Can do!

I sort of have a tin can obsession. I think they are a beautifully designed object. And as a container, there are so many re-uses for them. I especially like to paint them to give them some newness.

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I used a basic paintbrush and various colors of Folk Art new Multi-surface paints for these cans. Two coats did the trick. Final use for them?

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An urban herb garden for my window sill!  Of course you can use them as pencil holders, vases, and more. What would you do with some colorful painted tin cans?

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To make this herb garden you’ll need 4-6 clean tin cans, paint, paint brushes, soil and a variety of herb plants or seeds. Once you are finished decorating your cans replant different herbs (or seeds) into the tin cans. Have some fun incorporating the name of your herbs into your design! An optional step to make your herb garden last a little longer is to punch a few wholes at the bottom of the cans and add some pebbles before you add the soil. This will allow some water to drain out. If you follow this step, consider placing your garden on a small tray to catch the water.

For Your Phone

This post comes to you from Marcela, a Stencil1 new assistant!

Accessories are always better when they’re custom made. Not only are they unique, but also YOU made it so when some ask where you got you’re awesome iphone case you can take all the credit! I looked around amazon for cheap solid-color iphone cases and decided to stencil them. (You can do this with any phone cases for you android user out there 😉

To make this iphone case you’ll need an plastic case (you can find them for a couple bucks on amazon), stencils, paint, brushes and water & paper towels.

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First, choose the stencil and paint you want to use on your case. I decided to go a with an arrow. Place the stencil on top of the phone case and use the brush to apply paint. Try not to use too much paint at once because so your image doesn’t get too distorted. Have fun mixing colors and using more than one color for different parts of your stencil! I made my stencil purple and gold.

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When you’re done painting, lift your stencil very carefully and set it aside. Let the paint dry for a good 5 to 10 minutes, a little longer if you used a lot of paint. Once the paint is dry you’re ready to show off your awesome iphone case!

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Show us what your iPhone case looks like! @stencil1

CAMP Stencil 6-pack

Our CAMP stencils feature archery bow & arrow with target, an ax, campfire and marshmallows, a canoe, a tent, and CAMP in a wood font. Embellish shirts, your nap sack, your camp journal, camp is fun!

Chalkboard to-do how-to!

Chalkboards are so trending right now, I see chalkboard projects everywhere. I wanted to do some layering effects on the board and make it useful too. Also, I am a list person and creating this board will save me paper!
Here’s how I made my To Do board:

First I took a wood art board and poked two holes in it so later I could string it with twine to hang.

I then painted the board with Chalkboard paint. I used traditional black. I painted two coats.

Once that dried I stenciled the words “to do” on the board using my Corsiva alphabet stencil.

I wanted my to do board to be fun so I used my birds on wires to add these little guys and the lines function as areas to write. I stenciled using very little white paint to make it look like chalk but not be erasable. Once that was dry, I conditioned the board with some chalk. You have to rub chalk all over the board then erase it. Otherwise, when you write on your board, it may show permanently what you wrote.

I then strung some twine to hang the board. Hung, chalk ready, and time to write my list!

Spring (Home) Awakening

Spring awakens the desire for renewal and growth, a craving for color and brightness. Here are some repeat stencil patterns to help your home pop with fresh bold design!

See all our pattern stencils here and to see how to do it all, watch our how-to video on creating a repeat pattern on your wall using one stencil here.

Stencil1 is stuck on StickerApp

A few months ago I paid tribute to  Mommie Dearest by creating a stencil of her at her most insane rant in the film, screaming ” NO WIRE HANGERS EVER!”  Well, how else to spread the fun times than to also have a sticker made of this icon.  StickerApp.com is the hero in this story. Their site makes it incredibly easy for you to upload and have a die cut sticker created and sent to you in a quickie!

They also have a library of designs you can choose from, seen here. And they offer custom printed skins and cases for your phone with a visual app to see how it would look, my leopard banana image shown here! Truly no one else would have the same case if I order this!

Well, I got to sticking my stickers and the first one I applied was to a Moleskine black journal. I carry these everywhere and like to customize the to distinguish it from others. I love, love, love Moleskine journals, a blank canvas to make your own. Some stickers then appeared outside, not sure how 🙂  Check out StickerApp.com and show us what you made!