Create Vivid Colors Using Alcohol Inks with Trena Brannon!

Hello Beautiful!

Trena Brannon is here on the blog today, showing you a fun, colorful technique with alcohol inks. My favorite thing about stencils is that you can use them with ALL THE ART SUPPLIES. ☺️  Full disclosure: MaryBeth taught me this technique. Over the years, I have made it my own, using the inks with stencils in different ways.

Today, we are using the inks to design our own fabrics for our models.  This technique works well with all stencil designs, both with large and small openings. 

Important safety information first: 

1. The inks can sometimes have a strong smell. Work in a well-ventilated area when working with the inks - open a window or have a fan in the room. 
2. It's ok to put the rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle. Never put alcohol inks or alcohol binders into a spray bottle. The inks and their binders contain resin. When airborne, it can be harmful to your lungs.
3. If you have sensitive skin or don't want to stain your hands, use gloves or a protective cream.
4. The inks can stain clothes and surfaces. Be sure to protect your clothing and cover your work surface. 

Step one:

Tape the closet stencil to a piece of Yupo paper and lightly spritz rubbing alcohol over the stencil openings. 

Step two (the fun part!):

Drip alcohol inks in the openings of the stencil. Use colors that blend to create new hues, and balance light and dark to give your designs more visual interest. If needed, spritz a little more rubbing alcohol over the inks. The ink will spread underneath the openings - that's ok. As the inks dry, they will define the shapes of the openings. 

Allow the inks to dry completely. The drying time depends on how much ink you have used. If you have dripped a lot of ink, you may need to let it dry overnight. 

TIPS: 

Use a toothpick to move the color around inside the openings. 

• When you do this while the ink is wet, it will mingle and create a smooth finish.  
• When you do this, when the inks are almost dry, you will create texture and your own unique design patterns. 

Step three:

While your inks are drying, you can paint your models. Use a small sponge (or paintbrush) to apply acrylic paint through the open stencils. You can tape the stencil down while you paint, or hold it down with your other hand. 

TIP: When you want a sharp edge of your stencil, use a dry brush (or sponge) technique, which means use a minimum amount of paint so it does not seep under the stencil. 

Step four:

After the ink has dried completely, use scissors to fussy-cut out your garments.  This is when you see how pretty your drips look in clothes! The vivid pops of color show up wherever they mingle and dry. How the inks blend is unique to this medium, and it's why I love creating with alcohol inks. 

Step five:

Lay your outfits over your models to "try them on" - during this step, I got warm, fuzzy memories of playing with paper dolls when I was little. 🧍🏽‍♀️👗👙

Step six:

Choose which outfits you want your models to wear and adhere them to the page. Adhere the rest of your models' clothes on the page however you want. Since it's summertime, I put swimsuits on my models. 🩱

I made a time-lapse reel on YouTube to share the steps visually.

Other ideas for this technique:

• Use pencils, pens, and/or paint to add hair, facial features, and make-up to your models.
• Create greeting cards for your friends/family featuring their favorite color outfits.
• Create several outfits in different colors for one model.
• Add designs and patterns to your clothes with gold, silver, and black pens. You can test the pens you have on the scraps of your Yupo paper. Be sure the ink is completely dry before testing your pens. 

Here are the Supplies I used: 

• substrate/surface: Yupo white for the inks and my 9x12 inch mixed media journal
• stencils: Couture Models, Couture Closet #1 Small
• color: Ranger, Jacquard Pinata alcohol inks, acrylic paints in skin tone colors
• tools: scissors, sponge dauber. low tack tape, e.g. washi tape
• adhesive: Matt medium in a container with a tiny tip
• other: Isopropyl rubbing alcohol 99% in a spray bottle, paper towels

All my stencils are on sale for the from today through July 30th! Use code: JOY.

I hope you have fun creating!!

When you create with this technique, I would love to see it! Feel free to tag me on Instagram @trenabrannon and/or Facebook at TrenaBrannon Art & Design.

Take care and stay positive! 

Trena

Stitches, Stencils & Hoops an up-cycled decor project

It’s time for a wall refresh in my studio!

Hello friends, 

Tina here from Tina Hois Art  

Each season I like to update some of the decor in my art studio. This year I am in the midst of renovations and have a small corner that I craft in so I will update it with just a little somethin~somethin.

I had these embroidery hoops from a previous thrift shop and they inspired me with the perfect idea for my little corner ~ stitched wall art!

Off I went gathering the few supplies needed for this project (see supply list below).

I decided on denim as my fabric and the pretty stencil created by Jane Chipp.

The stencil is titled Seed Heads which is very fitting for this time of year before everything starts blooming. 

Visit the Stencil Girl Products page for this particular stencil and discover a multitude of ways to incorporate it in your art. 

I will be slow stitching it.

STEP 1 :

Trace the stencil on to the fabric with a gel pen

STEP 2:

With your favourite colours start filling in the seed heads and the stem. 

Remember this is about enjoying the process and does not need to be perfect. 

Just like Nature, be imperfectly perfect. 

By the way I am by no means an embrydery expert, I just basically place the needle in the fabric and out 

until my seed head was filled. 

STEP 3:

With a cotton swab add some bleach circles. This will add another layer of interest  to the fabric.

If bleach is not your thing create circles with acrylic ink or simply leave as is. 

STEP 4 :

Select the appropriate size hoop and remember you can always go bigger for a differenc statement.

STEP 5:

Create more texture with adorable seed stitches

I hope you enjoyed this quick and simple project and remember if stitching is not your thing use acrylic ink or modeling paste that has been mixed with your custom colour!

Most of all enjoy the process and be proud of the outcome!

Until next time!

T.

SUPPLY LIST

Stencil  Seedhead Silhouettes

Embroidery Thread

Fabric

Embroidery needle

Scissors

Embroidery hoop

 

"Make A Chinoiserie Inspired Accordian House using Stencil Club Stencils 5/26 "In the Wind" by Dee Dee Catron

Some materials carry memory without asking for attention. Maple seed pods—the ones we called “helicopters” growing up—are like that. They drift, they spin, and they show up where you least expect them. Quiet, familiar, and just a little bit playful.

Chinoiserie Inspired Accordian House using "In the Wind" Stencils

This month’s StencilClub set, In The Wind, designed by Dee Dee Catron, captures that same sense of quiet movement. The designs are rooted in nature but feel lifted—suspended mid-air. There are delicate maple seed forms scattered in allover patterns, birds resting on wires in a moment of pause, and one stencil in particular that leans into something more decorative, more historical. A repeating composition of birds, leaves, and branches that immediately called to mind the elegance of Chinoiserie—that Western interpretation of Eastern motifs, filtered through imagination and ornament.

I’m Kim Hamburg, a mixed media collage artist, and when I saw that pattern, I didn’t think “print”—I thought wallpaper. Not the kind you roll onto drywall, but the kind you build slowly, page by page, layer by layer, until it becomes something you can hold.

The House That Unfolds

This project became an accordion book shaped like a row of houses—something that feels both architectural and intimate, like a street you’ve walked a hundred times.

To begin, I cut six pieces of 4x6" cardstock into simple house shapes. There’s no template here—just trim a triangle off each side of the top edge until it resembles a roofline. Imperfect is better. You can make as many houses as you like, depending on how long you want your book to stretch.

4" x 6''    Cut Paper Pieces

Cut Each Piece into a House Shape then Paint with Solid Color

Each house was painted with a beige chalk paint—a quiet, neutral ground. I wanted something that would echo aged walls, the kind that have absorbed years of light and shadow. Once dry, I used a lighter tone and a sponge (or foam) brush to apply the Chinoiserie-inspired stencil. Not perfectly. Not evenly. Just enough to suggest wallpaper that has lived a little.

Then came the contrast. Using black acrylic paint and a blending brush, I added the “birds on a wire” stencil—carefully placing it only along the top or bottom edges of each house. It acts as a visual anchor, a horizon line of sorts, holding the softness of the background in place.

Once everything dried, I edged each house lightly with black paint. This step is subtle but important—it defines the shape, gives it structure, and makes each piece feel finished.

Building the Book

The construction is where it all comes together—literally.

Linen Fabric Hinge (double sided tape)

I used double-stick tape (I used the Gorilla brand) and strips of linen fabric to hinge the houses together. Tape one side of the fabric to the back edge of a house, then attach the next house using the exposed adhesive. Repeat this process until all the houses are connected in a continuous accordion.

The fabric hinge gives the structure flexibility and durability, allowing the book to expand and contract with ease. It also introduces a softness—a tactile contrast to the painted surfaces.

The Story in the Details

Once assembled, the real work begins—the part that turns structure into story.

I collaged windows, fragments of imagery, and small details onto each house. A suggestion of life inside. A glimpse of narrative without explanation. I added marks—lines, scribbles, gestures that feel almost like handwriting, though they say nothing specific.

Adding Collage Elements like windows and doors

That’s the beauty of these accordion books: they’re endlessly adaptable. I’ve seen them filled with photographs, layered with fabric, even used as visual journals. Each page can hold its own moment, or contribute to a larger rhythm across the whole piece.

And like those maple “helicopters,” the work doesn’t land in one fixed place. It moves—through memory, through interpretation, through the viewer’s own experience.

All done!

Supplies

• May 2026 Stencil Club Stencil Set by Dee Dee Catron, "In The Wind"
• 4x6" cardstock (6 pieces, or more) 
• Scissors
• Double-stick tape (I used Gorilla brand)
• Scrap fabric (I used linen)
• Acrylic paint and/or chalk paint
• Blender brush and/or foam (sponge) brush
• Collage elements (vintage papers, imagery, ephemera)
• Glue

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In The Wind is available exclusively to StencilClub members who join by May 15, 2026, and will ship the day you join. Membership includes 25% off all regular collection stencils, a project and PDF from the featured artist, and an additional members-only project from me.

Follow Dee Dee Catron on Instagram @deedeecatron
Explore more at @stencilgirl_products and www.stencilgirlproducts.com
Join StencilClub here: www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencilclub

If you make your own version of this accordion house, I’d love to see where it takes you. Tag me on Instagram @gluepaperscissors_ and share your work—because every house, every page, every mark tells a different story.

Create A Whimsical Infinity Roll for Your Mixed Media Projects

Hello again from Kim Hamburg, a mixed media collage artist who believes there is no such thing as too much paper. Today I’m sharing one of my favorite studio habits — making an “infinity roll,” a continuous strip of dyed and stenciled paper that you can tear from whenever your collage, junk journal, or assemblage needs an extra layer of texture and story.

Infinity Roll

ATC card with Infinity Roll Piece

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The Infinity Roll

A never-ending strip of possibility for your mixed media projects

There is something very satisfying about a roll of paper.

Not a precious sheet you’re afraid to ruin. Not a perfectly cut background. A roll. Continuous. Practical. A little industrial. The kind that used to live in a cash register.

In the studio, though? It becomes an infinity roll — a stash of ready-to-use collage magic you can tear from whenever your junk journal, assemblage, or mixed media piece needs “just one more thing.”

This month, I decided to make mine monochromatic. I made one in purple and one in teal, and I’m honestly in love with how the edges turned out.

Here are the completed Infinity Rolls -- one in blue, one in purple.

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Supplies

• March 2026 Stencil Club Set "Wonderfully Wonky" by Cat Kerr
  

• RIT Fabric Dye (any color)
  

• Shallow cup or small dish

• Cash Register Tape (any size)
  

• Sponge Roller Set
  

• Acrylic paint in at least two colors

• ATC Cards -- Blank
  

• Additional collage papers or fodder

• Glue Stick or Matte Medium (or Mod Podge)

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Step 1: Dye the Paper (Trust the Process)

First, tear off a workable section of your roll — about 3 to 5 feet. That’s the sweet spot. Long enough to feel abundant, short enough to manage without dye going everywhere.

Pour a little RIT liquid dye into a shallow cup or lid. Set one end of your paper strip directly into the dye so the edge can start absorbing color.

Let it sit for about an hour. If you want deeper color, leave it longer. After an hour, flip the strip and let the other end soak.

As it dries, the dye creates this beautiful watercolor bloom along the edges. It’s soft, organic, and slightly unpredictable — which is exactly what we want. Mine dried into these moody purple and teal gradients that feel rich but not fussy.

Let it dry completely before moving on.

Paper Cash Register Roll

RIT dye in shallow container

I flipped the paper over to dye the other half.
Notice how beautiful the dye takes to the paper.

Completely Dry 

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Step 2: Add the Stencils (Layer It Up)

Once your paper is dry, roll it out across your table.

I used this month’s Stencil Club set — “Wonderfully Wonky” by Cat Kerr. It’s a two-stencil set filled with imperfect, handmade-feeling marks. They’re playful and organic, which makes them perfect for something like this.

Using a sponge roller and acrylic paint, I randomly applied the first stencil across the strip. I didn’t measure. I didn’t space things evenly. I just moved along the paper and let the marks land where they wanted.

Be sure to stencil both sides. That way, no matter how you tear or layer it later, you’ll have interest.

After the first layer dried, I used the second stencil from the set and added another color on top. The layered marks give it depth and movement — and suddenly your plain roll looks like something you bought at a fancy art supply store.

Except you made it.

Using a sponge roller to add first layer of stencil images

Adding second layer with a contrasting color

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Step 3: Tear and Use

Now comes the best part.

Tear pieces off as you need them.

I used mine to create ATC cards (2.5" x 3.5") and layered sections of the infinity roll onto cardstock. Add collage papers, glue it down, build on top. The dyed edges create built-in softness, and the stencil layers make even the smallest scrap feel intentional.

Because the roll is continuous, you always have more. No pressure. No preciousness.

ATC Cards with Infinity Roll Pieces

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Why an Infinity Roll?

Because mixed media artists need building blocks.

Because junk journals are hungry for texture.

Because it’s easier to create freely when you already have beautiful components ready to go..

And honestly? There’s something really comforting about knowing you can just reach over, tear a piece, and keep making.

Plus it looks great sitting in your art space ready for the next creative idea.

Here are few tips you may want to use:

1.  This is super messy!!  Make sure to lay down paper over your work surface.

2.  You can add water to the dye to make it less intense.

      Instead of RIT dye, you can use watercolor liquid.

3.  You can leave the paper roll in the dye overnight and you will get a really great result.

4.  You can mist the paper roll with water while it is sitting in the dye.

5.  Make sure to let it dry completely before adding the stencil designs.

6.  These make really great gifts for your favorite mixed media friends.  You can actually use an old spool to roll the paper around and then add a fabric bow to hold it together.

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Wonderfully Wonky is only available to StencilClub Members who join by March 15th and will ship on that day.

Infinity Roll dry and ready to use

You get lots of great benefits as a club member, including a coupon for 25% off all regular collection stencils, a project and PDF from the artist, and an additional project by me that is for members only. So don’t delay!

Get more information about StencilClub

Stencil Club

I would love to see your work. Please tag me on Instagram — check out my IG 

Kim Hamburg Instagram

Facebook   Kim Hamburg on Facebook 

Final look at the completed Infinity Roll -- make sure to tag me when you make yours!

Using Stencils to Highlight Your Lettering Style & SALE!

Hello Beautiful!

Trena Brannon here, and I'm so happy to spend a little time with you today, sharing a fun and simple project to create a greeting card that will make someone smile.

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This technique puts your hand lettering in the spotlight, with the stencils playing a supporting role. We'll also explore how to use different elements to connect the layers of your artwork, making the whole piece feel cohesive and engaging. 

STEPS:

• Building the base. I started by selecting a stencil (Curve Ball Tile S989) that was airy and open, allowing most of the white card base to show through. This creates a clean, minimal background that provides a nice contrast for the detailed design to come. I gently dabbed on some gouache paint with a sponge, keeping it slightly dry to get those nice, crisp lines.

  

• TIP: Use a baby wipe to clean your stencil and transfer the paint onto a journal or scrap paper. It's a great way to start your next creative project! I learned this from my stencil sister, Carolyn Dube!

• Connecting the layers. I used the same stencil on a piece of colored cardstock, using a similar color of paint to create a subtle tone-on-tone effect. This immediately begins to connect your different layers.

To see it better, here's a shot of the piece of cardstock on a black background:

• Adding a second connection. Next, I used a different stencil (Diamonds and Kisses Tile) and applied the color I used on my white card base. Repeating a color throughout the piece is another great way to create a feeling of connection.

• Making the details sing. Now for a bit of contrast! I used a tiny detailed stencil (Couture ATC Patterns) to add little pops of white. Using the same color as the white card base helps tie everything together and adds some interest through a contrast in scale.  For more flexibility in using the ATC sections, I cut them out of the larger stencils.

• Lettering with joy. Now for the most stylized part that personalizes the card —your lettering! I did a few quick very rough sketches on scrap paper to find the style I wanted. Then, I used a black brush pen to draw the letters on my orange cardstock, leaving enough space inside each letter to see a piece of the design. It's so important to have fun with this part! As you can see, my letters aren’t perfect—and that's okay! They are drawings of letters - that's what makes them unique. Initially, I forgot my "y." 😁

• Bringing it all together. Once my letters were cut out, I played with their arrangement until I found a placement I loved. Before I glued them down, I added a few small black dots to the base layer—a final chance to connect color in the letters to the base card. I chose a bouncy, playful look that conveyed a sense of joy.

• TIPS: 

After cutting your letters out, use a black marker to darken the edges. This gives them a nice, finished look and tidies up any stray cuts. I do this from the back side of the cardstock to avoid accidentally drawing onto the design side. 

Take a photo of your final layout before you glue anything down. It's the perfect guide to keep you on track.

 

• One more detail: To make the card even more special, I added a design element to the envelope to give the receiver a hint of what's inside. 

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Here are the Supplies I used: 

Stencils: 

• substrate/surface: white and color cardstock
• stencils: Curve Ball Tile S989, Diamonds and Kisses Tile, Couture ATC Patterns, 
• color: gouache paint dried in a palette, reactivated with distilled water - the white paint was freshly squeezed
• tools: sponges, black marker pen, color pencil, scissors, craft knife, cutting mat
• adhesives: low tack tape, permanent tape runner

All my stencils are on sale for the next two weeks! Use code: TB20.

When you create a card or another type of art piece with this technique, I would love to see it! Feel free to tag me on Instagram @trenabrannon and/or Facebook at TrenaBrannon Art & Design.

Take care and stay positive! 

Trena

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