Category: Christmas

  • 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!


    Supplies


    57458 Herbarium Plate Layer Set
    57467 Snowy Circle Layer Set
    BPF503 Sugar Script Sentiments 1 Hot Foil Plate and Die Sets
    57499 Dainty Rose and Leaves Contour Layers
    SP1006 Stormy Blue 6×6 pack
    GP1006 Festive Glitter Pad
  • 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!

    Supplies

    57479 Adornment Dove

    57437 Flora Plate Layer Set

    SP1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack

    SP1001 Berry Red 6×6 pack

  • 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!

    Supplies

    57453 Felicity Snowflakes

    57477 Aurora Snowflake Layer Set

    8161 Christmas Mandala clear stamp and die set

  • 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!


    Supplies


    SP1005 Ocean Blue 6×6 pack
    SP1006 Stormy Blue 6×6 pack
    SP1001 Berry Red 6×6 pack
    FP1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6×6 pack
    57453 Felicity Snowflakes
    57458 Herbarium Plate Layer Set
    57478 Handwritten Merry Christmas and Outline

    CLD101 Clear Fairy Drops
  • 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!


    Supplies


  • Rustic Holly Wreath | By Natasha Vacca

    Hi Birch Press Friends, it is Natasha here and I am excited to be back on the blog today. Today I am sharing a rustic inspired holiday card featuring the beautiful Holly Wreath Layering die set.

    I started by die cutting all the layers from the Holly Wreath layering die set. I die cut layer C using a gold glitter card stock from the Festive Glitter Paper pad from Memory Box. I then die cut layer B and A using the Lush Green paper pad collection from Memory Box. I used 2 different shades of green from the paper pad. Next I added a bit of distressing to both layer B and A using my oxide inks. I then adhered all the layers together using liquid glue. I then splattered my wreath using metallic gold watercolor and white acrylic paint. I set the wreath aside.

    Next I worked on my background with a piece of wood grain paper from Wood Grain White paper pack. I added a bit of distressing to the panel using oxide inks. Once this was complete, I used my distress tool to add texture to the panel edges and then added distress ink to darken the edges.

    Next I die cut a few leaves using the Adornment Dove die set. I added distress oxide inks to the leaves and then embossing powder to the leaves for added texture. I cut a few berries using the Eucalyptus Stem and Berries Contour Layers die set. I used the festive Glitter Pad and die cut the berries in red. To create the look of snow on the berries, I added a bit of embossing ink and sprinkled a white glitter powder on each berry, then heat set the powder with my heat tool.

    To complete my card I chose the Find Joy and Outline die. I die cut the sentiment 3 times and adhered it together with liquid glue. I embossed the sentiment using the same white powder as I used on the berries. I added a twine bow around the distress wood panel, tied the bow and adhered this to my card base.

    I adhered the wreath using foam tape and adhered the sentiment, berries, and leaves using liquid glue. I added a button from my stash on the bottom right corner. I had a lot of fun creating today’s rustic holiday card! The Holly Wreath layering set is truly beautiful!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, I will be back soon!


    Supplies


    gp1006 Festive Glitter Pad
    sp1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack
    57496 Eucalyptus Stem and Berries Contour Layers
    57450 Holly Wreath Plate Layer Set
    57452 Find Joy and Outline
    57479 Adornment Dove
    sh44001 White Woodgrain Paper
  • All Is Bright

    All Is Bright

    Hello, Birch Press friends! I have a pair of cards to share with you today featuring the gorgeous Crochet Snowflake Layer Set. One of the great things about using a layering die set is that you can easily and quickly make more than one card in one sitting!

    I started by cutting two card stock panels to 4″x5.25″ – one in navy blue and one in lime green. I lined up the Crochet Snowflake Layer C die in the middle of each panel to cut out the snowflake. I adhered each of the resulting panels (with the cutout in the middle) onto a white A2 card base. I then adhered the green snowflake onto the navy card panel and the navy snowflake onto the green panel, lining up each snowflake into the exact position as the cutouts in the panels. In order to enhance the look of dimension on my cards, I only glued the very center of each snowflake onto the card panel. This way, the edges of the snowflakes pop up from the background.

    For Layer B, I made a white glitter snowflake for my green card and a white foil snowflake for my navy card. I adhered only the center of these snowflakes right on top of the center of the Layer C snowflakes.

    For Layer A (the top snowflake), I used a navy glitter card stock for my navy card and a lime green mirror card stock for my green card. Again, I only adhered the center of each of these snowflakes on top of the Layer B snowflakes.

    The Layer C snowflake die creates some fun cutout designs in the card panel. You won’t see these on the actual snowflake – you’ll only see them if you end up using the panel that you cut the snowflake from. I added a mix of jewels and gemstones to the round cutouts of the design, again choosing colors that would complement my cards. I finished the cards with a heat embossed sentiment from the retired stamp set called “Joy and Peace.”

    Thank you so much for joining us today. I hope these cards inspire you and bring a smile to your face!

    Wishing you a crafty day,
    Allison


    Supplies


    57474 Crochet Snowflake Layer Set
    gp1006 Festive Glitter Pad
    fp1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6×6 pack
    sp1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack
    sp1006 Stormy Blue 6×6 pack

    Supplies


    cry102 Christmas Fairy Crystals
    gem102 Winter Fantasy Fairy Gemstones
    jwl003 Bright Jewels

  • Mistletoe Ornament | by Toni M Maddox

    Mistletoe Ornament | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a rather more traditional holiday card than my usual. Sometimes you just need to go classic and elegant!

    I started the card by cutting the Meridian Ornament out of Memory Box Berry Red and Fresh Aqua 6×6 cardstock. I also cut out the Christmas Ornament Pop Up Easel elements from this.

    Next I sponged Distress Oxide Aged Mahogany on the red cardstock and Faded Jeans on the blue to give depth and add a vintage touch. I also covered the bow in Lawn Fawn Glitter Pen (Wink of Stella would have worked well too).

    For the Tiny Tuft Flowers & Leaves and Eucalyptus Stem & Berries Contour Layers, I used Memory Box Vintage Pastel Mirror, Lush Green, and Earth Neutral 6×6 cardstocks.

    I adhered those to the card front which used a cream shimmer paper from my stash then nestled the ornament within.

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

    Supplies

    57470 Meridian Ornament Layer Set

    57455 Christmas Ornament Pop Up Easel

    57501 Tiny Tuft Flowers and Leaves Contour Layers

    57496 Eucalyptus Stem and Berries Contour Layers

    FP1002 Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad 6×6 pack

    SP1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack

    SP1009 Earth Neutral 6×6 pack

    SP1001 Berry Red 6×6 pack

    SP1004 Fresh Aqua 6×6 pack

  • Bold Holiday Color Ideas / by Colleen Balija

    Bold Holiday Color Ideas / by Colleen Balija

    Hi friends,

    What colors do you generally resort to for your holiday cards? I like to venture out and try new colors and textures for my holiday cards, so today I want to share my idea on a bold and shimmery card that is unique for the holiday!!!

    For my card I’m using Birch Press Designs Herbarium Layering Plates, Merry Christmas Sugar Script & Outline die, Crochet Snowflake layering die, Eucalyptus Stem & Berries Contour Layering die, and Memory Box Majestic Hues and Rainbow Reflections paper pads.

    First step was to choose my color combinations. You can get inspired to find new colors by searching color mood boards or google popular colors, you can take inspiration from another card maker, or just choose your own colors! Try and limit your colors to no more than 3-4.

    Once my colors were decided upon, the next step was to choose the texture I wanted to add. Texture is a great detail to add to your card and it can come in many forms! I decided on a combination of mirrored paper and glitter paper. Glitter paper has a different texture than the smooth finish of mirrored cardstock, so I thought the combination of both was perfect!

    Next, I chose the design elements for my card (stamps, dies, embellishments). For me, it’s important to choose the color and texture first, as that makes it easier for me to choose the perfect stamps and dies!

    Once I had my plan in place and everything gathered around me, I was ready to put the card together. I started with the background using the Herbarium Layering Plates. This is a GORGEOUS and detailed layering die! Each layer was die cut in black glitter, white glitter, and mirrored gold paper from the Memory Box Majestic Hues and Rainbow Reflections 6×6 paper pads. The mirrored gold was actually the 5.5×4.25 card base as well so it served a dual purpose! I set my finished background aside and worked on the focal point – the sentiment.

    I die cut the Merry Christmas Sugar Script and Outline in magenta and glitter black cardstock. Since the sentiment is the focal point, I chose a color that would stand out from the background! After I finished the sentiment, I decided that I wanted more magenta on the card to even the colors out a bit more, so I die cut the Eucalyptus Stem & Berries Contour Layers in the same 2 colors as the sentiment.

    I wanted another layer to be added between the background and the sentiment so that the sentiment would stand out from the busy background. I die cut the Crochet Snowflake layered die in shades of silver, gold and white glitter and mirrored cardstock and adhered it over the background. I stayed with the same color scheme for the snowflake with the exception of black.

    Next, I tucked the Eucalyptus Stem & Berries behind the Crochet Snowflake and then added the sentiment, which was popped up on foam tape to help it stand out even more. Every little bit helps! I finished with a few gold sequins over the berries!

    If you look at the finished card below, you can see a nice flow of color and texture! The eye is drawn right to the sentiment, and that’s what you want! You can get away with as much busyness as my card has when you limit your colors and textures!

    Next time you work on your holiday cards, no matter what the holiday you’re celebrating, search the Color Mood boards or google popular winter colors to get ideas on unique combos that you can use for your cards. You won’t regret it and your recipients will be delighted to get such a beautiful and unique holiday card from you! I’m so glad you joined me today!

    Supplies

    57471 Merry Christmas Sugar Script and Outline

    57474 Crochet Snowflake Layer Set

    57458 Herbarium Plate Layer Set

    GP1008 Majestic Hues Glitter Pad

    FP1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6×6 pack

    57496 Eucalyptus Stem and Berries Contour Layers

  • Santa Baby | by Toni M Maddox

    Santa Baby | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a simple holiday card using the BPD Adornment Santa. Isn’t he super cute?!

    I colored him up with Copic E00 and E11 and used a flocked red cardstock for his hat. Yes, I have flocked cardstock that’s been in my stash for years as I used it primarily at Christmas-time.

    I used the BPD Herbarium Plate A as an impression plate on the card base. You know I love adding texture this way–subtle but adds a lot of interest.

    I finished the card using the BPD Handwritten Merry Christmas & Outline. I was very pleased with how easy it was to line up the outline die with the stamped sentiment.

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

    Supplies

    57482 Adornment Santa

    57458 Herbarium Plate Layer Set

    57478 Handwritten Merry Christmas and Outline