From Autumn Leaves to Christmas Trees!

Hello, friends! Nicole checking back in with an out of the box way to create some holiday/Christmas cards this year. (Plus, a couple extra ideas as well!) Can you believe we’re just a couple of days away from December first? This year has cruised by! Wasn’t I just creating last year’s cards? 

In case you missed them, I made these fun tree cards using stencils and a gel plate last year:

I really enjoy making cards to send for holidays and coming up with a new idea for each year. Back in October, I created some fun fall décor using the Autumn Leaves stencil. As I was cutting out all the leaves, I realized how perfect the shapes were for Christmas trees! I just had to use this stencil again, but instead of the “as-designed” leaves, I’m making trees!

 

Like my last tutorial, I knew I wanted to stencil on vintage papers. Thankfully, I already had a pile leftover, so I didn’t need to make more. I also had a sheet music page leftover from another project that I thought would add a festive feel to the trees.

 

If you’ve never lightly gessoed vintage papers before, it’s really easy. Simply add watered-down gesso to some old book and ledger pages. This does a couple things. It adds some integrity to the sometimes-brittle pages and allows for a better surface to paint on. Since I don’t want to cover up the text and I don’t need a thick layer of gesso, I water it down. You can also use clear gesso. Since I didn't create any this time, here are couple pictures from my wildflower greeting cards post:

To make the trees, I grabbed shades of green paint, an applicator and began to play. This is a fun, simple process but does require some patience. The Autumn Leaves stencil is a bit more delicate, so sometimes you have to hold down parts of it while you stencil. 

 

For my first trees, I created an ombre design using white. First by adding a green, then using the white and blending back with the green and even white again if needed.

I thought I’d use a different green and design in each tree (leaf) style, but as I began to play, I decided to keep the same greens in each tree. Don’t worry, I’ll use these first leaves in a different way.

For all the trees, I simply blended a different green or three. 

 

Tree One:

I filled the entire shape with a lighter green and then went back and added some dark green in spots to give the tree some dimension.

Tree Two:

I stenciled with the lighter green on the top and darker on the bottom.

Tree Three:

I used one color in the center and the other color on top and bottom.

 

 

After they dried, I cut them out of the vintage paper and grabbed some green card stock to give them a border. I chose a different green for each design and stuck them down with matte medium, front and back, and then also added another layer on top for extra protection.

When the matte medium was dry, I grabbed some brown paint and went over the leaf stems to make them into brown tree trunks.

 

I also I added some red berries to one design with the end of my paint brush. 

Then, once they dried, I had to cut them out again.

Look at all those trees! Now, let’s turn them into cards! I used a ruler to make sure the middle tree was centered and then used some dimensional adhesive to pop it up from the card. For the other two trees, I just used a tape runner to stick them down.

After all the trees were added to the fronts, I spattered watered-down gesso to the fronts for some snow. 

I also added it to both sides of the envelopes.

There are so many other fun things you could add to the front of these trees! A star on top, pinecones, different colored dots for lights, ornaments or even a little bird. I decided to keep mine simple. I might add a sentiment on the front closer to sending them out. Last year I typed “Merry Christmas” on my typewriter.

 

After all those cards, I have a few leftover trees including the first ones I stenciled. Here are a few more ideas to use up any extra trees or have an excuse to make more!

Make Gift Tags

 

Punch a hole in the tree and grab some bakers twine or ribbon to loop inside for a tie. You can tie it on a package or gift bag. All you have to do is write your to and from on the back, and you’re ready for gifting season.

Ornaments

 

Created just like the gift tags above, but hang them on a tree, evergreen garland or wreath.

 

Create a garland

 

Grab some bakers twine or thin jute and string them up! All you have to do is punch a couple of holes in each leaf and add them to the string of choice. Check out my October post to see the fall version of this idea.

Make a mobile or wall-hanger 

 

Similar to the garland, string some to dangle from a branch, old paint brush, vintage wooden spoon, or anything you can think of! You could add some beads or other winter/holiday-themed items. I made one back in October with the leaves that still hangs in my husband’s office! 

 

 

You can watch how I made the cards in the video below:

 

 

 Happy Holidays!

-Nicole

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Stencil

Autumn Leaves

Supplies for the trees:

• Gesso
• Vintage book and ledger papers
• Matte medium
• Green, White, Brown, Red acrylic paint (I used Golden's SoFlat)
• Scissors
• Card stock
• Palette paper
• Round applicator

Extra supplies for projects:

• 5x7 cards & envelopes
• Adhesive of choice (tape runner or glue stick)
• Foam tape or adhesive squares 
• Bakers twine or another string of choice
• Hole punch

Artful Celebration - Christmas Card and Bag with Claudia Neubacher

Servus, hi and thanks so much for stopping by today! I am pretty sure you are in full Christmas swing already and if you are still in search of an idea for a Christmas card or a little self-made something to give to a loved one I might have the idea for you - why not customise a bought cotton bag and turn it into a gorgeous Christmas shopping bag?! And of course - if you plan to give it away as a present - you need a matching Christmas card! 

StencilGirl® stencils used:

- Peace by Cathy Nichols

- Woodland Blackbird by Jennifer Evans

When using special tools (like stencils in this case) to create patterns or images I like to make their "presence" visible so you can tell there was a special technique or tool used to create the image you look at. On the black cotton bag and the brown kraft card, I used the lovely StencilGirl® stencils in a way that created the impression of a screen printed image (which is where stencils are a crucial part of the process...only the paints are applied differently). I think this effect looks especially good on cards or T-shirts (or black cotton bags ;) and it also gets you the most out of a single stencil (instead of just applying paint in a single layer). 

The trick to this effect is actually quite simple. But let me talk you through the process bit by bit...

When using fabric paint on T-shirts or cotton bags you have to insert some acetate or a plastic bag to prevent the backs from being stained (or glued to the front sides) by the paint that gets soaked up and seeps through during the painting process. 

I used a clear sheet protector and inserted a sheet of printer paper for better sturdiness.


My first layer was done in white using Cathy Nichols' beautiful "Peace" stencil. I used DecoArt Americana Snow White acrylic paint that I mixed with DecoArt Americana Fabric Painting Medium (two parts paint, one part medium as indicated on the label) and a stencil brush.

I made sure there was good coverage on the black fabric - so I went over most areas twice. I also dabbed the loaded brush onto a piece of paper before I applied the paint through the stencil to avoid any smudges from paint overload on the brush.

The result was a clear crisp image! Yay!

I set the cotton bag to the side to let it dry and repeated the process on my Christmas card - this time with the gorgeous Woodland Blackbird stencil designed by Jennifer Evans and pure Snow White acrylic paint of course.

I heat dried the first layer of white paint before I went in with the same stencil again - this time using DecoArt Extreme Sheen Vintage Brass acrylic paint for the bird. And here comes the essential trick to the screen print look effect: I placed the stencil on top of the white stenciled image but moved it a tiny bit to the top and to the right (not farther than a millimeter in each direction!)

Then I stippled the metallic paint on top of the white bird image using a finer stencil brush than before (so not to apply paint through the other shapes around the bird). The result is a visible white "shadow" that lets the base layer show through around some edges (depending on where you have moved the stencil).

I heat set that layer again before I went on so I would not smudge any wet paint by moving the stencil on top of it when placing it over the image again (moving it up and to the side again). Then I added some red and green in DecoArt Americana Primary Red and Plantation Pine using a very small bristle brush.

The eye and the bird's breast were painted in by hand using a detail brush.

Voilá - the finished card with the stamped on Christmas wishes.

In the meantime, the white paint on the cotton bag had dried so I could go on with applying red, gold and green paint there too. I mixed it with the Fabric Painting Medium again to make sure it would not come off during usage or machine wash.

I took a picture of the smallest bristle brush I have used for the finest details on the stencil. As you can see it is already very worn - which makes it useless for painting but perfect for applying paint through a stencil.

Some greens here, a bit of Vintage Brass paint there (mixed with the Fabric Painting medium again of course)...and not to forget about the sheet protector that is still in place inside the bag...and it started coming together really nicely and very festive I think.

For fixation I ironed the cotton bag from the back for about a minute at cotton setting once the paints had fully dried. It can now even be put in the washing machine if needed (turned inside out and at low temperature setting). 

I love this! And it didn't take long either! Next time I do this I will work on at least two bags at a time (maybe even three). This way I can put one to the side for drying and work on the other in the meantime. A quick and easy lovely little give-away, isn't it? Perfect to do some Christmas shopping!

Happy Christmas crafting!

Claudia

from

xxx

A Visit from St. Nick - a poem reworded, with stencils of course!

Hi  Stencil Lovers!
       Carol Baxter here to regale you with a poem (with apologies to original author Clement Clark Moore. I hope he knows, wherever he might be, that his poem, commonly know as "Twas the Night Before Christmas" but actually titled, "A Visit from St. Nick", has brought a lot of joy and laughter to people over the years.)
       However you are celebrating December and all the month entails, I hope you get a kick out of playing this little game.
      Let's find out how well you know the poem and how well you know the stencils!

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the 

Not a 

  

was stirring, not even a mouse;

The 

by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The 

 

were nestled all snug in their beds;

While visions of 

 

danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our 

 

for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the 

 

I flew like a flash,

Tore open the 

 

and threw up the sash.

The 

on the breast of the new-fallen 

Gave a luster of midday to objects below,

When what to my

 eyes did appear,

But a 

 

and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.

More rapid than 

his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!

On, 

on, 

on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the 

!
Now 

away! 

 

away! 

away all!"

As 

that before the wild 

 

fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;

So, up to the house-top the coursers they flew

With the 

and 



 too—

And then, in a twinkling

 

I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my

and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!

His cheeks were like 

his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard on his chin was as white as the

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke, it encircled his head like a

He had a broad face and a little round belly

That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye; and a twist of his head

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And 

then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Thanks for playing! 

You can click on each stencil to get to it.