Category: Flowers

  • A Springtime Thank you | By Natasha Vacca

    Hello Birch Press Friends, it is Natasha here and I am excited to be back on the blog today! Today’s card features 2 of the new die sets in the latest release from Birch Press Designs. I am using the beautiful Sprouting Crocus Contour Layers die set and the Thank you Noted Script hot foil plate and die set. So let’s get started!

    I started today’s card by creating 2 backgrounds using sprays. One panel was made using shades of purple and the other panel was created using green spray inks. Once the panels were complete and dry, I die cut the Sprouting Crocus Contour Layers die set using both panels. The flowers in purple and the stems in green.

    Next I added a bit more ink to each layer of the blooms and the leaves. On the flowers I used purple and pink ink. On the leaves I used green and brown. I applied the inks using a sponge dauber. Next I adhered the Crocus flower layers together using liquid glue. I then set these aside.

    Next I chose a background from my stash. I ran the background through my die cutting machine with the Memory Box Ringadings 3D embossing folder. After one pass I removed the panel and added Distress Oxide in the shade Aged Mahogany to the raised areas of the folder. I added the ink directly to the embossing folder by gently swiping it onto the folder. I then lightly spritzed the folder with water and placed the card stock into the folder and ran it through my die cutting machine a 2nd time. I really like the texture this provides to the background.

    I then trimmed the panel using my paper trimmer. I roughed up the edges and added ink using a sponge dauber and distress ink. I added splatters to the panel using gold and white metallic water color. To complete my card, I adhered the panel to an A2 card base with a piece of pattern paper to frame the embossed panel. I then adhered the crocus flowers using foam tape and liquid glue to my dry embossed panel. I completed the card with the beautiful Thank you Noted Script sentiment. I love this hot foil sentiment! I adhered the sentiment using foam tape.

    Thank you so much for stopping by today! I will be back soon!


    Supplies


    57523 Sprouting Crocus Contour Layers
    BPF511 Thank You Noted Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set

    Supplies


    EF1015 Ringadings 3D Embossing Folder
    CLD101 Clear Fairy Drops
  • So Glad We’re Friends | By Allison Frazier

    So Glad We’re Friends | By Allison Frazier

    Hello, Birch Press friends! Today, I am sharing this beautiful muted card with a pop of sunshine yellow as the focal point. It’s like when the sun comes out after a dreary winter day! It features the new Morning Rose Contour Layers die and the Delicate Floral Buds Contour Layers die set. I also used the new Gilded Petalpoint Stencil Set.

    I started by stenciling the front of a light gray A2 card base. For the first stencil (with the largest openings), I used a light gray ink, just slightly darker than the card stock itself. For the second stencil, I used a medium shade of gray ink. And for the third stencil, I used clear Nuvo Glimmer Paste. I really love the tone on tone effect, but that Glimmer Paste really makes it special. This stencil actually matches up with the new Gilded Petalpoint Hot Foil Plate, but as you can see here, it looks great on its own, too!

    Next, I started making my die cuts. I used three shades of yellow card stock from the Memory Box “Sunny Orange” paper pack for the flowers. For the main flower, I cut two layers of each part of the flower so that I could stack them for dimension. I used two shades of gray for the leaves. By the way, the leaves come from the Tropical Hibiscus Contour Layers set. I love mixing florals and leaves from all of the different Contour Layers sets!

    And speaking of mixing up florals, I used the Delicate Floral Buds for my little flowers, again making two layers of each part of the flower. The Morning Rose actually comes with the “Triple Buds” dies, but I just wanted to mix things up today. I cut the stems/leaves for the Delicate Floral Buds from the darker shade of gray paper.

    Once I had all of my elements cut and the layers stacked, it was time to assemble the arrangement. This is probably the part that took the most time! Once I was happy with an arrangement, I started with the bottom by glueing the Delicate Buds first. Then I popped the main flower up on foam tape. This allowed me to then tuck the leaves in under that flower and still continue to make some last minute changes to the leaf arrangement. I finished the card by heat embossing a sentiment from the Lingo Thanks stamp set. I also added three fairy jewels to the center of the rose, just to tie in the shine from the stenciled background.

    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


    Supplies


    57493 Morning Rose and Triple Buds Contour Layers
    57492 Delicate Floral Buds Contour Layers
    57486 Tropical Hibiscus Contour Layers
    42037 Gilded Petalpoint Stencil Set
    cl8143 Lingo Thanks clear stamp set
    sp1002 Sunny Orange 6×6 pack

    Supplies


    jwl001 Clear Jewels
  • Cotoneaster Greetings | by Toni M Maddox

    Cotoneaster Greetings | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a floral card that reminds me of my cotoneaster bush.

    The blooms of my cotoneaster aren’t very exciting but the resulting berries are prolific and gorgeous.

    I cut the Sylvan Berries Contour Layers from Memory Box Glitzy Glitter 6×6 cardstock and leftover cardstock I had used Brushos on once upon a time. I cut the Sylvan Leaves from Memory Box Lush Green 6×6 cardstock.

    I used the negative of the leaves diecut as a stencil with Distress Oxide Rustic Wilderness. What an easy way to add additional depth!

    I spattered a bit of Copics Opaque White and Distress Oxide Spray Vintage Photo before adding the sentiment.

    For that I used one of the Spellbinders Glimmer Satin Pastel hot foils with the Hugs Sugar Script Hot Foil Plate & Die. I wanted a smaller outline so cut the sentiment with the Sugar Script Big Hugs die. Cool shadow, right?!

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

    Supplies

    57503 Sylvan Berries and Leaves Contour Layers

    57138 Big Hugs Sugar Script

    bpf513 Hugs Sugar Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set

    sp1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack

    gp1007 Glitzy Glitter Pad

  • Find Joy Prime Peonies | by Crystal Komara

    Find Joy Prime Peonies | by Crystal Komara

    Hello readers and happy Friday to you! I hope you have fun (and creative) things planned for the weekend ahead. This is Design Team member Crystal Komara here with you today sharing this card using the Prime Peony Duo Contour Layers.

    Now, before I get into the details of how I made this card, I want to take a minute to appreciate the intricate WORK and time commitment involved with contour layering dies! If you think you’re just going to throw a card like this together and also juggle cooking dinner, doing a load of towels, tending to a puking cat and watching Friends reruns, oh no, no, no, my friend, that ain’t gonna happen! Contour layering dies take an extreme amount of concentration, patience and precision. I lack all three. At best, I’m spastic in thought, I have the patience of a 5-year old and I’m of the philosophy that “done is better than perfect!!” So, for me, while contour layering dies (when completed) are absolutely gorgeous, the journey getting there is kinda sheer torture.

    But, look at this card, ain’t she a beaut?!

    But, I learned a few helpful tips while making this card I want to share with you to help make your contour layering dies journey less painful. First, we are going to make the peonies using a variety of pink cardstocks.

    1. Don’t be in a rush – contour layering dies take time and if you know this ahead of time, it’s half the battle

    2. Organization – when you die cut the Prime Peony flowers, keep them in organized rows

    2. Follow the Directions (or the provided image) – they really do make sense in how you put the peony layers together!

    *Use a fine tip glue to adhere these intricate tiny layers together.
    *Tip – use a fine tip liquid glue for adhering tiny layers together.
    Die cut the larger word shadow from pink cardstock and the thinner word outline from white cardstock.
    Die cut the Linear Triangle from white cardstock.

    Because I had fully committed myself to making this one card (and not being interrupted by anything else) I found the process went much more smoothly. I love the end result SO much that I now intend to work more with the contour layering dies!

    Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

    Supplies

    57504 Prime Peony Duo Contour Layers

    57452 Find Joy and Outline

    SP1001 Berry Red 6×6 pack

    SP1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack

    57393 Linear Triangle

  • Elegant Sprouting Crocus | Dilay Nacar

    Elegant Sprouting Crocus | Dilay Nacar

    Welcome, everyone! Dilay here sharing a clean and elegant floral card featuring the new Sprouting Crocus Contour Layer dies! 

    To begin, I die cut two Linear Triangles and adhered them to the top and bottom corners of an A2-sized card base. Next, I die cut the Kinsley Layers layer A in silver glitter cardstock and layers B land C in white, then adhered them together and onto the center of the card base, slightly overlapping the Linear Triangles. 

    Next, I die cut the Sprouting Crocus Contour Layers, ink blended the blooms in purple and pink and the stems in light and dark green, then adhered them together and onto the Kinsley Layers. 

    To finish, I foiled and die cut the Thank You Noted Script in purple foil and adhered it to the top of the card. I hope you enjoyed learning more about today’s card! Thank you so much for joining me!


    Supplies


    57523 Sprouting Crocus Contour Layers
    57393 Linear Triangle
    56123 Kinsley Layer Set
    bpf511 Thank You Noted Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set
    gp1007 Glitzy Glitter Pad
  • Bright Florals with Sprays | By Natasha Vacca

    Bright Florals with Sprays | By Natasha Vacca

    Hello Birch Press friends! I am excited to be back up on the blog today sharing a colorful floral card using 2 new dies sets from Birch Press Designs latest release! For today’s card I am using the new Phlox Blooms and Contour Layers and the Sylvan Berries and Leaves Contour Layers. I had a lot of fun, so let’s get started!

    I love these beautiful new florals and leaves and couldn’t wait to create a card with lots of color! I am dreaming of warmer days! I started by selecting 3 colors of sprays from my collection (pink, yellow, and green). I sprayed each color onto a piece of Canson Mixed Media card stock. I allowed each panel of color to dry, spritzed with water, then used a paper towel to add texture. I repeated the process several times. I allowed each panel to fully dry, then die cut the florals and leaves.

    Once all the florals and leaves were die cut, I added dye ink to each of the die cut leaves, stems, and flowers. I applied the dye ink using a sponge dauber. On the leaves and stems I used a dark green and brown shade. On the yellow I used a dark orange and on the pink florals I used a deep shade of purple. Next I adhered the floral and leaf layers together using liquid glue. I set these aside to work on my card panel background.

    Next I chose a piece of kraft card stock from my stash. I ran the card stock through my die cut machine using the Memory Box 3D folder – Ringadings. I then lightly sanded the rings using a sanding tool. Next I added a bit of Distress Ink in Walnut Stain to a few of the rings. I then trimmed the panel using my Deckle Edge trimmer. I then used a distress tool to add a bit more distressing to the card panel. Next I added more Walnut Stain to all 4 sides of the panel. I then adhered the Ringadings card panel to an A2 card base.

    To complete the card I adhered the leaves and florals to the card panel using a combination of liquid and foam adhesive. I chose a Happy Birthday sentiment from my stash. I added a few Fairy Drops to a few of the leaves. I adhered these with liquid glue.

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


    Supplies


    57503 Sylvan Berries and Leaves Contour Layers
    57507 Phlox Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers

    Supplies


    ef1015 Ringadings 3D Embossing Folder
    cld101 Clear Fairy Drops
  • Alcohol Inked Phlox | By Allison Frazier

    Alcohol Inked Phlox | By Allison Frazier

    Hello, Birch Press friends! Today, I am sharing this card that I made completely out of alcohol ink backgrounds. It features the beautiful new Phlox Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers set. I have been dreaming of spring lately, and the colors on this card really make me happy.

    I made a bunch of alcohol ink backgrounds a few weeks ago and put them in my stash to be used at a later time. It is so fun to be able to pull them out whenever I am feeling inspired. This particular background is one of my favorites – aren’t the colors dreamy? I trimmed it down with the Pinpoint Contour Plate and adhered it to an A2 card base.

    For my flowers, I used a background that I had made with some vivid pink alcohol inks. Yupo paper cuts great with dies. For the second layer of the flowers, I used vellum. I knew I would be covering the center of the flowers, so it was okay to glue the vellum right in the center. The small, top detail was cut from the yellow areas of the panel that I had cut the background from.

    I popped the flowers up on the background with foam dots. I then created my sentiment using the Handwritten Thanks and Outline set. I used two different alcohol ink backgrounds to cut the greenish outline layer and the turquoise detail layer out. Once I was done adhering the sentiment to the card base, I embellished the background with Clear Fairy Drops.

    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


    Supplies


    57507 Phlox Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers
    57511 Pinpoint Contour Plate
    57420 Handwritten Thanks and Outline

    Supplies


    cld101 Clear Fairy Drops
  • Hello, Spring! | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Spring! | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a spring-themed hello card using the new Sprouting Crocus Contour Layers.

    I sponged the crocuses (crocus? croci?) with Distress Oxide Mustard Seed, Wilted Violet and Villainous Potion. I also used a touch of Mowed Lawn on the leaves which I had cut from Memory Box Lush Green 6×6 Cardstock.

    On top of the Pinpoint Contour Plate I used the Delight Layer A and B sponged with Distress Oxide Peacock Feathers and Mustard Seed as a backdrop for the blossoms.

    I hot foiled the Hello Sugar Script Hot Foil Plate & Die with Spellbinders Satin Pastel Glimmer Hot Foil which is transparent so it is a lovely soft color that went perfectly with the purples used. That bit of shine is a fabulous touch as well.

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

    Supplies

    57523 Sprouting Crocus Contour Layers

    BPf501 Hello Sugar Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set

    57423 Delight Layer Set

    57511 Pinpoint Contour Plate

    sp1003 Lush Green 6×6 pack

  • Miss You Spring Bouquet | by Colleen Balija

    Miss You Spring Bouquet | by Colleen Balija

    Hi everyone! I’m back today sharing a Miss You Spring Bouquet featuring products from the February new release!

    First step, as usual, is to create the background that my focal point will sit upon. I hot foiled in gold the Gilded Petalpoint plate, trimmed it down and placed it over a piece of gold cardstock just slightly larger. Then I adhered both layers onto a 5.5×4.25 white card base. I love the gold and white combination!

    Next, it was time to play with my spring floral bouquet using Phlox Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers, Sylvan Berries and Leaves Contour Layers, Delicate Floral Buds Contour Layers, and Jovial Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers (featured in purple).

    With my previous card that I shared with you on the 16th, I mentioned that I had die cut a bunch of flowers and leaves, and ink blended all of them using shades of coral – pink and purple. Then I sprayed them all with water to get a blotchy look and finished with gold metallic splatters. I just love how that simple step takes your ink blending to the next level!

    I created a bouquet with all the lovely flowers from this release over my hot foiled background card panel. Keep in mind, I haven’t adhered the flowers down yet. I’m just staging them for now! When I was happy with the placement of my bouquet, I picked up the entire bouquet using Press n Seal. Press n Seal has a sticky side on it that acts like adhesive, allowing me to “pick up” the entire bouquet in one piece! Then, flipped the bouquet over carefully with the Press n Seal, added my adhesive to the back of the bouquet, and then flipped it over again and adhered it over the background panel. This is an AMAZING trick to use for larger bouquets like this one! It keeps everything in one place and saves you time! If you don’t have Press n Seal, you can use washi tape strips.

    My final step was to create a sentiment to go along with this springtime delight! I chose the Miss You one from an older stamp set called Classic Sentiment Wreath. I thought that sentiment actually fit my feelings about missing spring weather. I used my deckled edge paper trimmer to trim the sentiment along with a larger piece of gold behind it.

    That was it for this card! The hardest work was in the design of the flowers and leaves, but it was relaxing to do this, and then I had them ready to go for this card! Thanks for stopping by today!

    Supplies

    57492 Delicate Floral Buds Contour Layers

    57503 Sylvan Berries and Leaves Contour Layers

    57507 Phlox Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers

    57502 Jovial Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers

    BPF516 Gilded Petalpoint Hot Foil Plate and Die Set

    42037 Gilded Petalpoint Stencil Set

  • A Springtime Thank You | by Colleen Balija

    A Springtime Thank You | by Colleen Balija

    Hi friends! I’m here on the blog today sharing a pretty monochromatic Springtime Thank You card using several of the February new release products! This new release is amazing with hot foil plates and lovely spring foliage die cuts!

    For this monochromatic Springtime Thank You card, I created a background using Gilded Petalpoint hot foil plate and die set as well as the coordinating 3-layer stencil. I dry embossed the Petalpoint image onto white cardstock to create an impression, and then ink blended the layers using shades of coral – pink inks and the stencil. I trimmed the image down and placed it over a slightly larger black card panel. Then I placed both over a white 5.5×4.25 card base that was stenciled with some hearts that I had on hand. I just wanted a tiny piece of color to peek out from the white card base. The black card panel adds a level of contrasting interest that helps the card pop.

    Next, I die cut and dry embossed the center scalloped-shape circle from the Gilded Petalpoint hot foil plate. For a bit of interest, I added gold ink directly onto the die plate before die cutting it, so you can see gold embedded in the impression! This is another option to hot foiling! I also die cut a black circle slightly larger than the scalloped circle. I adhered the black circle to the card panel, but not the white scalloped one. You’ll see why in a bit!

    Now it was time to work on the flowers, and there are plenty of them on this card! I love a good spring floral bouquet! And I wanted to use as many of the floral pieces from the new release as I could so you can see how well they play together! Also, this is a busy card, so going with a monochromatic look (one color family) really helps all the elements come together.

    I did some bit time die cutting of several flowers on white cardstock using Phlox Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers, Sylvan Berries and Leaves contour Layers, and Delicate Floral Buds Contour Layers. Then I ink blended each piece in the same coral-pink shades that are on the background panel. I sprayed the inked flowers and leaves with water and then splattered gold metallic watercolor over everything. I love how a simple technique like this can add so much detail and interest. It takes your ink blending to a new level! Can you see the details in the photo above?

    When the flowers and leaves were colored and dried, I placed them around the scalloped circle. Now, as I mentioned earlier, I didn’t adhere the scalloped circle down because I wanted to tuck a few pieces behind it. This clever little trick adds depth and dimension but without the need for foam tape!

    I adhered the pieces that were tucked behind the scalloped circle first, next I adhered the circle with foam tape, then I placed the remaining flowers that were on top of the circle. I used foam tape on two of the flowers for even more dimension. Then I went back in and added a few more floral details until I was satisfied with my floral arrangement. I feel like a florist!!! I finished with a few sequins on the flowers for extra shine! Every little detail matters!

    The last step was to hot foil the Thank You Noted script hot foil plate and die cut it. I tucked the sentiment between the flowers.

    I had so much fun with the flowers and that stunning Gilded Pinpoint plate. I hope that I was able to show you how well the flowers work together and also the various ways that you can use the hot foil plates beyond just hot foiling! Thanks for stopping by today!

     

    Supplies

     

     

    57492 Delicate Floral Buds Contour Layers

     

     

    57503 Sylvan Berries and Leaves Contour Layers

     

     

    57507 Phlox Blooms and Leaves Contour Layers

     

     

    BPF511 Thank You Noted Script Hot Foil Plate and Die Set

     

     

    BPF516 Gilded Petalpoint Hot Foil Plate and Die Set

     

     

    42037 Gilded Petalpoint Stencil Set