Author: birch press

  • Best Wishes Tag | by Sandhya Iyer

    Best Wishes Tag | by Sandhya Iyer

    Hello, friends! This is Design Team member, Sandhya Iyer, and today I am sharing a mixed media tag using dies from Birch Press Design. I used the Floral Arch Contour Layers and Best Wishes Vintage sentiment dies for my project today.

    I started by die-cutting the layers for the floral arch and the sentiment out of watercolor cardstock. For the stem layer, I used green cardstock. Next, I pulled out dye inks in shades of pinks and inked up the floral layers and the letters in the sentiment.

    Next, I trimmed a piece of snow tulle fabric to create a background for my die-cut layers. I used a manila tag as the base and sewed the fabric to the tag. I did a mix of zig-zag and straight stitches to amp up the mixed-media effect.

    Next, I adhered the die-cut floral arches and the sentiment to the tag. Finally, I finished off with a piece of linen ribbon to tie the top of the tag.

    This brings us to the end of today’s post. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you have fun crafting today!

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  • Just a Little Something | by Crystal Komara

    Just a Little Something | by Crystal Komara

    Hello crafty friends and happy August! Where did the summer go already!? This is Design Team member Crystal Komara here today sharing a vibrant alcohol ink card featuring the Floral Star Layer set. Because this background has so much intense color, you might not even notice that I used just three layers of white on that Floral Star.

    Card details:

    This A2 card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I pulled a scrap piece of a previously made alcohol ink background from my stash and splattered some white and gold ink all over the alcohol ink. I cut it down to 5 1/4″ x 4″ and adhered it directly to the white cards base.

    Next, I die cut all three layers – Layer A, Layer B and Layer C of the Floral Star Layering set from white cardstock. I adhered the three layers together using a fine-tip liquid glue. Then I adhered the full die to the center of the alcohol ink background.

    Using the Contempo Greetings stamp set, I stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink on black cardstock. I heat embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder and used the coordinating die to die cut the sentiment out. I adhered the sentiment to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

    I LOVE using alcohol inks on my cards, they are a great way to add visual interest and unique designs. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

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  • Peace and Joy Greetings | by Sandhya Iyer

    Peace and Joy Greetings | by Sandhya Iyer

    Hello, friends! This is Sandhya, sharing a pair of holiday cards featuring the latest holiday collection dies from Birch Press Design. I made my cards by pairing the gorgeous Yuletide Cheer and Yuletide Plaid pattern papers with the Pine Needle Twigs Contour Layers. For my sentiment, I used the Peace Love Joy Confection Script dies.

    I started with the gorgeous foiled pattern papers from the Yuletide Cheer and Yuletide plaid 6X6 paper packs. I trimmed it down to make 4.25″ X 5.5″ panels for my 2 cards. I also used the same pattern papers to die cut the sentiments and with gold shadows.

    Next, I die-cut the pine needles out of 2 shades of green cardstock and assembled 4 layered needles. I picked up 2 pieces of watercolor cardstock and ink smooshed with Distress inks to create a couple of interesting backgrounds for the die-cut needles.

    For the blue panel, I used a black marker to draw stitched details and adhered some music paper and pattern paper to create a mixed media effect. For the pink and green panel I actually stitched around the panel and adhered the pine needles. Next, I used white gouache to splatter on both panels and some snow like effect on the pine needles. I also added some gold splatters.

    Then I added the sentiment die-cuts and tied it all together with jute twine. I found some jingle bells in my stash and added them to the bow to add a tinkle to my cards. Finally, I attached the panels to the card bases to complete my holiday cards. This brings us to the end of today’s post. I hope this inspires you to get crafty today!

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  • Adornment Dove Tag | by Rosemary Dennis

    Adornment Dove Tag | by Rosemary Dennis

    Hello! Rosemary here on the blog today. Today is July 25th and so I decided to make a “Christmas in July” project. I used several older products and one newly released product for today’s project. Let’s have a look at what I made.

    Today’s project is a large tag that can be used as a deco piece at Christmas time. I really enjoy making these kinds of projects to share. I started with a Tim Holtz thickboard tag. I pulled out a piece of plaid paper from the Poinsettia Plaid 6×6 pad that had various shades of red in it and trimmed it down to fit the tag. The top of the paper has a hole in it so that the pad can be hung and I used that to my advantage. I aligned the hole in the paper with the hole on the tag, trace around the tag and then trimmed out the paper. There was a little bit of the tag not covered at the very top, but in the end you don’t really notice it.

    I then adhered the paper tag to the thickboard tag using distress collage medium and let it dry. I then decided to add another layer of texture to the tag by adding the large Pinpoint Snowflake that I die cut from the reverse side of the paper used for the tag. I adhered the snowflake to the tag using the collage medium, as well, and once things were dry trimmed off the one side. Once I had the base of my tag put together I worked on the focal point of the tag. For this I used the pretty Adornment Dove die set. Initially I die cut solid layer of the dove from three different papers from the Poinsettia Garland 6×6 pad and determined which one I wanted to use. As you can see I went with the lightest paper dove.

    I then die cut the top layer from gold foil cardstock from the Vintage Pastel Mirror 6×6 pad. To give the base layer of the dove a little more stability I adhered the other two doves I wasn’t using behind the main one. The Vintage Merry Christmas sentiment was also die cut from the same papers and adhered together. I used liquid adhesive for both. Then I got out distress crayons in festive berries and ground espresso to blend onto the edges of the dove, the tag and around the snowflake. Once I had done that the small gap at the top of the tag almost completely disappeared!

    As I was working on my tag the newest release from Birch Press Design landed in my mailbox. It is absolutely gorgeous! So I decided to make sure to incorporate one of the new products from the release into my project. I made the decision to use the Pine Needle Twigs Contour Layers dies. I die cut them from scraps of the paper I used, as well as the gold foil cardstock and then layered them together using liquid adhesive.

    Once they were dry I began layering the elements on to my tag. I started with the Pine Needle Twigs using liquid adhesive to attach them. I used a combination of liquid adhesive and foam squares to attach the dove. Foam squares were also used to attach the sentiment. I finished off my tag with some ribbon looped through the hole in the top and then tied with some red twine.

    I hope you enjoyed today’s project. I had a lot of fun making it! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

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  • Warm Wishes | by Sandhya Iyer

    Warm Wishes | by Sandhya Iyer

    Hello, friends! This is Design Team member, Sandhya Iyer, and today I am sharing a holiday card featuring the latest collection of holiday dies from Birch Press Design. I used the Classic Poinsettia Contour Layers, Holly Sprig Contour Layers and Warm Wishes Confection Script dies to make my holiday-themed card.

    I started by die-cutting the layers for the poinsettia and holly sprig out of watercolor cardstock. Next, I pulled out dye inks in shades of peachy corals and red and inked up the layers. I used mossy green shades for the leafy foliage.

    Next, I assembled the poinsettia flower and holly sprig and set them aside. Then, I trimmed a watercolor panel to be a bit smaller than an A2 card base and worked on my background. I used Tim Holtz mica sprays to create a shimmery blue effect. Then I arranged the die-cut foliage to the bottom left of the card panel. I also used glossy accents on a few berries and the poinsettia center for more drama.

    Finally, I used the ‘warm wishes’ confection sentiment die to create an elegant sentiment die-cut. I adhered the panel to a red A2 card base and finished with a generous white splatter.

    This brings us to the end of today’s post. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you have fun crafting today!

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  • Hello Starlight Butterfly | by Crystal Komara

    Hello Starlight Butterfly | by Crystal Komara

    Hello friends! I hope your summer is going well and you are enjoying some beautiful hot and sunny days and cool ice cream summer nights! This is Design Team member Crystal Komara here today sharing a monochomatic purple and gold card using the Starlight Butterfly Layering dies.

    Card details:

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4 x 4″ piece of purple carsdtock and mounted that behind a sheet of purple gold foil paper from the Glimmering Gladiola cardstock paper pack from Memory Box Co. (Memory Box is a sister-company of Birch Press Design).

    I placed a 4″ x 3″ piece of vellum directly over the gold foil paper to “tone down” the pattern in the center of the card where I planned on adding the butterfly and sentiment.

    Using the Starlight Butterfly Layering Dies, I die cut Layer A (the top layer) from gold glitter cardstock, Layer B from a light purple cardstock and Layer C from a dark purple cardstock. I adhered all there layers together with a fine-tip liquid glue before adhering the butterfly to the card.

    Using the Hello Honey Script die, I die cut the bottom layer from dark purple cardstock and the top layer from gold glitter cardstock. I adhered the two layers together with a fine-tip liquid glue before adhering the sentiment to the card.

    I hope you have enjoyed this glittery card. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

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  • ATC (Artist Trading Cards) Thank You Notes | By, Natasha Vacca

    ATC (Artist Trading Cards) Thank You Notes | By, Natasha Vacca

    Hello Birch Press friends, I am excited to be back on the blog today sharing an Artist Trading Card idea with you! Today’s project is using 3 die sets: Budding Twigs Contour Layers, Sylvan Berries and Leaves Contour Layers, and the Simple Dragonfly. Let’s get started!

    I started by die cutting all 3 sets: Budding Twigs Contour Layers, Sylvan Berries and Leaves Contour Layers, and the Simple Dragonfly onto Canson XL watercolor paper. I die cut 2 sets of the Budding Twigs. Next I used pigment powders to color each of the die cut layers. I place all the die cuts on my glass work surface, add the pigment powder to the die cuts with a fan brush, then spritz the pieces with water. I move the color around with my paintbrush. I set all the layers aside to dry.

    Once all the layers were dry, I added more texture to the layers using dye ink. I applied the ink to the edges of each layer and then adhered the layers together using liquid glue. Next I chose a background from my stash and trimmed the panel into 2 Artist Trading Cards (2.5 x 3.5).

    I then added texture to each of the ATC backgrounds using crackle paint. Once the paint dried, I added distress crayon over the crackled paint. Next I added washi tape from my stash, as well as applied distress ink and acrylic paint with a sponge. I then distressed the edges of each ATC.

    Once the background was complete, I chose a piece of coordinating cardstock from the Magnolia Plaid paper pad from Memory Box. I tore the paper and distressed the edges. Next I determined the placement for my twigs and berries and then adhered them with my tiny stapler to my torn piece of cardstock, with a piece of lace on the back. I adhered the dragonfly, as well as a thank you sentiment strip from the Foil Greeting Black Tabs set.

    I had a lot of fun creating these ATC’s today! I hope you enjoyed them! I’ll be back soon!


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  • Purple Rose | by Rosemary Dennis

    Purple Rose | by Rosemary Dennis

    Hello everyone! Rosemary here on the blog today with a card that was a bit of an experiment for me, lol! Let’s have a look at what I made.

    I started my card by going through the stack of contour layering dies I have pulled out in order to use to make cards and settled on the Dainty Rose and Leaves set. I have had this set for awhile, but I don’t think I have used it yet. I die cut all the pieces from white cardstock and then decided what ink colors I wanted to use. I don’t often use purple so I settled on that and pulled out coordinating purple inks to ink up all the layers of the rose. Two shades of green were used for the leaves. The I assembled all the pieces.

    Since I have been into adding texture the background of my cards I pulled out the Grace Layer A plate and embossed a rectangle of white cardstock I had die cut with the die. I wanted to try something a little different so I pulled out the Gilded Grace Outside Stencil set. This set of stencils was designed to coordinate with the Gilded Grace hot foil plate, but it also works with the Grace Layer A plate.

    I used a grip mat to hold the stencils and cardstock in place as I did the stenciling. I only stenciled a portion of the background as I wasn’t sure how things would turn out. I’m actually pretty pleased with the end result. The interesting and unique thing about the Grace Layering dies is that the centers of each die cut out allowing three different looks. I decided to die cut the center portion of the layer A die and layer the larger circle on top of the embossing. I adhered flower to the center of the smaller circle and popped it up in the center using thin foam squares.

    Here are the different products I used to make the card. I finished things off with a sentiment from the Crystal Lingo stamp set.

    I hope you enjoyed today’s experimental project! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

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  • You Are Something Special | by Crystal Komara

    You Are Something Special | by Crystal Komara

    Hello readers and happy 1st of July! Welcome to summer here in New England (or wherever you might live). This is Design Team member Crystal Komara here today sharing a floral card featuring the Early Blossom Contour Layer Dies in varying shades of purple.

    I love placing colorful flowers against a black background. It really just makes the colors POP! And this card is a great example of how you can use any color palette you want to make a statement. Maybe purple isn’t your favorite color, these flowers would also look beautiful in pink, red, yellow or orange – the options are endless.

    Card details:

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4″ x 4″ piece of black cardstock and adhered it directly to the card base. I stamped the sentiment in the upper left corner using the Brush Sentiments Clear Stamp Set. I stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink and heat embossed it using white embossing powder.

    Then I set out to die cut ALL those flowers using the Early Blossom Contour Layer set. There is no rhyme or reason to my die cutting madness, I simply just keep cutting flowers from three different colors of purple cardstock and leaves from two different colors of green cardstock! Yes, sometimes it seems like I just die cut flowers for minutes at a time! I don’t count, I don’t assemble as I go. Yes, typically this leaves me with lots of “extra” pieces leftover. I often use those extra pieces to decorate the inside of my card, or I save them in a scrap pile!

    Once all the die cut flowers are glued together (in this case, the Early Blossom Contour Layer has three layers), I then arranged all the flowers and leaves on the card in a pattern that looked pleasing to the eye before finally gluing them all down to the card.

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

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  • Bold and Bright Florals | By Natasha Vacca

    Bold and Bright Florals | By Natasha Vacca

    Hello Birch Press friends, it is design team member Natasha back on the blog today. Today I am sharing a colorful floral design with you using a few favorites from Birch Press! So let’s get started!

    I started by die cutting 3 die sets: Star Flowers Contour Layers, Rose Leaves Contour Layers, and the Peeking Flower and Leaves set. I die cut each of these sets using watercolor cardstock. Once they were die cut I added color to each of the florals and leaves using Lindy’s Magicals. I allowed each layer to dry before adding more color. I then added shine to each of the layers using gold magicals.

    I made sure each layer was completely dry, then I added more depth to each layer by adding dye ink to the edges of the leaves, as well as the floral layers. I then adhered all the layers together using liquid glue. I added foam tape behind the large leaves and then set these aside to work on my card panel background.

    I started with a piece of pattern paper from the Gladiola Plaid paper pad from Memory box. I then found 2 coordinating pieces of paper from my stash. I ripped each of these peices for a distressed look and inked the edges using Vintage Photo distress ink. I adhered the layers of pattern paper together using liquid glue and then trimmed the panel with my deckle trimmer. I inked the edges using Vintage Photo Distress ink and then adhered the panel onto a top folding card base.

    I then arranged the florals and leaves onto the card panel and once I was happy with the layout I adhered the layers using foam tape and liquid glue. I chose a Happy Birthday sentiment from the Happy Birthday Foil Greetings White Tabs set. I also inked the edge of the sentiment with Vintage Photo and then adhered this with foam tape. I had a lot of fun putting today’s card together and I hope this card inspires you to combine your die sets!

    Thank you so much for stopping by! I will be back soon with more crafty inspiration!


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