Category: Craft Dies

  • Mixed Media Large Cosmos | By Natasha Vacca

    Hello Birch Press friends, it is Natasha here and I am back today sharing ideas on how to create a mixed media card using your dies! For today’s card I am using 2 new dies: Large Cosmos Contour Layers and Curved Leaf Branch Contour Layers. Let’s get started!

    I started by die cutting the Large Cosmos Contour Layers die using the Vibrant Violet paper pad from Memory Box. I chose 2 shades of card stock from the paper pad. Once the floral was die cut, I added dye inks to the floral for added dimension. I then spritzed the floral layers with water droplets and picked up the color with a paper towel. I then adhered the floral together using liquid glue. For the center of the floral I chose a gold card stock from the Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad. I adhered this to the center of the floral and set this aside.

    Next I started to die cut the Curved Leaf Branch Contour Layers die. I chose 2 shades of blue card stock from the Fresh Aqua paper pad from Memory Box. Once the leaf was die cut, I added 2 shades of dye ink to the leaf image. I added water droplets as well and picked up the color with paper towel. Once dry, I adhered the leaf layers together. I then added brown distress ink to the leaf edges for added texture.

    Once the flower and leaf image was complete, I started to work on my background. I chose a gelli print from my stash with similar colors. I then dry embossed the background using the Ringadings 3D embossing folder. I added a bit more texture to the folder using dye ink in a dark grey on some areas of of the raised circles, as well as a blue glaze, and foundry wax. I allowed everything to dry, once the background was dry I added a few splatters to the background.

    Next I added 2 pieces of pattern paper from the Magnolia Grove paper pack. I chose 2 colors to coordinate with my card design and tore the strips for a distressed look. I then adhered the card panel, strips of paper, leaf and floral to my A2 card base.

    To complete my card I chose the Big Hugs Sugar Script die. I die cut the hugs sentimnent 3 times out of black card stock. I then adhered each layer together using liquid glue. I added a bit of foam tape behind the hugs sentiment for added dimension.

    I hope today’s card inspires you to use your dies to create a mixed media style card!

    I will be back soon with more crafty inspiration!


    Supplies


    57513 Curved Leaf Branch Contour Layers
    57528 Large Cosmos Contour Layers
    57138 Big Hugs Sugar Script

    Supplies


    pp1022 Magnolia Grove 6×6 pack
    ef1015 Ringadings 3D Embossing Folder
    fp1002 Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad
    sp1004 Fresh Aqua
    sp1007 Vibrant Violet
  • Birch Tree Forest Canopy | by Allison Frazier

    Birch Tree Forest Canopy | by Allison Frazier

    Hello, Birch Press friends. Today, I am excited to share this brand new layering set called Forest Canopy! This is a set of three A2 sized layering plates, along with some individual dies that create berries. When I first saw how Layer A layers on top of Layer B, I immediately thought of the birch trees at my childhood summer camp. So, I just had to attempt to create this birch tree forest.

    I started by cutting all three layering plates out of white card stock. I then got to work on Layer B. I first cut off all of the little branches that were meant for the berries. I then took a black marker and colored the branches black. I mainly focused on the parts of the branches that would partially be covered up when Layer A went on top. Any branches that would not be covered by Layer A were left white.

    Next, I took a small blending brush and colored the leaves on Layer B with Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn Distress Ink. I wasn’t being very careful, so some of the green ink did end up on the white branches. In order to fix that, I took some white craft paint and a small paint brush, and I painted over the parts that I wanted to remain white. If I were to do it again, I would maybe not use Distress Ink. Since Distress Ink reacts with water/liquid, my white paint kept turning green. Because I had to keep dabbing white paint on, it started creating more texture on the branches. I liked the added texture, so I even added dabs of paint where I didn’t even need it.

    For Layer A, I also colored the leaves with Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn. For Layer C, I colored the leaves darker – this time using Mowed Lawn and Rustic Wilderness. I then glued the layers together. Between Layer C and Layer B, I only glued the outside frames together. Between Layer B and Layer A, I glued the outside frames, as well as any of the Layer A branches that would cover the Layer B branches. Because I love dimension, I purposely did not glue any leaves down or any of the branches that would not be covered by other layers.

    Once all of my layers were glued together, I took a thin black marker and added all of the little details to the branches to try and make them look like birch trees. Once I was finished with that, I created my background. I used light blue card stock, and then I did some loose ink blending with Broken China and Prize Ribbon Distress Oxide Ink. I then glued everything down to an A2 card base.

    For the sentiment, I chose the small Hello Sugar Script die, which I believe is now retired. I used my favorite black glossy card stock. To finish the card, I added some clear fairy drops. I hope this card puts a smile on your face and inspires you to try customizing your die cuts, as well! Thank you so much for joining us today.

    Wishing you a crafty day,
    Allison


    Supplies


    57534 Forest Canopy Layer Set
    sp1006 Stormy Blue 6×6 pack
    sh44004 Black Glossy Paper

    Supplies


    drp101 Fairy Drops
  • Rainbow Hello | by Toni M Maddox

    Rainbow Hello | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a card that’s perfect for PRIDE month or any occasion really.

    I cut out a bunch of the Jovial Blooms & Leaves Contour Layers in Copic-friendly cardstock and colored them up with a bunch of bright colors. I thought about sponging but really wanted bright.

    I adhered those to the bottom of the card front which I had cut from the Pinpoint Radial Plate. The curves of that reminded me of a rainbow. I added a few clouds and sentiment from the Rainbow Days (with dies) set with the bold Sugar Script Big Hello on top.

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

    Supplies

    57502 Jovial Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers

    57384 Pinpoint Radial Plate

    57201 Big Hello Sugar Script

    8159 Rainbow Days Lingo Notes clear stamp and die set

  • Blue Balloons | by Crystal Komara

    Blue Balloons | by Crystal Komara

    Hello crafty readers! This is Design Team member Crystal Komara here to inspire you today with a birthday card using a lot of texture from glitter paper to alcohol inks. It’s also in my favorite color – blue! And. . . it sparkles!

    The base of this A2 size card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using Plate A only from the Viola Layering Plates, I cut this background from white cardstock and adhered it directly to the card base. ( I actually cut two of these backgrounds, so that I could fussy cut some of the flowers to add to the balloons). Using Layer Plate C of the Floral Balloons I cut two balloons. The first was from silver glitter paper and the second was from a little scrap piece of an alcohol ink background that just happened to coordinate!

    I fussy cut two of the flowers from the Viola Layering Plate A and adhered them to each balloon. I adhered each balloon to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

    I die cut the sentiment using the Make a Wish Sugar Script die. I die cut the bottom layer from blue glitter cardstock and the top layer from white cardstock. I adhered the two layers together with a fine-tip liquid adhesive. Lastly, I adhered the entire sentiment to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

    I hope you like today’s card! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

    Supplies

    56128 Viola Plate Layer Set

    57434 Make a Wish Sugar Script

    57433 Floral Balloon Layer Set

    GP1007 Glitzy Glitter Pad

  • Father’s Day Card | by Allison Frazier

    Father’s Day Card | by Allison Frazier

    Hello, Birch Press friends! Today, I am sharing a Father’s Day card using the predictable plaid paper but adding in some unexpected floral elements. I admit that, when it comes to making masculine cards, I almost always reach for plaid paper. In my defense, I love plaid, too! Especially when it’s part of a plaid paper pad from Memory Box. I decided to add in some non-traditional elements to this card by adding florals and a heart. After all, men like flowers, too! My husband and his father are avid gardeners. Without him, my yard would be full of plastic plants because this girl does not have a green thumb!

    I started my card by picking out my plaid paper. This particular piece is from the Woodsy Plaid paper pad, which I don’t think is available anymore. But, Memory Box always has some great plaid pads every season, so there is plenty to choose from. I trimmed that plaid paper down to 4″ x 5.25″, and then I used one of the dies from the Banner Heart Layer Set to cut the heart out. Any of the layers would work, since you’re just cutting the outline of the heart out. I then popped this plaid panel up on foam tape and attached it to a white panel before adhering it to my dark gray card base.

    Next, I went through my stash of floral dies to find the perfect ones that would frame the heart opening. I chose the Sylvan Berries and Leaves Contour Layers set. I cut the berries out of two shades of purple card stock, and I cut the leaves/stems from two shades of green card stock. I assembled all of the pieces with liquid glue.

    For my sentiment, I cut the Love Honey Script from black glossy card stock. I cut two additional layers out of white card stock to layer behind the black one in order to give it more dimension and stability. I left enough room between the outline of the heart and the foam tape so that I could tuck the ends of the stems behind the opening. I added liquid glue in some strategic spots so that I could also have some of the leaves and berries loose and dimensional. I added small pieces of foam behind various spots of the “love” sentiment and glued the rest of it to the plaid panel. I stamped the “you, dad” subsentiment from my stash and added that to the panel, as well. The original stamp says “I love you, dad” – I just masked off the beginning of it when I stamped it.

    To finish the card, I added some clear fairy drops around the floral elements. I hope this card puts a smile on your face and inspires you to perhaps start adding florals to your masculine cards, too! Thank you so much for joining us today.

    Wishing you a crafty day,
    Allison


    Supplies


    57503 Sylvan Berries and Leaves Contour Layers
    57510 Banner Heart Layer Set
    57311 Love Honey Script
    sp1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack
    sp1008 Twilight Purple 6×6 pack
    sh44004 Black Glossy Paper

    Supplies


    cld101 Clear Fairy Drops
  • Tranquil Thank You | by Toni M Maddox

    Tranquil Thank You | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a rather tranquil thank you card. Such a calming, spa-like color palette, don’t you agree? I don’t use a lot of blues but, man, this combo is one I love.

    I started the card by cutting out the BPD Dazzle Mini Frame Layer A in a sturdy white cardstock and adhering it to a linen textured card front.

    I cut the Sylvan Berries & Leaves as well as the Jovial Blooms & Leaves Contour Layers out of Memory Box Stormy Blue 6×6 Paper and kraft cardstocks.

    For the sentiment, I used the Thank You Noted Script Hot Foil Plate & Die with Spellbinders White Glimmer Hot Foil. It’s very subtle, both in coloring and nestled amongst the leaves.

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

    Supplies

    57502 Jovial Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers

    57503 Sylvan Berries and Leaves Contour Layers

    57406 Dazzle Mini Frame Layer Set

    BPF511 Thank You Noted Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set

    sp1006 Stormy Blue 6×6 pack

  • A Colorful Celebration | By Natasha Vacca

    Hello Birch Press friends, it is Natasha here today and I am sharing a colorful celebration card using the beautiful Eloquent Butterfly layer dies! I had a lot of fun creating today’s card, so let’s get started!

    I started by cutting out each layer of the Eloquent Butterfly die set. I started with layer C using a piece of card stock from my scrap bin. Once the layer was die cut, I added a pink spray to the butterflies for added texture. Then I die cut layer B using the Memory Box Fresh Aqua paper pad. I chose an aqua shade of card stock from the pack. I added a blue and pink dye ink to each butterfly, spritzed with water, then added gold metallic watercolor splatters. I then die cut layer A using white card stock. I then added distress oxide ink, embossing powder, glaze, and foil to the top layer for added texture and interest.

    I then adhered each layer together using liquid glue. I then die cut the antennae for the butterfly using the Butterfly Basics die set. I die cut 2 antennae using the Memory Box Vintage Pastel Mirror pad. I then adhered these using liquid glue. I set my butterflies aside to create my background.

    For the background I chose a colorful gelli print from my background stash. I then ran this through my die cutting machine with the Memory Box Ringadings embossing folder. I added some gray dye ink to the folder as well to add texture to the dry embossed background. Next I trimmed the panel with my deckle edge trimmer, distressed the edges of the panel, and then added distress ink around the edges for more interest. I then adhered this panel to an A2 card base.

    To complete my card I adhered the butterflies to the card front, then chose a sentiment strip from my stash to complete my card. I had a lot of fun creating this colorful celebration! I hope you enjoyed it too! I will be back soon with more crafty inspiration!


    Supplies


    57426 Eloquent Butterfly Layer Set
    57403 Butterfly Basics

    Supplies


    EF1015 Ringadings 3D Embossing Folder
    sp1004 Fresh Aqua
    fp1002
  • Patriotic Birthday | by Toni M Maddox

    Patriotic Birthday | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a card suitable for a patriotic birthday (in the US), congratulations, retirement or even an invitation to a Memorial Day BBQ.

    This card was so easy and fun to make. Who doesn’t like spattering and shiny things?

    I started the card by cutting out the Piped Icing Star from a blue cardstock which I had embossed with a simple linen-type pattern. I then spattered the surface with Copic Opaque White (for stars or confetti).

    Next I cut out a Linear Triangle in white which I positioned so that it created a striped background for the red foil cardstock beneath to peek through.

    My final touches included adding the Let’s Party Sugar Script sentiment and a sprinkling of shiny star sequins.

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

    Supplies

    57454 Piped Icing Star

    57430 Let’s Party Sugar Script

    57393 Linear Triangle

  • Make a Wish | by Crystal Komara

    Make a Wish | by Crystal Komara

    Hello crafty readers! This is Design Team member Crystal Komara here with you today and I’m really excited to share my card with you because it’s one of my favorite color palettes! First, let’s take a look at the inspiration for today’s birthday card:

    Yes! My color inspiration came from a Pinterest photo from an architectural website. Kind of wild, right? What I liked about this photo was that these are colors I would not normally have considered ever putting together, and yet they work beautifully! Now, while I don’t want these colors in MY house (hello, neutrals girl here!) I found they worked well for a card.

    Card details:

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth. I also cut a 5 1/4″ x 4″ piece of the same white cardstock to be used as the first base layer. Using all three layers (A, B, and C) of the Floral Balloon Layer Set, I die cut four of every balloon in teal green, min green, light pink, gold glitter and magenta pink cardstock. (I really didn’t know how many balloon pieces I would need, so this gave me plenty to mix and match!) I really could have made two cards with all the pieces I had leftover.

    I then began to play around and see what colors I liked layered over each other. I also toyed around with the balloon placement on the card. There was no real method to my madness, I simply kept rearranging until I found a layout that was pleasing to my eye.

    Using the Make a Wish Sugar Script word die, I cut the thicker shadow portion from darker pink cardstock and the thinner top portion from white cardstock. I layered the two together with a fine tip liquid glue and then used 3M foam adhesive behind to sentiment to adhere it to the card with added dimension.

    I hope today’s post inspires YOU to find inspiration from the world around you! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

    Supplies

    57433 Floral Balloon Layer Set

    57434 Make a Wish Sugar Script

    GP1003 Twinkling Jewel Glitter Pad

    SP1001 Berry Red 6×6 pack

    SP1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack

  • Stretch Your Dies | by Allison Frazier

    Stretch Your Dies | by Allison Frazier

    Hello, Birch Press friends! Today, I am sharing a couple different methods that will enable you to stretch the use of your dies. You can use each method separately, or you can do what I did, and use them both on the same card. The best part is that it results in a bonus card! You can’t beat a 2 for 1 technique, right? All you need to get started is a background die. My cards feature the Flora Plate Layer Set.

    The first thing that I did was to use Plate C from the Flora Plate Layer set to emboss a piece of lavender card stock. It’s really easy to emboss your card stock with a die instead of cut it – you just need the rubber embossing mat and embossing plate for your die cutting machine. You place your card stock on top of the rubber mat and then place your die on top, cutting side down. It’s a really fun way of creating texture on your card stock.

    Embossing with a die is the first way I stretched the use of my Flora plate. The next method is just as easy. Simply cut a piece of white card stock using the die in the traditional way and then use it as a stencil! Specifically, I used it as a stencil to color the embossed panel that I created with the first method. I just put the white die cut panel on top of the lavender embossed panel and secured it with tape in a couple places so it wouldn’t move. It’s really easy to line up the die cut pattern with the embossed pattern, since they’re the exact same. I used two shades of purple to ink blend over my “stencil,” going from a lighter color in one corner to a darker color in the other corner. Once I was finished, I used a purple alcohol marker to color the center of each embossed flower on the panel. I also added a dot of white gel pen to enhance the dotted pattern around each flower

    To decorate the front of this card, I created three flowers using the Phlox Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers set and the same lavender card stock that I created my panel with. I inked up the edges of the flowers and the flower interiors with the same two colors of ink that I used to stencil the background. For my sentiment, I foiled the “You Are Loved” hot foil plate with purple foil. I added a clear fairy drop to the center of each flower.

    Instead of discarding the panel that I had used as a stencil, I used it to make a bonus card. I used my purple inks to smooth out the ink blending that I had already done when I used it as a stencil. I adhered the panel to a white card base and then hot foiled another sentiment. This time, I used the Hello Sugar Script hot foil plate and die, along with silver hot foil. Once I hot foiled the sentiment onto white card stock, I then took the foil remnant and hot foiled that using a solid hot foil plate. That is why the silver foil is on the outside, and the word itself is white. I added a sub-sentiment from my stash.

    To finish my bonus card, I added a clear fairy jewel to the center of each flower on the panel. Just to recap – the purple die cut panel on the top card in the image above was used to stencil the embossed panel on the card pictured behind it. I love how these turned out, and I hope they put a smile on your face. Thank you so much for joining us today!

    Wishing you a crafty day,
    Allison


    Supplies


    57437 Flora Plate Layer Set
    57507 Phlox Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers
    bpf509 You Are Loved Noted Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set
    bpf501 Hello Sugar Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set
    sp1007 Vibrant Violet 6×6 pack

    Supplies


    jwl001 Clear Jewels