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Hey Stencilers! Forget the boring greeting cards you can find at the store and personalize your own notes and letters to your friends and family using Stencil 1 Pattern and Image stencils! Try this cool, trending watercolor effect to add more personality and creativity to your cards.

Things you will need: Stencil1 Diamond Repeat Pattern & Butterfly stencil, blank envelope and card, paintbrushes, paper towels, and a watercolor set. We wanted to use a more readily available watercolor set, so we chose Crayola’s Washable Watercolor set!

Step 1. Place the pattern stencil on the blank card.

Step 2. Using water, load up your brush with your desired color and start painting away!

Painting with watercolor can be a little tricky. Since we are using water to activate the paint, the paint may seep underneath the stencil and bleed out. Try dabbing your paint brush a few times on a paper towel to blot out any extra water. You will find it much easier and cleaner to paint this way! This will come in handy when painting with more detailed stencils.

Step 3. Add more dimension to your card! Let your work dry for several minutes. Grab another stencil and paint over your design. The possibilities are endless.

And there you have it! Step away from the emails and text messages, and try sending your loved ones a message in a more meaningful way today!

Snap a picture of it, and share it with us @Stencil1!

Show your love ones how special they are with Stencil 1 Letters & Numbers stencils! This is a quick and fun way to show that   special person how much they mean to you. So come, join the fun and let love inspire you!

Things you will need: Stencil1 Letters & Numbers stencils, canvas, paintbrush, paint, and a bit of Imagination.

Step 1. Prepare the area where you are going to create this piece of loving art.

Step 2. Place the stencil in the desired location. Once placed, dab paintbrush lightly in paint, and paint within the stencil.

Step 3. After a minute or two, remove the stencil and start on another location.

Step 4. Once you’re finished with the piece, allow it to dry for several minutes.

Step 5. Show that special person how much you love them.

Snap a picture of it, and share it with us at Stencil1!

Excited for the summer? So are we!  Check out our favorite Stencil1 summer DIY projects. Pick up that brush, start stenciling and bring in the summer with style!

1. Fern Shirt – get outside, find your favorite leaf or flower and make a nature inspired shirt!

2. Bucket Hat – back in style, make yours extra special by putting your favorite stencil on it!

3. Door Mat – people won’t be able to resist your front door.

4. Patio Rug – super awesome and weather proof!

5. Mason Jars – perfect for ice cold margaritas.

6. Drink Bucket –  get Fourth of July ready!

7. Sugar Skull Napkins – your friends won’t want to get these dirty.

Gone are the days of last minute, boring Father’s Day gifts. Use our stencils from Stencil Style 101 or shop the site for your favorite designs to give Dad a gift that will make you the favorite child. Check out our tie how-to and other ideas below!

1. Anchor Tie

To make this tie you’ll need: anchor stencil from Stencil Style 101, stencil brush, fabric paint, and a tie.

First: Place the tie on a sturdy, flat surface exposing the area where you want to stencil.

Second: Place the stencil on the tie. You can secure the stencil by taping it with painter’s tape, spraying the back with spray adhesive, or by holding it with the hand you are not painting with.

Third: Begin to stencil the tie by dabbing the brush up and down. Remember that stenciling is a dry brush technique. This means you are using very little paint and applying multiple coats. Once you are done stenciling, lift the stencil and allow it to dry to touch. Finish up by heat sealing it with an iron.

You can stencil one anchor or multiple to make a pattern!

Your Dad isn’t a tie person? Check out these other ideas using stencils from this book!

2. Checkered Suitcase

3. Brooklyn Hat

4. Bowtie T 

5. Stenciled Boots

6. Brooklyn Anchor Henley

7. Travel Bag

8. Bike Helmet  

Don’t want to buy the book? You can also purchase most of these stencil separately!

Brooklyn Nautical (BROOKLYN, anchor)

Bow Tie

Feathers & Wings

Cross

Letters

Checkers

Happy Father’s Day!

Posted by Jayne, our new Stencil1 intern!

This project will show you how you can make custom wall art for a kid’s bedroom using Stencil1 stencils. I decided to pretend that I was 10 years old again and imagined what I would like to have had on my wall at that age.

Step 1: Gather your materials. I used the two layer sugar skull stencil, the skeleton keys stencil and the Corsiva alphabet stencil to make this project. You will also need acrylic paint (any color you like, have fun with it!), stencil brushes and a surface to paint on. Optionally, you can have some artist tape and low tack spray adhesive on hand to help keep your stencils in place.

Step 2:  Place your stencil and apply some paint to your brush. You only need a small amount for stenciling, and make sure to clean off any excess on a palette before you start working. You should be extra careful around the edges of the stencil so that the paint doesn’t get under the stencil. Work slowly, building up the layers of paint towards the color you desire.

Step 3: You don’t have to limit yourself with stenciling. I decided to use two colors for my skull, to give it a little bit more of a pop. Experiment with the paint and see what happens. Remember to clean your brushes between each new color. Always make sure the brushes are dry before you apply paint to them, because any excess water will make the paint runny and hard to control.

 
Step 4: After I finished the base color for the skull, I waited for it to dry before I started working on another section of the piece. This way, I don’t have to worry about smudging or messing up what I’ve just worked on when I put another stencil down and start painting.

I used the skeleton key stencils next. I tested out different arrangements of the stencils on the board before I started any painting so that I could decide which composition looked best. I tried stacking the keys vertically, and seeing how many would fit, before ultimately, I decided to arrange them in a falling motion so that the composition would be more active.

The key stencils are small and have more details in them so I had to be extra careful when painting to make sure that the paint didn’t spread outside of the stencil. I also waited for each to dry before starting a new one.

Step 5: Once I finished stenciling the keys, I went back to working on the skull. This stencil has two parts to it, the base shape and the detailing. I wanted the details to align perfectly within the shape so I arranged the stencil on top in the appropriate position, before sticking some artist tape down. The tape keeps the stencil flat and in place, but I applied extra pressure with my hand onto the stencil when filling in the details in order to prevent any paint from getting under the stencil surface.

The cool thing about the detailing stencil is that you don’t have to place the details exactly where they’re “supposed” to be. You can reposition the detailing stencil however you like on top of the base color, and paint in whichever detail you want wherever you want. I went the traditional route with this stencil, but that doesn’t mean you have to!

Step 6: Once I finished all the decorative elements, I started to stencil my name. Treat the lettering stencils the same way you treat any other stencil – go slow and be careful.

Step 7: Think about how much space you would like to have between each letter and also whether you want them to line up on the same baseline or if you would rather have them move up and down (or just go crazy on the board!). I wanted my name to be simple so I evenly spaced the letters closely together and had them all line up in a straight line. Spend some time planning your design, if you need to.

Step 8: After I finished stenciling my name, I realized my composition was still lacking something so I added another tiny key stencil beside my name.

And at last, here is the final product: