Birch Press Design

Author: birch press

  • Rustic Holly Wreath | By Natasha Vacca

    Hi Birch Press Friends, it is Natasha here and I am excited to be back on the blog today. Today I am sharing a rustic inspired holiday card featuring the beautiful Holly Wreath Layering die set.

    I started by die cutting all the layers from the Holly Wreath layering die set. I die cut layer C using a gold glitter card stock from the Festive Glitter Paper pad from Memory Box. I then die cut layer B and A using the Lush Green paper pad collection from Memory Box. I used 2 different shades of green from the paper pad. Next I added a bit of distressing to both layer B and A using my oxide inks. I then adhered all the layers together using liquid glue. I then splattered my wreath using metallic gold watercolor and white acrylic paint. I set the wreath aside.

    Next I worked on my background with a piece of wood grain paper from Wood Grain White paper pack. I added a bit of distressing to the panel using oxide inks. Once this was complete, I used my distress tool to add texture to the panel edges and then added distress ink to darken the edges.

    Next I die cut a few leaves using the Adornment Dove die set. I added distress oxide inks to the leaves and then embossing powder to the leaves for added texture. I cut a few berries using the Eucalyptus Stem and Berries Contour Layers die set. I used the festive Glitter Pad and die cut the berries in red. To create the look of snow on the berries, I added a bit of embossing ink and sprinkled a white glitter powder on each berry, then heat set the powder with my heat tool.

    To complete my card I chose the Find Joy and Outline die. I die cut the sentiment 3 times and adhered it together with liquid glue. I embossed the sentiment using the same white powder as I used on the berries. I added a twine bow around the distress wood panel, tied the bow and adhered this to my card base.

    I adhered the wreath using foam tape and adhered the sentiment, berries, and leaves using liquid glue. I added a button from my stash on the bottom right corner. I had a lot of fun creating today’s rustic holiday card! The Holly Wreath layering set is truly beautiful!

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


    Supplies


    gp1006 Festive Glitter Pad
    sp1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack
    57496 Eucalyptus Stem and Berries Contour Layers
    57450 Holly Wreath Plate Layer Set
    57452 Find Joy and Outline
    57479 Adornment Dove
    sh44001 White Woodgrain Paper
  • All Is Bright

    All Is Bright

    Hello, Birch Press friends! I have a pair of cards to share with you today featuring the gorgeous Crochet Snowflake Layer Set. One of the great things about using a layering die set is that you can easily and quickly make more than one card in one sitting!

    I started by cutting two card stock panels to 4″x5.25″ – one in navy blue and one in lime green. I lined up the Crochet Snowflake Layer C die in the middle of each panel to cut out the snowflake. I adhered each of the resulting panels (with the cutout in the middle) onto a white A2 card base. I then adhered the green snowflake onto the navy card panel and the navy snowflake onto the green panel, lining up each snowflake into the exact position as the cutouts in the panels. In order to enhance the look of dimension on my cards, I only glued the very center of each snowflake onto the card panel. This way, the edges of the snowflakes pop up from the background.

    For Layer B, I made a white glitter snowflake for my green card and a white foil snowflake for my navy card. I adhered only the center of these snowflakes right on top of the center of the Layer C snowflakes.

    For Layer A (the top snowflake), I used a navy glitter card stock for my navy card and a lime green mirror card stock for my green card. Again, I only adhered the center of each of these snowflakes on top of the Layer B snowflakes.

    The Layer C snowflake die creates some fun cutout designs in the card panel. You won’t see these on the actual snowflake – you’ll only see them if you end up using the panel that you cut the snowflake from. I added a mix of jewels and gemstones to the round cutouts of the design, again choosing colors that would complement my cards. I finished the cards with a heat embossed sentiment from the retired stamp set called “Joy and Peace.”

    Thank you so much for joining us today. I hope these cards inspire you and bring a smile to your face!

    Wishing you a crafty day,
    Allison


    Supplies


    57474 Crochet Snowflake Layer Set
    gp1006 Festive Glitter Pad
    fp1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6×6 pack
    sp1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack
    sp1006 Stormy Blue 6×6 pack

    Supplies


    cry102 Christmas Fairy Crystals
    gem102 Winter Fantasy Fairy Gemstones
    jwl003 Bright Jewels

  • Mistletoe Ornament | by Toni M Maddox

    Mistletoe Ornament | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a rather more traditional holiday card than my usual. Sometimes you just need to go classic and elegant!

    I started the card by cutting the Meridian Ornament out of Memory Box Berry Red and Fresh Aqua 6×6 cardstock. I also cut out the Christmas Ornament Pop Up Easel elements from this.

    Next I sponged Distress Oxide Aged Mahogany on the red cardstock and Faded Jeans on the blue to give depth and add a vintage touch. I also covered the bow in Lawn Fawn Glitter Pen (Wink of Stella would have worked well too).

    For the Tiny Tuft Flowers & Leaves and Eucalyptus Stem & Berries Contour Layers, I used Memory Box Vintage Pastel Mirror, Lush Green, and Earth Neutral 6×6 cardstocks.

    I adhered those to the card front which used a cream shimmer paper from my stash then nestled the ornament within.

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

    Supplies

    57470 Meridian Ornament Layer Set

    57455 Christmas Ornament Pop Up Easel

    57501 Tiny Tuft Flowers and Leaves Contour Layers

    57496 Eucalyptus Stem and Berries Contour Layers

    FP1002 Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad 6×6 pack

    SP1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack

    SP1009 Earth Neutral 6×6 pack

    SP1001 Berry Red 6×6 pack

    SP1004 Fresh Aqua 6×6 pack

  • Bold Holiday Color Ideas / by Colleen Balija

    Bold Holiday Color Ideas / by Colleen Balija

    Hi friends,

    What colors do you generally resort to for your holiday cards? I like to venture out and try new colors and textures for my holiday cards, so today I want to share my idea on a bold and shimmery card that is unique for the holiday!!!

    For my card I’m using Birch Press Designs Herbarium Layering Plates, Merry Christmas Sugar Script & Outline die, Crochet Snowflake layering die, Eucalyptus Stem & Berries Contour Layering die, and Memory Box Majestic Hues and Rainbow Reflections paper pads.

    First step was to choose my color combinations. You can get inspired to find new colors by searching color mood boards or google popular colors, you can take inspiration from another card maker, or just choose your own colors! Try and limit your colors to no more than 3-4.

    Once my colors were decided upon, the next step was to choose the texture I wanted to add. Texture is a great detail to add to your card and it can come in many forms! I decided on a combination of mirrored paper and glitter paper. Glitter paper has a different texture than the smooth finish of mirrored cardstock, so I thought the combination of both was perfect!

    Next, I chose the design elements for my card (stamps, dies, embellishments). For me, it’s important to choose the color and texture first, as that makes it easier for me to choose the perfect stamps and dies!

    Once I had my plan in place and everything gathered around me, I was ready to put the card together. I started with the background using the Herbarium Layering Plates. This is a GORGEOUS and detailed layering die! Each layer was die cut in black glitter, white glitter, and mirrored gold paper from the Memory Box Majestic Hues and Rainbow Reflections 6×6 paper pads. The mirrored gold was actually the 5.5×4.25 card base as well so it served a dual purpose! I set my finished background aside and worked on the focal point – the sentiment.

    I die cut the Merry Christmas Sugar Script and Outline in magenta and glitter black cardstock. Since the sentiment is the focal point, I chose a color that would stand out from the background! After I finished the sentiment, I decided that I wanted more magenta on the card to even the colors out a bit more, so I die cut the Eucalyptus Stem & Berries Contour Layers in the same 2 colors as the sentiment.

    I wanted another layer to be added between the background and the sentiment so that the sentiment would stand out from the busy background. I die cut the Crochet Snowflake layered die in shades of silver, gold and white glitter and mirrored cardstock and adhered it over the background. I stayed with the same color scheme for the snowflake with the exception of black.

    Next, I tucked the Eucalyptus Stem & Berries behind the Crochet Snowflake and then added the sentiment, which was popped up on foam tape to help it stand out even more. Every little bit helps! I finished with a few gold sequins over the berries!

    If you look at the finished card below, you can see a nice flow of color and texture! The eye is drawn right to the sentiment, and that’s what you want! You can get away with as much busyness as my card has when you limit your colors and textures!

    Next time you work on your holiday cards, no matter what the holiday you’re celebrating, search the Color Mood boards or google popular winter colors to get ideas on unique combos that you can use for your cards. You won’t regret it and your recipients will be delighted to get such a beautiful and unique holiday card from you! I’m so glad you joined me today!

    Supplies

    57471 Merry Christmas Sugar Script and Outline

    57474 Crochet Snowflake Layer Set

    57458 Herbarium Plate Layer Set

    GP1008 Majestic Hues Glitter Pad

    FP1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6×6 pack

    57496 Eucalyptus Stem and Berries Contour Layers

  • Winsome Rose and Leaves | By Natasha Vacca

    Hello Birch Press friends, it is Natasha here and I am super excited to be back on the blog today! For today’s card I had a lot of fun creating a mixed media inspired card using the beautiful Winsome Rose and Leaves Contour layers dies! So let’s get started!

    I started by creating 2 water color panels using Canson XL card stock. I added powders to the papers to create my own backgrounds. I created 2 panels, one in purple tones and another in green tones. Once my panels were dry, I die cut the Winsome Rose and Leaves using my watercolor panels. I also die cut a set of roses using the Twilight Purple paper pad from Memory Box. I wanted to create dimension for my roses and once die cut adhered these to my watercolored rose die cuts. I adhered each layer using liquid glue. Once the roses were adhered, I set these aside.

    Next I die cut the leaves using the dies included in this set. Once they were die cut I added more texture to each leaf using dye inks from my stash. I applied the ink with an ink dauber to the edges of the leaves. On the top layer I added embossing powder for added texture. I then adhered the leaves together using liquid glue. I also embossed the center of the roses using a gold embossing powder.

    Next I started to work on my background. I looked through my gelli print stash and chose a print to coordinate with my flowers. I wanted to add a bit of texture to my gelli print using the Flora Plate die set. I chose to use layer C. Following the instructions with my die cutting machine I used the plate to dry emboss the background die onto my gelli print. Next I added a bit of distressing to the panel. I used my distress tool to “rip” the edges, applied distress ink, as well as some embossing powder to various sections of the panel. I added a gelli print strip to the center of the panel following the same distressing pattern. I then adhered the card panel to an A2 card base.

    Next I adhered the leaves and roses to the card front using both liquid glue and foam adhesive. I then chose a sentiment to to complete my card. I chose the Handwritten Thanks and Outline die set. I die cut the shadow layer using a piece of the same gelli print background. I then die cut the script thanks 3 times. For the top layer I added tape to the paper prior to die cutting, as I wanted to use a glitter powder on the top layer of the word die cut. I then adhered all the layers together using liquid glue. I adhered the sentiment using foam tape.

    I had so much fun creating today’s card! I hope it inspires you to create today!


    Supplies


    57420 Handwritten Thanks and Outline
    57497 Winsome Rose and Leaves Contour Layers
    57437 Flora Plate Layer Set
    SP1008 Twilight Purple 6×6 pack
  • Holiday Pop-Up Easel Cards / by Colleen Balija

    Holiday Pop-Up Easel Cards / by Colleen Balija

    Hi friends, I’m back on the blog today to share two Holiday Pop-up Easel cards using the new BPD Christmas Ornament Pop-Up Easel die!!!

    The Christmas Ornament Pop-Up Easel die is so easy to use and creates such a fun and interesting card design! I made 2 cards using Meridian Ornament and Flicker layering dies in two color combos to show you how unique each card looks just by changing a few design elements!

    The card featured in the photo above uses Flicker Ornament Layering dies. I started by choosing a color combo of deep blue, mirrored black, and yellow from my Memory Box Twinkling Jewel and Festive Glitter stash. Then I die cut each layer of the ornament using that paper and adhered the layers together according to the instructions. Then I placed the ornament over mirrored silver cardstock. I die cut the larger ornament-shaped die included in the Christmas Ornaments Pop Up Easel set using the yellow glitter paper and adhered the ornament over it. You can see in the photo below how the yellow peeks out from behind the finished ornament!

    Next, I die cut the Easel from the Christmas Ornament Pop-Up Easel set in mirrored white cardstock. The Easel die has 2 pre-made scoring lines, so all you need to do is fold at the scored lines and your easel will be ready to go! I folded the easel in half according to one of the scoring lines, and then folded the little lip facing upward according to the 2nd scoring line. I adhered the ornament to the little lip.

    Now all that was left was to support the ornament to stand upright with the help of the easel! To do this, I adhered one of the little snowflakes that was included in the Pop-Up Easel kit onto the card base at the very bottom. When I propped my ornament up onto that snowflake, it stood up quite easily! It also flattens nicely to fit into a standard A2 sized envelope! I finished with a sentiment on the inside of my card, the silver bow and ornament topper that comes with Easel set, and a few sequins!

    My 2nd card uses the Meridian Ornament Layered die set! This time I chose colors in deep teal, black, and ivory. I followed the same instructions as with card #1! Only this time I used gold embellishments.

    Below is another photo of both cards together so you can get a side-by-side comparison of how unique each card is just by changing up a few design elements!

    You can create entire holiday card sets using the Christmas Ornament Pop-Up Easel die set and your choice of BPD layering ornaments! And won’t these look beautiful sitting on your recipient’s fireplace mantle? Or you could make some as decorations for your own home!

    Thanks for stopping by today!

    Supplies

    57455 Christmas Ornament Pop Up Easel

    57470 Meridian Ornament Layer Set

    56117 Flicker Ornament Layer Set

    FP1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6×6 pack

    GP1008 Majestic Hues Glitter Pad

    GP1003 Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad

    GP1006 Festive Glitter Pad

  • Santa Baby | by Toni M Maddox

    Santa Baby | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a simple holiday card using the BPD Adornment Santa. Isn’t he super cute?!

    I colored him up with Copic E00 and E11 and used a flocked red cardstock for his hat. Yes, I have flocked cardstock that’s been in my stash for years as I used it primarily at Christmas-time.

    I used the BPD Herbarium Plate A as an impression plate on the card base. You know I love adding texture this way–subtle but adds a lot of interest.

    I finished the card using the BPD Handwritten Merry Christmas & Outline. I was very pleased with how easy it was to line up the outline die with the stamped sentiment.

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

    Supplies

    57482 Adornment Santa

    57458 Herbarium Plate Layer Set

    57478 Handwritten Merry Christmas and Outline

  • Felicity Snowflakes | by Crystal Komara

    Felicity Snowflakes | by Crystal Komara

    Hello friends! This is Design Team member Crystal Komara here with you today. If there is one thing I love when it comes to cardmaking, it’s the alcohol. Ink, that is! ; ) Initially I never thought I would have enjoyed working with alcohol inks as much as I have because, well. . . they’re messy. They stain. They are a tad unpredictable in outcome and all that just terrifies me. Yet, somehow I learned to love them and now can’t feature them enough on my cards.

    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 Yupo (polysynthetic paper) and “ink blew” Ranger Adirondack alcohol ink in the color Stream over the Yupo paper. That’s it, just one ink color was all I used! As it moves around and dries, you get puddles of ink that look like other darker and lighter colors, but I assure you, I used just one color. Nice and easy!

    Using the Felicity Snowflakes dies, I cut the outer layer from vellum cardstock and the top thinner layer from white cardstock. I adhered the two layers together with liquid adhesive and then I adhered the snowflakes to the card with a small pop dot (which you can actually see through the vellum, it’s too hard to hide).

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

    Now that I think about it, you could make this same card in ANY color! Red or green alcohol ink would be very traditional, but I’m also thinking pinks and purples for a pop of pizazz too!

    Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

  • Be Merry Wreath

    Be Merry Wreath

    Hello, Birch Press friends. Happy November! The holidays are getting closer and closer, and there is no better time to start making those holiday cards. Of course, I love making them all year round. The most recent release is full of holiday fun. But I wanted to show you how to use some non-holiday products and turn them into a festive card.

    I started my card by dry embossing Layer C of the Flora Plate die set onto the front of a Kraft A2 card base. This is one of my favorite ways to create unexpected texture for a background. I then looked through my collection of Contour Layers die sets for the perfect leaf to create a wreath with. There are many floral sets with great options, but I chose the leaf from the Tiny Tuft Flowers set.

    I chose four different colors of green card stock and die cut a bunch of leaves. I then began arranging them in a circle to get an idea of placement and size. I originally was going to use a word die for a sentiment, but I decided to use the round “be merry” stamp for the center of the wreath. I heat embossed it onto Kraft card stock with red embossing powder and cut it out with the matching circle die. I adhered it to the card panel, and this gave me the center point to build my wreath around.

    There are three sets of leaves that are attached to branches, and I started by glueing the full elements down to form the wreath shape. As my wreath got more full, I would snip individual leaves off to fill in as needed.

    For the berries, I used the Eucalyptus Stem and Berries die set, which is now retired. Again, these berries come attached to a branch (I believe there are seven berries on the branch), but I cut them into smaller bunches or even single berries as needed. When I was finished, I splattered the entire card with some white acrylic paint, making sure to cover the stamped sentiment with some washi tape first.

    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


    57501 Tiny Tuft Flowers and Leaves Contour Layers
    8162 Contempo Christmas Greetings clear stamp and die set
    57437 Flora Plate Layer Set
    sp1001 Berry Red 6×6 pack
    sp1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack
  • Autumn Viola Plate | By Seeka

    Autumn Viola Plate | By Seeka

    Hello and welcome! Seeka here and today I have a card featuring fall colors and the Viola Plate die set.

    I started by spraying a piece of heavy white cardstock with red, orange, and yellow Dylusions ink sprays. When the cardstock was dry, I cut it with the Viola Plate layer A die. Then I used the layer B and C dies to cut regular weight white cardstock. I glued the layers together and then glued the combined piece to a card base.

    Next, I cut the sentiment layer of the Big Hugs Sugar Script die set from a leftover piece of sprayed cardstock. I glued the sentiment to the shadow layer, cut from white cardstock, and then used foam tape to adhere the sentiment to the card front. To finish, I added a small sentiment from my stash.

    Thank you so much for visiting!

    Supplies