Category: Stamps

Hi there!  I’m excited to be back here sharing some more Birch Press Design craft projects with you!

One of my favorite things to do, is to sit down and spend some quality time creating handmade cards!  It is absolutely therapeutic for me!  There are times, though, that time is very short and I am in need of several cards (birthdays, thank you cards etc).  The end of the school year is inevitably one of those times for me.  Today, I thought that I would share with you how I mass produce cards as well as share a few time saving tips!

First, I like to start with a die or stamp that has lots of detail.  When only adding one layer to a card, I have found that I really like to use Cover Plates.  You get a lot of coverage with minimal amount of time and or work.  So when I saw the new Fiori Cover Plates I literally clapped my hands with joy!  Each one of them (there are three) are amazingly detailed!  For my one layer cards, I chose to use the one with the most open spaces so as to create more contrast between the die cut and the card base.

I always start my quick card making sessions by gathering all of my supplies.  Above you can see a few of the essential tools I used for my card set.  Spray adhesive (this will save a lot of time when adhering your die cut panel to your card base), the Fiori Plate C, and a piercing tool.  I have found the assembly line technique to be the easiest for me, so I cut all of my card bases, scored and folded them, and then set them aside.

Next, I die cut all of my card front panels.  After that, I lightly tap it against my trash bin which dislodges some of the negative die cut parts.  I then take my piercing tool and quickly poke the remaining bits so all of the negative die cut parts have been removed.  This really doesn’t take that long to do and can be done almost anywhere (watching a movie, a car trip, etc).  For this particular crafting session, I die cut seven panels using different colors.

Working one at a time, I will then spray the back side of the die cut panels and adhere it to a card base.  Make sure that if you are using spray adhesive (which I do recommend for large pieces of cardstock like the above cover plate) that you are in a well ventilated area.

I will then repeat the above step with the remaining die cut panels.  I like to leave my cards blank so that I can add the appropriate sentiment when the need arises.

To save even more time, I will stamp and die cut many different sentiments ahead of time so that when I need a card I can just choose the sentiment and adhere it to the inside.  I like to store all of the sentiments in a small baggie with my finished cards.

This is how I like to quickly mass produce sentiments.  I start by creating a die cut “template” of all the sentiments.  Here I have used the new Make a Statement Die Set.  I did not cut these dies apart (they come wired together) but ran them through my die machine while they were still connected.  I then put it in my stamp positioner.  To keep it from moving, I cut apart a sticky mat (this one is a Cricut mat that I cut into fourths) and just inserted into my positioner.  I then add the die cut sentiment.

I then placed the coordinating stamp (from the Make a Statement Clear Stamp Set) on top of the die cut.

Next, I closed the top of the positioner, securing the stamp to the top.  I then opened the lid again, inked my stamp while it was still attached to the lid, and then closed it again.

I’m left with a perfectly aligned stamped image.  I will stamp several of each sentiment so I did not remove the stamp from the lid.  I inserted another die cut thank you sentiment and then re stamped it.  That way I don’t have to line up the stamp each time.  By inserting the die cut into the “template” I created with the negative die cut paper ensures that each additional die cut will be placed in the same spot each time.  It is possible to stamp  dozens of sentiments in just a matter of minutes this way!

I hope you have found some of these time saving tips helpful!  Remember, you don’t have to spend a lot of time to create a beautiful and thoughtful card!

 

 

Save

Springtime is full of wildlife and beautiful butterflies. For today’s Tuesday feature I am going to be showing you how to use a single cover plate die and some watercolour to create a beautiful inlaid die cut butterfly scene. I have created a short video to show you how I created my watercolour panel that I am pulling the inlaid die cut pieces from.

I will be using the Birch Press Design Flutter Plate C for my design. I use a small board to do my watercolouring on. Start off by taping a piece of watercolour paper down to the board using some painter’s tape. Use a flat brush to wet the paper with clean water. Then use a round brush, I used a #2, to add red, bright pink and purple to the panel concentrating the colours to the three areas where the butterflies on the cover plate are located. I added a first layer and then dried the panel with a heat tool, then added more colour to the areas that needed a bit more and then dried the panel again.


Cut the Flutter Plate C from black cardstock and adhere the black die cut to a white card base securely.

Use Flutter Plate C to cut the dried watercolor panel. Before removing the watercoloured panel  from the die, flip it over and run adhesive tape over the back of the butterflies right on the die. This will make it easier when inlaying the pieces so they will stick to the card base.

Now one butterfly at a time and working either from top to bottom or bottom to top, which ever you find easier. Piece the watercoloured butterfly into the black butterfly on the card base. I use a poker to help free the pieces from the die cut.

The butterfly body and antennae were cut from silver sparkle cardstock. A sentiment from the Birch Press Design Close to the Heart stamp set was added to finish the card off. In the end you have a card with of great texture and interest!

Make another quick and easy card by using the negative die. Pop it on to a white or coloured card base and you have another beautiful butterfly card!

I hope that you enjoyed today’s post and you are inspired to try your hand at inlaid die cut design. Remember that we always post here on Tuesdays, see you next time!

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Do you love to color?   I’ve been addicted to coloring since I was old enough to hold a crayon!    I came from a family with four kids so my mom was pretty thrifty when buying school supplies.  We were lucky if we got the 24 pack of assorted colors, but my dream was to own the big box with the sharpener!!  Coloring is my great escape.   It’s therapeutic and so popular that you can find adult coloring books almost anywhere.  Have you ever thought about making some of your own pages to color?   It’s easy to do with a stamp set.

I used a stamping tool that allowed me to arrange several stamps and ink them all at the same time, but you don’t have to. You can use a simple acrylic block and ink.  Another benefit of a stamping tool is that you can stamp several sheets quickly.

I stamped several background panels as well as individual butterfly images from the Close To The Heart set.  I colored lots of the butterflies to experiment with shading and to decide what colors to use for my background panel.  I’ll die cut all the single stamped butterflies and use them on a different project.

This is what my finished card looks like.     I started with a white A2 card base (4.25 x 5.5″) and cut a slightly smaller panel from black card stock.  Next I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder.

I trimmed the stamped background to allow the sentiment to peek through.  This panel is attached with adhesive foam tape so it’s slightly raised.

If you’re new to coloring stamped images you need to be careful selecting the appropriate ink for your coloring media.  I colored these butterflies with Copic (alcohol based) markers so I stamped the images with Memento (dye based) ink.  If you color with water based markers you should stamp with a solvent based ink like Versafine.    You can also stamp in watercolor paper and paint these pretty butterflies from Birch Press Design.

The butterfly bodies and antennae are separate stamp images in the Close to the Heart clear stamp set.  I stamped them after I colored all the butterflies using a Stamp A Ma Jig for perfect alignment.

Maybe you know someone who loves to color too!  I bet they’d be thrilled with a few uncolored panels of their own to play with!
What will you make today?

Hi all!  I’m here with a birthday card using the Close to the Heart stamp set and matching dies.  This is such a beautiful set, I can’t stop using it!

I created sort of a stencil by cutting some acetate using the two smaller butterfly dies.

I then chose several pink, red and orange inks to sponge the butterflies onto some white card stock.  I lightly inked the sponge then worked from the edges in.

I only worked around the edges, swiping in just enough to see the outline, but also keeping the inner-most part of the butterfly ink-free.

I used one of Birch Press Design Notecards for my card base.

I used a separate matching note card and cut out two strips for my sentiment.

I inked one word at a time and stamped them onto each strip.

I used the Genevieve Butterfly Layer A die to add a little extra embellishment near the sentiment.  And in case you’re wondering, the sentiments strips are covering ink boo-boo’s!  😉

Thank you for stopping by!

Spring is just getting going where I live but the butterflies have not returned to nature just yet. The Birch Press Design spring release is full of beautiful butterflies to create projects to lift our spirits after the dreary days of winter.

For my card today I started by watercolouring a soft pastel spring background using green and yellow Distress Inks. You can easily use any ink to create a watercoloured background by smooshing your ink pad on to a craft sheet or acrylic block and adding water to it. I let my background dry for a minute and then flicked some green ink on to the panel and set it aside to dry.

While waiting for my background to dry I die cut a bunch of the Genevieve butterflies in various colours using Genevieve Butterfly A, Genevieve Butterfly B and Genevieve Butterfly C. Once die cut they were adhered together. I did not use the antennae from the Genevieve Butterfly C this time.

I chose three different colour families, using the darkest colour for the Genevieve Butterfly C.

Once the background was dry it was adhered it to a card base with foam adhesive tape and then the butterflies were adhered to the panel in a random order to emphasize movement. A sentiment from Close to the Heart was stamped with VersaMark ink on the watercoloured panel and embossed in silver. Finally a few clear, Stickles filled sequins were added to the panel.

Thank you for joining us again for crafting on Tuesday. I hope I inspired you to make your own spring butterfly card today.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Hi there!  It’s Tuesday again, and that means we are sharing something crafty with you!  The craft section in the store is brimming with gorgeous Spring butterflies!

Today I have created a card featuring the butterflies from the Close to the Heart clear stamp set and coordinating Close to the Heart craft dies.

One of my favorite things to do on a card is to create a soft and neutral background and add bright pops of color!

Spring has not yet sprung where I live so I like to bring the Spring inside my craft room!  These butterflies are so wonderfully detailed and are perfect for watercoloring!

I really wanted the only color to be the butterflies, so I kept the sentiment as soft and neutral as the background.  I cut a 1/2″ strip of heavyweight vellum and embossed one of the sentiments from the Close to the Heart stamp set using white detail embossing powder.  Here’s a tip – when embossing on vellum it is especially important to prep your surface before stamping by rubbing the vellum with an anti-static pouch or even a dryer sheet.  This will ensure the embossing powder only sticks to the stamped image.

To create my watercolored butterflies, I started by embossing the three large butterfly images onto watercolor paper using white detail embossing powder.  I then die cut the images out using the coordinating dies.  I added a bit of quick color using Zig Watercolor Brush Markers.

It’s important to leave white space when working with watercolor markers as you want some room to blend the colors.  This particular ink is very reactive to water so it only takes a second to blend them.

Here’s how I created the background.  I die cut the Circa A stackable die out of white cardstock.  I mounted it on a piece of very light gray cardstock.  I then stamped one of the tiny butterfly images  in a handful of circle openings using a light gray ink.  I really like the look of random stamping and the large circles in this die make the perfect frame for small images!

Thanks so much for joining me here today!  Make sure to stop back by every Tuesday to see new crafty creations!

Hi and thanks for stopping by!  Every Tuesday we share projects made with supplies from the craft section of the store!  I love to craft and I hope you do to!   I also like to play challenges!  It’s a fun way to share what I’ve been making and see what other people are making too!  This week Birch Press Design is sponsoring the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge.  This week they have a color challenge.

To play along you need to make a project that features these three colors – Maroon, Coral and Lemon!   They’ll select one lucky player to receive a $20 Gift Certificate to Birch Press Design!

I started by inking up a panel of white card stock with distress inks in Aged Mahogany, Abandoned Coral and Mustard Seed.  I tried to strategically put the pure colors beneath the area that each butterfly from the Flutter Plate die would be.  I kept one of the die cuts handy so I could place it over my inking while I was blending.  If you don’t feel comfortable doing this you can outline the shape on the card stock panel by tracing the inside of the die with a pencil.

This close up shows you all three layers of the Flutter Plates.  I cut the largest and smallest in white, and the middle one from gold foil to add a little bling to my design.

I arranged the three colors darkest to lightest – creating an ombre effect.   The died cut Flutter Panels in white provide great contrast to the rich colored inks.

The sentiment is from the new Close to the Heart clear cling stamp set.  It’s got lots of wonderful sentiments that would compliment this design.  The finishing touch is a few gold sequins to coordinate with the gold foil paper.

If you’re feeling crafty I hope you’ll stop by the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge and play along this week!  I’d sure love to see you win!

Hello!  I hope you’re all starting to enjoy some warmer weather!  I wanted to share this card with you that I made using the Close to the Heart stamp set and matching dies.

I stamped one of the butterflies and colored it with my Copic markers then cut it out with the matching die.  To create the background, I stamped the same butterfly repeatedly, eye-balling it to get it lined up as best as I could.  Perfection can be a bit overrated at times, right?  🙂   To add a little interest to the background butterflies, I used my W1 Copic to create a shadow around the edges of each, then used my W3 Copic to color just a little bit inside of the center of the butterfly.  The sentiment was embossed with white embossing powder onto black card stock.  The body of the die cut butterfly, which is a separate die, was cut out with black card stock.  Everything is layered with foam adhesive over a white card base.

  

Thank you for stopping by!

Angel

Happy Tuesday, and I hope that spring has found you where you are. The Birch Press Design original Paradiso Butterfly Layer Set craft dies are perfect for making gorgeous layered butterflies in any colour combination you choose.

For my card today I started by blending Distress Inks on to a Bristol cardstock panel. Water was splattered on to the panel and I waited a few second and then use paper towel to pull some of the water off. Once dry I smooshed some more Distress Ink onto an acrylic block and spritzed some water on it. Then I used a paintbrush to flick some on to the panel. Once again I pull off the excess colour with a paper towel and I set it aside to dry.

A sentiment from the new Close to the Heart clear stamp set was placed on the panel, then I cut the three layers of the butterflies. Paradiso Butterfly Layer A in vellum, Paradiso Butterfly Layer B in Turquoise blue, Paradiso Butterfly Layer C in soft blue and the antennae from Layer C with vellum.

Then I adhered layers A and B only at the centre so that the wings appear to be fluttering. Layer C was attached directly to the card base and the butterfly was adhered on top again only at the centre. The body was adhered last.

Thank you for joining us again for crafting on Tuesday. I hope I inspired you to get messy with the beautiful Paradiso Butterfly Layered dies.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save