Tina here from Tina Hois Art and today I will show you a quick gift tag or paper ornament idea that will be perfect for your gifts and also look fantastic on a tree or a festive garland. Who said feathers are just for birds!
For this project I used Broken line columns (M255) created by Cynthia Silveri. It’s a simple yet versatile pattern that I love and use frequently.
The Process:
Step 1:
On watercolour paper with the colours of your choice transfer the stencil marks.
Step 2:
Fold a separate piece of paper in half and outline an oval shape as above (this can be any size you prefer)
Step4:
Trace the shape on to the stencilled watercolour paper and cut
Step 5:
Fold the feather shape in half and cut slits from the outside edge to almost the middle fold
Step 6:
Add a contrasting colour- I added gold acrylic ink ~ but white or silver would look great also.
I also punched a small circle and added silver string to finish it off.
This project invites you to create a set of chakra-inspired prayer flags layered with color, symbol, and sacred intention. Each flag becomes a visual prayer for peace, within ourselves, our loved ones, and in the world.
We’ll begin with the Root Chakra, the energy center that helps us feel grounded, centered, and safe.
Step 1: Paint the Background
On canvas paper, work with a monochromatic palette that reflects the root chakra. Its primary color is red, so I started with a red wash and built up layers of paint. To bring in earthy grounding energy, I added touches of brown and maroon.
Lay down a watery red acrylic wash using a wide, flat paint brush.
Use a makeup sponge to pounce red paint over a stencil (here I used SA1006 with a zig-zag design).
Add words (grounded, rooted, centered) using rubber stamp letters.
Continue to build color and texture, scraping paint using an old gift card.
Spray water and scrap the surface with the card to lift some of the paint if it gets too dark.
I repeated layering with the stencil, scraping paint, alternating with red and brown.
Step 2: Stencil the Mandala Framework
Place the Four Gates Mandala stencil in the center of your background. This sacred pattern represents balance, wholeness, and protection. This stencil has three borders. Trace the outer two borders in pencil, this gives you space to fit the chakra design in the middle.
Step 3: Add the Chakra Mandala
Using the chakra stencil, trace the Root Chakra symbol in the center of the mandala framework. The pencil tracings were outlined using a gold metallic paint pen and here I started painting the center design in red.
Step 4: Embellish with Paint and Pencil
Bring your design to life with color and detail:
Outline the chakra and mandala with paint pens or brushes.
Dark gold, light gold, white, and black outlines expand the design. Try varying the line weight.
Add depth and shading with colored pencils.
Step 5: Assemble Your Prayer Flag
When the paint is completely dry:
Flip your flag over to the back side.
With a ruler, measure and mark in pencil where you’ll place the holes—¼ inch from the top and 1 inch from each side.
Use a grommet tool to punch the holes.
Thread ribbon, cord, or string through the grommets.
As you complete each chakra, hang the flags in order: root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown.
Note: These flags are best suited for indoor display. Hang them somewhere special, where their color and intention will remind you of your connection to peace, within yourself, with your loved ones, and in the wider world.
Root Chakra Meaning & Prayer for Peace
Muladhara – Root Chakra
Color: Red
Theme: Grounding, Safety, Belonging
Prayer: May all beings feel safe and protected. May we stand strong upon the Earth, rooted in trust, anchored in the truth that we belong here. Let peace begin where our feet touch the ground.
This is the first in a series of seven chakra prayer flags. Each one carries a color, a symbol, and a prayer for peace.
Download the Chakra Prayer Flag Project Guide
Get a closer look at all seven chakra flags along with their colors, themes, and prayers for peace. This free guide will walk you through the deeper meaning behind each chakra and inspire your creative practice. https://www.truenortharts.com/prayer-flag
For 2 weeks, (9/10/25 to 9/24/25) today's stencils -- along with all my other stencils -- will be on sale! Here's the coupon code -- KC20. Use this code to get 20 percent off!
Hello stencil friends! Nicole here with an easy little project (or three!) to add a touch of fall to your home. I don’t know about the weather where you are, but here in Central Texas we recently had three days of amazing, fall weather. It was glorious! I made chicken soup, my favorite pumpkin bars, and had the most amazing (cold!) morning walks while dreaming of wearing pants and long sleeves.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last long as our temps went back up to near 100. Ugh! However, despite our rise in temps, I officially declared it fall. I bought all the new fall things from Trader Joes and put out my fall décor.
One of my favorite things about fall, besides the weather, is the changing of the leaves and fall colors.
With leaves and the colors of fall on my mind, I thought it would be fun to make something new for fall. I grabbed the Autumn Leaves stencil and began blending colors to create leaves.
First, like most of my painted paper projects, I began by adding watered-down gesso to some old book and ledger pages. This does a couple things. It adds some integrity to the sometimes-brittle pages and allows for a better surface to paint on. Since I don’t want to cover up the text and I don’t need a thick layer of gesso, I water it down. You can also use clear gesso.
Then, I grabbed all the fall colors of paint, an applicator and began to play. This is a fun, simple process but does require some patience. The Autumn Leaves stencil is a bit more delicate, so sometimes you have to hold down parts of it while you stencil.
I love how fall colors blend together, especially purple and orange (trust me, try it!).
A couple ideas and tips:
1. Less is more! Don't over-saturate your applicator.
2. However, if paint seeps under the stencil, don’t stress! Just go back and stencil again a bit when it dries. This creates a cool shadow look.
3. Lift the stencil to peak at your leaf before completely removing it. Then, set it back down if you need to add more paint.
4. Use one color on several leaves, lifting the stencil each time, and then go back with another color, for more of a two-step approach (or even three). The paint blends a little less this way for a different look.
5. Try an ombre palette, or a candy-corn one.
6. Start with a lighter color, add a darker one and then go back and blend more with the lighter color.
7. If you don’t like how one turns out, stencil over a bit with a darker color.
8. Don’t forget a few solid leaves, too!
9. Flip the stencil over half-way through for more variety (or to make your leaves double sided in the end, more below)
10. Put your favorite fall movie on a screen and have fun!
My favorite fall leaves are the ones with spots of color, so when my leaves were finished, I splattered leftover paint on them.
After the splatters dried, I cut them out and grabbed some kraft-colored card stock to give them some strength.
I stuck them down with matte medium, front and back, and then also added another layer on top for extra protection.
Then, once they dried, I had to cut them out again! I chose to leave a border each time, one with the original paper and one with the kraft paper.
Check out the beautiful pile of leaves!
Now that you’ve made some amazing leaves, what can you do with them?
Create a Garland
Grab some bakers twine or thin jute and string them up! I am putting together a fall-themed thank you basket for a friend, and adding a garland to it is the perfect final touch. I’m also going to hang a small one in my house.
All you have to do is punch a couple of holes in each leaf and add them to the string of choice. I added some extra colors of twine by weaving it around my original one after I added the leaves.
Make a Mobile or Wall-hanger
Similar to the garland, string some leaves to dangle from a branch, old paint brush, vintage wooden spoon, or anything you can think of! You could add some beads or other fall-themed items.
Start a Thankful Tree Tradition
Use bakers twine or string to create single, hanging leaves. Place them in a container with a pen or makers.
Then, find a fun branch and add it to a vase or other container. Each day leading up to thanksgiving, write something you are thankful for on the back of the leaf and hang it on the tree. You could use multiple leaves for each family member, or all write on the same leaf each day. After the fall season, save them in a special container for a fun keepsake from the year.
More Ideas
For the garland, mobile, or wall hanger, if you think your leaves might twist in the wind, you could always make them double sided. All you need to do is add a back-side leaf after you cut them from the Kraft cardstock. This will take a bit more planning to match up your leaves so you have a front and back one (stenciled from each side of stencil).
I have a few leftover leaves even after the three projects. I’m going to scatter some on our Thanksgiving table, tuck them inside letters and packages, maybe make a card or two, and I think I might add a couple to my door wreath. I might even need to make more. They are so fun to create!
Hi, everyone! Cynthia Silveri here! I've always thought it would be really fun to be in New York
City on New Year's eve, but I've never done it. All these years I have watched
it on TV, but watching the ball drop in person would be pretty awesome! Inspired by that big silver ball, I created
the Drop Your Own New Year Ball Garland. This garland design is understated and modern, and easy to make-perfect
for a new year celebration. (And you might have just enough post Christmas Day
time to make one before the year ends.) I hope you enjoy this project, and I
wish everyone a wonderful, art-filled New Year!
Feel free to use your favorite stencils for this project, keeping mind that all
over patterns on 9” x 12” stencils will work best.
Ironlack Sugar acrylic spray paintin Fads (white-grey), Giggles (dark blue) and
Liquorice (black) Or you can use regular acrylic paints in any color you like.
Sizzix die-cut machine and circle Frame lits in 4 sizes (4”,
3.5”, 2.5” and 2”).
Sewing maching and heavy duty needle and thread
Optional: Marvy
Uchida DecoColor Paint Pens in silver and gold & Marvy Uchida Just
Glitter Markers in silver and gold
Note: You may not use every circle to create the balls.
Depending on the thickness of the cardstock you may use 5 or 6 per ball. The
garland I made has 20 balls and is approximately six feet long.
Instructions:
1.Stencil both sides of each piece of cardstock. I
used black and blue Sugar Spray on the white cardstock, and the white-grey on
the black cardstock.
2.After the papers are completely dry, use your
die-cut machine to cut out the circles. Fold the paper in half lengthwise to be
able to cut the two largest sizes of circles-or 4 total. Use the remaining part
of the paper to cut the 2.5” smaller circle (getting 2 circles from it). Use the
remaining scrap by folding the paper open to cut out the smallest circle (to
get 2 more from one sheet). Thus, you get a total of 8 circles from one sheet
of cardstock. It will take a little bit of time to cut them all out.
3.I originally intended to edge each circle with
gold and silver markers so the garland would appear really festive and shiny,
but I after decorating enough circles to make three “balls”, I realized that it
was going to take too long to do this on 128 circles...and then double that to
do back and front...I would not be able meet my deadline for this blog post!
You can see in the video what the three decorated balls look like. If you had a
group of people making this garland together, everyone could decorate 2 or 3,
and you'd have your fabulous shiny garland in a jiffy. Or maybe you have more
time and patience than I did to complete all 128 circles!
4.Next make stacks of each size circle and then
count out 6 of each size to sew together-with one caveat...I learned the hard
way that the black cardstock I had was too thick to sew 6 layers together, but
5 layers worked on my machine. The white cardstock I had was thinner, so it was
not a problem to sew a stack of six layers. You may have to test this on your
machine before you can really get sewing!
5.Lay out the different size circle stacks,
alternating the black and white ones, to create a pattern you like before
sewing them. Make sure you can reach all of the circle stacks from your sewing
machine because you are going to sew continuously-do not break the thread
between each stack of circles. Be sure to sew a bit beyond each stack before
placing the next stack at the presser foot. There should be about 3/8” to 1/2”
of thread between each stack of circles. Leave a good long tail of thread at the
beginning and end of your garland, or alternatively, you could hot glue a
ribbon onto each end for hanging.
6.Once everything is sewn, it takes a bit of
patience and time to open up each circle stack to create the “ball”. Crease the
stack back and forth along the stitching line, and then as you open it up to
create a “ball” you may have to crease each individual paper half. The ball
will not be perfectly round as it is difficult to make each part stay open the
same distance apart, but it will still look great!
7.Hang where you and your party peeps can
enjoy...Happy New Year!
