Kecia Deveney: Two Wrapping Paper Tutorials with StencilGirl® Products!

Hi, everyone! Kecia Deveney here!

If you are like me, I never seem to have wrapping paper around when I need it. I didn’t have the time to run to the store, so I decided to see what I had on hand and make my own. I got out my stencils, ink sprays and spray paints and some paper. I did a little experimenting as well to see what I liked the best as the end result.

I used two types of paper; brown craft paper (Walmart) and packing paper (Home Depot). I found that the spray paint works really good on the craft paper and packing paper. The ink sprays worked best on the packing paper, although the paper is very thin and the ink can be a tad saturated and wet. But this is a good option because for spray paints, you want to do them outside with good ventilation and wearing a mask and gloves.

Stencils used:

Laurie Mika’s Four Sacred Hearts L782

Traci Bautista’s Deconstructed Zinnia S296

CarolynDube’s Use Your Words L207

I’d recommended that you do this project in advance of using it as wrapping paper since you do want to let it dry. After I sprayed my papers, I hung them on my clothes line to dry out. The packing paper will dry fast. This will also help remove that spray paint odor.  I also ironed my packing paper when it was dry.

Of course you can make papers like this as well to use in your mixed media art or journaling/collage.

I also made my own ribbon with torn scraps of muslin fabric that I scrunched up and ink sprayed. When they dried (also clip to clothes line), I ironed them and then did some marking making with a black sharpie in spots that I felt needed some interest. You can also mark make on your papers in the same fashion.

Thanks for joining me on StencilGirl® Talk today!

Kecia Deveney

http://www.keciadeveney.com

https://www.instagram.com/keciadeveney/

Gift it or Grid it - Gift Pillow Boxes by Claudia

Hi, servus! Claudia here again with some new inspiration right on time for the gift-giving season!

This month the design team was challenged to create something to go by the theme "Gift it or Grid it" and I not only liked that theme very much but also decided to make a project that fits both: it can be used to give a gift in and the patterns I used and created are all somehow grid-like (actually I found there is an incredibly wide variety of awesome grid-patterned stencils to find in the StencilGirl shop - and I already do have a lot but there are still more that I urgently NEED ;) !

Creating the layers with a lot of stencils and then using randomly torn strips on the boxes was incredibly great fun and the result is absolutely striking! Now I just need some small presents for some loved ones to put into the boxes ;) 

The plain pillow boxes were die cut from white, black and kraft colored cardstock but you can as well use bought pillow boxes and add the stenciled strips to these to make them your own design. I used black, white, brown, yellow, beige and orange DecoArt Americana acrylic paints on each a sheet of kraft paper, black paper and white deli paper, so the finished patterned strips could be used on all three sorts of pillow boxes and still perfectly match their colors and/or materials. 

Stencils used:

- two stencils from the Mash-Up Stencil Club Set (designed by Mary Beth Shaw and Seth Apter)

- ATC MixUp 1 Stencil (by Mary Beth Shaw)

- ATC MixUp - Apter Stencil (by Seth Apter)

- Mary Beth Shaw's Private Collection 16.4 Stencil Club Set from October 2016

- Open Buildings Stencil (by Carolyn Dube)

- Map Stencil (by Mary C. Nasser)
- Circuits Mini Stencil (by Mary Beth Shaw)
- Soulful Scribbles Dots Dash Stencil (by Tracy Bautista)


Instead of taking steps images I have done a video that shows how I made my pillow gift boxes from start to finish.

Of course, you could use the mixed media strips with a lot of other kinds of projects...small square boxes, on the covers of note books and journals, small paper bags,...and whatever else you can think of ;)

The sight of the torn patterned strips is already such a treat to look at, isn't it?

I am sure they would also look great on an art journal spread or a mixed media canvas. And isn't having a collection of mixed media parts like these just utterly inspiring?

So many beautiful patterns and layers! I definitely have to do more of these - in other colors and with other stencils...the possibilities are endless and playing with stencils and paint is so much fun and also a very relaxing and rewarding thing to do! ;)

I hope you like my pillow boxes and I can't wait to see what you will do with your

self-made beautiful patterned stenciled strips!!

Thanks for stopping by and 

hugs and happy crafting!

Claudia

xxx

Gift it or Grid it Challenge from Shel and Peg

Hello,

Peg & Shel with you today. We are so happy to share a few gift and wrapping ideas with you. This time of year we are always looking for an easy gift to take to out host/hostess and friends, so let us share with you some quick and easy ideas.

We are using L736 Leafy Doodle Border, S708 Leaf and Clover Prints and L422 Herbs stencils. StencilGirl® carries many leaves, flowers and nature stencils. Did you know you can shop by category? It is so convenient. 

Peg Robinson's Gifts, Tags, Bags, and a Dispenser

In the picture above and in my video, I'll show you how I created gift bags, a decorative journal to gift in a bag, a pleasing gift tag and a decorated soap or cream dispenser. I chose to work with Archival inks and Gina K Glitter paste. Isn't that green shimmer lovely?

The bags are inexpensive sandwich bags in a kraft brown paper and a wax paper much like glassine.

The tag can be used to adorn homemade flavored vinegar or oils recycling old wine bottles. You can purchase soap and lotion dispensers at the discount store and decorate them with glitter paste and stencils. 

Did I mention the decorated sandwich bags are great wrappers for gifting stencils to your crafty friends?

Shel's Wrapping Gifts Up!

For the November Gift It/Grid It theme I focused on up-cycling beautifully stenciled gift packaging using the three stencils. 

For the first one I used spray inks and the Leafy Doodle Border stencil to make my own gift wrapping paper our of craft paper that comes in ordered boxes as packaging. Iused the same stencil & spray to make a belly band and tag for the package.

The second project was created with a used box that some essential oils came in. As it was just plain craft colored box I stenciled it using some acrylic paints with the Leaf and Clover prints stencil. 

I like this stencil because you can use the designs on top of each other to add highlight or shadow with different colored paint. This box can be used again and again and doesn't have to be wrapped. 

I made a matching tag to tie on the ribbon.

For the final gift packaging project I used a paper sack from the grocery store produce area with oranges in it. I used a regular dye based ink pad and the Herbs Stencil to cover the bag in stenciled rosemary leaves. Then I used a piece of cardstock to create a topper for the bag to keep it closed. You can also use the stenciled topper as a tag to write a greeting or the to/from information. 

I hope you found my stenciled packaging upcycling ideas fun and useful and give them a try this gift giving season.

Well, we hope this helps you with your last-minute gifts this season. Thanks for checking us out and a big thanks from Shel and Peg at StencilGirlTalk. 

Enjoy the holidays.

Peg & Shel

Stencils used:

Leaf & Clover Prints 6" x6" Stencil by Jennifer Evans

Leafy Doodle Border 9" x 12" Stencil by Valerie Sjodin

Herbs Stencil 9" x 12" by Jessica Sporn