Author: birch press

  • Kaleidoscope Hugs by Janette Kausen

    Kaleidoscope Hugs
    by Janette Kausen

    Good Satur-yay to you, friends of Birch Press Designs! It’s Janette Kausen, professional procraftinator, here. I am thrilled to be guesting with you today. I have been a fan of Birch Press, and especially their innovative layering dies, for quite some time. An invite never feels so good as it does when it arrives from someone you’ve admired!

    I’ve created two cards to share with you featuring the very cool Kaleidoscope Layers. It is a two for one! I’ve separated the interior portion of the die cut from the outer section to make two cards.

    I love a good hot pink, navy and gold combo. So, let’s go with that! First, die cut white cardstock with Kaleidoscope Layer A, gold glitter cardstock with B and hot pink with Layer C. The quality of these dies is outstanding. One pass through my die cutting machine, even with the gold glitter cardstock!

    Die cut 4 1/8” x 5 3/8” navy cardstock with Layer A, the circle centered toward the top. Set aside spare navy Kaleidoscope itself for another project. Die cut Big Hugs Sugar Script in gold glitter with a white background.

    With your favorite liquid glue, adhere the outer ring of Kaleidoscope Layers A, B and C together matching details and edges. The liquid glue allows enough wiggle room to perfect placement. Pop navy panel onto folded A2 card base, 4 ¼” x 5 ½”, with foam tape. Add liquid glue to back of stacked Kaleidoscope and drop into navy panel. The foam tape behind the navy and three Kaleidoscope Layers were a perfect flush mount on my card.

    Place hot pink inner ring (layer C) into center with no adhesive. This will be a guide for placement only. Add a dot of glue to each opening within the hot pink ring and then carefully replace all negative cuts. Allow glue to set up and then carefully lift the hot pink guide ring (save it!).

    Finish project by adhering “Hugs” layers together and then into place. Add a few sequins for additional sparkle.

    Project number two is halfway done thanks card one! Start with an A2 folded card base finished at 4 ¼” x 5 ½”. Top or side fold is up to you. Pop a 4 1/8” x 5 3/8” white cardstock panel centered on top with your favorite dimensional adhesive.

    Stack inner Kaleidoscope layers together, just like with card one. Adhere to upper left corner of white panel.

    Die cut four “hugs” in black cardstock and adhere three together, stacked precisely. Cut upper left corner of the “h” off where it will rest on Kaleidoscope. Adhere remaining fourth full “hugs” on top of stack and then onto card panel. Removing the corner of the bottom three layers of “hugs” allows the sentiment to sit flush with the Kaleidoscope ring. Add a few gold sequins and there we have two cards with one awesome set of focal dies!

    The Birch Press Design Blog Blitz is off to a great start and I’m happy to be giving away a prize too!  Would you like to win the Kaleidoscope Layer A die?

    Let me fill you in on all the details ok?

    The blog blitz runs from August 23-28. We’ll be giving away a prize on every blog blitz post during this time. To enter to win you need to leave a comment on ONLY the posts that you wish to enter. To enter ALL the posts during the blog blitz you need to leave a comment on EACH ONE. One person will be chosen at random from each of the posts during the blog blitz. Only one prize per person per blog blitz. We use random number generator to select winners from comments. You have until midnight US EST August 31 to leave a comment on each and every post that you want to enter. Winners will announced on this blog on September 3. Good Luck! And LEAVE A COMMENT!! 🙂

    Thank you for joining me today, and, thank you to everyone at Birch Press Designs for inviting me guest with their beautiful products! If you’ve been inspired to create please tag myself, Janette Kausen, and Birch Press Designs on social media. We’d love to see what you are up to!

    xo, Janette

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  • Blog Blitz Day 2 | By Eloise Blue

    Blog Blitz Day 2 | By Eloise Blue

    Hi everyone and welcome, Eloise here and today is Day Two of the Blog Blitz. I’m so excited to be here sharing this project with you today. For today’s project I’ll be using the new Metro Triangle Collage Die, which is this intricate triangle die with a cool pattern imbedded in it, which is super cool and I really wanted to do some simple ink blending behind it for a cool effect. I’ll also be pulling in the new Big Friend Sugar Script Die for my sentiment and using the Sending Love Stamp Set for an additional part of my sentiment as well.

    To begin my project today, I cut down a piece of white card stock to 4″ wide by 5 1/2″ tall. I then die cut the Metro Triangle Collage Die from opposite corners of the card stock panel. Once they were die cut, I set it off to the side and worked on the sentiment.

    I used the Big Friend Sugar Script Die and cut it from two shades of blue card stock, the word from the lighter, and then solid background from the darker shade. I added foam tape to the back of the friend word and adhered it onto the background piece. Before adhering the sentiment to my project, I took a piece of yellow card stock and filled in the gap between the two die cuts. I then adhered the entire element onto the right hand side of my project.

    Next, I took a piece of watercolour card stock and used three colours of pinky Distress Inks to ink blend onto the panel. I used Abandoned Coral, Picked Raspberry and Spun Sugar and just faded it out to white at the bottom. I then added liquid adhesive along the back of my die cut panel and adhered it into place.

    Lastly, I used the Sending Love Stamp Set and white heat embossed the ‘For You’ sentiment onto a thin black strip and adhered it above my friend word.

    Now onto the giveaway details. The prize today is the Metro Triangle Collage Die that I used in my project today. It’s an amazing die with lots of intricate details and it’s super unique and fun. The Blog Blitz is running from August 23rd to August 28th, so make sure you leave a comment by then and winners will be announced on September 3rd. Good luck!

    Thanks once again for stopping by today, make sure you check back tomorrow and I’ll see you next time!

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  • Holiday Blog Blitz Beginsby Jeanne Jachna

    Holiday Blog Blitz Begins
    by Jeanne Jachna

    What a great day for a visit!  We’re starting a blog blitz today!   The blog blitz is a time we set aside to share the latest craft stamps and dies in the store and give you a chance to win some for yourself! We’ve added lots of holiday layered dies that you’re going to adore!
    Today I’m playing with the new Prism Triangle Collage!  It’s got lots of possibilities.

    I started my card by layering solid red card stock, and then a slightly smaller panel of handmade paper from the shop on my card base.  The store has lots of beautiful hand made paper that you can see here.  It’s thick and soft and easy to work with.  I love the bright bold red florals with the gold outline.

    Next I die cut the Prism Triangle Collage from pink card stock.  I trimmed the panel leaving 1/4″ along the triangle edge, and an inch along the straight outer edge.  I adhered the panel over a triangle of gold foil paper before adhering it to my card base.

    I topped the panel with some gold glitter tape and the Big Shine Sugar Script cut from coordinating colors.

    Some sequins add extra sparkle and shine!

    I wish you could see all the gold shine in person!  It’s absolutely stunning!

    Now the part you’ve been waiting for….

    Let me fill you in on all the details ok?

    The blog blitz runs from August 23-28. We’ll be giving away a prize on every blog blitz post during this time. To enter to win you need to leave a comment on ONLY the posts that you wish to enter. To enter ALL the posts during the blog blitz you need to leave a comment on EACH ONE. One person will be chosen at random from each of the posts during the blog blitz. Only one prize per person per blog blitz. We use random number generator to select winners from comments. You have until midnight US EST August 31 to leave a comment on each and every post that you want to enter. Winners will announced on this blog on September 3. Good Luck! And LEAVE A COMMENT!! 🙂

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  • Stenciled Friend | by Tracey McNeely

    Stenciled Friend | by Tracey McNeely


    Welcome to another inspiration post at Birch Press Design. Today I am so excited to be making a card with you using some products from the brand new Holiday Release! If you are anything like me you are hanging on to summer with both hands and you may not be quite ready to get going on projects for the holidays just yet. So I am creating a clean and simple card with some fresh summer colours that could be sent to a close friend, as a thank you or even to a work acquaintance.

    To begin I die cut the brand new Triangle Fade Frame craft die from lightweight cardstock, this will become my stencil. Tape the die cut over white 5 1/4″ x 4″ cardstock panel, for this I used Bristol Smooth cardstock because I would be using Distress Oxide Ink to sponge over it. You can use regular cardstock because these inks do blend so smoothly. I sponged lightly in small circular motions not inking the entire panel but actually leaving some areas white.

    The next step was to die cut the new Big Friends Sugar Script dies in two colours–one for the word and one for the cloud.

    Once cut word die and the dot on the ‘i’ were glued together. The “you are the best” sentiment from the Hooray for Everything clear stamp set was stamped on the bottom of the stenciled panel and the panel was adhered to a  5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ solid colour card base. The friend die cut was finally added to the card front just above the stamped sentiment with foam tape for some added dimension and interest.

    Monochromatic is to use tones and tints of one colour hue. In terms of graphic design a monochromatic colour scheme will instinctively create a sense of simplicity and harmony.

    Clean, simple and easy to put together.

    I hope that you try creating your own stencils from your existing cover plate dies. It’s a great way to stretch your stash into something completely different.

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  • Sunflower Medallion | by Olga

    Sunflower Medallion | by Olga

    Hello crafty friends,

    I hope you are having a wonderful summer. August is a sunflower season and I couldn’t help including this theme into a project. I thought that Dazzler layering set would make a great stylized sunflower because you can die cut the center and the outline separately and make them different colors.

    To take the medallion one step further I have decided to add dangling charms to it. I pierced some holes in the petals and attached the teardrop charms with jump rings.

    Want to know exactly how this project was created? Watch the step by step video tutorial here!

    Thank you for visiting and keep enjoying those magical days of summer!

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  • Butterfly Hello By Jeanne Jachna

    Butterfly Hello By Jeanne Jachna

    I hope you’re having a great day!  I’m enjoying the sunshine because I know fall is just around the corner.   When I create I’m inspired by the things I see.  I’ve been enjoying watching the butterflies float through the yard visiting all the bright colored flowers in my garden.  If you love butterflies too there’s lots to choose from in the store!  You can find butterfly stamps, die cuts, and even embossed paper in the shop here.

    I love the Butterfly Garden Plate Layer C.  The beautiful stitching is so pretty I just can’t bring myself to cover it up with the other layered dies available in this set.

    I inked up a panel of card stock with Distress Ink in Milled Lavender, Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry and Festive Berries.  I foam blending tool makes is easy to blend the colors.   I cut this inked panel slightly smaller than my card base, and attached it to the card base.

    Next I cut the  Butterfly Garden Plate Layer C cut from white card stock and adhered it over the inked panel.  I use an acrylic block placed over the die cut panel to keep the panel flat while the glue dries.

    I cut the Sparkler Butterfly solid Layer D and intricate Layer A in shades of yellow card stock and adhered them together.  I added a purple die cut Hello Sugar Script over the butterfly die cuts.

    I chose yellow for the butterfly because yellow and purple are complimentary colors.  That means they are opposite each other on the color wheel.  I repeated the purple background color on the word die.
     I love all the bold color peeking through the die cut holes!

    I hope you give this technique a try – it brings your die cut panels to life!


    Finished Size 4.25 x 5.5″

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  • Inlaid Mandala | by Tracey McNeely

    Inlaid Mandala | by Tracey McNeely


    Do you like one layer cards that are easy for mailing? Today I am creating a beautiful mandala in four colours using just one mandala die. The beautiful Viva Layer A mandala is going to be the start of the show as all of the pieces are being inlaid into the card. 
    To create this card I started with the Mandala Circle Base that I die cut once with white cardstock and once with a piece of double sided adhesive paper. Using the Circle Base makes doing the inlaid mandala’s so much easier. The double sided adhesive paper die cuts were adhered the outter rim and the inner circle die cuts. The Viva Layer A die was cut once in each of five colours. Removing the adhesive baking from the circle base exposes the adhesive. Mix and match the colours and inlay the pieces.

    All of the colours together make this card very festive. To add more interest and dimension to the card the mandala was popped up with foam tape.

    A sentiment from Hooray for Everything was used to make this a congratulatory card for a new home. I have a couple more of these to finish up using the extra pieces from each of the mandalas die cut.

    One more look at the card.

    Thank you so much for dropping in today for another inspiration post. Inlaid die cuts are beautiful with our mandala craft dies, I hope I inspired you today to give it a try.

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  • Wishing You The Best | By Eloise Blue

    Wishing You The Best | By Eloise Blue

    Hi everyone, Eloise back again today with another card. Today I’ll be making a simple encouragement card using the Sparkler Butterfly Dies both A and D to create a background using some Distress Inks. I’ll also be pulling in the Wishing Sugar Script Dies as well as the Wishing You The Best Stamp Set for my sentiments today.

    To begin my card I started off with die cutting the Sparkler Butterfly D Dies from some acetate so I could it as a stencil. I then placed it over some watercolour paper and began ink blending. I’m using a yellow, pink, green and aqua colour scheme today and each of my butterflies are blended ombre using various colours of Distress Inks.

    I started off with blending a pink butterfly at the bottom, using Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry and Abandoned Coral. Then I moved the stencil to the right hand side and ink blended a yellow butterfly, for this I used Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade and for the third butterfly, I made him green and used Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn and Evergreen Bough.

    Now that my background was complete, I used the Sparkler Butterfly A Dies to cut three times from some white cardstock for the top layers. I added adhesive in the middle of the butterfly, pushed the wings up on either side and adhered them down in the centre. This way the wings aren’t adhered down fully and it gives it a nice dimensional effect. Next up, I took a piece of aqua cardstock and ink blended some Peacock Feathers onto the bottom of it. I cut the piece into a strip and added my own flag ends using scissors.

    I then die cut the word ‘Wishing‘ out of more white cardstock, added foam tape to the back and adhered it onto the banner. I then adhered the banner at an angle to the centre of my panel and then stamped the additional ‘You The Best’ from Wishing You The Best Stamp Set in black into the white area of my card.

    The video is linked down below if you would like to watch.

    Thanks so much for stopping by today, I hope you enjoyed and got inspired to make your own stencils from your dies. See you next time!

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  • Thanks So Very Much | By Eloise Blue

    Thanks So Very Much | By Eloise Blue

    Hi friends, Eloise here and today I have a teacher appreciation card to share with you all using minimal supplies. This is also a card I feel that can be reproduced very easily if you’d like to give to multiple teachers. I used the ‘An Apple A Day‘ Die Set, ‘Thanks Sugar Script‘ Dies and Make A Statement Stamp Set to create this card.

    To begin this card I started off my die cutting my apple die. I cut it from some watercolour cardstock sine I find that’s the best for blending Distress Inks. I then pulled various colours of Distress Inks out and coloured in the individual pieces of the die. I used Candied Apple, Barn Door, Festive Berries, Gathered Twigs and Fossilized Amber for my apple. Gathered Twigs for the stem and Shabby Shutters and Mowed Lawn for the leaf. Once everything was blended I set it off to the side to dry a little.

    For the base of my card, I pulled some Neenah Desert Storm cardstock out and used the Quilted Embossing Folder from We R Memory Keepers on it. Then I used some more Gathered Twigs to ink blend around the edges. I also cut this piece to 3 1/2″ wide to make sure my apple could over lap the edge.

    Next I added foam tape onto the images and adhered them overlapping the left hand side of my card panel. For my sentiment I used the ‘Thanks Sugar Script‘ Dies and cut that from white cardstock and then white heat embossed the ‘So Very Much’ sentiment from ‘Make A Statement‘ onto a thin strip of black cardstock.

    Lastly, I added foam tape onto the backs of the sentiments and adhered them into place and then I added a ‘shine’ mark to the apple using my Wink of Stella pen in Clear.

    The video is linked down below if you would like to watch.

    Thanks so much for stopping by today, I hope you enjoyed and got inspired. See you next time!

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  • Fun Fold Window Card | by Jennifer Svare

    Fun Fold Window Card | by Jennifer Svare

    Hello!  Thank you for stopping by today!  In the video below, I’ll show how I made this fun-fold window card featuring the beautiful Bali layering die set.

    Because the set allows for mix-and-match interior as well as exterior of the design, endless possibilities are available for creating unique color combinations… and window cards! The photo below shows what the card looks like when opened.

    The interior panel also opens for a space for writing.

    Such a fun, simple and unique card – I hope you give it a try!  Check out the video below for step-by-step instructions:

     

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