We’re bringing Stencil back!!! DIY Stencil Christmas Projects

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Isn’t it funny how all things old become new again?  I remember (what feels like) a hundred years ago helping my mom stencil geese and little houses around the top of our kitchen.  Back then when we were doing it I thought “this is really cool!” but then a few years later I was so incredibly happy to paint over those silly stenciled images.  But now, here I am again in 2014 loving stencil projects…who’d have thought?

This year I got to go to Pinners Conference, it was so much fun.  I love any DIY project so Pinners Conference was made for people just like me.  My cute friend Natalie from The Creative Mom was presenting and at her class we made the cute Reindeer and Snowflake pallet art.  I love them (especially the reindeer), they make me smile.  I’m also really excited because she has a whole post telling you how to make them!  You can find it here.  Make sure and tell her how much you love them and just a suggestion but I think they would make a fabulous friend gift!!

For my snowflake I painted my whole pallet red first – make sure the red is 100 million percent dry before you try to stencil your white snowflake on!  I was trying to hurry and get both done during our class at Pinners Conference and the red bled through the white so I had to go back later and touch it all up, not a huge deal but an easy step to skip if you just let it dry the 1st time (pinners conference tip – if you’re going to a class where you’re painting be the cool person and bring a blow dryer!)
Now, onto my cute little Christmas tree stencil.  Recently we were introduced to Hazel and Ruby, have you met them yet?…  If you haven’t you need to rush over there and check them out.  They have some of the cutest items available.  You’ll be sure to be seeing more projects in the future made by us that include their products, they are so much fun.
To make the cute little tree I started with this group of supplies:
I used Hazel and Ruby Holiday Shapes, Words, and Quotes Stencil-Mask to make the tree (you can see it there) it was bigger than my surface so I just eliminated the bottom piece of the tree and it fit perfectly.  I also used the Hazel and Ruby Pass the Tissue Ephemera Collage Paper Roll.  I used Green, Red, Brown, Gold, Blue, and Yellow paints.  I also used Mod Podge and a spray glitter.  The little wood piece I used was just a funny little easel thing I had laying around and I painted it white (not the same one in this photo but the same idea).
I started by having the whole thing painted white (if you’re using a small canvas that is already white no painting needed) and then covering the surface with a thin layer of Mod Podge.  The Tissue Paper on the roll is nice and thin but not too fragile, I cut a piece the size I needed and then smoothed it over the surface.  Once I was sure it was nice and smooth I covered it again with a couple layers of Mod Podge (a blow dryer comes in handy here too!)
Once it was all dry I took my Tree Stencil-Mask (and a star) and placed them right on top and then painted the whole block green.  It took a few coats to get it as covered as I wanted it.  Once I had it covered I used a straight pin to lift the corner of the stencil pieces and just pulled them off.  I was afraid they were always going to be green but ALL of the paint came off with no problem at all!  This photo ^^ was actually taken after I finished my project, see how the tree has no paint on it at all.  I was very impressed by how clean they came without losing any of the stickiness from the back side.  I just used a damp paper towel to wipe the paint off (they also suggest baby wipes work well)
The next step was to decorate the tree:

I painted the start gold and then added a thin layer of brown to the tree trunk.  I used the handle end of my paint brush to dot the lights on (again did it a couple times to get good coverage.  At this point I felt like it was lacking something mainly on the green.  Paula and I talked and decided glitter would be a fun addition.  Sadly it didn’t turn out exactly as I had imagined.  The first can of glitter spray I tried using was almost gone so nothing was coming out.  I opened a new can and well…it came out like crazy!!
I was sad that SO much went on the tree area but I managed to make myself more OK with it by adding a fresh dot of paint onto all of my ornament dots.  It isn’t exactly what I had planned but it looks cute up on the shelf with the other Christmas decorations so that makes me happy.  Live and learn right?..always test a new can of glitter spray before you go crazy!

If you’re interested in making stencils of your own I have a few options for you!

If you’re thinking of cutting out one thing you plan to use again and again I suggest you buy the Hazel and Ruby Cut Your Own Peel Away Stencil-Mask.  It sticks well for multiple uses and will I think work very well for you.

If you have something in mind but only plan on using it once I suggest the Silhouette Stencil Material it has an adhesive back which makes for a nice clean stencil but doesn’t stay sticky through multiple uses (you can always use it as a regular stencil and tape it into place since it is a nice thicker plastic if you want to use it again).
I had so much fun making all of these DIY projects and I hope you’ll try them out!

*We were given some products in this post to review.  All photos, text, and thoughts are our own.
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