A Valentine’s Day Box (and a Little Bingo Nostalgia)

💗Hi, I’m Kim Hamburg—a mixed media collage artist who uses stencils constantly in my work and who truly, deeply loves the color pink.

 💗 The February 2026 Three-Corner Bingo stencils immediately pulled me in, not just because of the subject, but because of how abstract and playful they are. The set includes a bingo card, dauber blobs, wooden buttons with Bingo numbers, and other mark-making elements that feel more like texture than illustration—and I love that.

They also took me straight back to my senior year of high school, when I played Bingo nearly every weekend at the Bandwagon Bingo Hall. I’d show up with my daubers and a ten-dollar bill, usually with my sister or a friend, ready for a fun night out. I never won a big prize, but I did win $25 now and then—and once, memorably, a fondue pot. It was simple and joyful, and it turned out to be a pretty great way to get through my senior year.

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I decided to make a Valentine's Day Box.  I kept the color palette small: pink, white, black, and red. Limiting my colors helps everything feel more intentional, and it lets the shapes and layers do the work. Pink leads the way here, with black adding contrast and helping the stencil marks really stand out.

Supplies:

February 2026 StencilClub, Three-Corner Bingo by Kristin Peterson

repurposed household box like a shoe box, or cereal box

Acrylic Paint

Paintbrush or spatula

Paper, book pages, scraps of painted paper, collage fodder

adhesive (glue stick, mod podge, PVA glue)

Optional:

Posca markers

Acrylic markers

Black Fine line marker

other ephemera

Start by finding a box around your house and removing any paper or labels so you’re working with a clean surface. This doesn’t need to be precious—just ready for layers.

Next, gather collage fodder that already feels Valentine-appropriate: scraps, bits of text, painted papers, and anything else that catches your eye. I also painted vintage book pages in my chosen colors. Once those dried, they became perfect surfaces for stenciling.

After the painted pages were fully dry, I stenciled over them using black paint. The Bingo designs really shine here—the dauber blobs, numbers, and grid shapes read as marks first and imagery second, which makes them incredibly versatile.

I didn’t aim for perfection. Some prints are bold, others are faint or slightly off, and that variation adds energy. I’m especially drawn to the circles, which repeat beautifully and create movement without feeling literal.

These pages aren’t meant to stay whole—they’re meant to be cut, layered, and partially hidden.

Collaging the Box

Once I had a stack of painted and stenciled papers, I began collaging directly onto the box. You can use almost any adhesive—glue sticks, spray adhesive, or Mod Podge all work well.

I used a diluted PVA glue mixed with a little gloss medium, which gives me time to move things around and dries with a soft sheen. I worked in layers, letting each one dry before adding more papers and stencil elements. That pause between layers helps everything feel intentional instead of rushed.

I kept adding shapes—especially circles—as the box evolved, letting repetition tie everything together.

I used a Posca Pen for adding details. I love adding dots!

Make It Yours

Valentine’s Day boxes are a tradition many of us remember from childhood—made to hold classroom valentines, notes, and small treats exchanged at school. They’re usually created from repurposed household items like shoeboxes or cereal boxes, decorated with whatever supplies are on hand, and meant to be playful rather than perfect. 

This project borrows that familiar idea and gives it a mixed-media, stencil-loving twist.In the end, this Valentine’s Day box can be anything you want it to be. A gift, a keepsake, or a place to hold notes or art supplies. You can add words, marks, or extra layers—or stop when it feels finished to you.

Three-Corner Bingo is only available to StencilClub Members who join by February 15th and will ship on that day.  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 here! 

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

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