Author: birch press

  • Using Your Dies to Create a Scene

    Using Your Dies to Create a Scene

    Hi there, it’s Tracey back here today and I have a quick tutorial to show you how I got inventive with my dies to help me create a scene on a grassy field.

    I started off with a panel of Bristol Smooth cardstock, my favourite for use with Disress Oxides inks. All my colouring today was done with Distress Oxide inks. I ink blended my grass at the bottom of my panel using Pine Needles and Lucky Clover inks.

    I wanted to create clouds for my sky but I didn’t have a cloud stencil or die. So I used the Regal Peacock dies set, Layer A to make my own stencil.

    I cut the tail using lightweight cardstock, and turned the tail on it side and blended a cloudy sky using Tumbled Glass ink. Moving the stencil along from left to right, carefully turning it to fit the cloudy scene I was trying to make. Now that my background is done I set it aside to dry while I worked on the rest of the card.

    The pumpkin and stem from the Pumpkin Lacework stamp set were stamped and clear embossed on Bristol Cardstock once again. I blended Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade and Carved Pumpkin ink over the embossed pumpkin to add a bit of shading and dimension. I blended Peeled Paint and Frayed Burlap ink over the pumpkin stem. I cut the ink blended shapes out with the coordinating dies.

    The leaves that are around the base of the pumpkin are from Layer B of the Autumn Breeze dies set. After I cut the panel, with Bristol Smooth cardstock, I ink blended the individual leaves in autumn colours.

    I cut the wavy banner die from the Christmas Ornaments and Labels stamps set from white cardstock. Then I stamped a sentiment is from the You Are Awesome stamp set on to the banner. When I picked up the banner I got a bit of orange ink on to the one side of the banner. No need to start again, I just blended orange ink all around the banner. So now it is just between you and me!

    It was so fun to create a my scene using just what I had on hand. The peacock tail die came in handy to create those clouds in my scene. I  hope I have encouraged you to look at your supplies a bit differently. Just another way to maximize the use of what you have.

    Thanks so much for stopping in today and have a wonderful week!

    Supplies

    8153 Pumpkin Lacework clear stamp and die set

    8154 Christmas Ornament and Labels clear stamp and die set

    CL8151 You Are Awesome clear stamp set

    56130 Autumn Breeze Plate Layer Set

    57253 Regal Peacock Layer A

  • Sending Warm Wishes | By Amanda Wilcox

    Sending Warm Wishes | By Amanda Wilcox

    Happy Friday everyone! It’s Amanda from Twiddler’s Nook joining you for a fun Christmas card and ornament combo today! Be aware though, this project is contagious and I can’t stop creating them in all the colors now!

    Let’s get started with how I processed this fun project!

    I started by die cutting my snowflakes – 3 of each layer of Frosty Flake and glued them together. I did lay clear blocks on them to help the dry flat because they are a little delicate.

    While those were drying I worked on my background panel. I started with a 4.25×5.5 inch panel and inked it up with spun sugar and shaded lilac distress oxides.

    I put it in my splatter box and spritzed it with water and flicked pearl watercolor on it for some shimmer too!

    While that dried, I moved on to my sentiments. I die cut the letters for sending from white cardstock 4 times and glued them together. Then I adhered them to the silver shadow. Next, I stamped and heat embossed the warmest wishes banner from Christmas Ornament and Labels in silver so it all tied together.

    Assembly was simple, I used liquid glue to adhere my snowflakes. I let them dry for a minute before trimming off what was hanging over the edge. Then I also used liquid glue to adhere the sending word die cut. I used foam squares to pop the banner in place and my card is all finished.

    For my snowflake, I die cut the layers 2 more times – so I had 6 pieces total making 2 snowflakes. I put them back-to-back and glued them together. I stuck some fishing line at the top of one point and held it together with tweezers while it dried. After a couple of minutes I glued some silver baubles to both sides so it doesn’t matter which way the ornament hangs, it’s beautiful.

    I am truly making a rainbow set of these snowflake ornaments. They were so much fun to create! I think they would be a wonderful gift. Don’t you?

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

    Supplies

    Big Sending Sugar Script

    CL8154 Christmas Ornament and Labels clear stamp set

  • Joy! | by Jennifer Svare

    Joy! | by Jennifer Svare

    Hello! Today’s card combines coordinating elements from the very versatile Belle Ornament Layer Set, Christmas Ornament and Labels stamp/die set, along with a very festive Big Joy Sugar Script! The ornament die from the stamp set is just slightly larger than the ornament from the Belle layering set, so it created a fun border of gold around the edge of the ornament. So many possibilities when combining everything!

    Using glossy accents over foiled card stock (above) gives an amazing depth and also makes the word “Joy” really pop from the card – I love it!

    The background stamp was heat embossed white-on-white for the background. The light catches the shiny white design, and it goes together beautifully with the shininess of the Joy.

    Gold and white card stock was used for the actual ornament, along with some matching ribbon. This also makes an incredible tag to go along with a festive Christmas wrapping paper. Instead of the word “joy,” a person’s name could be written with a gold or red marker. Check out the video to see this card in action, and how it was made. Super easy!

    Have a wonderful day, and thank you for stopping by the blog today.


    Supplies


    8154 Christmas Ornament and Labels clear stamp and die set
    56115 Belle Ornament Layer Set
    57164 Big Joy Sugar Script
    FP1001 Polished Foil Pad pack
  • Snowflakes and Winter Foliage | By Leigh Houston

    Snowflakes and Winter Foliage | By Leigh Houston

    Hello, friends! Have you started your holiday crafting yet? I am just dipping my toes into the holidays, and I was so excited to start the season making a card featuring the gorgeous Frosty Flake Layered Snowflake dies from Birch Press Design!

    I started this winter-themed card by creating my background. I used white pigment ink and the Memory Box Fractal Diamond stencil to create a subtle background on a piece of light aqua cardstock. I then die cut two foliage pieces with Memory Box’s Silverdale Branch die, which is a gorgeous foliage die. I used Copic markers to color in the die cuts before adhering them to my card. A tip: to create dimension on your cards, don’t adhere the ends of your foliage die cuts. It’s so beautiful and interesting to see the ends of the die cuts floating from the surface of the card!

    I then die cut all 3 layers from Birch Press Designs’s Frosty Flake, using vellum for layers A and C and white cardstock for layer B. I adhered this beautiful snowflake over my foliage. I then cut two smaller snowflakes from the Mini Snowflake Frame, using all 3 layers in the same configuration as the first snowflake. I adhered these on the edge of my card.

    To finish the card, I heat embossed my sentiment from the Christmas Ornament and Labels stamp set on vellum. After adhering this to my card, I added white splatters over the whole surface and a few sparkly sequins here and there.

    I hope you enjoyed this project! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I’ll see you again soon with another Birch Press Design cardmaking project!

  • A Pumpkin with a Purple Twist! | By Desiree Kuemmerle

    A Pumpkin with a Purple Twist! | By Desiree Kuemmerle

    Hello Everyone and Welcome Back!

    I am here today coloring a pumpkin… of course in a non-traditional way…

    When we think of pumpkins we first think of orange, today we will see purple!

    Today’s project is featuring the Pumpkin Lacework Stamp Set and you can decide which coloring medium you want to use for your image. I chose my colored pencils…

    I started by stamping and masking my card stock to show the pumpkin image three times across my card stock. The pumpkin in the from will be our focal image while the other two will be pushed to the background simply by using grays and blacks for the coloring…

    I used tones of purple, reds and grays across this image…

    By simple adding black iridescent pearls puts this pumpkin to the next level, close to elegant!

    Our sentiment is simply… Happy Halloween!

    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


    8153 Pumpkin Lacework clear stamp and die set
  • Autumn Hugs by Jeanne Jachna

    Autumn Hugs
    by Jeanne Jachna

    Hi friends! Thanks for stopping by! I hope you’re having a great day ! If you’re feeling cooped up I encourage you to take a ride in the car. The leaves are changing colors and they’re absolutely gorgeous!

    We took a recent visit to a local farm stand and it was a real lift for the soul! It wasn’t crowded and the assortment of harvest bounty on display was amazing!

    My card today was made with the B layer of the Autumn Breeze layered die set.

    Everything you see is inked with Distress Oxide Ink. My card base is shades of yellow and green, topped with the die cut panel in shades of blues, and the leaves are everything in between!

    I love this die set and it’s absolutely worth every penny because it’s so versatile! If you look close you’ll see the pierced detail design on each of the die cut leaves. This die produces a large assortment of gorgeous detailed leaves.

    I couldn’t cover this pretty panel so I added a simple sentiment using the Jumbo Lingo Hugs die cut. This too was inked with Distress Oxide Ink in Barn Door.

    Enjoy the rainbow of color and beauty that only Autumn can bring!

    Supplies

     

     

    57351 Jumbo Lingo Hugs

     

     

     

    56130 Autumn Breeze Plate Layer Set

     

     

  • Stretch the Christmas Ornament and Labels Stamp Set | by Ardyth Percy-Robb

    Stretch the Christmas Ornament and Labels Stamp Set | by Ardyth Percy-Robb

    Good morning! Ardyth here with an easy way to get more from the gorgeous leafy background in the Christmas Ornament and Labels stamp set.

    First, I stamped the background with green ink and did some no-line colouring with alcohol markers. I die cut an ornament and blended it with red ink, leaving a lighter area on the top right as a highlight. I popped it up on the card right over the ornament outline that is part of the stamped background.

    I stamped one of the banner sentiments and cut it out, and popped it up over two of the branches, cut with the die included with the set. I added Nuvo Clear Crystal Drops to my red berries.

    Then, I did it all again! This time, I chose a darker, warmer green colour for my leaves, and orange and pink for my berries.

    I covered the stamped ornament outline with a die cut pumpkin from the Pumpkin Lacework stamp set. I blended orange ink over it, using the edge of the negative portion of my die cut, to give some dimension.

    I stamped one of the included sentiments, cut it out and popped it up on the pumpkin, along with the stem and a maple leaf.

    I hope you’re inspired to look at your stamps and dies to see how you can change them up and get more from them!


    Supplies


    CL8154 Christmas Ornament and Labels clear stamp set
    8153 Pumpkin Lacework clear stamp and die set
  • Fall Peacock | by Crystal Komara

    Fall Peacock | by Crystal Komara

    Happy Thursday readers! This is Crystal here with you today. I know that you have been seeing lots of beautiful Christmas inspiration here on the Birch Press Design blog recently, but admittedly I’m kind of a Grinch, so I don’t “do” Christmas until December 1! : ) I will stretch out fall (MY favorite season) for as long as I possibly can. Today’s card is a great example, because I’m not even sure that “fall peacock’s” are a thing, but I’m starting the movement. (I’m also side-Googling if any other peacock colors exist other than the blue-green hues we traditionally see). . . And if not, they do now!

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock. This is my go-to white cardstock that I use for everything from card bases, die cutting, stamping and Copic coloring. The first 5 1/4″ x 4″ mat is a piece of miscellaneous woodgrain foil paper. I die cut a large white oval from white cardstock and adhered it to the center of the card using a Tombow Permanent Dot Runner.

    Using the Regal Peacock Layering dies, I die cut the bottom layer (Layer D) from gold glitter cardstock. I die cut Layer C from cherry cardstock. I die cut Layer B from rust cardstock and finally Layer A was also cut from gold glitter cardstock. I also cut the body of the peacock from cherry cardstock.

    I adhered all four layers of the Regal Peacock together using LineCo ph bookbinding glue. This glue is my preferred liquid glue and holds glitter paper together much better than a dot runner. I adhered the completed peacock to the center of the oval using foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock (using the Christmas Ornament Labels stamp set) in cherry ink and die cut it using the coordinating die. I adhered the sentiment to the lower right side of the card using foam adhesive.

    Hopefully I’ve convinced you that with a little imagination, peacocks can look beautiful in any color – even if it’s not “real.”

    Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

    Supplies

    56099 Regal Peacock Layer Set

    CL8154 Christmas Ornament and Labels clear stamp set

    GP1003 Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad

  • Snowflake Joy | By Seeka

    Snowflake Joy | By Seeka

    Hello, crafty friends, Seeka here and today I’m sharing a sparkly monochrome card featuring the new Pinpoint Snowflake die and the Mini Snowflake Frame Layer dies.

    I began by die-cutting the three layers of the frame. The top and bottom layers are cut from shimmering cardstock from the Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad by Memory Box and the middle layer is cut from white cardstock.

    I adhered the layers together and then die cut the Pinpoint Snowflake out of white cardstock.

    Next, I used a blending brush to blend Peacock Feathers Distress Ink onto an 4.25″ x 5.5″ inch panel of white cardstock. Then I trimmed the panel down to approximately 3 5/8″ x 4 7/8″.

    For the sentiment, I used the Simple Joy die to cut a piece of aqua cardstock.

    To assemble the card, I adhered the snowflake frame to the pinpoint snowflake and then adhered the combined piece to the ink-blended background. I adhered the sentiment letters and then used foam tape to adhere the card front to an A2-sized card base, and then adhered a small jewel to the center of the snowflake as a finishing touch.

    Thank you so much for visiting!


    Supplies


  • Frosty Snowflake Mini-Card | by Jennifer Svare

    Frosty Snowflake Mini-Card | by Jennifer Svare

    Hello! Today I’ve combined the new Frosty Flake layers along with the Pinpoint Snowflake used as a background to create a mini card or gift tag. The gorgeous layers were white-on-white, with a soft dusting of blue distress oxide gradient on the bottom layer.

    I call it a “mini card” because it’s smaller than a standard A2 size, but it’s not tiny. It’s perfect for a small card or tag. See the reference to the pen above. This would still fit nicely in an A2 envelope when used as a card.

    I love how the Pinpoint Snowflake comes with an outer shape die as well as the pinpoint interior plate. This allows a lot of versatility with the design. I die cut two of the basic shapes (above), and glued the very tip of the flakes together. This gives me a shaped card that has no embossed pinpoints on the interior for writing. The outside was embossed with the pinpoint plate for a beautiful background. The interior also has a soft gradient of blue sponged on as well.

    The photo above shows it being used as a gift tag on a plain white gift bag. So pretty and I love how the light shines through the pinpoints. The top layers are made from all layers of the Frosty Flake die set. Paired with the pinpoint background, it’s simple, but yet has so much beautiful detail. To use it as a tag, I simply tied ribbon through the inside. No gluing or holes needed and it stays perfectly secure!

    These could be done in so many different colors, and given as a gift tag or card set. Snowflakes last all winter, not just the holidays! What about thank you cards in January? Or a Happy New Year greeting written inside?

    The above photo shows the pinpoint die from the Pinpoint Snowflake set. This can be used alone for many different background effects. I used this for the exterior background of my card.

    The outline die cuts around the edge, leaving a nice border around the pinpoint design. I die cut one as shown above, and one using just the outline die, as shown below:

    For both the top and bottom, I went around the edges with Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide ink, following through to a soft gradient on the inside of the snowflake.

    Once the inside had shading done, I applied glue to the top portion of the snowflake and glued the front and back together to form the card. This creates an area that the card can bend and be opened. Because I glued approximately 1/2″ down, the card is not fragile when opened.

    Layers A, B, and C of the Frosted Flake set were glued together, and then glued over top of the pinpoint layer on the front. A crystal was added to the center. This was a fast, easy project with a big “wow” factor! So pretty. I hope you have a great day!


    Supplies


    57385 Pinpoint Snowflake
    57388 Frosty Flake Layer Set