Author: birch press

  • 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!

    Supplies

    57302 Thanks Honey Script

  • 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!

    Supplies

    42031 Midnight Mandala Stencil

    Big Hugs Sugar Script

    CL5256 Cherry Blossom Wreath clear stamp and die set

  • 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!


    Supplies


    8150 Lovely Butterflies clear stamp and die set
  • 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!


    Supplies


    57042 Amour Layer A
    Thanks Sugar Script
    CL8151 You Are Awesome clear stamp set
  • Enchantment by Jeanne Jachna

    Enchantment by Jeanne Jachna

    Hi friends! I hope you’re all safe and well! Now more than ever I’m turning to crafting for a sweet escape and a way to deal with stress.

    Today I’m sharing a card made with the beautiful new Enchantment layered die set. The set includes three full size (A2 4.25 x 5.5″) cover plates with lots of versatility.

    Not only can you mix and match the three layers , you can also switch out the colors of the half circles on the left margin of the die. I cut the die from shades of red, yellow and orange and layered them over a glittery panel of card stock from the Memory Box Pastel Glitter Pad. TIP: When layering dies always complete the entire bottom layer first, then the entire middle layer etc. This allows you to fit the die cuts tightly together with no gaps.

    I die the the Thanks Honey Script word die from three shades of blue. I chose a contrasting color so the word die would contrast with the background.

    This die set has so much potential – imagine all the different shades and colors you can assemble the layers in!

    Finished Size 4.25 x 5.5″

    Supplies

     

     

    56113 Enchantment Plate Layer Set

     

     

    57302 Thanks Honey Script

     

     

    CL8151 You Are Awesome clear stamp set

     

     

    GP1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

     

  • 6 friendly cards with Sun Ray Triangle Layer Set | by Ardyth Percy-Robb

    6 friendly cards with Sun Ray Triangle Layer Set | by Ardyth Percy-Robb

    Good morning! Ardyth here with 6 happy cards that are perfect for sending to friends! And all of them use just the top layer die from the Sun Ray Triangles Layered Dies set.

    For my first card, I used a form of inlaid die cuts, and I popped up the interior pieces (cut from Memory Box Twinkling Jewels glitter cardstock) and then removed the outline frame for a different look!

    Next, I used traditional inlaid die cuts, and included the black frames for a more dramatic look! (Notice that the Fairy Sugar glitter glues match the cardstock!)

    And of course, I needed to use up the glittery outline frames, so I glued them to a panel of white carstock, cut the panel with a circle and and then again, with a Vivid Bloom die, which I popped up with foam tape.

    I have even more cards to show you in my video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LFOtN6egIk&feature=youtu.be

    Supplies

    56108 Sun Ray Triangle Layer Set

    57300 Hugs Honey Script

    57310 Hello Honey Script

    57332 Vivid Bloom Stitched Layer Set

    40115 Iris glitter glue

    40101 Buttercup Glow glitter glue

    40121 Sour Apple Sparkle glitter glue

    40120 Tropical Glimmer glitter glue

    GP1003 Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad

    PP1003 Cottage Meadow 6×6 pack

    58143 Lingo Thanks die set

  • Midnight Mandala Stencil | by Kimberly Wiener

    Midnight Mandala Stencil | by Kimberly Wiener

    Hello there creative Birch Press fans! Today I bring you a very simple and easy way to make multiple cards without stamping or coloring. My supplies are the Mandala Stencil and the Big Hello Sugar Script die.

    Stencils are an excellent way to quickly add color and dimension to your projects. I really like to have several shades to my blended colors and stencils are very forgiving in that you don’t have to be perfect. The imperfections are what adds to the wonderful uniqueness of your creations.

    To create a set of these cards for yourself you will need to cut several 4 x 5 white cardstock panels. Center the Midnight Mandala Stencil onto the panels and blend your colors darkest to lightest rotating outward in a circling motion.

    Cut the stencilled panel to 3.5 x 5 and adhere to upper postion of a standard A2 (4.25 x 5.5) card base, leaving equal distance between the top edge and doth sides of the card base. Onto the lower base of the card, add a black card stock strip 5 x 2 and add the Big Hello Sugar Script word die.

    For these samples I have used distress inks, however any ink used with the newest blender brush type of blending tools will be just as striking. I hope that you are inspired to enjoy experimenting with stencils and finding out just how easy and fun it is!


    Supplies


    57201 Big Hello Sugar Script
    42031 Midnight Mandala Stencil
  • Stenciled Color Bars | by Jennifer Svare

    Stenciled Color Bars | by Jennifer Svare

    Hi everyone! Today’s cards were made with graduation in mind, but could be used for anyone starting a new chapter in life! These are watercolored using Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens. The clownfish was created by stamping in a very light ink, and colored in using a no-line watercolor technique. The turtle was stamped and embossed with gold embossing powder.

    The Ocean Fantasy clear stamp set has so many great sea life stamps. I practiced a lot with the clownfish. No-line coloring is new to me and I really enjoy it. The turtle was super quick, because it was simply embossed and colored in with multiple colors. After the colors were scribbled in, I went in with a water brush and simply blended it together. Really fun! A few gems were placed on the turtle’s shell for a little sparkle, and I coated the white parts of the clownfish with a clear glitter brush pen for shimmery scales.

    The thin bars were created using distress oxide inks and the Midnight Mandela stencil. I simply masked off the area that I wanted to color with blue painter’s tape, laid down the stencil where I wanted it to be, and colored it in. The Follow Your Dreams sentiment is part of the Lovely Butterflies stamp set.

    I wanted to show how the stencil works with very thin as well as thicker lines – two very different looks.

    So many of the sea creatures would look great for this style of card, and all are easy and a lot of fun to color in!

    Thanks for checking in today! I hope you have a wonderful day!


    Supplies


    CL8148 Ocean Fantasy clear stamp set
    CL8150 Lovely Butterflies clear stamp set
    42031 Midnight Mandala Stencil
  • Hello Crafty Friend | By Seeka

    Hello Crafty Friend | By Seeka

    Hello! Seeka here and today I’m sharing a quick and easy card featuring the Ring Tile stencil and the Hello Topper die.

    I started off by using low-tack Purple Tape to tape an A2-sized piece of bristol smooth cardstock to the stencil. Then I used foam blending tools to blend Victorian Velvet, Seedless Preserves, and Wilted Violet Distress Oxide inks over the stencil, blending the colors where they met to create a gradient effect.

    Next, I die cut the Hello sentiment and shadow layers out of white cardstock. I cut the sentiment four times, and the shadow layer twice, so that I could stack and adhere them together for a bit of dimension. Using the negative space of a die cut to help hold the sentiment in place, I blended Seedless Preserves and Wilted Violet over one layer of “Hello” before adhering all of the pieces together.

    I trimmed the background to 4″ x 5.25″ and then adhered the sentiment’s shadow layer along the bottom, trimming off any excess that extended past the edges of the background. Then I stamped the “my crafty friend” sentiment in pigment ink. This sentiment is part of a stamp from the Just Because stamp set.

    To finish, I adhered the ink-blended sentiment onto the shadow layer, and then adhered the card front to an A2-sized card base.

    Thank you so much for visiting!


    Supplies


    42030 Ring Tike Stencil
    57313 Helllo Topper
    CL8124 Just Because clear stamp set
  • Folk Art Heart Wedding | by Crystal Komara

    Folk Art Heart Wedding | by Crystal Komara

    Hello readers and happy Thursday! This is Crystal here with you today and I am sharing a wedding themed card created using the Folk Art Heart Layering dies. And yes, that is a mouthful to say! My husband and I actually had a wedding that we were supposed to attend two weeks ago in Orange County, California, that was canceled due to coronavirus. There were over 300 people anticipated to attend and travel in from across the country. Ugh, I can’t even imagine what that poor bride (and groom too, of course!) have been going through. . .

    *You can see full details on how to make this card in the video at the end of this post.

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I also created a white scalloped frame from the same cardstock. Using Memento Tuxedo black ink, I stamped the sentiment at the top and bottom of the card, so that there would be room for the two hearts in the middle. I tried to create each heart to resemble more traditional bride and grooms colors, though you could easily make the hearts to match the wedding colors, or create two pink and white hearts if there were two brides to be celebrated!


    Here is a video tutorial that I created showing how to create this card:

    Thank you for visiting and I hope you have a wonderfully creative day!

    Supplies

    56119 Folk Art Heart Layer Set

    GP1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad