Send a little sunshine with a card - ideas for you!

Are you home? Missing friends?

Houses Stencil by Jamie Fingal

A handmade card implies more than I was thinking about you, a card encompasses how you feel and the time you took to make it unique.

2-Step Stencils

Tea and birthday gatherings are not lost forever. 

Teacups & Teapot Stencil by Jessica Sporn

Sooner than it might feel like, homes will once again be gathering places.

Habitat Decor Stencil by Angela Cartwright

And you can invite people to your castle in reality rather than virtually.

Once Upon a Time Stencil by Carolyn Dube

Until then, why not reach out with a greeting card and a matching envelope?

Half Rings Stencils by Andrew Borloz

Who wouldn't like a feathered friend in a card? What does this little bird spy? You could reveal it inside the card!

Birds & Bunnies Stencil by Margaret Peot

Make some elements so you'll have them on hand.

Journey Stencil by Roxanne Evans Stout

And if birds are featured, you know they love a flower garden!

Curlicue Dance Stencil by Janet Joehlin

While we are on the subject of florals, these stencils are perfectly pretty for backgrounds:

Stencils by Melanie Testa

Tag, you're it! Make a card for someone you care about who lives far or near.

Iron Grate Layer Me Stencil by Carolyn Dube

Silly Silas & Sigmond Stencil by Carolyn Dube

Check out all the fabulous StencilGirl stencils!

Guest Designer Karen Seifert: Bible Journaling with StencilGirl® Products

Hi, everyone! Karen Seifert here again!

This time to show you Bible journaling with StencilGirl® Products!

I hope you enjoy my video:

The beauty of stencils in Bible Art Journaling is their flexibility. The stencil bends to fit, or “hugs” the page,

which makes it easy to achieve a perfect inking of your letters, and images.

Most Bible Art Journalers use Bibles with wide margins, and fill that area with artwork or writing.

However, if you use a light-colored ink, or a light hand when applying a dark ink, you will still be able to easily read the scripture if you ink over the words.

Most inks will either bleed through the page, or you will see a shadowing on the back of the page. For this reason, I have two Bibles for my Bible Art, and I use my Dad's Bible for my Bible Study, and Daily Devotional.

The stencil “Sacred Words and Marks” has words, “Grace, Blessing, Sacred, Stillness,” and more.

If you want to create with these words, but don't know where in the Bible they show up, then, go to https://www.biblegateway.com/.

This is a searchable online Bible in over 150 versions. Just type your keyword, passage, or topic, select version (King James, Living Bible, etc.) and hit the search button.

Bible Gateway will show your search in both Old, and New Testaments.

If you are fearful of messing up, or don't feel comfortable creating artwork in your Bible, Pray about it.

Supplies:

StencilGirl® Products:

Vine

Journal Notes 6
Sacred Words and Marks

Other Supplies:

Journaling Bible (I used Note Takers Bible)
Stamping inks

Sponge daubers

Black Micron pen

Creating with StencilGirl® Products in Your Planner

Hi, everyone! Karen Seifert here! Have you joined the Planner Community?

Some will say it keeps them organized, more time efficient, and are able to get more done.

This is true, but I love the creative part the best, and I believe most planner people agree.

I hope you enjoy my video below:

This planner size is called a Traveler's Notebook because of its portability:

Placing the mini calendar stencil in the upper right, I used a light blue stamping ink, and sponge dauber.

Using a “dabbing” motion, I filled in all areas, then came back with a darker blue ink to fill in the specific dates of that week (June 18 -23). I also used the “Jun” portion of this stencil in the upper left.

Using the same dark blue ink, I filled in “Blessings” across the bottom. The flexibility of the stencil allows me to ink across the center indented binder area, and still achieve perfect, clean, inked lettering.

In the top and bottom left corners, I used the Vine stencil, inking with a dark green. Keeping the stencil in place,

I outlined the leaves and stems using an 01 black Micron pen, following with random dots.

Even with the artwork, there is still room to document appointments, and reminders.

Spending quiet time being creative in your planner, will hopefully bring some peace to your busy life.

Supplies:

StencilGirl® Products:

Vine

Never Ending Calendar mini

Sacred Words and Marks

Michaels Recollections Travelers Notebook

Birds are paper napkin applique

Fun Stampers Journey ink

Black Micron pen

sponge daubers

Coffee Mugs & Love stencil is for all of us who love our coffee, lattes, mocha, and espresso.

This planner is all about Coffee, color, and artistic fun! (very little planning).

Again, I used my stamping inks, sponge daubers, and outlined with black Micron pen.

Supplies:

StencilGirl® Products:

Vine

Never Ending Calendar mini

Sacred Words and Marks

Bullet Planner 2

Coffee Mugs & Love

Dylusions Dyary from Ranger

Fun Stampers Journey ink

Black Micron pen

sponge daubers

6 New Stencils by Our New Designer Melanie Testa & Kunst Puppen Stencils by Andrew Borloz

Author, artist and designer Melanie Testa has joined the StencilGirl cadre of designers and we couldn't be more pleased. 

And then we've got Andrew Borloz' Kunst Puppen (art puppets)!

Melanie's stencils are made to be layered, Andrew's are made to mix and match if you wish.

Enjoy!

Keep scrolling down to see Melanie's six stencils and check out her stepped-out technique.

Whimsy Dots L497

Vine L493

Knit Swirl L493

Vine Swirl L498

Scroll L495

Daisies L494

Below, Melanie steps away from working with cloth and into journaling with a discussion of using stencils to pattern and layer. In her own words:

"Journaling is a means for me to space out, calm down and just plain play with drawing, color and patterns. My pages often take days and sometimes weeks to complete, I might draw something viewed in a museum one day, doodle with paint on another, or as you see here, play with stencils and negative space." 

"Pattern, layering and use of negative space are a hallmark of my journaling style." 

"So what is negative space? Negative space is the space around your main motif, while positive space is the motif itself. While many of us use stencils to color the cut out area of the design, I revel in tracing these same designs onto the pages of my journals, and painting the negative space around them. Although I love to draw, I find I am drawn to the use of stencils because of their repeatability and their strict lines, it is just easier to play around with patterning when you have stencils at hand!"

"Lightly trace the design with pencil. Keep a kneaded erase nearby, to press into and 'lift away' or erase any marks that you feel are too dark."

"And then paint outside the lines, in the negative space! Here I am painting with watercolors on watercolor paper, but I have also used this technique with acrylic paint on pine board."

"So long as the paint is dry, you can continue to trace and layer painted layers as often as you like."

~ Melanie Testa

Kunst Puppen

"While I was designing the masks stencils (Kunst Masken), I was also creating the puppet designs. The designs of both the masks and the puppets was inspired and influenced by the various styles from several European art movements and design philosophies such as Bauhaus, De Stijl, Dada and Cubism, which occurred during early 20th century (1910-1930)."

"I have seen marionettes and puppet shows many times - I often enjoyed them in spite of the fact I was not able to hear the spoken lines - the lips are so hard to read as they're so stiff!"

"I also have seen mime and sometimes puppet-like performances by Mummenschanz. When I was a kid, I even wrote a script, created a puppet theatre using cardboard boxes, designed the stage sets, and directed one hand puppet show. Yes, I did all that when I was a fifth grader."

"I was very fascinated with the stage costume designs done by Oskar Schlemmer for a ballet performance at one of the Bauhaus schools. I was also intrigued with stage costumes designed by Fernand Leger for Ballets Suedois (The Swedish Ballet), and with the marionettes designed by Sophie Taeuber-Arp. All of these influences served as a basis for my new puppet stencils."

- Andrew Borloz

Set A (left) L480, Set B (right) L481 - both of these are large 9" x 12" stencils

Kunst Puppen One Male One Female S442, 6" x 6"

Kunst Puppen Set #1 (S442) - I designed this couple as if they were attending a formal gala. The female figure looks like as if she was dressed in Roaring 20's clothing, and the male figure looks like he's either going to a ball or is working in an office with bow-tie and suspenders.

Kunst Puppen  Two Females S443, 6" x 6"

These two figures - one "country" and one "urban" - were created so that they can be used interchangeably by using different heads, shoes, or torsos.

Kunst Puppen Two Males S444, 6" x 6"

Two "action" figures - one "medieval" wearing a beret and a "shield", and one "futuristic & robot-like" with an over inflated torso, arms & legs. They may look anachronistic together, but one can modify them to make it more like "time period correct".

These sets of puppets were designed so that they be used interchangeably with each other (within the same size), or used alone as "dolls" or "action figures". Or any one of these puppets can be used repeatedly to resemble a dance chorus line, a dueling match, or a couple attending a formal gala. One can create a whole new puppet using separate elements from each set described above.

You can peruse all of Andrew's stencils HERE, and Melanie Testa's stencil HERE.