Category: Stamps

  • Fall Leaves | by Rosemary Dennis

    Fall Leaves | by Rosemary Dennis

    Hello! Rosemary here on the blog today. Hard to believe that there are just a fews days left in October. Where has this year gone?! Today I’m sharing a fall inspired sympathy card although that was not my original idea. Originally I had started working on something that would be a small mixed media decor piece. Unfortunately, I went a little overboard and did not like what I had created. Thankfully, I was able to used all of these pretty leaves I had created with mica sprays on today’s card.

    As indicated above I used lots of distress mica sprays to achieve the colors you see in the various leaves. I used the Forest Leaf and Berries Contour Layers and Oval Leaf Branches Contour Layers dies to cut the leaves. I used one of the dies from the Memory Box Curved Cap Pinpoint Layers die set to die cut the arch from kraft cardstock and then stamp it with the sentiment from the Kind Hearts stamp set using VersaFine CLAIR Acorn ink. I inked around the edges of the die cut panel with Aged Mahogany distress ink. I die cut another panel of kraft cardstock with a rectangle die from the Memory Box A2 Rectangle Frames die set and adhered it to an off white cardstock base with double sided adhesive.

    I layered the arched panel on to the card front using foam tape and then built up my swag with the various different leaves. When I originally laid out the pieces for the swag it included the two smaller leaves in the lower corner. However when I started to put everything together they didn’t quite fit and so I added them to the corner instead. I used liquid adhesive to secure all the pieces in place.

    I finished off the card with some autumn fairy jewels on each cluster of leaves. I think they added the perfect little something the card needed.

    I hope you enjoyed today’s card and it inspires you to create something for fall. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

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  • Embrace Nature with the Forest Canopy set | by April Antonio

    Embrace Nature with the Forest Canopy set | by April Antonio

    Happy Saturday, and welcome back to the Birch Press blog! Today I am excited to share a card using the Forest Canopy layering die set. Each layer of this beautiful set can be used one it’s own or layered together as you will see in the following card.

    To start this card I first took each layer and cut it twice from white cardstock. Once for the card, and a second time to either make a second card later or in case I made a mistake with one layer while crafting.

    I then used ink blending brushes to ink each layer with shades of brown and green for the branches and leaves. To help avoid mess I used a non-stick craft mat for my ink blending.

    TIP: for more realistic looking ink blending on foliage, use lighter colors towards the top and darker colors towards the bottom. Also, it helps to use 2 or 3 colors to add more realism and dimension.

    Next I decided to create a sort of shadow box effect, so used thin layers of foam to adhere each layer together.

    To give the entire card background a ‘sky’ look I used blue cardstock from the Memory Box Ocean Blue cardstock pack and cut it to A2 sized, and glued it to a white card front. I then glued all three layers that I had adhered together to the front of the card.

    The set comes with some berries, but I really wanted to have sprouting flowers, so used flower dies from the Tiny Tuft Flowers & Leaves die set. I cut the flowers in three different colors from the Vibrant Violet card stock set.

    I then glued the flowers all over the card front, making sure to add some to the back layers as well as the top layer.

    Lastly, I added some powder shine and also jewels from the Autumn Fairy Jewels set.

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  • Plaid Three Ways | by Toni M Maddox

    Plaid Three Ways | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing a trio of holiday cards with the same basic layout but totally unique looks.

    The first card I made used a warm red-toned plaid from the Memory Box Christmas Plaid 6×6 pad. I cut that down to fit on a card base with a tiny margin around the edges then added the Glad Tidings sentiments on a rectangular diecut.

    I used Distress Oxide Mowed Rustic Wilderness, Lumberjack Plaid and Aged Mahogany to color up the Jolly Holly diecuts. Super easy, right?

    The next card was a surprise to me in that the Memory Box Christmas Plaid paper is double-sided and I had intended to use the other side when it occurred to me that the black and white checks would make a fabulous modern holiday card background.

    I cut out the Jolly Holly from black and silver and added the red berries, again sponged in Distress Oxide Lumberjack Plaid and Aged Mahogany. I drew a black line beneath the sentiment to add to the modern feel.

    My last card uses the reverse of the above black and white checks. Such a completely different look with the more traditional plaid and a swag using a few Oval Leaf Branches with the Jolly Holly diecuts.

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

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  • Christmas Ornament | by Rosemary

    Christmas Ornament | by Rosemary

    Hello everyone! Rosemary here on the blog today sharing a card that I had a lot of fun creating using some new and old Birch Press Design products. Take a look at what I created.

    I started off my card by creating my ornament. I used the new Revello Ornament Layer dies to cut my layers from Memory Box Glitzy Glitter cardstock in red and white cardstock. I used the layering ornament from the Christmas Ornament Pop Up Easel die set to die cut the backer from additional red glitter cardstock. I adhered all the pieces with liquid adhesive and then placed an acrylic block on top while it dried. I die cut the bow from green cardstock and the ornament top from white and adhered those with liquid adhesive, as well.

    The I set about creating my holly and berry cluster using the new Jolly Holly Contour Layers die set. As I die cut the two green cardstocks I used I wasn’t sure I would like how they looked layered together, but I really like the contrast that was created. I die cut the berries from red cardstock and the top layer from the same red glitter cardstock. I layered everything with liquid glue and set aside to dry.

    For the background panel I decided to die cut some white woodgrain cardstock with a Memory Box Rectangle Frames die. I wanted a little more texture in the panel so I used the Layer A from the Herbarium Plate layering set to emboss the panel. The look is very subtle, but I like how it turned out. I then inked up the edges of the panel with Old Paper distress ink. I tried to capture the additional texture that was added in the photo below. If you look at the top corner you can see the embossing.

    I needed a branch for my ornament to hang from so I used the leafy branch from the Hillside Branch and Bramble Contour Layers die set. I die cut the branch from kraft woodgrain cardstock and the leaves from the same light green cardstock I used for the holly and the berries from the red glitter cardstock. I layered up everything and then got to building up my card. I finished with a sentiment from the new Glad Tidings stamp set. I stamped the sentiment with black in on a piece of the white woodgrain cardstock that I flipped to the smooth side, die cut the piece and then inked the edges with Old Paper distress ink. I adhered the branch with liquid adhesive and then popped up the ornament and sentiment with foam tape.

    I hope my card inspires you to pull out your Birch Press Design Christmas/holiday products and create some cards! Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day.

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  • Cozy Florals | by April Antonio

    Cozy Florals | by April Antonio

    Welcome back to the blog! Today I’m bringing you a cozy Autumn themed card using some beautiful floral images, and emboss resist inking.

    To start todays card I used the large floral image stamp from the Gracious Floral stamp and die set and heat embossed it with white powder onto a piece of white cardstock.

    I then used my mini blending brushes and a few different ink colors to blend all the flowers and leaves, making sure to use darker colors towards the bottom of center of flowers and lighter colors towards the top.

    TIP: color blending like this can be very forgiving. I was not worried about the colors overlapping each other, because once it’s all blended out it looks cohesive.

    Once I was satisfied with the color blending, I took a clean paper towel and wiped it across my image to remove any residual ink from the white embossed part. Then I used the coordinating die to cut the image out.

    To add some extra interest and shine to my flower I sprinkled a few drops of water so the ink would lift in those places, and also rubbed some shine powder across the image so it would sparkle a bit.

    Separately, I took the Pinpoint Contour Plate die and cut it from a piece of white cardstock, and glued it to an A2 card base. I then arranged the floral image into the center of the card and adhered it using foam dots.

    Next I took the ‘Just Because’ that is in the same Gracious Floral set and stamped it in black ink and heat embossed it with clear powder. I used the matching die to cut it out, and cut it out two more times from white cardstock. I glued all the layers together to add some dimension to the sentiment, and then added it to my card front.

    Lastly, I had to add some bling of course! I used jewels from the Autumn Fairy Jewels set to bling out the flowers. Some I filled in the center with jewels, and others I just did a few or filled in petals.

    That is it! I hope you enjoyed reading through my process to create this colorful, fall themed card and see you next time!

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  • Think Outside the Wreath | by Allison Frazier

    Think Outside the Wreath | by Allison Frazier

    Hello, Birch Press friends! Today, I am stretching my supplies. I love the new Adornment Wreath die set, but I felt like doing something different with it. So, I used both dies to create the rays of the sun! Fun, right?

    I started my card by making the background. I really wanted a blue background to mimic the sky but also didn’t want to be too literal. I took a medium shade of blue card stock and foiled the Gilded Grace hot foil plate with Cobalt foil. I love using tone on tone when it comes to foil backgrounds. I then took two shades of blue ink that are darker than the card stock and ink blended the corners and edges in order to create that glow in the center.

    I used the solid die from the Adornment Wreath set and cut it from a piece of orange card stock. I then used the outline die from the set and cut it from a piece of yellow card stock. I used a circle die from my stash and cut it from a yellow piece of card stock. I heat embossed the sentiment from the Colorful Life stamp set with orange Distress Oxide and clear embossing powder. I then ink blended the edges of that circle with orange Distress Ink.

    I stacked my center circle with two more circles in order to create a little dimension, and then I glued that to the yellow outline of the Adornment Wreath first. Next, I glued that onto the orange solid part of the Adornment Wreath, slightly offsetting it so that the two layers weren’t perfectly matched up. Finally, I glued my “sun” into the center of the circle of the Gilded Grace pattern.

    I hope this card puts a smile on your face and inspires you to think “outside the box/wreath” with your dies, as well! Thank you so much for joining us today.


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  • Hoping Today | by Rosemary Dennis

    Hoping Today | by Rosemary Dennis

    Hello everyone! Rosemary here on the blog today. Can’t believe it is the end of September! But the weather here in the Pacific Northwest is telling me that yes, fall has arrived! Today I have a fall inspired project to share that I made using the new Budding Twigs Contour Layers dies.

    I had created a different card for today’s post, but decided to save that for a later date because I have had this idea for the Budding Twigs dies in the back of my mind for a few weeks now. Had to get it out, lol! The design is super simple, but I think very impactful.

    The die is one piece and so I only had to die cut the die twice to get all the pieces I needed to complete my little twig frame. I die cut the pieces from smooth bristol cardstock and then used some Tonic Studios Aqua Flow pens to color them in red, orange and brown. Aqua Flow pens are similar to ZIG Clean Color Real Brush markers in that they have concentrated watercolor in them. You apply the color and then blend it out with with water. The die cuts are very delicate and it was a bit of a task to color them, but I think it was worth the challenge!

    Once I had the pieces colored I let them dry and then adhered them together with liquid adhesive. While the pieces were drying I used a Memory Box Rectangle Frames die to die cut a piece of white cardstock that I had stamped with the sentiment from the Kind Hearts stamp set using VersaFine CLAIR Acorn ink. I then inked up the edge of the rectangle with Old Paper distress ink. The twigs were then adhered to the rectangle using liquid adhesive. I die cut a panel of kraft cardstock with the Pinpoint Contour plate and adhered that to my card base with tape runner. I then attached the rectangle to the center of the panel with foam tape. I finished with a few Open Studio autumn Fairy Jewels.

    I love the sweet little frame the Budding Twigs created and think it would be fun to create one for spring. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

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  • Alcohol Ink Adornment Leaves | by Crystal Komara

    Alcohol Ink Adornment Leaves | by Crystal Komara

    Hello friends and happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful (and hopefully creative) weekend. This is Design Team member Crystal Komara here today sharing two cards I made using the new Adornment Oak Leaf dies and some alcohol ink backgrounds. I love creating backgrounds with alcohol inks, they add so much visual contrast and color to cards. For more alcohol ink inspiration that I’ve created using Birch Press Design products, please check out this vibrant pink pumpkin or these blue balloons.

    Card details:

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White cardstock. This is my go-to cardstock for everything from die cutting, Copic coloring, card bases, ink blending, all of it. I create my alcohol ink backgrounds on high quality photo paper (in lieu of the more pricey Yupo paper). I promise it works just as well and it will save you money. For this first card I used violet alcohol ink, salmon alcohol ink and Valencia alcohol ink (all by Ranger Adirondack).

    I die cut the Adornment Oak Leaf dies from purple cardstock, rust colored cardstock and then gold glitter cardstock. I then layered the more detailed gold leaf layer over the solid colored cardstock using a fine tip glue. I adhered the leaves to the card and then stamped the sentiment “forever grateful” in Versamark ink and then heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. This sentiment is from the Brush Sentiments clear stamp set. I used an oval punch to punch out the sentiment and adhered it to the card with some linen thread behind it for added texture.

    For the second card, I used the exact same alcohol ink background and card measurements, except I used just cranberry alcohol ink. I die cut the Adornment Oak Leaf from cranberry cardstock and gold glitter cardstock. I layered the two together before adhering them to the card with 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I used the same sentiment and again added linen thread beneath the sentiment for texture.

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

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  • Autumnal Deer | by Toni M Maddox

    Autumnal Deer | by Toni M Maddox

    Hello, Birch Press fans! Toni here with you today sharing an autumnal card featuring a nature scene.

    I sponged the card front with Distress Oxide Salvaged Patina which I spattered with water, Copic Opaque White and a touch of Distress Oxide Salvaged Patina Spray. The base is a weird cement-type color which I let show through on the bottom of the card.

    Next I cut out Forest Canopy Layer C and Memory Box Deer Trio which I airbrushed with the above Copics. I used regular alcohol you might find in your medicine cabinet to create the mottled effect on the deer layer.

    I had originally planned to emboss the Kind Hearts sentiment on vellum but really wanted the scene to be seen, so to speak, so embossed directly on the card. Fortunately, it worked well, even the part on the leaves. Whew!

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

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  • forever grateful | by Rosemary Dennis

    forever grateful | by Rosemary Dennis

    Hi everyone! Rosemary here on the blog today. August is almost gone and that means that fall is right around the corner! I love fall in the Pacific Northwest. We can have beautiful clear blue-sky days that are slightly crisp, soggy wet ones and things in-between! Today I’m sharing a card that invokes the beautiful fall colors of oak leaves that are so fun to walk through on a crisp fall morning. Take a look.

    If you don’t know yet, Birch Press has a new release in the shop and it is full of beautiful dies that will help you create lovely fall and Christmas inspired projects. Today I’m using the new Adornment Oak Leaf and Hillside Branch and Bramble Contour Layers dies from the release along with a sentiment from the Brushed Sentiments set. A few weeks ago I created a few mixed media type panels using Memory Box mirror cardstock and alcohol inks. One of the panels I created used a piece of orange mirror cardstock from the Rainbow Reflections 6×6 pad. The resulting panel had a very subtle look to it. I was able to die cut something else from it and then used what was left over to die cut the outline of the Adornment Oak Leaf.

    The solid oak leaf was die cut from a piece of watercolor cardstock I had sprayed with several different distress mica sprays in fall colors. I also die cut the bare branches from the Hillside Branch and Bramble Contour Layers die set from the same piece. I adhered the outline leaf to the solid leaf and then arranged and adhered the bare branches. The photo below shows some of the shine and layering of colors from the distress sprays and the alcohol inks.

    I used Memory Box woodgrain cardstock in kraft for the background and die cut it with the second largest die from the Memory Box Curved Cap Pinpoint layers die set. A piece of off white cardstock was die cut with a rectangle die, adhered to my card base and then I layered on the woodgrain panel. I adhered the oak leaf with thin foam squares and added the little twine bow.

    I stamped the sentiment from Brushed Sentiments using a brown ink on off white cardstock, die cut it with the smallest Curved Cap Pinpoint die and adhered it to the panel. I finished off the card with some fall colored fairy jewels from the Autumn pack. I placed three under the sentiment and then scattered a few on the bare branches.

    I hope my card inspired you to get out your fall themed Birch Press Design dies and get going on those fall themed cards! Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!

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