times using white card stock and the top layer 2 times as well. Once these were die cut, I adhered them together using liquid glue. I set the wreath aside to work on my background.

    For my background I chose a gelli print from my stash. I chose a background with beautiful pops of color to compliment the white wreath. I then ran the background through my die cutting machine with the Ringadings embossing folder from Memory Box.

    Next I added some distressing to my dry embossed background, using both distress crayons, as well as paper glaze. I love the added shine and sparkle from the Gold paper glaze.

    I then added some black splatters to the background and set it aside to dry. Once it was dry I trimmed the panel and distressed the edges using my distressing tool. I then added some Black Soot distress ink to the edges of the panel. I adhered the panel to my A2 card base.

    I completed my card by adhering the wreath to my card front using liquid glue. I chose a sentiment strip from my stash and adhered this with foam tape.

    Thanks so much for stopping by today! I will be back soon!


    Supplies


    57485 Adornment Wreath

    Supplies


    ef1015 Ringadings 3D Embossing Folder
  • Fall Leaves for the First Day of Autumn | by April Antonio

    Fall Leaves for the First Day of Autumn | by April Antonio

    Fall is a beautiful time of year, and what better way to celebrate than with a handmade card? I’m excited to be back on the blog today to show you how to create a simple yet stunning fall card using some of the Fall themed supplies from the Birch Press Design store.

    I chose a piece of woodgrain paper and cut it to size for my card front. I used the cream woodgrain to match the Fall theme, and cut the size to A2.

    I die cut the leaves and veins using the Adornment Oak Leaf die in five different warm, Fall colors. I used the same color to cut the leaf and the vein, layering them on top of one another for added dimension.

    TIP: the veins are delicate to handle. I put them upside down on a nonstick mat, and ran my tape runner over the back to get adhesive on them. It’s less messy than liquid glue and the nonstick mat insures the tape runner adhesive doesn’t get tape everywhere.

    Next I die cut the warm wishes vintage sentiment from brown cardstock, and the background from the same cream woodgrain paper. I layered those on top of each other and added foam squares to the back for dimension.

    To pull my card together I added my sentiment to the lower left of the card, and layered the leaves all around it, letting them hang off the edge. Once I was happy with their placement I glued them down with liquid glue, and used heavy duty scissors to trim off the excess.

    I hope you enjoyed today’s card and Happy Fall!


    Supplies


    57484 Adornment Oak Leaf
    57539 Warm Wishes Vintage Sentiment
  • Warm Wishes | by Sandhya Iyer

    Warm Wishes | by Sandhya Iyer

    Hello Birch Press friends! This is Sandhya here with a fresh card to send warm wishes. It is kind of festive, more winter-like. I used the Forest Leaf and Berries Contour Layers and The Forest Canopy Layer C die sets for this card. For the sentiment, I grabbed the Warm Wishes Vintage Sentiment die.

    I started by die-cutting all the pieces from the Forest Leaf And Berries Die set out of watercolor paper. Next, I used Distress Spray Stains and Distress Mica stains to color the pieces. For the smaller pieces like the berries, it is easier to use tweezers and dip them into a buddle of color and then lay them out on a craft mat to dry.

    For the delicate branch, I used an ink blending tool and dabbed over it with Ground Expresso Distress Ink. Once all the colored pieces were dry, I assembled the berries and leaves per the instruction leaflet.

    Next I die-cut the Forect Canopy Laver C out of Watercolor cardstock 2 times. I adhered the 2 layers together to create more dimension and then adhered it down on a white A2 card base. Then, I die-cut my sentiment and placed it towards the entre of the background.

    Finally, I arranged the berry clusters and leaves around the sentiment and adhered them down with liquid adhesive. I also added a few flatback pearl embellishments to tie it all together. While it is hard to see the shimmer in the pictures, this card is a lot more shiny and attractive in real life.

    This brings us to the end of today’s post. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope to be back soon with more new card ideas.

    Supplies:

    57514 Forest Leaf and Berries Contour Layers
    57534 Forest Canopy Layer Set
    57539 Warm Wishes Vintage Sentiment
  • Pumpkin Hugs | by Toni M Maddox

    Pumpkin Hugs | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today with another fall-inspired card. Yay, fall!

    I used the Adornment Pumpkin dies as separate dies rather than using the outline die to create an impression. So clever to be have such a versatile die in the package, right?!

    I sponged the Memory Box Cream Woodgrain cardstock with Distress Oxide Salvaged Patina and Uncharted Mariner–love that “glow.”

    On top of that I added the Enchantment Plate Layer A in a stone cardstock that I distressed with a sand eraser.

    I love the softly colored Memory Box Vintage Pastel 6×6 Mirror cardstock I used for the pumpkin and sentiment. By the way, I added a bit of shading to the cardstock using my Copic airbrush with G17 and R32.

    I hope you enjoyed today’s card and have a great rest of your week!

    Supplies

    57481 Adornment Pumpkin

    56113 Enchantment Plate Layer Set

    57153 Hugs Sugar Script

    fp1002 Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad

    SH44002 Cream Woodgrain Paper Pack

  • Hello, Fall | by Allison Frazier

    Hello, Fall | by Allison Frazier

    Hello, Birch Press friends! We are officially heading into my favorite time of year, when I can finally look forward to some cooler temperatures! To celebrate, I am sharing a card full of Autumn colors. In case you hadn’t noticed, this Forest Canopy Layer Set is one of my new favorites. I just can’t get enough of it! In my defense, it is so versatile.

    To start, I cut all three layers of the Forest Canopy set. For Layer C, I used a light orange card stock. For Layer B, I used a light yellow card stock. And for Layer A, I used a slightly darker shade of yellow card stock. I then took a brown marker (I used one of my OLO markers) and colored the frame and the branches on all three layers. Since I wasn’t adding the berries to this card, I cut off the little berry branches from Layer B.

    Next, I colored my leaves, using several different colors of ink to add shading and dimension. I used Pinkfresh Studio inks for all of my coloring on this card. For Layer C (the back layer), I used some oranges, browns, and reds/pinks. For Layers A and B, I used yellows, greens and a bit of orange. Once I was finished coloring the leaves, I glued the three layers together. I then created my background by cutting a panel of white card stock with the Pinpoint Contour Plate. I did some quick ink blending with two shades of Distress Oxide – Worn Lipstick and Wild Honey.

    For my sentiment, I used the Hello Sugar Script, which is such a simple sentiment, but one of my favorites. I cut it from a piece of glitter card stock and then glued it to a layer that I had cut from brown card stock. I made sure to offset the glitter layer so that the brown layer created a drop shadow effect. This helps the sentiment stand out more from the busy background.

    To finish my card, I added some clear fairy drops around the design. I hope this card puts a smile on your face and inspires you! Thank you so much for joining us today.


    Supplies


    57534 Forest Canopy Layer Set
    57511 Pinpoint Contour Plate
    57143 Hello Sugar Script
    sp1002 Sunny Orange 6×6 pack
    gp1006 Festive Glitter Pad

    Supplies


    drp101 Fairy Drops