Birch Press Design

Category: Stencils

  • Many Thanks | by Kimberly Wiener

    Many Thanks | by Kimberly Wiener

    Hello Birch Press Design fans! Today I am featuring the same design in variations of color. This is a great design to make multiple cards.

    On watercolor paper I created several water colored backgrounds using two shades of Brusho color crystals. Once I created several backgrounds, I cut them down to 4 x 5.25. In coordinating colored inks, I chose a medium shade as well as a dark shade of ink to use for the Ring Tile Stencil layer. Ink was brushed onto the stencil from light to dark in an ombre effect, and only onto the card in certain areas creating a lovely fading effect.

    The sentiments I chose are the Big Thanks Sugar Script. I adore this font! The outline layer of the word dies was also ink blended in a light to dark and faded effect that really makes the inner die layer stand out quite nicely.

    The inner die was adhered with glue and the outline layer was affixed to the base with double sided foam mount tape and the entire card front panel was added to a standard A2 (4.25 x 5.5) card base.

    I had a lot of fun creating a total of four cards in striking blue, red, green, and yellow.

    I just love the washed out and faded effect that the water color layer gives the to the stencil layer.

    I sure hope that you are encouraged and inspired to create some wonderful backgrounds of your own and experiment with stencils!


    Supplies


    42030 Ring Tike Stencil
    Big Thanks Sugar Script
    WP101 Watercolor Paper
  • Summer Stripes | By Seeka

    Summer Stripes | By Seeka

    Hello! Seeka here, and today I’ve got some fun striped cards for you. It was so fun and satisfying to make these, I hope you’ll give it a try!

    I started by using purple tape to temporarily secure the Bold Stripes stencil to a piece of Strathmore Bristol Smooth cardstock. Then I laid two strips of scrap paper on either side of the center stripe so that I could eaisly blend color over that single stripe without accidentally getting ink onto the neighboring stripe.

    Using foam blending tools, I blended stripes of Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral, Worn Lipstick, and Carved Pumpkin Distress Oxide inks onto the panel. For my blue cards, I used Broken China, Peacock Feathers, Cracked Pistachio, and Twisted Citron.

    Next I used shadow die of the Hello Topper die set to cut along the edge of a scrap piece of bristol smooth cardstock. I left a margin at the bottom that was the same height as the spaces between the stripes on my panel.

    Next I used the sentiment die from the set to cut four “hellos” and then stacked and adhered them together before adhering them to the shadow layer. Using foam tape, I adhered the sentiment piece to the background.

    For the blue cards, I used the Big Hugs Sugar Script die set, cutting the shadow layer from vellum and using the same stacked sentiment technique.

    Thank you so much for visiting!


    Supplies


  • Masculine Encouragement Card

    Masculine Encouragement Card

    Hello everyone. Creative Team Member Amanda with you today sharing a fun card that’s got a bit of a masculine feel. Those cards can be very difficult to create so I am excited to share this with you.

    I started with an A2 size panel and my bold stripes stencil. I used peacock feathers distress oxide ink and a blending brush and spritzed it with water.

    After not falling in love with the stripes for this design, I turned my stencil and tried adding scattered straw distress ink of a plaid look. Not a good combo…so I added stormy sky over the top of the scattered straw and loved the look it gave. (Lesson here…if you don’t like something at first, keep trying and definitely walk away for a while before you trash it. This has saved me many a time!)

    Next, I put it in my splatter box and flicked some watered down black acrylic paint all over it.

    Next, I pulled out the hello topper set and die cut it from black and the words from a gray-ish blue that matches the inks I blended with. I did not like how dark the bottom of the card was so I tried switching it out for white.

    Ahhh, much better. Next, I die cut 3 more hellos and glued them all together. I pushed them into my embossing ink pad, covered the whole word with clear embossing powder and heated it up. I added 3 layers of that for a rounded glossy look and glued the words in place.

    Last, I stamped a small sentiment from the lovely butterflies stamp set below the hello die cuts.

    I think this card has great texture and awesome colors. It would be great for anyone and you could easily change the whole look with different colors of ink.

    I hope you found some inspiration to try create something wonderful. I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day.

    Supplies

    57313 Helllo Topper

    42029 Bold Stripes Stencil

    CL8150 Lovely Butterflies clear stamp set

  • Birch Press Designs Stitched Dahlia Heart Cards | By Leigh Houston

    Birch Press Designs Stitched Dahlia Heart Cards | By Leigh Houston

    Hello, crafty friends! I am so happy to be here today sharing two stitched cards I created with Birch Press Designs’s Dahlia Heart die. I had so much fun making these cards!

    I created these cards using Dahlia Heart Layer A. I started my first card by die cutting the heart with a scrap piece of cardstock. I then used this scrap piece as a stencil, coloring in the segments with alcohol markers. I then cut a fresh piece of the heart shape with clean cardstock and affixed it over the colored base with strong liquid adhesive. After the glue dried, it was time to stitch! I poked holes along the inner edges of each segment then used a simple backstitch in coordinating thread.

    After the stitching was complete, I trimmed around the perimeter of the heart. I affixed it to a cardstock base I made with Birch Press’s Amour Layer A die. I die cut my sentiment from gold foil cardstock using Birch Press’s Hugs Sugar Script die.

    My second card takes the stitching to another level. I started my card in the exact same way as the first, coloring in the segments using the stencil then affixing a clean heart over top. I then filled in the flower segments using a brick stitch. This stitch is another simple backstitch in rows, with each row staggered. This was the perfect project for a night of watching bad TV! LOL To finish this card, I embossed a white cardstock base using Birch Press’s Ring Tile Stencil and added a stitched coral cardstock strip behind the heart. The gold Sugar Script Smile sentiment finished the card off perfectly!

    I hope you enjoyed these projects as much as I loved making them! Links to the products I used are below. I’ll see you soon with more card projects!


    Supplies


    57244 Dahlia Heart Layer A
    57042 Amour Layer A
    42030 Ring Tike Stencil
    Hugs Sugar Script
    Smile Sugar Script
  • Triple Hello | By Seeka

    Triple Hello | By Seeka

    Hi there, Seeka here and today I’m sharing a card that combines an ink-blended background with a stenciled overlay.

    I started with a 4.25″ x 5.5″ piece of Strathmore Bristol Smooth cardstock. Using Post-It tape, I masked off the borders and then used foam blending tools to blend Mustard Seed, Carved Pumpkin, and Abandoned Coral Distress Inks over the exposed area.

    I let the panel dry for a few minutes and then removed the Post-It tape and replaced it with fresh tape. Next, I placed the Midnight Mandala stencil over the panel and used washi tape to hold it in place. Using a clean foam blending tool and tamping motion, I applied Hero Arts Unicorn white pigment ink over the stencil and onto the background. To keep my white ink pad pristine, I smooshed some ink onto my glass work surface and then picked it up from there with the blending tool.

    I removed the stencil and the Post-it tape and set the panel aside to dry.

    Next I used the Big Hello Sugar Script die set to die cut “hello” six times from white cardstock. I stacked two and adhered two layers together to end up with three sentiments. I adhered each to the shadow layer of the sentiment which I cut from vellum.

    To assemble the card, I adhered the three hellos to the background with foam tape, and then adhered the card front to a card base.

    Thank you so much for visiting!


    Supplies


  • Galaxy Sky with Stencils | by Ardyth Percy-Robb

    Galaxy Sky with Stencils | by Ardyth Percy-Robb

    Good morning! Ardyth here with 4 cards using the same, fun technique: creating a galaxy sky through a stencil!

    I started by adhering the most open layer of the Mandala Stencil set on a white card panel with temporary spray adhesive.

    I blended random areas of bright colours – lemon yellow, lime green and bright fuschia through the stencil, leaving most of the panel white.

    I blended a mid-blue ink over the whole panel, darker around the edges and lightening up toward the centre.

    Then I blended navy blue ink over the whole panel, again, dark around the edges and lightening up toward the centre.

    A little note about creating galaxy skies – they all look very ugly through the whole process, until the very, very end. Don’t worry if you’re not happy with it at this stage, just keep going!

    I blended black ink through the stencil, this time just at the very edge of the panel. Then, leaving the stencil on, I spritzed water and lifted up some of the colour with a paper towel.

    Then, I mixed some white acrylic paint with water and tapped it over the panel to create stars (this is the point where it starts to look good!)

    As you can see, I couldn’t stop. And I didn’t just use stencils either!

    As well as the Mandala Stencil set, I used Bold Stripes Stencil, a home-made stencil created from a String Art Frame die cut, and the negative from the PoppyStamps Peaceful Dove die.

    All my sentiments came from the You Are Awesome stamp set.

    I hope you like these cards – there is a 1 minute video on our Instagram feed today showing the process in detail.

    Supplies

    Mandala Stencil Set

    42029 Bold Stripes Stencil

    57327 String Art Frame

    CL8151 You Are Awesome clear stamp set

    1878 Peaceful Dove

  • Sun Ray Triangle | by Jeanne Jachna

    Sun Ray Triangle | by Jeanne Jachna

    Hi and thanks for stopping by! It’s Jeanne here today! You know I can’t resist a rainbow of color! Today I’m playing with the Sun Ray Triangle layering die set.

    Birch Press Design has three new layering triangle sets that this technique would work well with.

    I started by cutting the top and bottom layers from white card stock. I die cut the center layers from colored card stock. Once the layers were assembled I adhered a slightly lighter shade of card stock behind them.

    After the panels are assembled I noticed some weren’t completely smooth on the edges. I used an inexpensive nail file to make them flat so they would fit together tighter.

    I topped the panel with a sentiment from Awesome Ticker Tape Messages inked in shades of blue Versafine Claire ink.

    I love the candy stripe look of the colorful stripes!

    Supplies

    56108 Sun Ray Triangle Layer Set

    8149 Awesome Ticker Tape Messages clear stamp and die set

  • Stencilled Die Cut | By Seeka

    Stencilled Die Cut | By Seeka

    Hello there! It’s Seeka here, and I thank you so much for spending a bit of your day with us. For my card today, I used a die cut as a stencil to create a clean and simple (and easy!) card.

    I started by using the Prism Triangle Collage die to cut a piece of scrap 80# cardstock. This pretty die doesn’t cut out a triangle, rather it leaves a beautiful triangle-shaped lattice pattern in your paper. This became my stencil.

    I used low-tack paper tape to hold an A2-sized piece of bristol smooth paper on my glass work surface and then placed and taped my stencil over top. Using foam blending tools, I blended Abandoned Coral and Tattered Rose Distress Oxide inks over the stencil, blending the two to create an ombre effect. Because my stencil was made out of paper and not as durable as a plastic stencil, I took care not to drag my blending tool too much. Instead, I used a strong tamping motion.

    When I finished, I removed the stencil and rotated it 180 degrees. I aligned the base with the triangle I’d just finished stencilling, and shifted it a bit to the left. I used the same colors to ink blend and then removed the stencil.

    For the sentiment, I used the Big Hello Sugar Script die to cut a piece of white cardstock. I cut the shadow layer out of vellum and then adhered the two together. Then, I stamped “crafty friend” (from the Just Because stamp set) in black pigment ink onto white cardstock.

    To assemble the card, I adhered the die cut sentiment with foam tape and then adhered the sentiment strip flush to the card front. Then I adhered the card front to an A2-sized card base.

    Thank you so much for visiting!


    Supplies


  • Midnight Mandala by Jeanne Jachna

    Midnight Mandala
    by Jeanne Jachna

    Hi friends! Big hugs to you as the shelter in place continues! I hope you’re all safe and healthy and have all you need. Today I’m playing with the new Midnight Mandala stencil.

    This technique is fun and easy and I hope you give it a try. All you need is a stencil, distress ink, glitter and glossy accents.

    You can tape your stencil in place but if you want to treat yourself, invest in a can of Pixie Spray. It holds the stencil firmly in place and lifts off easily – no more tape and you’re hand’s free. I inked the stencil in ombre shades of blue distress ink.

    I love the shine of glossy accents and the sparkle of glitter so I mixed them together and spread the mixture thinly and evenly over the inked stencil. When you’ve got complete coverage gently lift the stencil and wash it immediately with warm soapy water.

    Just look at all that sparkle and shine!

    I didn’t want to cover up these pretty shades of blue so I added a simple sentiment – the Big Hugs Sugar Script adhered with adhesive foam tape and a stamped “Sending” from the Memory Box Cherry Blossom Wreath tucked in a Tim Holtz Trinket Pin.

    Easy right? I hope you’ll give this a try! You’ll love the raised texture that reminds me of embossing!

    Supplies

    42031 Midnight Mandala Stencil

    Big Hugs Sugar Script

    CL5256 Cherry Blossom Wreath clear stamp and die set

  • Midnight Mandala Stencil | by Kimberly Wiener

    Midnight Mandala Stencil | by Kimberly Wiener

    Hello there creative Birch Press fans! Today I bring you a very simple and easy way to make multiple cards without stamping or coloring. My supplies are the Mandala Stencil and the Big Hello Sugar Script die.

    Stencils are an excellent way to quickly add color and dimension to your projects. I really like to have several shades to my blended colors and stencils are very forgiving in that you don’t have to be perfect. The imperfections are what adds to the wonderful uniqueness of your creations.

    To create a set of these cards for yourself you will need to cut several 4 x 5 white cardstock panels. Center the Midnight Mandala Stencil onto the panels and blend your colors darkest to lightest rotating outward in a circling motion.

    Cut the stencilled panel to 3.5 x 5 and adhere to upper postion of a standard A2 (4.25 x 5.5) card base, leaving equal distance between the top edge and doth sides of the card base. Onto the lower base of the card, add a black card stock strip 5 x 2 and add the Big Hello Sugar Script word die.

    For these samples I have used distress inks, however any ink used with the newest blender brush type of blending tools will be just as striking. I hope that you are inspired to enjoy experimenting with stencils and finding out just how easy and fun it is!


    Supplies


    57201 Big Hello Sugar Script
    42031 Midnight Mandala Stencil