Birch Press Design

Category: April Antonio

  • Hot Foil Thank You | by April Antonio

    Hot Foil Thank You | by April Antonio

    Hello and happy Monday! I’m excited to be back with you on the blog. Today’s project features some leafy dies, stenciling and hot foiling all in one card.

    I started this card knowing that I really wanted to do some stenciling. I grabbed three complimentary shades of blue ink in a light, medium and dark tones, along with the Gilded Petalpoint Stencil Set. I placed my stick mat in the corner of my rubber stencil mat, and put a piece of A2 cardstock on top of the mat, making sure to align it with the first layer of my stencil.

    Now this stencil has 3 layers and I started with the largest layer, inking up with my lightest color. Then I took the medium sized layer, using my medium ink color, and lastly I used the darkest blue with the smallest layer. This is how I created that nice, peacock-y looking, layered effect.

    Next I trimmed down that A2 panel until it was approximately 3 5/8 x 4 1/8. There was no rhyme or reason — I just started large and kept on trimming until I liked how the panel looked. I then adhered it to the front of an A2 white card base using foam tape.

    The next part was really fun to arrange. I took three shades of green from the Lush Green Collection cardstock pack and cut leaves from them using the leaves from the Jovial Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers set. After cutting from each color about 4 times, I glued two of the leaves together with liquid adhesive to create a bit more dimension and thickness. I then practiced arranging them on the front of the panel before gluing them down with liquid adhesive.

    For my sentiment, I wanted something that would pop since my background was a bit busy. Since I’m low on thank you cards, I decided to use the Thank you Noted Script Hot Foil and Die set to hot foil the ‘thank you’ and die cut it out. I did die cut it two more times and glued all three layers together for some more dimension. I adhered the sentiment to my card front with foam tape.

    Lastly, of course I have to add some embellishments, so I used clear Fairy Drops and sprinkled a few around the leaves.

    That is it! I really enjoyed adding a square sized block to a card front and mixing and matching up the stenciled background with some detailed die cuts. I hope this inspires you as you go into your week!

    Thank you for stopping by today and see you soon!

    Supplies

    42037 Gilded Petalpoint Stencil Set

    bpf511 Thank You Noted Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set

    57502 Jovial Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers

    Supplies

    drp101 Fairy Drops

  • Green and Gold Wishes | by April Antonio

    Green and Gold Wishes | by April Antonio

    Happy Friday! Today I’m sharing a St. Patricks’ Day inspired card using the beautiful Herbarium Plate Layer die set. Scroll down to find detailed instructions on how I pulled this card together.

    To obtain the beautiful layers of green and gold, I grabbed the Lush Green and Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6×6 cardstock packs.

    First, I took the lime green from the mirror pad, cut it to A2 size and glued it to my A2 card base. Next I cut Layers A, B, and C using the Herbarium Layer set as follows:

    Layer A – light green cardstock

    Layer B – gold mirror cardstock

    Layer C – medium green cardstock

    I glued all three layers together using liquid glue, then put small foam squares on the back. I then took the backing off the squares and placed the entire layer onto the A2 card base.

    Adding the foam squares before putting the layers onto the card base is what helped the card to have extra dimension and highlight the lime green mirror cardstock I glued in the very back.

    For my sentiment I used the Your Are Loved Hot Foil plate. I used a gold foil on 100lb Hammermill Cardstock for the sentiment. I used the coordinating die to cut out the sentiment, adding a second cutout and foam squares behind it for extra strength and dimension.

    Lastly I added a few green dots from the Christmas Fairy Crystals set.

    That’s it! I hope this green and gold project made your day and has inspired you to take some time to create this weekend.

    Supplies

    57458 Herbarium Plate Layer Set

    BPF509 You Are Loved Noted Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set

    SP1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack

    FP1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6×6 pack

    Supplies

    CRY102 Christmas Fairy Crystals

  • Blooming crocus buds | by April Antonio

    Blooming crocus buds | by April Antonio

    Happy Monday! I am happy to be back on the Birch Press blog today sharing a new project using the newly released Sprouting Crocus layering die set.

    I began this card wanting to show a beautiful row of of the crocuses, and so started by die cutting the flowers and stems multiple times from white cardstock.

    I used mini blender brushes and pigment ink in a couple of shades of purple and green to ink blend each piece. I started with the darker color towards the bottom, and then blended in the lighter color towards the top of the flower. I then assembled the flowers by gluing together the different sprouts, buds and stems.

    To be able to show the longest line of flowers I chose a slimline card design, using a white colored base. I used a cloud stencil to lightly add some clouds to the background.

    Assembly
    I assembled this card by adding one row of crocuses across the card. I then went back and added another row, filling in the blank spots to try and add some depth. I then went back a third time and filled in a few remaining spots to add even more depth.

    Pro Tip: When gluing flowers, to give them more dimension, only glue part of the flower from the bottom moving up, and leave some of the top off the page. Once dry, go back and carefully curl out the flower petals so they ‘jump off the page’ and look more lifelike.

    To create the look of ‘dirt’ I used some fake polymer clay ‘chocolate’ chunks I had on hand. They made perfect ‘dirt’ to cover the bottom of my flowers. I used liquid glue to add a layer, let it dry, then added some additional layers.

    Lastly, I stamped the happy Birthday using the Contempo Greetings clear stamp set and added a few purple jewels from the Bright Jewels pack.

    Supplies

    57523 Sprouting Crocus Contour Layers

    CL8160 Contempo Greetings clear stamp set

    Supplies

    jwl003 Bright Jewels

  • Valentine Hugs | By April Antonio

    Valentine Hugs | By April Antonio

    Happy Saturday! With January almost over, and Valentine’s Day cards lining the grocery store aisles, I thought I would be a great time to create a Valentine themed card.

    I started with the new Banner Heart Layer set. It has three layers – A,B,C to it, with each layer slightly more open than the last. I used the following cardstocks for each layer:

    Layer A – Red foil from the Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad

    Layer B – Silver foil from the Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad

    Layer C – Glitter Red from the Festive Glitter Pad

    Once I had each layer cut, I glued them together using liquid glue, and added foam dots to the very back.

    Next, I cut my background piece using the Pinpoint Contour plate die. I also cut a few eucalyptus pieces using the stem from the Eucalyptus Stem & Berries. I cut it from white cardstock and the red foil I used for the heart.

    I then grabbed the Hugs Honey Script die and cut the word from white cardstock three times, and glued those layers together. I then cut the shadow from black cardstock.

    Assembly

    I glued my background Pinpoint Contour sheet to an A2 card base. I then arranged the eucalyptus leaves in the lower right corner of the card and glued the bottom halves down with liquid glue.

    I then placed the layered heart on top of the leaves — recall I had this popped up with foam dots. To that I added the layered hugs die cut which I also popped up with foam tape.

    The embellishments are from the Fairy Drops and Christmas Fairy Crystals set.

    That is it! A clean and very simple card to pull together. The ‘hugs’ sentiment could easily be replaced with ‘love’, ‘thanks’, or some other sentiment to fit the card need.

    I hope you have a great rest of your day!

    Supplies

    57510 Banner Heart Layer Set

    57300 Hugs Honey Script

    57496 Eucalyptus Stem and Berries Contour Layers

    GP1006 Festive Glitter Pad

    FP1002 Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad 6×6 pack

    FP1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6×6 pack

    Supplies

    DRP101 Fairy Drops

    CRY102 Christmas Fairy Crystals

  • Star Flower Thanks | by April Antonio

    Star Flower Thanks | by April Antonio

    Happy Friday Birch Press friends, and Happy New Year!

    It’s a new year so I figures it’s time to try some new things. Anyone struggle with a certain color? Have a complicated relationship with it? Well, that’s me and the color purple..no not the movie at all, the actual color. Me and purple just never seem to connect —- so, I decided to try it for today’s project.

    I grabbed the new Pinpoint Contour cover plate which I am personally in love with, and cut it out three times: twice from heavy weight cardstock, and once from the creamy purple found in the Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad. (Flashes of Prince are dancing in my head!).

    As a lot of us in this post-holiday season, I have a lot of thank you cards to send to friends and family, so I thought I could make two cards today from one cover sheet. I took the coversheet I cut from the purple cardstock and chose a point about 3/4 down the sheet and cut right along one of the pinpoint perforations — which helped it cut very easily.

    I then lined these two halves up on top of my white cover sheets to exactly the spot where I had cut it. You’ll notice on one panel I have the purple at the top, and the other it’s on the bottom.

    Next, I saved some time by cutting the all of my flowers using the Star Flowers die from white cardstock, and assembled the flowers, making sure to leave the center (or the stamen) piece untouched for later.

    I also need a title and I really like using the chunky, Thanks Honey Script word and shadow die set. I cut this from white cardstock a few times, and then once from the creamy purple and once from the shiny, metallic purple that is in the same mirror pad.

    For my assembly, I placed the ‘thanks’ along the seam where the white and purple met, and arranged my flowers around this section. Lastly, I can’t resist some level of bling, so I used the Autumn Fairy Crystals to add centers to each flower.

    Thank you for joining me today! I hope you enjoyed this exercise in color exploration with me and that you are encouraged to carve some time from your weekend to get crafty!

    Supplies

    57511 Pinpoint Contour Plate

    FP1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6×6 pack

    57302 Thanks Honey Script

    57505 Star Flowers Contour Layers

    Supplies

    CRY101 Autumn Fairy Crystals

  • Stenciled Gilded Grace by April Antonio

    Stenciled Gilded Grace by April Antonio

    Happy Thursday! Today I am sharing a project using the beautiful, Gilded Grace Inside stencil set using some beautiful warm, Fall colors. I’ve been on a stenciling kick lately and am really excited about this stencil set.

    To start this card I used the Herbarium Plate Layer A die with an embossing mat to dry emboss it onto the a piece of A2 white cardstock.

    Next, I took a piece of white cardstock along with a stencil mat (I like the Waffle Flower one) and put the most open, top stencil layer from the Gilded Grace Inside Stencil set and secured the edges with tape. I used my lightest color ink to fill in the stencil with my blending brushes.

    Next, I took the middle stencil and used my medium ink, and then used my darkest ink with the last stencil (the one that is the least open).

    I then used a larger stencil die and cut out the stenciled circle.

    I am also fairly new hot foiling and am loving it! I used the Hot Foil Sugar Script Sentiments 1 and hot foil the ‘just a note’ sentiment with gold foil on white cardstock.

    I adhered the stenciled circle to my embossed card front, and the sentiment on top of that.

    If you have not tried some of the Fairy Crystals I would highly recommend using them! I used some sparkle brown crystals from the Autumn Fairy Crystals set at set places around the circle.

    That is it! I hope this project has inspired you to go and have fun creating!

    Supplies

    57458 Herbarium Plate Layer Set

    42036 Gilded Grace Inside Stencil Set

    bpf503 Sugar Script Sentiments 1 Hot Foil Plate and Die Sets

    Supplies

    cry101 Autumn Fairy Crystals

  • Finding Joy | By April Antonio

    Finding Joy | By April Antonio

    Happy Saturday Birch Press family! Today I’m leaning far into pre-Christmas card prep and sharing a project using some supplies from the newest release.

    I’m fairly new to hot foiling and have definitely caught the foiling bug. I started this card by hot foiling the Gilded Grace hot foil set — both the cover plate and the insert circle, with Silver foil. I like to use the Spellbinders Silver or Gemini Aurora foil colors for silver. I trimmed the cover plate hot foil sheet down to slightly smaller than an A2 sized card, and then cut out the circle using the coordinating circle die.

    Next I used heavy weight white cardstock to die cut the Adornment Dove. I die cut both the outline and the solid piece. But before cutting out the outline piece, since it is so thin, I covered the cardstock with a double sided adhesive sheet.

    I also cut out the green sprig that came with the Adornment Dove set, using the Lush Green paper pad set.

    For the sentiment, I used the Find Joy die set that comes with the phrase ‘find joy’ and shadow. One thing that is really nice is that all of the words are connected to create only once piece. I cut this out twice and glued them together with liquid glue. I cut the shadow from vellum, and layered it behind the words.

    Lastly, I assembled everything together. I used a white A2 card base, put the background on first, adhered the hot foil circle with foam tape, glued the dove and green sprig on top and adhered the ‘find joy’ with small foam strips.

    Usually at this point I will add some sort of sparkle, but the hot foil background is so decadent this card didn’t need anything else!

    Keep on coming back to see more amazing projects by my fellow design team members, and have a great weekend.

    Supplies

    57479 Adornment Dove

    57452 Find Joy and Outline

    bpf512 Gilded Grace Hot Foil Plate and Die Set

    sp1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack

  • Swirling Waves of Thanks | by April Antonio

    Swirling Waves of Thanks | by April Antonio

    Hello and happy Wednesday! Welcome back to the Birch Press Design blog — April here bringing you some waves of crafty goodness with a new project.

    Today’s project features the new Curling Waves stencils, embossing folder and matching die set.

    I started today’s project by really wanting to use the new Curling Waves stencils. This was my first time using the stencils and I was intrigued by the two-tone look that could be achieved by using both together. The set comes with two stencils; one has larger waves, and the other smaller waves that fit right on top to give that 3-D wave effect.

    I aligned the first stencil with the larger waves over an A2 sized piece of white cardstock and ink blended using a light blue ink. Next I aligned the stencil with the smaller waves right on top, making sure to line up the waves, and ink blended using a dark teal color ink.

    The next important step I did involved the embossing folder. The stencil design actually matches up to the embossing folder exactly. I took the A2 sized piece of cardstock, carefully aligned it with the embossing folder waves, and used a piece of painter’s tape to keep it in place. Then I ran it through my die cut machine.

    Since this is a 3-D embossing folder, and is thicker than regular embossing folders, I used two plastic shims instead of two cutting plates to run this through. I am using Gemini die cut machine, and it worked beautifully.

    Next, I took a piece of teal colored metallic paper from the Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad and also ran that through my die cut machine with the Curling Waves embossing folder — the results? Wow!

    Now I have two A2 panels with the waves on them. I took the metallic A2 panel and used my paper trimmer to cut it at an angle starting at the bottom left edge. I took one of those pieces and cut a about 1.5″ off from the top.

    Now I had to metallic pieces with the exact same embossed pattern as my white A2 panel that I stenciled on. Using liquid glue, I lined up the metallic pieces in the top left and bottom right corners of the white panel, make sure to line up the curling waves embossed pattern so it would appear to continue on as one seamless pattern.

    Next, I took a piece of light blue metallic cardstock from the same Vintage Pastel cardstock pack and used the matching Curling Waves die cuts to cut out the individual waves. I glued these to the front of the card using liquid glue.

    Next, I adhered the entire panel to an A2 card base and used the ‘thank you’ from the Kind Hearts stamp set to heat emboss the sentiment to the middle portion of the card. In hindsight, I should have stamped the sentiment before dry embossing the white panel, but it worked out okay.

    My final touches were to add some gemstones from the Winter Fantasy Fairy set to the center of the curls.

    This card took a little bit more time, but it turned out great. I’m especially excited about using these new Birch Press 3-D embossing folders. I hope this has inspired you to get out there and craft. Have a great day!

    Supplies

    88624 Curling Waves Stencil

    EF1032 Curling Waves 3D Embossing Folder and Matching Dies

    GEM102 Winter Fantasy Fairy Gemstones

    Supplies

    CL8163 Kind Hearts clear stamp set

    FP1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6×6 pack

    fp1002 Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad 6×6 pack

  • Summer Florals | by April Antonio

    Summer Florals | by April Antonio

    Hello and happy Saturday! Welcome back to the Birch Press Design blog. April here sharing a new card project. I am really excited about today’s post because I have been struggling with incorporating more color when I use the layering dies and finally made a card that I feel matches what I saw in my head.

    Today’s card started with some inspiration from a color palette I found online that I really liked. I like to save color palettes I like to a folder on my phone, and then look them up when I need some crafting inspiration.

    The photo above is the color palette that I found. I just love the teal and pinks. Now, it’s not an exact match, but close enough for me.

    I started by pulling the Flora Plate Layer die set, and choosing three of the above colors that I thought would layer well together.

    From what I know about color (which isn’t much!) I thought the lighter colors would be best on top, and the darker colors on the bottom.

    So I purposely cut the top layer from the light blue, the bottom layer from the darker teal, and added the fuschia color in the middle of the sandwich to break up the blue colors.

    Next, I grabbed that same teal color from the bottom layer and decided I wanted to highlight it on top by using it with the Big Thanks Sugar Script. I cut the ‘thanks’ in the teal and the shadow from white in order to anchor the thanks better to the page.

    Lastly, I grabbed my Christmas Fairy Jewels pack and placed some of the teal jewels across the top and bottom rows of the card.

    That is the finished card! I really love the pierced details on this top layer, and how dynamic the fuchsia color looks as it peeks from behind the layers.

    Supplies

    57437 Flora Plate Layer Set

    57142 Big Thanks Sugar Script

    Supplies

    jwl005 Christmas Fairy Jewels

  • Golden Thanks and Soothing Florals | by April Antonio

    Golden Thanks and Soothing Florals | by April Antonio

    Welcome back to the Birch Press Design blog! April here sharing a slimline card project using the Tropical Hibiscus Contour Layers die set and the new Thanks Sugar Script hot foil plate and die set.

    I started this card off with a piece of the white woodgrain cardstock by cutting it to be slightly smaller than a 4″ x 9″ slimline card base. I love the white woodgrain cardstock because it adds some subtle texture to the design.

    Next, I used some really pretty blues from the Ocean Blue cardstock collection to cut the flower layers multiple times and colors from the Lush Green collection to cut the leaf bases out. For some reason I was compelled to cut the top part of the leaves and the flower stamen from white cardstock and ink blend them orange and green — I think I was just in the mood to ink blend!

    Next, I assembled each flower and leaf using the layers I cut out and the instructions that accompanied the die set. Then I arranged them on the card front making sure to leave space for the hot foil thanks that was foiled onto white cardstock. The hot foil is so pretty and the photos just don’t do it justice!

    Once everything was in the a place I felt comfortable with, I folded the ends of the flowers up so they curved a bit. Then I glued the flowers and leaves down using liquid glue. I made sure with the flowers to only glue the center, leaving space for the curved corners to add some dimension to the card.

    I adhered the thanks with some thin pieces of foam tape, and added a few clear dots around the card to be the ‘water droplets’.

    I really like this new Tropical Hibiscus die set, and how easily I could layer the pieces together. Also, whether you are using multiple cardstock colors, or just ink blending white pieces, the results will look beautiful.

    I hope this post has inspired you to go play with your supplies and check out all the wonderful layering dies that Birch Press has to offer.

    Supplies

    57486 Tropical Hibiscus Contour Layers

    bpf515 Thanks Sugar Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set

    sp1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack

    sp1005 Ocean Blue 6×6 pack

    sh44001 White Woodgrain Paper