Author: birch press

  • Just a Note | Dilay Nacar

    Just a Note | Dilay Nacar

    Hello, crafty friends! Dee here today with this soft and delicate card featuring the Morning Rose and Triple Buds Contour Layers.

    First, I created the background by die cutting each of the Kinsley Heart Plate Layer Set (A, B, and C) and adhering them together, then onto a top-folding card base. 

    Next, I cut the Morning Rose and Triple Buds Contour Layers in various pink and green cardstock colors, adhered them together, then arranged them over the top of the Kinsley Heart Layers. I added more leaves using a few from the Tropical Hibiscus and Fuddled Leaf Branches Contour Layers. To finish, I added a foiled sentiment from the Sugar Script Sentiments 1 Hot Foil Plate and Die Sets.

    I hope you enjoyed today’s card and thank you so much for stopping by, friends!


    Supplies


  • Foiled Love | by Rosemary Dennis

    Foiled Love | by Rosemary Dennis

    Happy Wednesday everyone! Rosemary here with two cards featuring foiling! Do you like to foil? I absolutely love foiling and the bit of glamour that it adds to my projects. There are several ways to foil including hot foiling and that is what I have done on my cards.

    When I started my cards I hot foiled the String Art Frame hot foil plate using matte silver and gold foils. I die cut the pieces down in preparation to use them on my cards. However, as I got further into the process, I changed my mind and I decided to use the leftover foil to do some reverse foiling. I will explain that a little further on in this post. After I did the initial foiling, I decided to use light pink and light blue cardstocks along with light blue and pink glitter cardstock from the Memory Box Delicate Pastel Glitter pad.

    After I foiled the String Art Frame I foiled the new You Are Loved Noted Scrip foil plate with the same silver and gold matte foils and die cut them with the matching dies. Then I started in on die cutting all the pieces for my roses using the new Morning Rose and Triple Buds Contour Layers dies. I love how the dies emboss the lines so you know exactly where to place each layer of the flower. For the large rose I used a base of white cardstock for each flower.

    Then I started adding all the layers finishing with the glitter layer on top. My idea was to have a somewhat monochromatic color scheme for the flowers, but did add a little pop of yellow glitter cardstock to the center of the large flower. The same process was used for the bud stems. Now it was time to start putting the card together and that is where I started to change my mind about things.

    As I layerd the roses and buds on to the card fronts that I had foiled I didn’t like how busy things looked to me. I tried, but I just wasn’t happy with what I saw. So I decided to reverse foil the leftover foil. To reverse foil you need a large flat foil plate and the negative foiled image. You heat up the flat foil plate on your machine and when it is ready, lay the foil on top (pretty side on the plate), add your cardstock and then proceed with the foiling process. When you end up with is what you see on my cards.

    The reverse foiling wasn’t perfect, so I just die cut out the parts that didn’t turn out and moved forward with completing the cards. I thought the floral swags I created needed to be a little fuller, so I added some leaves from the Dainty Rose and Leaves Contour Layers dies. When I was assembling the flowers, I used liquid adhesive. For the assembly of the cards, I used a combination of liquid adhesive and foam squares. The large flower was adhered with foam squares so I could tuck the flower buds and leaves under the flower using liquid adhesive. The sentiments were adhered with a combination of liquid adhesive and foam squares.

    I hope you enjoyed my projects today. Reverse foiling can add so much to your projects so I hope you will consider giving it a try if you have a hot foiling systems. The possibilities are endless!

    D7

    Supplies

  • Glam Winter Birthday | by Toni M  Maddox

    Glam Winter Birthday | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a fun and ever so glittery winter birthday card.

    I have a lot of winter birthdays in my life so am always looking to build my stash.

    I cut out the card front from the Memory Box Majestic Hues 6×6 Glitter Pad. I wish the pictures did a better job of showing you just how amazing this paper is. AND, no glitter rubs off. That alone is a winner in my book!

    Next I cut out a few of the Adornment Snowflakes and adhered them to the glitter using Scor-tape. I cut the Sugar Script Birthday Wishes letters from white and the backer from the Memory Box Rainbow Reflections 6×6 Mirror Pad.

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

    Supplies

  • Hello Sweet Friend | By Natasha Vacca

    Hello Birch Press Friends! I am excited to be up on the blog today sharing the gorgeous Eloquent Butterfly layering die set! I absolutely love this set and decided to use this set today with a mixed media vibe! I hope you enjoy it, let’s get started!

    I started with the beautiful Eloquent Butterfly layering die set. I die cut all 3 layers. First I die cut layer C using white card stock, layer B using white and an inked background from my stash, and then layer A using an inked background from my stash. The inked backgrounds were made using sprays. Once all the layers were die cut, I added dye ink to layer B and layer A. I feel this adds a bit more texture and definition to the layer. On layer A I also added a bit of embossing glaze for added texture. I then adhered all layers together and added foam tape. I then die cut the antennae for the butterfly from the Butterfly Basics die set using a piece of card stock from the Vintage Pastel Mirror pad and adhered this with liquid glue to the butterfly.

    Next I chose a gelli print from my stash and embossed the panel using the Flora Plate die set. I used Layer C from the set and followed the instructions in my die cutting machine to emboss the panel onto my gelli print. Next I distressed the edges of the panel using a paper trimmer, distress tool, and then inked up the edges with distress ink.

    I then added a bit more texture to the panel using metallic paint by adding splatters with my paintbrush. Next I added a bit more distress ink to the raised areas of my background panel using a blending tool.

    To complete my card I adhered the panel to an A2 card base. Next I added two strips of paper, one from an old book and another piece of gelli print. Both pieces were distressed using a combination of distress inks and embossing glaze. I added the Hugs Honey Script sentiment to my card. I die cut the shadow layer using white card stock and ink blended the shadow with distress oxide. I die cut the hugs sentiment 3 times using kraft card stock and adhered them together with liquid glue. I then ink blended the sentiment with distress inks. I added a sub sentiment from my stash. Both sentiments were adhered using liquid glue.

    Thanks so much for stopping by today! I had so much fun creating today’s card! I will be back soon!


    Supplies


  • Valentine Hugs | By April Antonio

    Valentine Hugs | By April Antonio

    Happy Saturday! With January almost over, and Valentine’s Day cards lining the grocery store aisles, I thought I would be a great time to create a Valentine themed card.

    I started with the new Banner Heart Layer set. It has three layers – A,B,C to it, with each layer slightly more open than the last. I used the following cardstocks for each layer:

    Layer A – Red foil from the Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad

    Layer B – Silver foil from the Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad

    Layer C – Glitter Red from the Festive Glitter Pad

    Once I had each layer cut, I glued them together using liquid glue, and added foam dots to the very back.

    Next, I cut my background piece using the Pinpoint Contour plate die. I also cut a few eucalyptus pieces using the stem from the Eucalyptus Stem & Berries. I cut it from white cardstock and the red foil I used for the heart.

    I then grabbed the Hugs Honey Script die and cut the word from white cardstock three times, and glued those layers together. I then cut the shadow from black cardstock.

    Assembly

    I glued my background Pinpoint Contour sheet to an A2 card base. I then arranged the eucalyptus leaves in the lower right corner of the card and glued the bottom halves down with liquid glue.

    I then placed the layered heart on top of the leaves — recall I had this popped up with foam dots. To that I added the layered hugs die cut which I also popped up with foam tape.

    The embellishments are from the Fairy Drops and Christmas Fairy Crystals set.

    That is it! A clean and very simple card to pull together. The ‘hugs’ sentiment could easily be replaced with ‘love’, ‘thanks’, or some other sentiment to fit the card need.

    I hope you have a great rest of your day!

    Supplies

    Supplies

  • Love and Hugs | by Crystal Komara

    Love and Hugs | by Crystal Komara

    Hello friends! This is Design Team member Crystal Komara here with you today sharing some inspiration for Valentine’s Day which will be coming up soon in February.

    Details:

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Flora Player Layer A, I die cut the first layer from white cardstock . As you can see from the image below, I had to do a fair amount of “poking” to get all the little pieces out! I adhered this piece directly onto my card base.

    Next I die cut Layer A of the Kinsley Heart Layering Plate from white cardstock. I adhered this over a sheet of red cardstock. Then I fussy cut the little hearts out.

    I adhered the small hearts down the center of the card, only using four of the five I had cut out. Then, using the Big Lingo Type Hugs, I die cut the shadow background from black cardstock and the thin outline layer from white cardstock.

    I adhered the two layers together with a fine tip liquid adhesive. Then I stamped the sentiment “love and” in red ink on white cardstock. This sentiment is from the Lingo Thanks Sentiment stamp set. I adhered the sentiment to the card with 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

    I wish you all love and hugs! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

    Supplies

  • Hugs | By Rosemary Dennis

    Hugs | By Rosemary Dennis

    Hello everyone! Rosemary here with my first post as a member of the Birch Press Design team. I’m so excited to be a part of this talented team. My style tends to lean towards clean and simple, but I like to mix it up and create in other styles as well. Today’s project is a clean and simple Valentine.

    For my card I used the sweet Banner Heart layering die set. I die cut layers A and C from pink glitter paper from the Delicate Pastel Glitter pad and layer B from the Glitzy Glitter pad from Memory Box. I saved all the fall out pieces and will be sharing the cards that I made with them in another post. I adhered all the layers with liquid adhesive and set the heart aside to dry. I took a piece of off white paper from the Vintage Pastel Mirror pad by Memory Box and die cut it with the Pinpoint Contour Plate.

    I adhered the Pinpoint Contour panel to a cardstock base using a strong tape adhesive. The Pinpoint Contour panel covers the entire card front and a little tip I have to making sure it goes on straight is to use something like a MISTI tool (I use a scoring board) to help with alignment. Simply place your card base in to one corner of your MISTI or scoring board so that it is securely up against two sides of the tool. Then take your Pinpoint Contour panel and carefully place it on top using the corner to help you keep things aligned. Once your panel is secured add the banner heart using liquid adhesive. Now it was time to decide on a sentiment. I decided to go with the Hugs Sugar Script hot foil plate and die set. I just love foiling. I used a scrap of the off white mirror cardstock and dark pink foil for the sentiment. I just love how well the foiling worked with the mirror cardstock. Definitely will be doing that in the future.

    I die cut the foiled sentiment and then adhered it to the card front. I used a combination of liquid adhesive and foam adhesive. The liquid adhesive was placed behind the part of the sentiment that rests on the heart and the foam adhesive on the other half. I decided to add a few dark pink Fairy Jewels as a little finishing touch.

    I hope you enjoyed my project today and that you are inspired to make a clean and simple Valentine for someone you love!

    Supplies

  • Make a Wish | By Allison Frazier

    Make a Wish | By Allison Frazier

    Hello, Birch Press friends! January is always a great time to take stock of what cards you have in your stash. I always seem to have a shortage of birthday cards, so now is a great time to start building up that stash. My card today features the “Make a Wish Sugar Script” die set.

    The inspiration for this card started with a panel of watercolor paper that I had inked up with some shimmer powders. I wasn’t happy with how it was turning out, and I almost threw it away. But, as I was picking it up, I saw that some of the color had gotten onto the back of the panel. And that is what became the background for this card. That is what I call a happy accident! I used the new Pinpoint Contour Plate to give it a little bit more texture and adhered it to an A2 card base.

    For the main focal point of the card, I cut the detail words out of a champagne pearl card stock. I cut the shadow pieces out of the same watercolor paper that I had used for the background. I stacked the shadow pieces three times and the detail pieces two times in order to create dimension. I stamped the sub-sentiment on the same watercolor paper and heat embossed it with a platinum color embossing powder. The sentiment comes from the Happy Lingo stamp set.

    To add more visual interest and movement, I die cut some small dragonflies and a butterfly using the same combination of papers that were already on the card – plain watercolor paper for the base layer of the wings, shimmer powder background remnants for the top layer of the wings, and champagne pearl card stock for the bodies. I glued these together only at the centers, so that the wings could pop up and create dimension.

    To finish the card, I added some Fairy Jewels and Fairy Crystals in complementary colors.

    Thank you so much for joining us today. I hope this card inspires you and brings a smile to your face! 

    Wishing you a crafty day,
    Allison


    Supplies



    Supplies


  • Banner Heart Hugs | by Colleen Balija

    Banner Heart Hugs | by Colleen Balija

    Hi friends,

    I’m back today to share a fun and endearing card for someone who may need a hug during Valentine’s Day (or any day). This card is cheerful but comforting!

    I started by creating a card base of white and gold using Flora Plate Layering dies. The bottom layer is a gold card base. Then I added a gold layer over it that is slightly smaller and was embossed using the new Pinpoint Contour Plate die. This cover plate is perfect to add texture and interest! I added a mirrored white card panel over the gold. I used my handy Deckled Paper Trimmer to cut the layers, adding a bit more detail to the card base. I am all about the details! I set the background aside and worked on the Banner Heart.

    I chose the colors for my heart using a color mood board. I love to use color mood boards because the colors are coordinated for you, so all you have to do is put them together! Here is the mood board that I used for my heart.

    Feel free to use this if you feel so inspired to do so! Anyway, getting back to my card, I found Memory Box glitter paper and a few other pieces of colored cardstock in shades of pink, red, and green, similar to the color mood board. I die cut all 3 layers of the Banner Heart using those colors and adhered the layers together, going from darkest to lightest in color. Hint: I used a variety of color card panels to add detailed interest to the heart, such as an alcohol base card panel, a gelli plate card panel, and a glitter card panel. Can you see the detail in the photo below? It makes a big difference!

    Once my heart was finished, I staged it over my background that I had made earlier, and decided it needed something more! That’s where the flowers and Hugs sentiment come in to play!

    I had foiled the Hugs Sugar Script sentiment awhile back (I like to do mass foiling so that it’s ready when I need it), so I grabbed that foiled sentiment and placed it over the heart. Then I die cut Wispy Blooms Contour Layers using the same card panels from my heart and tucked those behind the heart and sentiment.

    I tucked everything to the left of the sentiment because I wanted the heart to clearly show up on the card. The Hugs sentiment was propped up using foam tape.

    What I love about this card is that the only source of color comes from the heart and flowers. Everything else is neutral, which helps the focal point pop even more! And I love all the tiny details in this card that come together beautifully!

    Thanks for stopping by today!

    Supplies

  • Sending Love | By Natasha Vacca

    Hello Birch Press friends, it is Natasha here today and I am excited to share a fun card idea with you today using the Banner Heart Layering die set! So let’s get started!

    I started by choosing a colorful background from my stash for today’s card! I love to use pre-made backgrounds! It is a fun and easy way to create, as well as saving you time! The background inspired my color choices today!

    Next I started by die cutting each layer of the Banner Heart Layering die set. I used a combination of red, pink, and white card stock for the 3 layers. The pink and red card stock are from the Berry Red Memory Box paper pad collection. I die cut layer C 1 time, layer B 2 times, and layer A 1 time.

    After each layer was die cut, I added a bit of ink using a finger dauber to layer C and B. I love to add ink to color card stock. I feel it adds a bit of dimension and texture. Once these were complete, I adhered Layer C and B together using liquid glue. Next I chose an embossing powder from my stash. I embossed Layer A for each heart. On one heart the top layer has a pink card stock and the other has a white card stock. Using a different color card stock changes up the embossing powder effect!

    Once Layer A was heat embossed, I adhered Layer A to the top of each heart using liquid glue. Next I trimmed the background panel to 4 inches by 5.5 inches. I used the extra 1/4 inch strip and adhered this to the left side of the card panel. It added a bit more interest and texture.

    To complete my card I chose the You Are Loved Noted Script Hot Foil Plate and die set. I used my hot foil machine and followed the instructions for my machine. Once the sentiment was complete, I die cut 2 more shadow layers and adhered them behind my foiled sentiment for added dimension.

    I completed the card by adhering the card panel to an A2 card base, adhered the hearts using liquid and foam adhesive and completed my card with my sentiment.

    I had a lot of fun creating today’s card and I hope this inspires you to share a handmade Valentine with a family member or a dear friend!

    I will be back soon!


    Supplies