Today's post is Part One of Two.  Part Two appears here on my blog tomorrow, and its focus will be Valentines.  But today's post presents projects I posted in my old blog back on 11-4-19.  Why?  Because these photos and directions are the "backstory" for tomorrow's post!

 Making loose-sheet prints with stencils is so much fun, it's easy for me to get carried away.  What's a gal to do with all these stencil-prints?

Well ... how about cutting some stencil-printed papers into pieces?  And call them scraps!

 

Above are some of my scraps; they're piled atop several pieces of sturdy cardstock, ready to start a journey toward new life!

Below, I've started to randomly glue scraps to a backing of sturdy cardstock.  I use a Pioneer brand embellishment gluestick.  After gluing each piece to the background, I roll over it with a rubber brayer to make sure it's completely flattened ....

The following 4 photos show cardstock-backed "scrap" collages, all ready to ignite ideas for new projects.  

Below:  a close-up detail of one of these collages of scraps:

For my first project, I decide to audition stencils and masks of a specific type -- I want silhouette-like imagery with large open areas and few small details.

Auditioned stencils and masks above:  L to R, top row:  Small Thistles (6" x 6"), Pair o' Parrots (6" x 6") and Hot Air Balloon Stencils and Masks (which come in two sizes.)  Middle right:  Osprey Wings (6" x 6") and Heron (6" x 6").  Bottom L to R:  Thistle (9" x 12") and Cats (6" x 6").

Below, I'm using a watercolor pencil to trace an outline inside the open shape of a mask from one of the two sets Hot Air Balloon Stencils and Masks.  For this first outlining, I'm using the larger of the two hot air balloon sets.

Next, I use the same watercolor pencil to trace around a mask from the same set -- but this time, I'm using the smaller of the two sizes that are available in my hot air balloon mask-and-stencil sets.

Note:  This mask (upper right, with a pencil tip resting on it) has been stained with orange acrylic paint from a previous project.

Now that this shape has been traced out in two sizes, I'm ready to cut out both images with fine-detail scissors --

Below you can see the two hot air balloon shapes, now cut out.  If a watercolor pencil leaves marks after the shape is cut out, they can be easily erased later with a water-dampened cotton swab.

Above:  A close-up shot of these two shapes glued to a giftbag (the bag has been sprayed with a metallic gold watercolor in a mister spray bottle.)  Below:  the entire giftbag.

 

Now, I decide to trace another hot air balloon on the scrap-collaged paper, cut it out, and take advantage of its sturdy cardstock backing by making a three-dimensional greeting card.

  

The photo above shows my cut-out being auditioned on the front side of a greeting card blank cut from metallic bronze cardstock (from JAMPaper.com). On the upper right is a box of Glue Dots.  Upper left:  the roll of glue dots that I've taken out of the box.

Below, you can see the back of the cut-out and the glue dots I'm placing on it.  Its base of sturdy cardstock is really important in working toward a 3D finish.

The front view of the finished greeting card cover is below.

-- and here's a view from the side that shows the 3-D effect:

Above:  When cutting out the heron that I'd traced onto the scrap-collage, I used an X-acto knife and cutting board instead of fine-detail scissors, because of the small-scale details of the heron's legs and feet.

After the heron got a ribbon around its neck -- again the cardstock backing was very helpful, giving me the sturdiness needed -- it went onto another giftbag that I'd previously sprayed with a metallic gold watercolor:

A close-up--

More giftbags and close-ups:

In the final photo above, you can see that I cut out a paper heart and added it to the cat ... couldn't help myself!

Plain paper giftbags are available here and elsewhere.

Thanks for visiting here today!  To follow my blog by email, please use that option in the upper right sidebar.  To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks, please start here.

No such thing as too many hearts!

My last post described one way of decorating wooden crafters' hearts to create embellishments for greeting cards, art journal covers, hanging ornaments, memo magnets, etc.

Posted here today are still more greeting cards.  Each features a final touch of bling thru the addition of one of the decorated hearts that my last post showed, step by step, in its developing stages.

Above:  a full-size view of a greeting card created with cut-outs from a print made using (first layer) pale lavender paint with Sassy Spray and yellow-orange acrylic paint with M & Y (second layer.)  The green, spotty-marbled background paper had been a fly page in an old encyclopedia.  Below is a close-up of the decorated heart:

Next up:  a full-view shot of another greeting card, this one featuring a star cut from monoprinted paper.

Below is a close-up of its "blingy" embellishment --

 

Below is the third greeting card in today's post ....

.... and this decorated wooden crafters' heart sits atop a cut-out from a print made using Swatton Grid Stencil.  Directly above the heart is a strip cut from a print created with Swatton Links Stencil.  The upper left quadrant of this card is paper cut from a print made using Facets.

Stencils and masks that served as backgrounds in today's post:

Facets  (9" x 12") --

Swatton Links Stencil (6" x 6") --

Swatton Grid Stencil (6" x 6") --

M & Y (4" x 4") --

Sassy Spray (6" x 6") -- 

My sincere thanks for coming to see my post today!  To follow this blog by email, please use that option in the upper right sidebar.  To scroll thru the pages of my masks and stencils for StencilGirlProducts, please start here.

Valentines from Leftovers

Space restrictions meant that my January 28 post at StencilGirl Talk had to have some photos deleted.  I'm re-posting the original version here today, since a picture's worth a thousand words....  

Have a heart!  Or two.  Or five.  Or a dozen!

Getting ready for Valentine’s Day?  Or any other occasion you want to brighten with hearts?

I use leftovers in creating three-dimensional heart embellishments for greeting cards, memo magnets, hanging ornaments, art journal cover decoration, lapel pins, earrings, etc.

Today I’m describing two approaches.  First I’ll talk about leftover acrylic paints.  Secondly, I’ll show a way to use leftover stencil-printed papers.

My first project starts with wooden craft hearts… 

…and a painting in progress:

 

In this painting project, as shown in the two photos directly above, I’m using 6” x 6” StencilGirl® Pavilion Shadows with heavy-body black acrylic paint and 6” x 6” StencilGirl® Ski Lift Works with heavy-body red acrylic paint. Dollops of these paints, as well as heavy-body gold and white acrylic paints, are waiting on my tablet of disposable palette paper (a tablet of white paper with a glossy, resist-surface.) 

  

After I’m done using paints for my painting-in-progress, I place wooden craft hearts into the leftover dollops of wet paint.  When I lift them, they’re partially coated with paint that boasts a delightful 3-dimensional “squished” pattern --

 

Next, I double-dip each heart to load it with a second color.

  

I repeat this till all leftover paints are used.  

After my first set of hearts dry, they’re ready to become embellishments on a Valentine greeting card that will appear at the end of this post.

More newly-dry painted hearts are going a step further – into bling!  After placing them in a beading tray, I add glitter glue and miniature iridescent beads.  

 Most of my bling-hearts, used as embellishments, will appear at the close of this post.  But I’m showing one here; among its randomly-tilted layers is a heart cut from a stencil-print.  Stencil used:  6” x 6” StencilGirl® Marbles 6.

My second way to use leftovers starts with scraps of stencil-printed papers.  Today’s example is a foil scrap printed with 6” x 6” ” StencilGirl® Swatton Links.

I flip the scrap backside-up and freehand-draw 2 hearts.  Or you can use wooden hearts as tracing templates. 

After cutting out the heart shapes, I glue them to a Valentine card atop a lace doily from InLoveArts. 

I have another paper that was left over from an earlier project, when I’d printed it using 6” x 6” ” StencilGirl® Sprigs and 6” x 6” StencilGirl® Ivy Frame 6 Stencil.

  

From this paper scrap, I cut a column to place on a card.  After gluing a number of craft wooden hearts to the back of the remaining scrap, I start to cut them out so I can glue them to the Valentine with the column, as well as other Valentines. 

Here are today’s finished greeting cards --

What about that painting-in-progress?  Having developed into a mixed-media collage, it’s below: 

  

Below are 3 close-up detail photos of the artwork's stenciled areas.... 

1. Stencil used:  6" x 6" Pavilion Shadows s464 

2. Stencil used:  6" x 6" Pavilion Shadows s464 

3. Stencil used:  6" x 6" Ski Lift Works s463. 

Note:  To mail greeting cards with 3-dimensional embellishments, I recommend using padded envelopes.  You can find US postal requirements here.

Want a supply list for today’s 2-prong project?  You can find that by scrolling back here on my post to January 28, 2021.

To scroll thru the pages of my StencilGirl® stencils and masks, please start here.