Easter
Eggs
By
Judi Kauffman
Thank
you for inviting me back as a guest designer. When I first thought about what
to make, Easter cards came to mind. I've loved the simple egg stencil since I
first saw it and knew it could be a lot of fun to play with. And since I really
like stenciling on sparkly, shiny Shimmer Sheetz, I decided to incorporate it as
a stenciling surface as well.
Using
StazOn ink in a color called Iris, I began by stenciling egg shapes on Blue,
Light Pink, Pink, Purple, Yellow, and Green Iris Shimmer Sheetz
("Iris" in this case refers to the fact that the colors are
iridescent). Just a tad of ink on a dauber did the trick. Then I cut out the
eggs and began to stencil on top of them with a variety of other stencils
including flowers and abstract patterns. Same ink, but this time with more of
it on the dauber for strong, bold contrast.
My
original plan was to make A2 size cards with a single egg centered on each one.
But I had gotten carried away and there were over three dozen eggs on my work
table! Plan B evolved: I would use a trio of eggs on each card and I upped the
size to 6" x 6". I made ten cards. But that still left me with more
eggs staring up at me, waiting to be called into action.
I
suddenly remembered something I wrote a while back when I was the guest
designer for Walnut Hollow. My project was a Rustic Pallet Tabletop Sign for a
brunch buffet with stenciled Shimmer Sheetz eggs in natural colors. As an
option at the end of my instructions I had suggested brightly colored eggs for an
Easter brunch.
Bingo.
Some of the leftover stenciled eggs would be just right for another Rustic
Pallet Tabletop Sign. And instead of hard boiled eggs I would fill the egg cups
with CANDY! (In case anyone is wondering, Coconut M&Ms are fabulous...)
SUPPLIES
StencilGirl ProductsStencils:
S021 Eggs Speckled and S031 Rabbits by Tracie Lyn Huskamp; S151 Half MoonSlant by Lizzie Mayne; S075 Circle Play by Margaret Applin; L218 Sporn Flowers Negative by Jessica Sporn; S129 Net by Mary Beth Shaw; S107 Zen Landscape byJamie Fingal
Walnut Hollow: Rustic Pallet Tabletop
Sign Narrow #40189
Elizabeth Craft Designs: Pink, Light Pink, Purple,
Blue, Green, and Yellow Iris Shimmer Sheetz (or assorted colors of choice);
Transparent double-sided Adhesive Sheets
DecoArt: For the Tabletop Sign - Americana
Acrylics in Traditional Burnt Umber, Snow (Titanium) White, Ebony (Lamp) Black;
Matte Medium
Tsukineko: StazOn ink in Iris; StazOn
All-Purpose Cleaner
Close To My Heart: My Reflections Skylark
Collection papers
Karen Foster Design: Easter Blessings and
Headline Alphabet White cardstock stickers
Other: Sponge dauber,
paintbrush, scissors
INSTRUCTIONS
*For Cards: Follow steps
3, 4, 5 and 7.
*For Tabletop Sign: Follow
steps 1 through 6.
1.
Whitewash the Tabletop Sign with 50-50 mix of Snow (Titanium) White and Matte
Medium. Allow to dry.
2.
Using an almost dry brush and very little paint, distress the edges of the
Tabletop Sign with Traditional Burnt Umber and Ebony (Lamp) Black.
3.
Cover your work surface with several layers of newspaper or newsprint to
protect it. (Be aware that StazOn inks are permanent and can stain your hands,
so wear gloves if you just got a manicure!) Place Shimmer Sheetz on the paper
and stencil the eggs, following steps #4 and 5. Allow ink to dry thoroughly
after each of these steps (the time needed depends on climate and how much ink
you daubed onto the Shimmer Sheetz).
4.
Using a dauber to apply Iris ink, stencil the basic egg shape for as many eggs
as you need for Cards as well as the Tabletop Sign. (The Eggs Speckled Stencil
is 2-step - the basic egg shape, and the speckles - You will be using ONLY the
egg shape for this project.) Use very little ink and a light touch with the
dauber. To create the illusion of volume, use more ink at the edges and toward
the bottom. Allow ink to dry.
5.
Cut out the eggs. Using Iris ink, stencil pattern onto each egg. Allow ink to
dry. (I used only one stencil, Sporn Flowers Negative, for the Tabletop Sign,
but a mix of stencils for the trio of eggs on each Card)
6.
For Tabletop Sign: Arrange the eggs as shown, or as you prefer. Adhere with
double-sided adhesive sheet.
7.
For Cards:
a. Using Iris ink and S075
Circle Play, stencil additional pieces of Iris Shimmer Sheetz. Allow ink to
dry.
b. Cut around scalloped
outer border of the Circle Play pattern. Cut Shimmer Sheetz piece in half along
the diagonal midline of the pattern, or into
random pieces. (Refer to photos: 4 of the cards have half-circles, 2
incorporate the random pieces.)
c. Cut a 12" x 6"
piece of solid color cardstock for each card base. Score, then fold in half (6"
x 6" finished size, fold at the left).
d. Cut a 5.5" x
3" piece of patterned paper for each card, and a .75" x 6" strip
of patterned paper to use across the bottom of some of the cards as well.
e. Using the photos as a
reference and double-sided adhesive to adhere the pieces, assemble the cards. Add
dimension to the eggs with foam squares so they pop from the surface.
f. Options
*Spell
"EASTER" or "easter" using alphabet stickers (all upper or
all lower case).
*Position a butterfly sticker so
it flies at the top edge of a card.
*Tuck fussy-cut rabbit
stickers between eggs so they peek out as a little
So great to have you back as a guest, Judi!
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely and festive creations...such rich colors, too!
is a really amazing job, love it!!! and thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I had a great time stenciling those eggs - the possibilities are endless given the amazing array of pattern stencils, and I couldn't resist that rabbit that looks like a chocolate bunny.
ReplyDeleteA fabulous project. LOVE the colours.
ReplyDeleteI love these eggs and I cannot wait to get my hands on Shimmer Sheetz!!
ReplyDeleteHow fun
ReplyDeleteThose are such fun eggs! I never thought of using stencils on Shimmer Sheetz, so thank you for that great idea!!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I just found your blog. I am in stencil heaven! Wow, look forward to going through your blog and learning heaps
ReplyDeleteStencils are endlessly versatile, that's for sure, Miss Sandra! The range of ideas never ceases to amaze me. I never get tired of using stencils.
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