Author: birch press

  • Fall is in the Air | By Amanda Wilcox

    Fall is in the Air | By Amanda Wilcox

    Hello everyone. It’s Amanda from Twiddler’s Nook sharing a little fall watercolor with you using one of the layers from the new Autumn Breeze cover plates.

    To start things off I pulled out a piece of watercolor paper and chose some Tombow waterbrush markers to watercolor with. I scribbled them on my glass mat, grabbed a cup of water and a paintbrush and started painting all over my panel.

    Once it was dry, I die cut it with Autumn Breeze layer B. Then I die cut the same layer from white cardstock 4 more times, keeping track of which leaves go in which spots.

    Then I moved on to my background panel. I took some brown Tombow markers and another piece of watercolor paper and did some ink smooshing. Drying in between each layer, I did it about 3 times to get my background how I wanted it.

    I sorted the leaves onto the die cut and glued each layer together with the watercolor layer on top. I adhered the watercolor panel to the brown panel and then added the dimensional leaves to their spots. I laid a heavy acrylic block on top while they dried and moved on to my sentiment.

    I chose a sentiment and some leaves from the new Pumpkin Lacework stamp set, stamped and heat embossed them in gold. Then I used the coordinating dies to cut them all out.

    After I cut these out, I realized that I wanted more so I went back to stamp and heat emboss another round. Then I glued them together and then glued them to the front of my card.

    I finished off the design with some iridescent bubbles from my stash and voila, it’s complete. I think this is so beautiful and the coverplate is so versatile to be able to use it as is or even take the leaves and use them on their own too.

    Fall is my favorite season and it makes my heart happy to create fall themed cards as soon as I can.

    I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day.

    Supplies

    8153 Pumpkin Lacework clear stamp and die set

    56130 Autumn Breeze Plate Layer Set

  • Using Color to Change the Mood | by Tracey McNeely

    Using Color to Change the Mood | by Tracey McNeely

    Hi there its Tracey here today and I would love to share a bit of Autumn inspiration with you. I love summer, but the nights are getting cooler, the days are getting shorter and the sunflowers are in full bloom, which for me means fall is on its way.

    Using fall colours along with the Viloa Plate Layers die set will change the mood to autumn. This die typically would be used the most in the spring or summer. I have created four cards to show you how you can create a whole different feel with your layered dies just by changing the colour. This is a great way to maximize the use of your dies. Remember that each one of the layers in a die set can create a beautiful card all on it own. I gave this die set a late summer, early autumn vibe.

    This first card uses all three layers of the Viloa Plate Layers die set. I wanted to make the flowers look like sunflowers so I chose my colours carefully. The layer C die has holes it will show your bottom layer which is typically your card base. What ever colour that is will show through. I added a soft blue cardstock panel to the card base. Layer C was cut from brown cardstock and Layer B from golden yellow. Then I ink blended a panel of Bristol Smooth cardstock with Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxide ink leaving it a bit lighter in the centre of the panel. Once it was dry I cut it using Layer A. If you wait and make sure your panel is dry before die cutting the cut is always so much cleaner. All the layers were glued together and then glued to the cardbase.

    Card two uses only Layer A from the Viloa Plate Layers die set. It was cut golden yellow glitter paper from the Delicate Pastels Glitter Pad. The card front was covered with a panel of light yellow cardstock and the glitter piece was glued directly onto the card front giving it a nice tone-on-tone appearance but with the added bonus of sparkle!

    The next card uses only Layer B from the Viloa Plate Layers die set. It was cut from a golden yellow cardstock. I ink blended Wild Honey Distress Oxide ink around the edges giving to give the die cut a bit of depth. The card front was covered with a panel of soft blue cardstock. The die cut was glued directly to the panel.

    The last card uses Layer C of the Viola Layer die set. This might be a favourite of mine. It was cut it with the soft blue cardstock. The Layer C die creates beautiful stitching lines when it cuts which make it a perfect die to use all on i’s own. I ink blended Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide ink around the edges of the die cut. Once again I did this to add some depth to the design.

    All of the sentiments are from the You Are Awesome stamp set. They were all embossed with a gold pearl embossing powder on brown cardstock.

    When you have a set of Birch Press Design craft dies you can use just one die or all of the dies together o maximize your investment. Just by choosing a colour palette you can change the mood of your dies and your cards. All of your dies can be used year round!

    Thank you so much for stopping in to craft with me today and we’ll see you next time!

    Supplies

    56128 Viola Plate Layer Set

    CL8151 You Are Awesome clear stamp set

    GP1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

  • String Art Sunflowers | by Crystal Komara

    String Art Sunflowers | by Crystal Komara

    Hello and happy September, friends! This is Crystal here with you today. I can’t believe the summer is over and fall is upon us. Though, between you and me, fall is MY favorite season! The change of season even impacts my crafting as I find myself reaching for rich, earth tone colors, patterns and textures, as you’ll see I’ve used on today’s sunflower card made using the new String Art Circle die by Birch Press Design.

    Usually, I’m not one of those people who can take a shape and make it into something else. For instance, when I initially saw this String Art Circle, all I could see was an abstract design. But, then it came to me, I can see slightly abstract flowers!

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth 80 lb. cardstock. Using this same white cardstock, I also ran a sheet through my Big Shot using a Scallop Rectangle die and a polka dot embossing folder for the base frame.

    I ran the String Art Circle die through my Big Shot, once in a mustard yellow cardstock and once in a cajun rust cardstock. Then I placed a piece of gold glitter behind the String Art Circle die and fussy cut the glitter paper into the same shape, so that you could see the gold glitter paper through the String Art Circle. I then punched a 1 1/2″ circle from espresso cardstock and ran it through a polka dot embossing folder before adhering it to the center of the “sunflower.” I used an off-brand leaf die to cut out two green leaves to put behind the sunflowers to ground them on the card. I adhered the sunflowers on top of the leaves using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

    Using the Honey Scrips Thanks die, I die cut the thick shadow layer from gold foil cardstock and the thinner top “thanks” sentiment layer from white cardstock. I adhered both layers together using a fine-tip glue before adhering the entire sentiment to the card using 3M foam adhesive.

    I hope you have enjoyed seeing a unique way to use the String Art Circle die. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

  • Stitched Pumpkin Lacework Card | By Leigh Houston

    Stitched Pumpkin Lacework Card | By Leigh Houston

    Hello, friends! I am so happy you stopped by today. I am here sharing how I made this stitched card using Birch Press Designs’s new Pumpkin Lacework card. This gorgeous design lends itself to so many mediums from beautiful and delicate coloring to simple stitching.

    I started my card by stamping my pumpkin, stem, and some leaves in alcohol-marker friendly ink. I then did super simple Copic coloring in soft shades of yellow, orange and green. To add texture to the card, I poked holes along the stamp lines and stitched the images using a simple backstitch with white embroidery floss. This was the perfect project for TV nights with the family! I finished the pumpkin with some yellow gems for some sparkle.

    After cutting out my images, I cut out a panel using the new Autumn Breeze Plate Layer A and attached it to my card base. I adhered the pumpkin and leaves to the card base and added my “hello” sentiment cut from gold mirror cardstock. A few gold sequins and this card was finished!

    I hope you enjoyed this project! Links to the products I used are below. I’ll see you again soon with another Birch Press Designs card project!


    Supplies


    8153 Pumpkin Lacework clear stamp and die set
    CL8153 Pumpkin Lacework clear stamp set
    Hello Sugar Script
  • Slimline Pumpkin Lacework | by Crystal Komara

    Slimline Pumpkin Lacework | by Crystal Komara

    Hello readers! This is Crystal here with you today sharing another design using the beautiful new Pumpkin Lacework stamp set and coordinating dies. If you missed my first post featuring this same stamp set, please click here. I just loooooove this new stamp set so much that I keep finding more ways to use it!

    This slimline card measures 8 1/2″ x 3 1/2″. Slimline cards are designed to fit inside a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The slimline trend is becoming increasingly popular and many companies are now making envelopes specifically for these cards, so we have more colors to choose from other than just plain ol’ boring business white!

    The base of my slimline card is made from 80 lb. kraft cardstock. I like a nice thick cardstock for the base of all my cards. Using a slimline scallop frame die, I cut the frame out of 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth Crest cardstock. This is the ONLY white cardstock I use and I buy it in bulk.

    I stamped each pumpkin in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I stamped one pumpkin on a rich eggplant cardstock, one on pumpkin orange cardstock and one on a cabana blue cardstock. I die cut the pumpkins using the coordinating Pumpkin Lacework die. I adhered the three pumpkins directly to the card base using 3M foam adhesive. I stamped three pumpkin stems in Versamark ink on espresso cardstock and heat embossed them with white embossing powder.

    I stamped multiple leaves in Versamark ink on eggplant, orange and cabana cardstock and heat embossed those too white embossing powder. Yes, everything on this card was embossed with white powder! I used the coordinating Pumpkin Lacework dies to die cut the leaves and stems and I adhered these to the large pumpkins in an array that was pleasing to the eye.

    For the sentiment, I used the Blessed Honey Script die. I cut the larger shadow portion from gold glitter cardstock and the thinner script portion from white cardstock. I adhered both layers together using a fine tip glue and then adhered the entire sentiment to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive.

    I hope you have enjoyed this slimline card using the beautiful new Pumpkin Lacework stamp set combined with some rich and modern fall colors. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

    Supplies

    57309 Blessed Honey Script

    8153 Pumpkin Lacework clear stamp and die set

  • Over the Edge with Jumbo Lingo Type dies | by Ardyth Percy-Robb

    Over the Edge with Jumbo Lingo Type dies | by Ardyth Percy-Robb

    Good morning! It’s Ardyth here this morning with 3 bright happy cards that focus on some new sentiment dies.

    This simple 4.25″ square design starts with the Bold Stripes stencil and two colours of ink, blended to create an ombre effect.

    Then I added the die cut Hugs sentiment, and stamped a sentiment from the Lingo Thanks stamp set.

    Then I did it again, with the Hello die cut and different colours on my background.

    And when it came time to do the third card with the Thanks die cut, it didn’t fit. It’s designed to fit on a full A2 card base. But because my square cards fit in an A2 envelope, it’s fine (and really fun!) to have the thanks hanging over the edge of this card!


    Supplies


    57351 Jumbo Lingo Hugs
    57353 Jumbo Lingo Hello
    57354 Jumbo Lingo Thanks
    42029 Bold Stripes Stencil
    CL8143 Lingo Thanks
  • Autumn Breeze | by Jennifer Svare

    Autumn Breeze | by Jennifer Svare

    Hello! Today I’m so excited to introduce the new Autumn Breeze plate set. This set is packed with die cuts to use layered or individually. It’s so well-thought-out, too, as nothing goes to waste.

    See the leaves in the background of the above photo? Those are leftover die cuts from the second plate, Layer B. I love how no space goes to waste whether seen or unseen. This set is so efficient!

    The leaves are wonderful to have in the stash for a quick fall embellishment, or a Thanksgiving table confetti would also be beautiful. Below is a photo from the website showing how this layer looks when die cut. To think there are spaces on this layer that show through to the front in carefully thought-out places- wow!

    I wanted to add just a little something to the top of the pumpkins, so thought little wire curls would be cute. I didn’t have copper-colored wire, so painted some with Distress Paint (photo below). Super easy and fast!

    Once the paint was dry, wire was wrapped around a small tool to create spirals coming from the pumpkins. I simply cut them with wire trimmers and glued them on.

    The details offer an amazing background (below). The pinpoint breeze adds such a wonderful touch to the design! Also notice the very intricate leaves. Some show the copper layer, some do not. This set offers endless possibilities and was amazingly designed.

    White pumpkins are my favorite fall decoration, so these were left white. I did add tiny little dots of white drops to the edge of the wire, but I don’t think that was needed.


    Supplies


    56130 Autumn Breeze Plate Layer Set
  • Even More Ornaments! | By Desiree Kuemmerle

    Even More Ornaments! | By Desiree Kuemmerle

    Hello Everyone and Welcome Back!

    Well I just had to make even more Ornaments! For today we will be focusing on the Ornaments Basics Set and the Ornaments and Label Stamp and Die Set! With just these items we still have endless possibilities!

    I started by cutting the Basics set with white card stock! This helped me to see all the choices I had to be able to create my own layers for my ornaments! Once I was ready and had my designs in mind, I dug back into my stash and started my die cutting making my glittery piles!

    For the shiny and shimmery elements, I used the memory Box Glitter card stock – both the bright and pastel!

    Layering these elements is so easy and takes no time at all to create those perfect ornaments for your tree or as a gift for any special occasion!

    The stamp and die set add even more possibilities, and cards too! This is great to be able to get two cards at one time just by switching out the center ornament element! We can even add a sentiment to either design we choose!

    How many Christmas Trees will you have in your home now! LOL…

    As always, I hope you enjoyed today’s project… and if you want to see more details just click on the video below and see how these projects come together step by step!

    Make sure you stay tuned for more wonderful projects coming soon! Have a great day and always remember… Be Creative!


    Supplies


    57314 Ornament Basics
    8154 Christmas Ornament and Labels clear stamp and die set
    56115 Belle Ornament Layer Set
    56117 Flicker Ornament Layer Set
    56116 Twinkle Ornament Layer Set
    56114 Marisol Ornament Layer Set
  • String Art Hugs | by Tracey McNeely

    String Art Hugs | by Tracey McNeely

    Hi there, it’s Tracey here with you this morning. Today I might be using the wrong design principles to create a sparkly card that looks right in my eyes.

    I started by ink blending the Midnight Mandala Stencil with Shaded Lilac Distress Oxide Ink over a panel of Bristol Smooth cardstock. I cut the panel down to a 3 7/8″ x 3 7/8″ square making sure the flower in the centre of the stencil was right in the centre of my ink blended panel. I had to do a little math and use my T-square to move out 1 15/16″ from the centre point of the flower.

    I cut of piece of royal blue cardstock from the Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad to a 4″ square. I adhered this panel to a a 4 1/4″ card base. Next I adhered the ink blended panel over the glitter panel. This leaves a tiny 1/16″ border around the ink blended panel.

    The String Art Circle was cut twice, once with a bright green cardstock and once with the same royal blue glitter cardstock. I adhered the green string art circle to the centre of the ink blended panel and then I inlay the green centre. Next I adhered the royal blue string art circle over top slightly offset.

    The sentiment is from the Big Lingo Type Hugs die set. I cut the shadow using white cardstock and the inner letters from the royal blue glitter cardstock. I glued the letters over the shadow. Before adding it to the card I added tiny pieces of foam tape to the back of the word hugs and then placed it over the centre of the string art circle.

    So much glitter and sparkle! The best is that the glitter on the Twinkling Jewel Glitter papers stays put, no getting all over your hands and workspace or recipient!

    You could use any of the Birch Press Design stencils to create magnificent backgrounds to use along with any of the stand alone die cuts. Add in some of the beautiful glitter paper and you have a gorgeous card whether you used sound design principles or not! Thank you so much for creating with me today and have a great weekend!

    Supplies

    42031 Midnight Mandala Stencil

    57346 String Art Circle

    57227 Big Lingo Type Hugs

    GP1003 Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad

  • Holographic See-Through Card | by Jennifer Svare

    Holographic See-Through Card | by Jennifer Svare

    Hello! Watching Jennifer McGuire make see-through cards this morning inspired me to make a mad dash to the Interlocking Frame and String Art Circle. I was so excited to make this card, it felt a bit like morning aerobics, except way more fun!

    Jennifer’s video is the original and I highly suggest watching that for overall instructions; however, I wanted to offer some additional tips and tricks specific to the Interlocking Frame. This frame has a lot of intricate detail, which may offer some challenges to a card design such as this, but it’s totally doable, easy, and the results are stunning! Make sure to check out the short video below for some tips in using this particular die for this card design.

    The mixture of the dies, holographic paper, and see-through design makes this an absolutely stunning card. As it sits on display, different colors appear just depending on the angle of light that is catching it. It’s almost like glass etching. In the photos above, blue turns to a gold, and even pastel as seen below:

    The details of the String Art Circle are so stunning, with so many options. In the photo above, I’ve die cut one out of black. All the pieces were left intact to create a background for the holographic outline. Left over negative pieces were used to embellish the center, along with an iridescent black pearl. Wow! This has to be one of my all-time favorite cards.

    For the interior, I added another String Art Circle cut out of the holographic paper to match the exterior. A light gray paper creates the background, with a white center for an embellishment. It’s a great card to have on hand because it’s so versatile. Depending on colors used, this could be very masculine or very feminine, and is great for any occasion from wedding, anniversary, birthday… even a holiday greeting would be beautiful. The inside font could be casual or formal, so it’s great for any style, too! Room for writing a note or even a larger sentiment is on the back.

    No matter how hard I try, photos simply do not do this card justice. Check out the video below for some tips, tricks, and to see this card in action!

    Thank you for stopping by today!


    Supplies


    57346 String Art Circle
    57350 Interlock Frame
    CL490 Greeting Basics