Category: Christmas

  • Merry Christmas Wreath | by Colleen Balija

    Merry Christmas Wreath | by Colleen Balija

    Hi there friends! I’m back this month sharing another holiday card using the new Splendid Poinsettia Contour Layers! This is a lovely poinsettia that you’ll want in your stash for your holiday cards! You could say I’m getting a head start on my holiday cards! I’ll also be using Memory Box Glad Tidings Stamp and Fairy Crystals, and Memory Box RingaDings embossing folder! All of the links to supplies I’ve used will be shared at the end of my post!

    I started with a colorful background, choosing a pre-made colored card panel, and embossing over it using RingaDings embossing folder. This is a favorite embossing folder of mine! Then I applied dark blue ink over the raised areas on the card panel to add depth and interest, trimmed it down, and set it aside. Below you can see a good visual of that bold and busy background!

    TIMESAVER TIP: I like to take a craft day and just create background card panels with different ink medias such as acrylic paint, distress oxides or sprays, or dye inks. That way I can just grab a background panel when I need it and just add more details to coordinate with my focal point!

    Next, I focused on the lovely poinsettia and leaves! The Poinsettia has a few layers, so I die cut each layer onto heavy white cardstock (or you could use watercolor paper) and then sprayed the layers with shades of red. The bottom layers are darker than the top layers (I find that doing this adds more depth). I also splattered the same dark blue ink from the background over the poinsettia to bring the blue from the background to the foreground. I repeated this process for the leaves, only in shades of teal. Then I adhered the layers together. I placed the poinsettia in the upper 3rd of the card panel and tucked the leaves in behind it. Then I splattered the entire panel with gold ink. You can see a close up of all those glorious details in that beautiful poinsettia! Birch Press Designs does an amazing job with the details in their dies!

    When the splatters were dried, I adhered the card panel to a 5.5×4.25 white card base and then finished with a red Fairy Crystal on the poinsettia and the sentiment Merry Christmas from Glad Tidings stamp by Memory Box. This card was so easy to put together!

    I’m so glad you joined me today, and I hope that you’re getting some great ideas for your holiday cards!

    Supplies

    57517 Splendid Poinsettia Contour Layers

    CL8164 Glad Tidings clear stamp set

    EF1015 Ringadings3D Embossing Folder

    JWL005 Christmas Fairy Jewels

  • A Card and a Tag | by Rosemary Dennis

    A Card and a Tag | by Rosemary Dennis

    Hello friends! Hope everyone here in the United States had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends! Christmas will soon be upon us and I am here for it. I love Christmas! As my blog title indicates, I am sharing a card and a tag. Let’s have a look.

    You can just see the tag tucked down in the right corner of this photo. When I originally started my card I wasn’t going to make a tag, but decided to create one with the center pieces that were left over when I die cut the Tranquility Layer dies for my wreath.

    I wanted a wreath to layer the Forest Leaf and Berries Contour Layers die cuts on, but thought it would be fun to use something other than one of the stem and berry die sets. I settled on the Tranquility set because the center piece is separate from the outer more wreath like piece. My color scheme came from the patterned paper that I pulled from the Memory Box Jolly Christmas 6×6 pad. I die cut the plaid piece with a rectangle die and adhered it to the card front. The wreath was die cut from burgundy, dark green and gold metallic cardstocks and adhered together with liquid glue. I used the dark green and the burgundy to die cut the leaves and berries for the little swag I added to the wreath. Some distress collage medium was added to parts of the leaves and berries and then I added distress rock candy glitter. Everything was set aside to dry.

    Initially I hadn’t intended to use the center pieces that resulted when I die cut the Tranquility layers, but decided I couldn’t let them go to waste. I created my little tag using a small arched rectangle die and cut the same plaid paper. I also die cut a piece of the burgundy cardstock with the same die and then adhered it to the back of the patterned paper one with liquid glue. A whole was die cut in the top to add the ribbon and gold twine. I used the Holiday Hugs Vintage die set to die cut the sentiment from the patterned paper and gold metallic cardstock. They were adhered together and attached to the tag along with the center medallion. I finished with a red fairy jewel to the center of the medallion and the dark green ribbon/twine combo.

    For the card I die cut the Merry Christmas Vintage die set from the patterned paper and gold metallic cardstock and layered them together with liquid glue. All the other pieces were dry so it was time to layer everything on the card front. Everything was adhered in place with liquid glue. Because of where I placed the sentiment I did have to use some small foam squares on the back of the sentiment so everything would be the same height. Before adding the sentiment I did create a bow from the gold twine and adhered that with a dot a glue.

    I hope you enjoyed today’s projects and that I gave you some inspiration to use your Birch Press Design Layering dies in a new or different way. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

    Supplies

    57538 Merry Christmas Vintage Sentiment

    57540 Holiday Hugs Vintage Sentiment

    57514 Forest Leaf and Berries Contour Layers

    57412 Tranquility Layer Set

  • Just Add Sparkle | by Crystal Komara

    Just Add Sparkle | by Crystal Komara

    Hello friends and happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with family, great friends and good food. This is design team member Crystal Komara here today. Now, I kind of a have a personal “No Christmas” policy until December 1 (I know, I know, feel free to snark!) so I have a snow themed card to share with you instead.

    Background details:

    Now, I’ll be completely honest, I took a gelli plate class recently and I created this background at the gelli plate class, so I can only describe how it was made in non-technical terms since I am no expert on gelli plates. In fact, I’m still terrified of them!

    Essentially I spread a magenta paint on the gelli plate and then took a skewer (or toothpick) and dragged it through (creating various lines) and created a bunch of scribble lines. I peeled it off the gelli plate and let it dry. That one was a simple one!

    Using the Frosty Flake snowflake dies, I die cut all three layers (A, B and C) from white cardstock. I adhered all three layers together with a fine tip liquid glue. Then I adhered the snowflake directly to the dried gelli plate background.

    Once the snowflake was adhered to the card I added clear rhinestones to point of the snowflakes for added sparkle. Next, I stamped the sentiment “just add sparkle” from the Contempo Christmas Greetings stamp set in Versamark ink on black cardstock. I heat embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder and then I used the coordinating die to die cut the sentiment out. I adhered the sentiment to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

    Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

    Supplies

    57388 Frosty Flake Layer Set

    8162 Contempo Christmas Greetings clear stamp and die set

  • Peace On Earth | by Allison Frazier

    Peace On Earth | by Allison Frazier

    Hello, Birch Press friends! Today, I am sharing this elegant card featuring the Revello Ornament Layer Set. This ornament would look beautiful in any color combination. I chose to go a little less traditional with my purple color scheme, and I love how it turned out.

    My initial inspiration for this card came from the new Poinsettia Garland paper pad. I chose a sheet with a foiled pattern, and I knew I wanted something shiny and beautiful to go on top. The paper is a unique color – it’s almost like a muddy gray. I cut it down to 4.25″ x 5.5″ and inked up the edges with Pumice Stone and Vintage Photo Distress Inks. The foil on the paper resists the ink. All I had to do was wipe the excess ink off of the foil with a dry cloth. I then glued this panel to an A2 card base.

    I cut Layers B and C of the Revello Ornament from two shades of purple card stock. I cut Layer A from gold card stock, and then I glued those three layers together. I wanted a solid back for my ornament, so I took one of the dies and traced it onto cream colored card stock. After fussy cutting that out, I glued it to the back of the ornament. I then glued the ornament onto the card panel.

    I chose a sentiment from the Christmas Ornament and Labels stamp set and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. I have the matching die set for these stamps, so I used the die to cut it out. I then glued that at an angle on top of the ornament. I used the ornament topper die from the Radiant Ornament Layer Set and cut that from the same gold card stock as my ornament. Before adding this on top of the ornament, I tied some ribbon and gold thread through it.

    I hope this card puts a smile on your face and inspires you to try some unique color combinations for your holiday cards. Thank you so much for joining us today.


    Supplies


    57464 Revello Ornament Layer Set
    cl8154 Christmas Ornament and Labels clear stamp set
    56081 Radiant Ornament Layer Set
    sp1008 Twilight Purple 6×6 pack

    Supplies


    pp1024 Poinsettia Garland 6×6 pack
  • Holiday Hugs | by Colleen Balija

    Holiday Hugs | by Colleen Balija

    Hi friends,

    With the holidays upon us, I wanted to share a festive card using the new Holiday Hugs die and Adornment Wreath die! This layered wreath can be used all year long just by changing up the colors and foliage!!! I will also be using Memory Box RingaDings embossing folder, Jolly Holly Contour Die, and Memory Box paper. All supply links for this card will be listed at the bottom of my post!

    First step was to prep my dies, so I die cut the 2 layers of the Adornment Wreath onto white cardstock along with the Jolly Holly Contour die (leaves and berries). Then I ink blended the wreath in 2 shades of brown, the leaves in 2 shades of teal, and the berries in 2 shades of red. I use 2 shades of color to bring the designs to life! Then I adhered the layers together and splattered gold ink over all of it. The gold ink adds a classy touch of glimmer! Below is a close up of the finished wreath and foliage!

    Once my focal point was completed, it was time to focus on the background. Starting with a pre-colored piece of cardstock in shades of teal and green, I embossed over it with RingaDings embossing folder and applied gold ink over the raised edges. The gold in the background helps the gold on the focal point to pop! I love the distressed look of teh background! The picture below is a good visual of it!

    TIP: Although I die cut everything in white and then added color, you could easily do the opposite by applying color to a card panel and then die cutting 2nd!

    Last step was to adhere the focal point centered over the background, placing a few of the leaves onto foam tape for added dimension. I added Memory Box red sequins over the berries for added shine! The Holiday Hugs sentiment was die cut using Memory Box’s gold and red mirrored cardstock and then placed onto foam tape in the middle of the wreath!

    I’m so glad you joined me today! Below is the full supply list!

    Supplies

    57540 Holiday Hugs Vintage Sentiment

    57512 Jolly Holly Contour Layers

    57485 Adornment Wreath

    FP1002 Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad

    FP1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad

    EF1015 Ringadings 3D Embossing Folder

  • Jingle Bell Poinsettia | by Rosemary Dennis

    Jingle Bell Poinsettia | by Rosemary Dennis

    Hello, friends! Rosemary here on the blog today sharing a Christmas card I created using the new Splendid Poinsettia Contour Layers die set. I love poinsettias both real and paper crafted varieties! One of my favorite varieties of poinsettia is the one my local nursery calls “Jingle Bell”. The bright red leaves of this variety are splashed with white. Sometimes you get lots of white on the leaves and sometimes a little less. In case you are wondering why I am referring to them as leaves it is because that is in fact what they are… leaves or the more correct term bracts. The actual flowers on the poinsettia are very tiny and yellow. For my yellow “flowers” I used yellow Fairy Jewels.

    I die cut all the pieces from smooth bristol cardstock and then ink blended the red leaves with Lumberjack Plaid and Aged Mahogany distress oxides and the green leaves with Pine Needles distress oxide. I went with a heavier hand when applying the Pine Needles to the bottom layer of the leaf and a lighter hand for the top to get the variation I wanted.

    I let the red pieces dry for a little bit and then I placed them in my splatter box and splattered them with white gouache that I watered down a little bit. I think I should have used white acrylic paint because my white splatters turned a little pink, but that is okay as it still provides the look I was going for.

    Once everything was dry I adhered all the pieces together using liquid adhesive. I did not glue the pieces together completely, but only at the base of each leaf so I could get a bit of extra dimension. Liquid adhesive was used to adhere all the layers together, as well. When the adhesive was set I used my fingers to give all the leaves a slight curve for even more dimension. Now it was time to create a background. I looked through my layering dies as I had thought I would use one for my background, but then I saw the Pinpoint Snowflake die set and thought that using the die portion that embosses the pinpoint snowflake would be perfect.

    I die cut a piece of white cardstock with a Memory Box rectangle die and then placed the pinpoint snowflake on the left handside and ran it through my die cutting machine. I was going to stop there, but decided to add the snowflake in other areas. Before doing that I did stop to stamp the sentiment from the Glad Tiding stamp set on the white panel with black ink. I then added the additional embossing. I adhered the poinsettia to the panel, added the three fairy jewels and adhered the panel to my white card base with double sided tape.

    I hope you enjoyed today’s card and learned a little something about poinsettias. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

    Supplies

    57385 Pinpoint Snowflake

    57517 Splendid Poinsettia Contour Layers

    cl8164 Glad Tidings clear stamp set

  • Smooshed Ornament | by Toni M Maddox

    Smooshed Ornament | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today with a holiday card featuring the Revello Ornament Layering Dies. I’m a huge fan of Birch Press ornament dies and was thrilled to work with this one.

    This set is the 3 layering dies only. If you want a solid base for the ornament you can pair it with the Ornament Basics die set like I did or fussy cut one for yourself. Ornament hangers are also included or you can find a fancy scored one in the Radiant Ornament set.

    The ink-smooshed panel was made using Distress Oxide Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Cracked Pistaschio, and Peacock Feathers. I used two of the three layers (A and C) so that more of my smooshed panel would show.

    I used a glitter cardstock from my stash for the bottom layer of the ornament as well as for the Merry Christmas letters. I then adhered the lot onto Epiphany Layer A mounted on the card base.

    I hope you enjoyed today’s card and have a great rest of your week!

    Supplies

    57464 Revello Ornament Layer Set

    57314 Ornament Basics

    56081 Radiant Ornament Layer Set

    57538 Merry Christmas Vintage Sentiment

    56098 Epiphany Plate Layer Set

  • Warmest Wishes | By Natasha Vacca

    Warmest Wishes | By Natasha Vacca

    Hello Crafty Friends, I am excited to be back up on the blog today to share a vintage feel holiday card with you! For today’s card I am using 2 of the latest dies: Jolly Holly Contour Layers and Revello Ornament. Let’s get started!

    I started by die cutting the Revello Ornament using white card stock. I die cut each layer (A, B, and C), then adhered them together with liquid glue. Next I die cut the Jolly Holly Contour Layers using the Memory Box paper pads: Lush Green and Berry Red.

    Once the leaves and the berries were die cut, I added distress oxide inks to each layer. I used several colors for each, then added water droplets to the leaves and picked up some color using a paper towel. Once all the layers were dry, I adhered them together with liquid glue and set them aside to dry. I also die cut the bow and ornament topper from the Christmas Ornament Pop Up Easel die set. I heat embossed the bow using a weathered gold embossing powder.

    Next I started to work on my background using a piece of Wood Grain Paper in the color Cream. I used distress oxides to create a vintage inspired background. Once I was done inking the background I used my deckle trimmer to cut down the panel. I then distressed the edges using my distress tool and distress ink.

    I completed the card by adhering the wood grain panel onto an A2 card base. I then adhered the leaves, berries, ornament, bow and topper using a combination of liquid glue and foam tape. I also added a piece of gold twine for the ornament. I completed the card using a sentiment from the Glad Tidings stamp set.

    I had a lot of fun creating today’s card and I hope you enjoyed it! I’ll be back soon!


    Supplies


    57512 Jolly Holly Contour Layers
    57464 Revello Ornament Layer Set
    57455 Christmas Ornament Pop Up Easel
    CL8164 Glad Tidings clear stamp set

    Supplies


    sp1003 Lush Green
    sp1001 Berry Red
    SH44002 Cream Woodgrain Paper Pack
  • Merry Christmas | By Sandhya Iyer

    Merry Christmas | By Sandhya Iyer

    Hello, my dear friends! Welcome back to another card post from me, Sandhya. For today’s card, I used the Aurora Snowflake Layering die set and the Merry Christmas Sugar Script die. I used some shimmery sprays to add to the magical appeal of my holiday card.

    I started by die-cutting all three layers of the Aurora Snowflake dies out of watercolor paper. Next, I picked out Bachelor Button Blue and Galactic Teal Starburst sprays from. Lindy’s Gang. I placed the Snowflake Layer B and a larger piece of watercolor cardstock on my craft mat and sprayed away. The trick to getting interesting layers is to alternate colors and dry the layers between spraying.

    I then trimmed the watercolor piece into a card panel measuring 3.75″x5″. Next, I die-cut the Merry Christmas work out of the remaining inked panel. For the outline, I used watercolor cardstock.

    Next, I adhered the 3 snowflake layers together and adhered it to the inked panel. I added the sentiment below that with some foam tape. I also added a few gems to the snowflake for more bling.

    Finally, I attached the completed panel to an A2 card base. I made the card base also with watercolor cardstock so it matches the white and texture on the sentiment outline. While it is hard to see the shimmer in the pictures, this card is a lot more shiny and attractive in real life.

    This brings us to the end of today’s post. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope to be back soon with more new card ideas.

    Supplies:

    57471 Merry Christmas Sugar Script and Outline
    57477 Aurora Snowflake Layer Set
  • Holiday Hugs | by Allison Frazier

    Holiday Hugs | by Allison Frazier

    Hello, Birch Press friends! Today, I am sharing this beautiful holiday card featuring the new Splendid Poinsettia Contour Layers Set. This set makes such a unique poinsettia, and I knew that I wanted to make a green one to make it even more unique.

    I started my card by embossing a light blue piece of card stock with the Gracious Floral 3D Embossing Folder. I then took a brayer and some blue ink and ran the brayer over the embossed, raised edges of the floral design. I took the same ink and blended around the edges of my panel. I finished the panel by inking up the corners in an even darker blue ink.

    There are two dies in the Splendid Poinsettia Contour Layers Set. I used one to cut some light green card stock, and the other one (which cuts the bottom pieces) to cut a darker shade of green card stock. I glued the lighter pieces on top of the darker pieces, and then I took a blending tool and inked up the edges with green ink. This just gives the edges a little bit of definition when layering. For the leaves, I only used the bottom pieces, and I ink blended those with a dark green ink. I glued the poinsettia layers onto my panel, right where the large flower is in the Gracious Floral design, making sure to only glue the center. I then tucked the leaves underneath. I also tucked some berries in the design – these come from Layer A of the Forest Canopy Layer Set.

    Before adding a sentiment, I splattered everything with some white acrylic paint. Once that was dry, I could add my sentiment and finish the card. I chose the new Holiday Hugs Vintage Sentiment. I cut the shadow from white card stock and the detail layer from red card stock. For a final touch, I scattered some clear Fairy Drops around the design.

    I hope this card puts a smile on your face and inspires you. Thank you so much for joining us today.


    Supplies


    57517 Splendid Poinsettia Contour Layers
    57540 Holiday Hugs Vintage Sentiment
    57534 Forest Canopy Layer Set
    sp1006 Stormy Blue 6×6 pack
    sp1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack
    sp1001 Berry Red 6×6 pack

    Supplies


    ef1026 Gracious Floral 3D Embossing Folder and Die
    drp101 Fairy Drops