StencilGirl® Doll Makeover Collaboration Challenge

Hello StencilGirl® and stencil lovers!

Tina Walker here today with a new Collaboration Challenge.  This month, we are ALTERING DOLLS!  How might someone go about altering a doll?  Simple!  Alter the doll's clothes, alter the doll's accessories, or even alter the doll's physical body!  And yes, this can all be done with stencils!

The challenge was simple - take a gently (or not gently) played with doll, and get creative with stencils, techniques, and more.

Let's get to the reveal!

TRACY KRUEGER 

How freakin' cool is this!?!? I love it, AND, I could totally see a celebrity rockin' this outfit!

Here's what Tracy had to say about her project:

"For this project, I knew she HAD to have tattoos (like me) so I was inspired to find stencils that could easily be tattoos.  My doll had clothes that really weren't conducive to being stenciled so I hand made everything she has on (except shoes)!  I absolutely adore how she came out!"

Stencils Used:

StencilClub Jan 2022  

Trefoil Rieven Glyphs 

Seeds 

DEB CORDER

SO, SO cute.  I love her eclectic, authentic self!  You do it girl!

Here's what Deb had to say about her project:

"I started with a box of doll heads I bought from an Etsy seller. This head caught my eye because she was completely bald but still wearing earrings—can you relate?  I pictured her as a tattooed girl in a hand-embroidered dress.

I used a 100% cotton kitchen towel as the base for the hair, body, and dress. For the hair, I tore the towel into 1/2-inch strips, tied knots in the middle, sprayed them with Dylusions Ink Sprays, and glued the knots to the head.

The body started with a basic doll pattern, but I had to enlarge it a bit to fit the head. Nothing scientific—I just kept penciling around the pattern until the proportions looked right! Before assembling the body, I stenciled the tattoos to the fabric. Because I started with a white towel, I used Dylusions Ink Spray to make the skin pink/tan. The finished doll is stuffed with lentils and Polyfil. The lentils add weight to her lower body parts to help her sit.  The legs and arms are also similarly filled.

For the dress, I used the “Layered Salad” stencil by Terri Stegmiller. I stenciled different colors onto the kitchen towel fabric and then hand-embroidered the design areas. Once the embroidery was finished, I laid the doll on the fabric and sketched a simple sheath dress pattern around her.

I’m so happy with how my tattooed BoHo doll turned out!"

 

Stencils Used:

Layered Salad 

 

PATSY BUCCY

 

 

She is so dark and mysterious.  I love that!

 

Here's what Patsy had to say about her project:

"This is a sad rainbow girl, inspired by the shirt she came with.   It is hard for me to make happy art these days. I used Stencils Girls “Lots of Dots” for her dress.  She will probably evolve a bit more; I hope to find a coffin in the Halloween aisle and do something with her then.

loved the stencil and the colors remaining on it after I used it, which made me want to the stencil in an art project.:

 

Stencil Used:

Lots of Dots 

 

 

Now on to mine....

 

Before I reveal my doll, here's a little BTS look at what she looked before her makeover, during her makeover (just for fun), and her finished, Victorian Inspired Self.

 

Take a good hard look at the BEFORE and AFTER! 

 

 

 

I bought her and a few of her closest friends at an auction and since she was a larger size, I could really alter-her-up! 

Just a funny little pic of her while I was prepping her body for her makeover!  

 

Drumroll.....

 

 

 

We can pause right here - it's okay to scroll back up - check her out! ;) 

 

 

She HAD TO HAVE a vintage-inspired backdrop...so stencils to the rescue. 

 Although her stencils 'parts' are subtle, so is BOLD in every way! Are you wondering how I got her hair to stand up and how I painted her body?  I used Powertex products throughout.  Interested in learning more about how Powertex works and how using it with your stenciled projects really elevates your dimensional work into the sky!

 

Stencils Used:

Church Window 

StencilClub Jul 2023 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

I hope you have a wonderfully creative, and STENCILFIED week!

 

XOXO

 

 

How To Design Your Own Stencil-Bleached Upcycled Jeans

Hello Stencil Fans,

My name is Michelle (@michelle.schenker.art on Instagram), and I am a mixed-media and watercolor artist who loves transforming trash into treasures. You have likely noticed that my StencilGirl® blog projects follow this passion. 

I was doing a bit of wardrobe cleanup and was ready to donate a pair of old jeans to Goodwill when I realized I could reimagine them. So, I decided to play with my StencilGirl® stencils and some bleach to see what I could do to add these back in as a "new" beloved item!

StencilGirl® Stencil:

• Children, Our Future by Cynthia Silveri

Other Supplies:

• Jeans
• Bleach
• Fine-mist spray bottle
• Sturdy material to protect the jeans where you don't intend to bleach (I used a thick piece of paper and towels)
• Newspaper or a tarp
• Cotton rags or paper towels
• Low-tack spray adhesive or painter's tape
• Gloves and mask (optional)

Step 1:

Add 1/2 cup of bleach to a fine-misting spray bottle (this helps prevent unwanted drips). 

Choose a spot where you can work either outside or in a well-ventilated area. You might also consider wearing a mask and gloves.

Step 2:

Place a layer or two of newspaper or plastic on your surface to protect it (I used a tarp). Then, put a flat, thick piece of paper or plastic in between the pants leg and lay the jeans out flat. This keeps the bleach from soaking through. 

Step 3:

If you want crisp edges along the stencil design, use low-tack adhesive spray or painter's tape to secure the stencil in place. Then position your stencil where you want the design on the jeans, and tape it in place if you wish. Add some dry towels or plastic sheets around the stencil to protect it and keep bleach from getting where you don't want it. 

Step 4:

Once your stencil is down and the surrounding area is protected, spray the bleach over the stencil until it is damp, but don't soak it. Then, keep the stencil in place and use a cotton rag or paper towel to wipe up any excess bleach. This will keep your edges more defined. Once the extra liquid has been removed from the stencil, you can move it.  

Step 5:

While you may not see the lighter change color right away, don't worry. So long as it's wet enough to see it, the design will turn lighter relatively quickly.

Move the dry stencil to your next desired location and repeat steps 3 and 4. Continue with this until you are satisfied with your completed design. 

Immediately after removing the dried stencil.

This is after a few minutes sitting with the bleach!

Step 6:

Once your design is ready, immediately throw your jeans in the washing machine and run it. Then you can decide whether to put them in the dryer or hang them to air dry (it will not change the outcome).

Step 7:

Once dry, put on your new sassy jeans and walk your own personal catwalk! Maybe your dog will even admire them, like my pup Milo did!

Rock those new jeans and tell everyone that you designed them yourself. Way to go!

Cheers and have fun creating! If you decide to make these, please tag me on your social media posts (links below) - I'd love to see your creations. 

All the best,

Michelle Schenker

Michelle Schenker's website | Instagram | Facebook

Etsy | YouTube | Pinterest

Wooden Shoe Love a Pair? How to Make Paper Clay Molds with Stencils and Carving Rubber

Hi Friends.  It’s Jill McDowell here sharing another way to use stencils in your upcycled, art, and home decor projects.

I recently had one of those rare a-ha ‘peanut butter meets chocolate’ moments when I spied on my work table a package of Paper Clay sitting on top of a package of Carving Rubber.  I started experimenting and discovered that YES, you absolutely can make a mold out of rubber and then use the mold to make a pair of paper clay shoe buckles.  Who knew?  Keep reading and I’ll show you how I used my own Four Bells Trivet stencil to do it. And as a bonus, I’ll also share how I turned a wooden shoe into a vase by repurposing packaging from a common bathroom toiletry item.

Previous to my a-ha moment, I had scored a child sized, mismatched pair of wooden shoes at the thrift shop.  One shoe was clearly an old souvenir, while the other, stamped Holland on the bottom and the number 16 in its heel, proffered to be an authentic Dutch Wooden Klompen.  (Don’t you just love how the word Klompen rolls off your tongue?). I gave myself permission to repurpose both clogs since a quick check online turned up a rather large number of wooden shoes available for sale.  Turns out wooden shoes are neither rare nor precious artifacts to anyone except us creators.

At $1.99 each, (a wapping $3.18 for the pair after my Senior discount) these wooden shoes were an absolute steal so I scooped them up and into my cart.  Back at home, I poured over Pinterest in search of nuggets of inspiration down that rabbit hole known as cyberspace.  (No sense in reinventing the wheel if I can find a way to put my own spin on a good idea….) And I pulled together an Wooden Shoe inspiration board on Pinterest .  Check it out for more wooden shoe upcycling ideas or if you just want to feast on some yummy eye candy.

Inspiration under foot, (pun intended) I set about developing a plan to repurpose my shoes.  I appreciated that they were an odd couple and decided to subtly exploit their mismatchiness, (ok, I confess that I may have just made that word up to frustrate spell checker).  I liked to think of them as a matched pair who let their distinct personalities blossom during their senior years.  

Eventually, I opted to fashion both shoes in an old vintage style with big honking aged metal buckles. One shoe, I’m calling the artist, would become a vessel to hold paint brushes while the other, the naturalist, would be transformed into a flower vase. Ultimately, I wanted them to live together on the magnetic inspiration board I have in my art room, (LOL, It’s really just the side of my flat files). 

So let’s get on to the actual making….

How to make a Mold from your Stencils with Carving Rubber Blocks

Tools and Supplies

Clockwise from top left: 

• Carving tools (I have a variety of tools in the basket, all work but my go to favorites are my Palm and Micro carving tools made by FlexCut); 
• A rubber carving block, (I’m using an Inovart Eco Karve Printing Plate.  It’s both thick and easy to carve); 
• A brayer, (I picked up this vintage one a a thrift store a few years back.  A rolling pin, smooth bottle or can would also work to roll out the Paper Clay); 
• Corn starch (I like to keep mine in an old salt shaker.  Baby powder is a good substitute if you don’t happen to have any in your pantry); 
• A variety of clay shaping tools, (use whatever you have - the end of a paintbrush, an orange stick, a pen cap, anything that will help you smooth the clay); 
• Metal files, an Emory board, or sandpaper* to smooth the edges of your pieces once it’s dry;
• A stencil, (of course I recommend StencilGirl®️ Stencils); 
• A stamp pad and your choice of ink applicator* (I used a cosmetic wedge);
• A Sharpie Marker*; 
• A craft knife * used to cut the rubber;
• Air Dry Paper Clay*, ( I used Creative PaperClay Modeling Material but most any brand of air dry clay will work);
• A piece of thin plastic*, (I recycled a bag from the dry cleaners);
• Key: *=not pictured

Creating the Mold from Rubber

Before we get into actually carving the design, let’s go over a few notes on carving safety; 

• Always remember that carving tools are extremely sharp and should never be used without adult supervision.  
• Always carve with your hands pointing away from you to avoid being cut if the blade slips.

Carving a mold is similar to carving a stamp.  You’re just carving deeper into the rubber knowing that the area you carve out will become a relief printing. This means that any marks on the bottom and sides of your channels will show when you fill it with clay and unmold it.

I choose to use my Four Bells Trivet  to create my shoe buckles.  Then I began making my mold by applying ink onto a the surface of a rubber block with a cosmetic wedge.  I used a Sharpie Marker to designate where I wanted to carve out the channels of the mold. (Keep in mind that you don’t need to carve the entire design; you can pick out just the shapes and patterns that work for your project.)

Then I carved into the rubber block, making the channels wide and much deeper than I would have had I been carving a stamp.  The deeper you carve into the rubber, the taller your element will be.   I’m being careful not to carve all the way through to the other side.

This mold is close to being finished.  Since I’m going for a vintage look, I’m perfectly happy leaving nooks, crannies and rough patches in the channels knowing that the imperfections will show in the clay when it’s unmolded and painted.  Once I was satisfied with the mold, I cleaned out any excess rubber pieces left in the channels with a stiff brush and then using a craft knife, I cut the mold from the big block of rubber.

That was pretty easy!

Molding with Paper Clay

I took a small piece of clay out of the package, rolled it into a ball, sandwiched it between two pieces of thin plastic, (I recycled a dry cleaner bag for this purpose), and used my brayer to roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick.  You’re aiming for an even, smooth finish with no cracks that’s just under the size of your mold. (Be sure to keep any clay not being used in a sealed plastic bag along with a wet baby wipe to keep it from prematurely drying out.)

Then I sprinkled both sides of the clay and the mold with a dusting of corn starch to keep the clay from sticking to the mold.

I used my brayer to roll the clay out over the mold and gently pushed it down into the carved channels. 

There is no need to wait to unmold the clay. Just gently pull the clay away from the rubber using a rolling motion. 

Here’s what the clay looks like fresh out of the mold.  If you’re not happy with what you see, no worries just roll it back up in a ball and re-roll it. If you need to make adjustments to your mold you can go back and carve in more details, but just remember once it’s gone you can’t put it back, so I advise moving slowly.  

Once I was satisfied with my relief print, I started cleaning up the clay.  I wet my finger and used it to gently smooth out any cracks then used my clay shaping tools to crispen up some of the details.  (You can also add additional texture with the clay tools at this point.) Finally I used a craft knife to trim the edges of the buckle into the shape I wanted and then smoothed the edges with my wet fingers.  Keep in mind, the more smoothing you do now, the less sanding you’ll need to do once it’s dry.  

Normally I would set the piece on a wire cooling rack to dry, (be patient as this could take several days depending upon your climate.). You’ll know its dry when the clay no longer feels cool to the touch.  If your piece begins to curl out of shape you can ‘lightly’ mist it, and then cover it with a piece of deli paper and a book (not too heavy) to weigh it down. Let it sit overnight and it should flatten out in a few hours.

However for this project I wanted the buckles to hug to sides of the shoes.  So I molded them over the shoes and let them dry. While the drying process takes longer this way, the fit will be perfect when it’s time to glue the buckles onto the shoes.

Once the buckles were fully dry, I sanded all the rough edges with a file, (you could use an emery board or sandpaper) and then set about aging them with acrylic paints and waxes.

I dug through my stash to find the perfect embellishment befitting their unique characters for each buckle. I wanted them to sit high off the buckle so I raised them up with and acorn cap.  

Transforming the shoes 

I used these four StencilGirl®️ Stencils in this project, two of my own designs; my Four Bells Trivet  (for the buckles) and my Four Buds Trivet stencils, along with two Linda Edkins Wyatt’s designs; her Loose Mum Stencil and a sweet little motif pattern found at the very bottom of her ATC Mixup which I used to dress up the back of the heels.

I lightly sanded and then painted the shoes with red gesso.  Then I just kept adding glazes tinted with a mixed of purple, gold, and brown until I got the worn vintage look I was going for.

Then I stenciled them using Linda Edkins Wyatt’s new Loose Mums stencil on the front and a sweet little design I fell in love with from her ATC Mixup stencil to dress up the heels.  I knocked back the stenciling with sandpaper to make the shoes feel worn.  Finally, I dry brushed Titan Buff paint over my Four Buds Trivet to the shoe rims. 

Finishing Touches

I repurposed a toothpaste tube to line the shoe that was to become a vase. I just cut the top of the tube off, washed out the leftover toothpaste, folded over the top edge to adjust the height, and painted the visible area with a gold paint pen.  It was the perfect solution and cost me nothing!

And lastly, I glued on the buckles; added strong neodymium magnets to the back of each shoe so that I could mount them and move them around my memo board, (which is actually just the sides of my flat files); and sprayed them with three coats of Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Coating to seal and protect the wood.

And that folks is the end of this project. It also draws to the end my time here as a StencilGirl®️ Columnist as I’ve decided to focus more on my family, (I just became a Grandmother!).  It’s a bittersweet moment for me and it’s hard to find the right words to express how grateful I am for the opportunities and experiences I’ve gained representing StencilGirl®️ these past four years.  I’ll always be a StencilGirl®️ at heart.  Thank you all for the support you’ve all shown me over the years.

And with that, I’ll leave you with a few more beauty shots of my Wooden Shoes.  Take care, pray for peace, and keep creating.  Hugs, Jill

Follow me on Instagram at:

https://www.instagram.com/Itsjustjillmcd/