Celebration: Stencil Techniques

The Celebration: Stencil Techniques class from the AECP was an absolute joy! In this class, we explored innovative ways to use stencils. I chose to work with a layering stencil and added embossing paste for extra texture and dimension to my design.

Products Used:

• Botanical Honeycomb Stencil Set
• Craft Your Life Project Kit: Seasonal Blooms Dies
• White and Black Cardstock
• White Embossing Paste
• Distress Vintage Platinum Glitter
• Sun-Kissed Delight Fresh dye ink
• Cosmic Berry Fresh dye Ink
• Distress Oxide Worm Lipstick reinker

Steps to Create:

1. Layering the First Stencil: 
   I started with a 6 x 6-inch piece of white cardstock and positioned Stencil 1 from the Botanical Honeycomb set. Using Peachy Glow dye ink, I blended the large flower petals, creating a soft base. For added depth, I layered Golden Honeycomb ink from the center to halfway up each petal, achieving a gradient effect.
2. Coloring Small Flowers: 
   While Stencil 1 was still in place, I blended Melted Butterscotch ink onto the smaller flowers, adding a striking contrast.
3. Adding Detail with Stencil 2: 
   Next, I aligned Stencil 2 and colored the remaining petals with Golden Honeycomb. To enhance the shading, I blended Amber Blaze ink over the areas for depth and richness.
4. Background Blending with Stencil 4: Skipping Stencil 3 for now, I worked with Stencil 4 to add the honeycombs background. Cosmic Berry ink provided a bold, vibrant contrast to the floral elements.
5. Embossing Paste Fun: The real fun began with Stencil 3! I mixed white embossing paste with a few drops of Distress Oxide Worm Lipstick reinker to customize the color. Aligning the stencil, I spread the paste over the honeycomb borders and flower centers using an old credit card for an even application. After removing the stencil, I cleaned it immediately to prevent the paste from drying.
6. Adding Glitter Details: While the embossing paste was still wet on the flower centers, I sprinkled Distress Vintage Platinum glitter to add sparkle.
7. Flipping and Masking: After letting the panel dry for about two hours, I flipped Stencil 3 and masked all the flower centers with masking tape. Then, I repeated the embossing paste process to complete the honeycomb borders without affecting the flower centers.
8. Trimming and Mounting: Once the panel was completely dry, I trimmed it slightly smaller than 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches. To frame the design, I foam-mounted the panel onto a black cardstock base, leaving equal borders all around.
9. Simple Sentiment: For the sentiment, I die-cut the "thanks" word from the Seasonal Blooms set. The shadow was cut from white cardstock, while the detailed layer was cut from black cardstock and stacked with four additional layers for dimension. I glued it at the top center of the card.
10. Final Assembly: I adhered everything onto a card base for a polished finish.
11. Inside Details: Not wanting to waste the trimmed-off honeycomb borders, I fussy cut the remaining pieces and glued them to the bottom-right corner of the card’s inside panel for a cohesive design.

  

  

This project combined various stencil techniques into a single cohesive design. The textured honeycomb, vibrant ink blending, and subtle glitter accents created a striking yet balanced card. I love how the bold background became the card's focal point while the simple sentiment tied it all together!

 

  

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