Author: birch press

  • Sparkler Butterfly with a Floral Background! | By Desiree Kuemmerle

    Sparkler Butterfly with a Floral Background! | By Desiree Kuemmerle

    Hello Everyone and Welcome Back!

    For today’s project, I used the Sparkler and Paradiso Butterfly Layering Die Set and for the background of these dies, some Washi Tape!

    Let’s start by covering our card stock panels with our washi tape. The two that I am using come in a wide and 1 inch size.

    I then die cut all my pieces from both the card stock covered in washi tape and plain white card stock. While I was at it, I made sure I glued my white butterfly die cuts together and set them aside to dry.

    For my die cutting I only used the base and the top layer for each butterfly! I wanted to make sure we could see the beautiful pattern of the washi tape…

    The panel completely covered with the washi tape it provided a perfect back drop for my layered die cut!

    A sentiment was stamped and embossed for each card and set in place!

    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!


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  • Glitter Flutter Butterflies by Jeanne Jachna

    Glitter Flutter Butterflies
    by Jeanne Jachna

    Happy Saturday! I hope you’re having a great day and that the sun is shining so you can spend some time outdoors today! I am so happy the weather is warmer and I can feel the sun on my face!

    Today I’ve got a glittery card so share made with the Flutter Plate Layer B. Here’s how I made it sparkle!

    I applied packing tape to the back of a card stock panel before I die cut the panel. The tape prevents the panel from cutting all the way through providing an outline for me to color with markers.

    I colored the panel with Copic markers but any marker will work. Don’t worry about staying in the lines.. no one will see!

    I mixed Glossy Accents with micro find crystal glitter and then spread it over the colored panel with a spatula and then attached a panel cut from white card stock. When it was dry I attached another white die cut panel to add some depth and give a stained glass look.

    This card is so sparkly and glossy it’s like candy for the eyes.

    The simple sentiment is from the Best Friend stamp set.

    I hope you’ll give this technique a try!

    Finished Size 4.25 x 5.5″

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  • 2 for 1 Rainbow Thank You Card Design | by Ardyth Percy-Robb

    2 for 1 Rainbow Thank You Card Design | by Ardyth Percy-Robb

    Good morning! Ardyth here with a duo of rainbow thank you cards using the Floral Star layering set.

    I wanted to see if I could get a layered look on a flat piece of cardstock, by using the die cuts as stencils. I thought about the order of layers and ink blending for a while (and made a mistake or two) before I was successful.

    Here’s what I learned:

    1. use the top layer (the one with the biggest holes) first and blend ink very lightly.
    2. repeat with the second layer, with slightly more ink
    3. finish with the bottom layer, and go heavy with the ink.

    I love that I got a 4-layered look from the 3 die cuts – 3 different shades of colours and the white ‘on top’!

    And of course I was left with 3 pretty, blended die cuts to use on another card. As I was gluing them together, I had a simple idea to add some interest and instead of lining up the petals (yellow on yellow etc), I turned each layer so that different colours were underneath.

    Here’s a video:

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  • Thankful Mandala | by Crystal Komara

    Thankful Mandala | by Crystal Komara

    Hello crafty friends! This is Crystal here today sharing two cards made using the beautiful Thankful Mandala background stamp. I chose to work with this stamp set because it was something very different for me, and I am so happy that I decided to challenge myself because I love how these cards turned out! In fact, I had so much fun experimenting with this stamp set that I’ll be sharing even more cards using it at the end of the month!

    The very first thing I did after receiving the stamp was to actually cut down the Mandala! Yes, this was equally as scary as it might sound! I knew this could go wonderfully right, or horribly wrong really quick and that I was taking a chance at potentially ruining a $25 stamp set! I didn’t particularly like the large square shape of the mandala, so I trimmed off the outermost layer to give it more of that peacock edge shape. Fortunately, it worked out just fine! Phew!

    Card details:

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I stamped the large mandala in Versamark ink on black cardstock and then heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. I cut the mandala in half in order to separate it on the card. I adhered each half to the top and bottom of the card base. I die cut the larger outline word “thanks” from gold foil paper and the smaller word outline from black cardstock. I mounted the two together using a Tombow tape runner and adhered both to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment “for all you do” in the middle of the card in Memento Tuxedo black ink.

    For the second card, my card base is a sheet of turquoise cardstock. I stamped the mandala in Versamark ink on another sheet of turqoise cardstock and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I trimmed the image down to 5″ x 3 3/4″ and mounted this stamped mandala onto a scalloped sheet of white cardstock. I adhered both sheets to the card base. I die cut the word “hugs” from both gold foil paper and white cardstock, layering the two together using a Tombow tape runner. I stamped the words “it’s your birthday” in Versamark ink on a thin strip of white cardstock and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. I notched both ends before adhering it to the card below the word “hugs” using 3M foam adhesive.

    I hope you have enjoyed these cards featuring the Thankful Mandala stamp set. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

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  • Sun Ray Triangle | by Jeanne Jachna

    Sun Ray Triangle | by Jeanne Jachna

    Hi and thanks for stopping by! It’s Jeanne here today! You know I can’t resist a rainbow of color! Today I’m playing with the Sun Ray Triangle layering die set.

    Birch Press Design has three new layering triangle sets that this technique would work well with.

    I started by cutting the top and bottom layers from white card stock. I die cut the center layers from colored card stock. Once the layers were assembled I adhered a slightly lighter shade of card stock behind them.

    After the panels are assembled I noticed some weren’t completely smooth on the edges. I used an inexpensive nail file to make them flat so they would fit together tighter.

    I topped the panel with a sentiment from Awesome Ticker Tape Messages inked in shades of blue Versafine Claire ink.

    I love the candy stripe look of the colorful stripes!

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  • Stencilled Die Cut | By Seeka

    Stencilled Die Cut | By Seeka

    Hello there! It’s Seeka here, and I thank you so much for spending a bit of your day with us. For my card today, I used a die cut as a stencil to create a clean and simple (and easy!) card.

    I started by using the Prism Triangle Collage die to cut a piece of scrap 80# cardstock. This pretty die doesn’t cut out a triangle, rather it leaves a beautiful triangle-shaped lattice pattern in your paper. This became my stencil.

    I used low-tack paper tape to hold an A2-sized piece of bristol smooth paper on my glass work surface and then placed and taped my stencil over top. Using foam blending tools, I blended Abandoned Coral and Tattered Rose Distress Oxide inks over the stencil, blending the two to create an ombre effect. Because my stencil was made out of paper and not as durable as a plastic stencil, I took care not to drag my blending tool too much. Instead, I used a strong tamping motion.

    When I finished, I removed the stencil and rotated it 180 degrees. I aligned the base with the triangle I’d just finished stencilling, and shifted it a bit to the left. I used the same colors to ink blend and then removed the stencil.

    For the sentiment, I used the Big Hello Sugar Script die to cut a piece of white cardstock. I cut the shadow layer out of vellum and then adhered the two together. Then, I stamped “crafty friend” (from the Just Because stamp set) in black pigment ink onto white cardstock.

    To assemble the card, I adhered the die cut sentiment with foam tape and then adhered the sentiment strip flush to the card front. Then I adhered the card front to an A2-sized card base.

    Thank you so much for visiting!


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  • Thanks | by Tracey McNeely

    Thanks | by Tracey McNeely

    Hi there, it’s Tracey back again today. I hope that you are managing well as we continue fighting the virus to flatten the curve. Being creative is relaxing for me and it helps keep my mind settled while we are social distancing and staying home. I think I have had rainbows on my mind lately and today I am sharing a really quick and easy thank you card using rainbow colours and one essential die!

    The Honey Script dies have become essentials in my cardmaking these days. The perfect balance of script and curve and this die duo comes with the word and a shadow! Today’s card uses the Honey Script Thanks die, five times.

    The word ‘thanks’ was cut five times with five different colours of cardstock. In this case a rainbow of pink, yellow, green, blue and purple.

    I cut my white panel to 5 1/4″ x 4″ and the word thanks fills the space from left to right perfectly. There was just the right amount of space between the top and bottom of the white panel to fit the word five times comfortably.

    TIP: I glued the top pink and bottom purple die cut to the white panel first. Then the green die cut to the middle. By doing this is made it easy to space the dies out evenly.

    The die cuts were adhered to the panel with liquid glue just to allow for a bit of wiggle room if necessary. The panel was attached directly to a blue cardbase making it nice and flat for mailing. Really simple and very pretty, don’t the colours make you smile?

    Thank you for stopping in today and I hope I have inspired you to try making a card with just die cut words. You could use any colour scheme you would like–rainbow, monochromatic, ombre, anything goes!

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  • Midnight Mandala by Jeanne Jachna

    Midnight Mandala
    by Jeanne Jachna

    Hi friends! Big hugs to you as the shelter in place continues! I hope you’re all safe and healthy and have all you need. Today I’m playing with the new Midnight Mandala stencil.

    This technique is fun and easy and I hope you give it a try. All you need is a stencil, distress ink, glitter and glossy accents.

    You can tape your stencil in place but if you want to treat yourself, invest in a can of Pixie Spray. It holds the stencil firmly in place and lifts off easily – no more tape and you’re hand’s free. I inked the stencil in ombre shades of blue distress ink.

    I love the shine of glossy accents and the sparkle of glitter so I mixed them together and spread the mixture thinly and evenly over the inked stencil. When you’ve got complete coverage gently lift the stencil and wash it immediately with warm soapy water.

    Just look at all that sparkle and shine!

    I didn’t want to cover up these pretty shades of blue so I added a simple sentiment – the Big Hugs Sugar Script adhered with adhesive foam tape and a stamped “Sending” from the Memory Box Cherry Blossom Wreath tucked in a Tim Holtz Trinket Pin.

    Easy right? I hope you’ll give this a try! You’ll love the raised texture that reminds me of embossing!

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  • Lovely Butterflies Art Journal! | By Desiree Kuemmerle

    Lovely Butterflies Art Journal! | By Desiree Kuemmerle

    Hello Everyone and Welcome Back!

    For today, instead of creating a card let’s stretch our stamps and use them in an art journal… The Lovely Butterflies stamp set is perfect for this type of project in so many ways!

    I started by creating my background using my distress oxides in shades of blue. 

    As my background was drying, I stamped my images and heat embossed them and grabbed my watercolors to add the bright colors to their wings!

    Now back to the background…  Here is where you can have all the fun…  stencil, splatter, paste – the possibilities are endless…  I chose to make sure I added a border using an old dictionary page…

    Once all my pieces were dry I fussy cut out my butterflies and placed them onto my page creating my rainbow!  I believe we cannot have enough rainbows right now!

    I used two of the sentiments from the stamp set and placed at the top and the bottom of my page to finish it off!

    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!


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  • Rainbow Heart Thank You Card | by Leigh Houston

    Rainbow Heart Thank You Card | by Leigh Houston

    Hello, friends! I am so happy to be here today sharing this rainbow heart thank you card made with Birch Press Design’s Amour Layer A die. I have been crazy-inspired lately by Laura Bassen’s amazing colorful geometric cards. I sought to achieve a similar look using this layering die, which made it so fast and easy!

    I started out my card by die cutting two panels from the Amour Layer A die. I then separated the negative pieces into two piles and attached one of the panels onto a white cardstock base.

    Then the fun began! I cut each heart into two lengthwise pieces, and colored them using Copic markers (any markers would work). I then attached the two pieces to a base piece from the other pile. Before long, I had a colorful panel of hearts. I decided to leave the small hearts white to avoid the card from becoming too busy.

    Excuse the messy craft space… nothing like a little realism, huh?

    I finished my card by popping up all the heart pieces onto foam tape before adhering them onto the panel. I die cut my sentiment from Birch Press’s Thanks Sugar Script using gold mirror cardstock, then stamped the “you are the best” from the You Are Awesome stamp set onto vellum.

    I love the clean yet graphic look that you can achieve from just one layer of the layering dies! My daughter loved this card so much that she snagged it to attach to a gift of some crocheted ear savers we are sending to nurses working on the front lines in New York City. We hope they love it!

    Thanks so much for joining me here today, and I’ll see you soon with another card project. Stay safe and healthy!


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