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I love Vans shoes because they’re a classic, cool brand that I grew up with. Their shoes are so comfortable and perfect for stenciling. I took one of my old favorite pairs and brought it back to life with a few of our pattern stencils.

Here’s what you’ll need for this how to: Colorbox Ink Pads for fabric , Stencil1 8 pack Pattern Stencil set, a pair of Vans shoes and low-tack spray adhesive.

Step 1: Put something inside your shoes to create a sturdy surface to stencil on. This makes it a lot easier to stencil. We used a bulky pair of socks.

Step 2: Spray the back of the stencil with a low-tack spray adhesive and attach it to the sneaker. This step is optional, but will keep the stencil secure making it easier to paint in the stencil. Dab a brush in the ink pad and push down in a circular motion to grab enough ink. These ink pads are a little softer than you might be used to, which makes it easier to pick up ink.

Step 3: Use a circular motion to stencil the shoe. Have fun using different color combinations. We used pink and orange for the top of our shoe. When you’re done, lift the stencil and allow the ink to dry. The ink dries in about 10-20 mins.

Step 4: Start stenciling the side of the stencil. We wanted to go for a playful look so we used different patterns each time we stenciled.

Step 5: Continue stenciling the rest of your shoe. Play with the layout of your stencils. Ours was not fully stenciled and we loved it!

Step 6: Snap a picture and share your revamped Vans with us @Stencil1

We love the way our Star pattern stencil looks on wood. It makes a great background because it is so textural!

For this how-to you’ll need: A wooden frame, Stencil1 Star pattern stencil (part of Stencil201 book!), painter’s tape, low-tack adhesive, multi-surface paint, and stencil brushes.

Step 1: Cover the edge of your frame with tape, this way you don’t accidently get paint on it.

Step 2: Use the low-tack adhesive to make the back of your stencil sticky. This was especially helpful to us when stenciling because the stencil was a little bigger than our frame. Making it sticky made it easier to hold the stencil down.

Step 3: Use a stencil brush and multi-surface paint to start stenciling. Use an up-and-down motion and a dry brush technique to stencil. This means using a small amount of paint and applying more layers. We chose a light color because we wanted a subtle design. But a bright color would also look great!

Step 4: Lift the stencil and allow the paint to dry. Once the paint is dry to touch, continue stenciling the rest of the frame. We could not use the registration marks because they didn’t fit within our frame so we used the painted pattern as guidelines.

Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the frame is completely stenciled.

Step 6: Remove the masking tape. We used our wooden frame as a tray, how will you use yours? Take a picture and share it with us @Stencil1.

Something we do every morning at the Stencil1 Studio is make a list of the tasks that must get completed by the end of the day. Lists are a great way to keep yourself on track and be as productive as possible. Small Moleskine notebooks are great for making lists. They’re even better, and a lot more fun, if you customize them with your favorite images.

For this project, you’ll need: Quatrefoil Bird and Music Stamp Set, Clearsnap Pigment Ink Pads, Hampton Art Clear Blocks and a notebook with a paper-base cover.  The one used here is Moleskine, we love them!

Step 1: Peel the cassette stamp off its backing and stick it onto the clear block.

Step 2: Evenly coat the stamp with ink by pressing it face-down against the ink pad. Make sure to use even pressure.

Step 3: Press the stamp against the cover of the notebook to apply the image. We chose the cassette as our cover but you can use any of the stamps or even combine them for an interesting cover! Repeat these steps with the other stamps to decorate the rest of the notebook.

Show us what your notebooks look like @stencil1