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!
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.
Collage elements (vintage papers, imagery, ephemera)
Glue
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.
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.
Tina Walker
here with my latest StencilGirl® collaboration challenge. This month,
we have a super fun and interactive challenge - I challenged artists to
create a project, any type of project (altered, dimensional, book, or
more) using Coin Collector booklets. Look below in case you are
wondering what we are talking about.
Ah...you now know what I'm talking about. ;)
Combine
these wonderful little booklets with StencilGirl® stencils - OH MY!
When you open up these bad boys, the mind just races with creative
possibilities. Let's see what the artists did with this challenge.
"I
knew for this challenge, I wanted to do something involving flowers
since Spring is right around the corner. Shrinky Dinks are an absolute
PERFECT substrate for StencilGirl products! I paired my shrinky dinks
with pressed flowers in resin and floral acetate pieces from Tina
Walkers etsy shop and I think it turned out beautiful!"
Wow, oh WOW, oh wow!
This type of project NEVER crossed my mind. How creative and fun
"My quarter coin book made the perfect base for a special birthday card!
I used white and gold gesso to coat the entire book. Stenciled with
StencilGirl Stencils Ray Circles, Circle Rays, and Wall of Words using
Dina Wakley paints (malachite, sedona, cheddar, tangelo, apricot and
lemon). All chipboard pieces are custom designs from Stuff by Belle for
this special milestone card. Minimal products but they make quite an
impact! You can find more images of the finished project by clicking the
link for Stuff by Belle."
I would LOVE to receive a card like this - it would instantly make me happy!
"Using
the openings of the coin folder as portals to view into the next layer,
each page displays a different "type" of flower field. As the pages are
turned one can look forward or backwards into the different "fields" by
turning the circular pieces. The final spread is a field of lavender. "
Another incredible project by an incredible artist! I am diggin' the dimension!
"I
decided to make an artist book, and I started by chopping up my coin
folder and cutting out some of the holes. Next came layers of gesso,
vintage paper, acrylic paint with stencils, mark making, stamping, and a
couple wax seals. I bound it all together with torn strips of a vintage
flour sack."
I can't decide if I love the colors or the patterns, or the overall design the most. This is simply stunning!
"I
removed the center section of the coin book and made a bookcloth to
cover the spine. I made a flag book using face images and the following
stencils: Number Chaos, Small and Inky Circles Stencil, because they
referenced coin shapes and numbers related to cash."
This book is so architecturally intriguing...I love Sheila's art - she is so inventive.
My
head was going in a 1000 different directions with this challenge, but
they all revolved around a book - because, why not?!?! ;)
and how cool is a book with holes, lil' cubbies, and places for fun little bits?
I
used my stencils in various ways - gelli prints, key focal points, such
as numbers, extra-large embossed page, rust paste, to backgrounds. All
the wonderful ways to use stencils.
Here's some close-ups of my pages...
I
loved pulling out some of old school, traditional scrapbook techniques,
such as glitter and embossing. I forgot how cool these were.
If you want to see a video p-through of my finished book, please visit me over on IG for the short reel.
I
hope this lil' challenge inspired you to pick up some Coin Collector
folders and make some art! Please tag me if you do, I'd love to check
your creations out!
There is something quietly satisfying about a stack of envelopes—especially the kind you don’t quite remember saving. They surface in drawers and boxes, tucked between the practical and the sentimental, carrying with them a faint suggestion of intention. This project began, as many good ones do, with that kind of rediscovery: a small collection of envelopes made from thick, watercolor paper, too beautiful to discard and too intriguing to ignore.
Hello again—I’m Kim Hamburg, mixed media collage artist, and today I’m working with the April 2026 StencilClub stencil set, Ribbon Dance, designed by Jennifer Evans. In this project, I’ll be transforming a handful of envelopes into a small, sculptural book with exposed pockets—spaces ready to hold ephemera, tags, ATC cards, and whatever fragments of story you feel compelled to tuck inside.
Jennifer Evans’ designs feel particularly at home in this kind of work. She creates stencils that lean into abstraction—marks that resemble intuitive, almost instinctive gestures. They are wide, expressive, and open-ended, suggesting a structure without confining it. There’s a generosity in that approach: the stencil offers a starting point, but leaves plenty of room for the artist to respond, layer, and reinterpret.
And of course, when faced with envelopes and pockets, I had to make a pocket-book.
Supplies
Envelopes (any size; I used five, but the number is entirely flexible)
I began by painting each envelope, front and back—thinking less about perfection and more about establishing a base layer of color and movement. Some envelopes were printed using a gelli plate, which gave them a soft, atmospheric variation. Others I painted directly, letting the brushmarks remain visible, like handwriting.
Once everything had dried, I returned with the stencil set and a second color. This is where the structure began to shift into something more expressive. One of my favorite moments in the process was layering all three stencil designs together on the gelli plate at the same time. The result was unexpected—a kind of visual overlap that felt almost chaotic, but in a way that suggested rhythm rather than disorder. Marks collided, repeated, dissolved. It created a beautifully abstract, slightly jumbled surface that I wouldn’t have arrived at if I had approached each stencil separately.
From there, the envelopes began to take on a new identity—not as individual objects, but as pages. Glued together along their edges, they formed a small book, each pocket left open and accessible. The structure invites interaction. It asks to be filled.
How to Assemble the Pocket-Book
Take two envelopes and place them with the flap side facing up. Tuck the flap of one envelope into the body of the other, so that one flap is secured inside while the other remains extended. That remaining flap becomes your connector—it slides into the next envelope, whose flap will then extend outward in turn.
Continue this rhythm—tucking one, leaving one—until you’ve linked together as many envelopes as you like. To finish, simply glue the final flap to the envelope it meets.
What makes this structure especially satisfying is its flexibility. Because nothing is glued along the interior spine, the book isn’t fixed in size. It can grow. You can continue adding envelopes, extending the piece over time—an expandable object that evolves alongside whatever you choose to place inside it.
Why This Works
There’s something compelling about using envelopes this way—their original purpose lingers, but shifts. Instead of containing a single message, they become containers for many small ones. A scrap of paper, a stamped tag, a handwritten note—each addition becomes part of a layered narrative.
And that’s really what this project is about: not just making something, but making space. Space for collecting, for holding, for returning to.
It’s a small book, yes—but also a quiet archive of whatever you choose to keep.
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 Stencil Club here Stencil Club
I would love to see your work. Please tag me on Instagram — check out my IG
