Category: Christmas

  • Warm Wishes | by Allison Frazier

    Warm Wishes | by Allison Frazier

    Hello, Birch Press friends! Today, I am sharing a mini slimline card featuring the new Hillside Branch and Bramble Contour Layers set. I used some cool, frosty colors for the branches to turn this into a holiday card. And while the cool colors may be in sharp contrast to the sentiment itself, I love the color palette.

    I started by choosing three different colors of blue card stock. I used the medium blue for the base of my card panel, which measures 6″ x 3.25″. I then used the main branch die (the one that has both the leaves and berries) to cut the lightest color of blue. I cut berries out of two colors of red card stock and adhered those on top of the light blue layer. I cut the top layer for that branch out of white card stock and adhered that onto the light blue layer, as well.

    Next, I played around with the arrangement of my three branches on the card panel. Once I was happy with the basic arrangement, I cut two pieces of the darkest blue card stock to match the curves in the branches. I adhered these two pieces on top of the medium blue card panel, making sure to cut off any excess that was hanging off the edges. I then used the secondary branches die from the set to cut both the medium and dark blue card stock. This gave me three branches each for each color. I glued those along the curves that I had created, making sure to glue the dark blue branches on top of the dark blue parts and the medium blue pieces onto the medium blue parts of the panel. This gives some tone on tone texture. I glued the finished branches on top of these, following the curves that I had created.

    I used the new Warm Wishes Vintage Sentiment die set, which I love. I cut both the bottom and detail layers out of red card stock and adhered those together. I then adhered a white detail layer on top. I cut one more branch out of white card stock to fill in a bit of empty space on the top left. To finish the card, I added some clear fairy jewels.

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


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  • Christmas in July with Forest Canopy and Large Cosmos | by Colleen Balija

    Christmas in July with Forest Canopy and Large Cosmos | by Colleen Balija

    Hi there! Today I’ve got a card for you that reminds me of Christmas -only in July! This wasn’t intended to be a Christmas card, but after seeing the finished product, I will definitely be creating similar cards for the holidays using these new products! I’ll be using the new Large Cosmos Contour Layers die and Forest Canopy Layering dies. As usual, I will share the product links at the end of my post!

    I chose to use shades of brown, green, and coral for this card (very similar to the card I shared in my post a couple weeks ago). Step one was to create the background. The Forest Canopy is a layering die set, which Birch Press Designs is known for creating in great detail! I die cut each of the layers using heavy white cardstock. Then I applied shades of green color, going from light to dark, by ink schmooshing to create a variegated, natural look to the leaves. This set comes with berries as well, and I inked those up in shades of coral.

    TIP: To ink schmoosh, apply the ink onto a glass media matt, spray with a bit of water, and then place the card panel directly onto the ink and “schmoosh” around over the ink to apply color to the card panel. Repeat this step until you’ve achieved the desired look that you want. If you notice in the photo below, this technique achieves more depth as opposed to basic ink blending.

    Once the inking was complete, I adhered the layers together and applied them over a card panel that was inked in shades of brown. I am in love with how earthy and beautiful the colors are coming along!

    Next I focused on the Large Cosmos Flower die. Did you know that Birch Press Designs embosses the layers on the flower so that you know exactly where to place each layer? I think that’s genius! They also emboss highlighted areas that add interest and depth to the flowers!

    I die cut each layer of the flower onto white cardstock and then ink blended the layers in shades of coral. Then I went around the edges of the flower and the stamin with gold embossing powder for added shine and interest. I adhered my layeres and placed the Cosmos Flower onto the lower left corner over the Forest Canopy leaves, and then added gold metallic splatters over the entire panel. I finished with a sentiment from the Memory Box Gracious Florals stamp and die set!

    Next time I may change up the color scheme and create a few holiday cards using these new dies! I’ll be sure to share them with you! Thanks for stopping by today!

     

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  • Holiday Rainbow Joy | by Toni M Maddox

    Holiday Rainbow Joy | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a colorful holiday card with a really cool rainbow look.

    I started the card by using the Gilded Petalpoint Hot Foil Plate & Die with Spellbinders Glimmer Rainbow Confetti Hot Foil. It was my first time using this foil which has the colors in random splotches rather than ombre rainbow style. What fantastic results!

    The inside of the Gilded Petalpoint Hot Foil Plate leaves a blank area so I cut out the center using a 3″ circle die and added a couple of layers of the Piped Icing Star done in leftover pink and Glitzy Glitter 6×6 cardstock.

    I didn’t want to waste the leftover foil from the background so covered a piece of cardstock with Scor-Tape then pressed the foil onto it. This is an alternative to using the hot method. When I ran the piece through my diecut machine with the Find Joy die, it created this amazing textured look. LOVE it.

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

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  • The Best Things | Rosemary Dennis

    The Best Things | Rosemary Dennis

    Hello everyone! Have you seen all the beautiful projects the design team has created with the February release? Absolutely amazing! With so many great products to pick from I had a hard time deciding what to create with, but knew for sure I was going to use the new Gilded Petalpoint hot foil plate. It is so beautiful and I can’t wait to try it with the matching stencils!

    I started off my card by foiling white cardstock with matte gold foil and then die cutting the panel down to fit my card front. The Gilded Petalpoint hot foil plate comes with the main plate and then a center circle plate. I foiled the panel with just the main plate so that the center would be open.

    Once I had the foiling done I had to decide which die set I was going to use and I settled on the Delicate Floral Buds Contour Layers die set. I die cut all the flowers from two shades of aqua blue cardstock and the stems and leaves from a bright lime green. To provide some interest I alternated the colors on the buds and love how they turned out. I centered the sentiment from the Classic Sentimental Wreath stamp set inside the circle and stamped it in black ink.

    Before adhering all my floral buds I decided to add some additional interest to the background by adding splatters of distress mica sprays in Fresh Balsam and Shiny Bauble. To make sure that I didn’t cover the background with too much of the mica sprays I simply added a small amount of each spray to an acrylic block, picked up the liquid with a small paint brush and then tapped it on. It worked perfectly and I love the subtle shine that the mica sprays provide.

    I arranged all the floral buds in a crescent shape around the sentiment and adhered them with liquid adhesive. To give the arrangement movement and lift I added the liquid adhesive only a portion of each stem. To finish off the arrangement I pulled out the Christmas Ornament Pop Up Easel die set and die cut the bow from matte gold cardstock from the Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad. I adhered that with liquid adhesive and then added an aqua colored fairy crystal from the Christmas Fairy Crystals pack to the center of the bow. Foam adhesive was used to adhere the panel to an off white cardstock base.

    I hope you enjoyed my project today. Have a lovely day!

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  • Make Your Patterned Paper Shine

    Make Your Patterned Paper Shine

    Hello, Birch Press friends! This card has been in my head for awhile now, and I finally made it. I love plaid for the holidays, so I really wanted to incorporate some of this beautiful paper from the Christmas Jolly paper pad.

    I started by choosing which paper from the Christmas Jolly pad to use. I knew that I wanted to angle the paper on my card base, so I found a pattern that worked perfectly for that. I made sure to carefully trim it at the top so that it was even with the angled lines in the design. I then adhered it to a white A2 card base and added a thin strip of glossy black card stock to divide it from the white space.

    Next, I die cut the layers for the Meridian Ornament. I used white card stock for Layer C, black glossy card stock for Layer B, and Gold for Layer A. I also traced the shape of the ornament onto a piece of red card stock, fussy cut that out, and adhered it to the back of the ornament so that it showed through the cutouts in the white layer. I love how the gold layer enhances and pulls your eye to the thin, shiny lines of gold foil in the plaid paper.

    For the ornament topper, I used the die from Set A of the Radiant Ornament Layer Set. For the sentiment, I used the “joy” from the Find Joy and Outline set. The words are connected in this die set, but I simply cut them apart and made the “j” into a lower case j. I used a tiny round die from my stash for the “tittle” (dot) over the j. Don’t be afraid to alter your die cuts to fit your designs!

    To finish my card, I added some flat gold discs to the centers of the red floral design in the ornament and then added black gems on top of those. I also added some gold thread through the ornament topper.

    Thank you so much for joining us today. I hope this card inspires you and brings a smile to your face!

    Wishing you a crafty day,
    Allison


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  • Glittery Snowflake Hugs | By Natasha Vacca

    Hello Birch Press friends! I am excited to be up on the blog today! For today’s card I had a lot of fun creating a glittery snowflake card to share a hug this winter! So let’s get started!

    I started with Herbarium Plate die set. I dry embossed layer A onto a piece of white card stock. I then used several shades of Distress Oxide Ink to add color to the embossed background. Once I had the colors I was looking for, I trimmed the panel a little smaller than an A2 card base. I then set this aside.

    Next I die cut the Snowy Circle die set. I started with Layer C with white card stock, then Layer B using a blue from the Stormy Blue paper pad, and for Layer A I used the Festive Glitter Pad. Once all the layers were die cut, I adhered them together with liquid glue.

    I wanted to add a bit more dimension and interest to my snowflakes, so I chose to the use the leaves from the Dainty Rose and Leaves Contour Layers die set. I love using my dies in different ways and I encourage you to look through your stash too! I die cut the leaves using a blue from the Stormy Blue paper pad. I then added a bit more texture to each leaf using inks. I applied a bit of darker blue in the nooks and crannies of each leaf using a finger dauber. Once dry, I added a silver/white embossing powder for added texture.

    Once the leaves were complete, I used my finger to shape the leaves a bit to add more dimension. Next I glued down my Herbarium Plate embossed panel to an A2 card base using liquid glue. I then added foam tape to my Snowy Circle. Before adhering down the snowflake, I determined the placement of my leaves. I then adhered the Snowy Circle and leaves to my card front using a combination of liquid glue and foam adhesive.

    To complete my card I chose a sentiment from the Sugar Script Sentiments 1 Hot Foil Plate and die set. I foiled the Sending Hugs onto a piece of white card stock. I then used the coordinating die to die cut my sentiment. I die cut 2 more outlines and adhered them together with liquid glue for added dimension. I adhered my sentiment with foam tape and liquid glue.

    Thanks so much for stopping by today! I had a lot of fun and I will be back soon!


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  • Rainbow Peace Dove | by Crystal Komara

    Rainbow Peace Dove | by Crystal Komara

    Hello crafty readers! This is Design Team member Crystal Komara here with you today sharing a slightly non-traditional Christmas card made using some ombre colors in reds and greens accented with the beautiful Adornment Dove dies.

    Card details:

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. This is my go-to cardstock for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! Using the same Neenah white cardstock, I cut the first background from Layer C of the Flora Plate dies. Next, I cut thin strips of cardstock in reds, pinks and greens. These thin strips measured 4 1/4″ x 1/4″. I adhered the strips to the Flora Layer background using Tombow adhesive. I started with the darkest color red to the lightest pink and then from the lightest green to the darkest.

    Using the Adornment Dove dies, I cut both layers from white cardstock. I adhered both layers together with a fine tip glue and adhered the entire assembled dove to the card with 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

    Lastly, I stamped the sentiment “Peace” in Versamark ink on black cardstock. This sentiment is from the Christmas Mandala stamp set. It also has a coordinating die that I used to die cut the sentiment out. After die cutting the sentiment I adhered it to the card also using 3M foam.

    I love how this card turned out, even though I had a completely different vision from when I started. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

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  • Sending Warm Wishes | by Toni  M Maddox

    Sending Warm Wishes | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a kind of card that I like to send when I think my card might be late to reach the recipient for the holidays or just for winter wishes.

    I sponged a panel with Distress Oxide Evergreen Bough and Cracked Pistachio then spattered that with water.

    While that was drying, I cut out the Felicity Snowflakes and Aurora Snowflake Layering Dies out of white then sponged with Distress Oxide Mustard Seed and Picked Raspberry.

    I love the unexpected colors for a winter/holiday card. Just yum. Notice how I didn’t stack the Aurora Snowflake layers atop each other but instead offset them for kicks.

    My final step was to emboss the Christmas Mandala sentiment in white.

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

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  • Merry Christmas | By Dilay Nacar

    Merry Christmas | By Dilay Nacar

    Hello, crafty friends! Dee here today with this Merry Christmas card showcasing the Herbarium Plate Layers!

    First, I created the background by die cutting each of the Herbarium Plate Layers (A, B, and C) and adhering them together, then onto a top-folding card base. 

    Next, I cut the Felicity Snowflakes and the Eucalyptus Stem and Berries Contour Layers in various red, blue, and silver glitter cardstock and adhered them over the top of the Herbarium Plate Layers. To finish, I added the Handwritten Merry Christmas die cut to the center using foam tape.

    I hope you enjoyed this sparkly layered Christmas card! Thank you so much for stopping by, friends!


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  • Viola Plate Gel Press Background | By Seeka

    Viola Plate Gel Press Background | By Seeka

    Hello and welcome! Seeka here and today I’m sharing a Christmas card featuring a gel press background made with the Viola Plate Layer A die. Using cover plate die cuts as gel press masks is a great way to stretch your supplies!

    I started off by die cutting the layer A die from white copy paper. Next, I played the die cut over a gel press plate and then brayered a thin layer of red acrylic paint over the die cut. I removed the die cut and let the red paint dry. Next, I brayered on a thin layer of iridescent light gold acrylic paint over the entire gel press and then placed a panel of 80# white cardstock over it. I made sure the panel made good contact with the press by rubbing over it thoroughly and then I pulled away the cardstock, pulling the paint with it. I set the piece aside to dry before trimming it down to 4.25″ x 5.5″.

    Next, I created the sentiment using the Handwritten Merry Christmas And Outline die set. I cut the detail layer from red cardstock and then cut the shadow layer from gold cardstock (great cardstock options can be found in the Berry Red 6×6 Paper Pack and the Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad 6×6 Paper Pack). I glued the two layers together and then glued the sentiment to an oval cut from the same gold cardstock. I added some green leaves cut using a small die from the Adornment Dove die set and then finished by adding red Fairy Dewdrops.

    To assemble the card, I used foam tape to adhere the sentiment oval and then glued the card front to a top-folding card base.

    Thank you so much for visiting!


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