Author: birch press

  • Creating Frames with Negative Die Cuts | By Leigh Houston

    Creating Frames with Negative Die Cuts | By Leigh Houston

    Hello, crafty friends! I am so happy to be here today sharing these two cards I made with Birch Press Designs’s Avalon Frame Layering Dies. I love using the pretty negative die cuts from my Birch Press layering dies in my cards, and these cards show how I used these pieces to make frames on my cards. I had so much fun making my first card that I had to make a second!

    I started my card by die cutting all three layers from the Avalon Frame layering dies from white 110# cardstock. I saved all of the little negative dies off to the side and die cut a circle out of all three layers. I then started coloring my floral elements with alcohol markers, layering them to create different shapes and dimension (all of the elements used in each card’s frame were constructed from the pieces from the three layers; no extra pieces were used!) Once I had enough floral elements colored I arranged them around the perimeter of the circle.

    To finish the card, I die cut a watercolored background to put inside the circle. I adhered the Love sentiment from Birch Press’s Love Honey Script die, and stamped the additional sentiment from Birch Press’s You Are Awesome stamp set onto navy cardstock. Some gold sequins finished up the card!

    Onto the second card! This card was made the same way, just switching up the colors.

    I used a summery color scheme to color my floral elements, and layered an aqua card base behind my 3 layering panels. I die cut the Love sentiment from Birch Press’s Love Sugar Script die and finished the card with some clear sequins.

    I had so much fun creating these cards, and I hope you enjoyed them! I’ll be back soon with another card project… until then, happy creating!


    Supplies


    56066 Avalon Frame Layer Set
    57095 Avalon Frame Layer A
    57096 Avalon Frame Layer B
    57097 Avalon Frame Layer C
    Love Sugar Script
    57311 Love Honey Script
    CL8151 You Are Awesome clear stamp set
  • You Are So Awesome | by Tracey McNeely

    You Are So Awesome | by Tracey McNeely

    Hi there, it’s Tracey here today and I have a card and video to share with you. I remember as a kid that is was very common to receive funny store bought slimline cards for birthdays and other occasions. Slimline cards seem be popping up all over the web lately so today I created a 3 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ card that can be mailed in a standard No. 10 envelope and a video to show you what I did.

    One of the challenges with creating these cards is what to fill all that space in with. The Regal Peacock layer set is a great design to work with this tall, slim card size.

    To begin I cut a 7″ X 8 1/2″ piece of white cardstock for my card base and I scored it at 3 1/2″. Then I cut a 3 1/4″ x 8 1/4″ panel from Bristol Smooth cardstock that I blended Distress Oxide inks onto. I used Tumbled Glass and Salty Ocean Distress Oxide inks to create a blue background. Once I had the panel blended out I mixed some Perfect Pearls with water and splattered it on to the panel then set it aside to dry while I prepared the Peacock die cuts.

    The main die for this set is Regal Peacock Layer A which cuts the peacock body and the solid tail. I created a rainbow tail because we could all use a little colour right about now. I die cut all the layers with cardstock–Layer A with a bright blue, Layer D with green, Layer C from bright pink and Layer B from orange. All the layers were glued together with liquid glue and I set it aside. I folded the card base along the score line and then attached the inner blended panel with tape runner.

    The two line sentiment is from the ‘You Are Awesome‘ clear stamp set. I stamped and white embossed the large word ‘awesome’ near the bottom of my panel and then the line ‘you are so’ was white embossed on a strip of black cardstock and added just above.

    The peacock was added to the top of the panel with foam tape. A tiny piece of foam tape was added behind the peacock’s head to give it a bit more support. You want your card to survive the mail and allow your recipient to enjoy it once it comes of out the envelope too!

    Thank you so much for joining me today and I hope you are finding time to be crafty while you are staying/sheltering at home. Enjoy the rest of your week! Stay safe.

    Supplies

    57253 Regal Peacock Layer A

    57254 Regal Peacock Layer B

    57255 Regal Peacock Layer C

    57256 Regal Peacock Layer D

    CL8151 You Are Awesome clear stamp set

  • Quick Dimensional Cards | by Kimberly Wiener

    Quick Dimensional Cards | by Kimberly Wiener

    Hello Birch Press Fans! Do you ever want to make a stack of cards and not spend a ton of time? I know I do. These cards really are perfect for making a lovely statement and still be quick and enable you make several at a time.

    I love the over sized sentiments from the Birch Press “You are Awesome” clear stamp set. They are clean lined and so fresh in black against a crisp white background.

    As a backdrop for these great sentiments, I used the Memorybox Serene Mandala Embossing Folder as the card front panels.

    I used 110 lb weight paper for a thick crisp emboss. Brushing on color in a circular motion from the center outward, the design and dimension of the mandala really shines through.

    I cut the panels to fit onto blank card bases cut to 4 x 5.25. The sentiment strip was popped up with foam mount tape. I hope that you experiment in color blending and brushing color onto embossing folders for quick and lovely cards!


    Supplies


    CL8151 You Are Awesome clear stamp set
    EF1004 Serene Mandala
  • Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday! | By Amanda Wilcox

    Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday! | By Amanda Wilcox

    Hello everyone. Amanda Wilcox from Twiddler’s Nook here and I’m so excited to be joining Birch Press Design Creative Team. Today I have my first card share for you. It looks a little involved but it really is simple. Let’s get started.

    I die cut each of the layers for the Frilly Triangle twice and glued them together.

    Next, I moved on to ink smooshing my background. This is a fun technique that gives a great effect. You just color Tombow, or other water based markers, on a clear block, spritz with water and smoosh your paper on it.

    After the first round, I used a heat tool on it and smooshed it on the liquid that was still on my block for a layered effect.

    And a quick tip: If you have a laminator, run the panel through that once it’s dry to flatten it back out. It really helps.

    Next, I moved on to my sentiments. I die cut the Big Lingo Happy 3 times – the shadow from white and the letters from black. I used my Quickie Glue Pen to adhere them together. This pen is great for skinny little spaces and keeping your fingers out of the glue.

    For assembly, I adhered the smooshed panel to a card base and the frilly triangles to opposite corners. Then, I die cut the happy shadow 9 more times from white cardstock. See how the letters will overlap the triangles? We need to raise parts of the word up to meet those. So I cut the “H” off of 3, left the middle 3 alone and cut the “Y” off the last 3. Then I adhered everything together and then to my card.

    Last, I stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment from Awesome Ticker Tape Messages and cut it out. This is popped up with foam tape on the middle Happy.

    For finishing touches, I added Wink of Stella glitter brush pen to the banner sentiment and the die cut letters and some gems to both of the frilly triangles.

    I hope you enjoyed today’s card and found some inspiration to create something beautiful.

    Supplies

    56109 Frilly Triangle Layer Set

    57226 Big Lingo Type Happy

    8149 Awesome Ticker Tape Messages clear stamp and die set

  • 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!


    Supplies


    Sparkler Butterfly Layer Set
    56060 Paradiso Butterfly Layer Set
    WT502 Sunset Blush Wide Washi Tape
    WT503 Sunset Blush 1 inch Washi Tape
    WT499 Rose Bouquet Wide Washi Tape
  • 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″

    Supplies

     

     

    57062 Flutter Plate Layer B

     

     

    CL8132 Best Friend clear stamp set

     

  • 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:

    Supplies

    56118 Floral Star Layer Set

    Big Thanks Sugar Script

  • 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!

    Supplies

    CL8142 Thankful Mandala

    Hugs Sugar Script

    Thanks Sugar Script

  • 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!

    Supplies

    56108 Sun Ray Triangle Layer Set

    8149 Awesome Ticker Tape Messages clear stamp and die set

  • 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!


    Supplies