Recycled CD Sea Stenciled Wind Chimes

There is no doubt I love the sea. I've designed an ocean-themed stencil collection to prove it! With everything going on right now, I'm not sure a beach vacation is in my immediate future so I designed a project to bring the ocean home. These wind chimes are made with recycled CDs and make a gentle, soothing sound when the wind blows. The combination of sea stencils, color and the glistening CD surface make for a shimmering look that reflects the sparkling ocean water and all the creatures that live underneath.

Here's what you'll need to get started:

-a variety of indoor/outdoor satin spray paint
(I used white, light blue and a medium blue)

-13 recycled CDS preferably with no writing

-fishing line

-stencils

-twine

-a branch, stick or dowel approx. 18"

-E6000 adhesive

- scissors

-painter or masking tape

1) Cover your workspace with a tarp or newspaper. Spray painting is best done outside or in a well-ventilated space. Place a stencil on top of a CD and spray lightly. Cover the entire 13 CDs with various designs, but be sure that some of the original CD surface is still visible. Let the front of the cds dry and then spray paint the backs.





Use the following sea-inspired stencils:
Coral Reef
Mysterious Octopus
Coral Fan
Majestic Sea Turtles
Sea Urchin
Sand Dollars
Coral
Starfish
Seashells
Seahorses
Mermaidia






tip: repeat patterns with multiple sprays as seen with the shell to the right.















2) After the cds are completely dry cut them into four equal pieces by cutting in half and then cutting in half again.

3) On a large piece of cardboard or several sheets of paper, lay out your design. Your design will consist of 10 rows. The top 5 rows will have 6 pieces while the bottom five rows will have four pieces. Arrange in lines with approximately 1/2" between pieces. (See photo below.) Feel free to mix colors however you would like. I opted for an ombre pattern going from dark to light.

4) After your design is laid out, tape a piece of fishing line down at the top of each row leaving extra at the top to eventually tie on to the branch. You will want this line to come down the center of each piece. Keep the line taut and tape at the bottom of each row.

5) Apply a dot of E6000 to the top and bottom of the line on each piece. Let this dry for 2 hours.

6) After the row is dry on the first side, turn each row over. You will then repeat step 4-5 so that you have a fishing line on both the fronts and backs of the pieces. The line should align with the previous piece of fishing line. Be sure to keep the lines taut. Again apply a dot of E6000 to the top and bottom of each CD piece. Let the adhesive on this side dry for two hours.

7) With the glue dry, tie a knot in the bottom of each row and trim the excess fishing line.

8) Assemble the entire piece. Tie the rows of CD pieces to the stick or dowel. The rows should be evenly spaced approximately 1-1/2" apart. Tie the twine to the stick for a hanger. Use E6000 to seal each knot. Also dot E6000 on each fishing line and the twine on the stick to keep it in place so the lines do not slide. Let dry for two hours.

9) Hang your recycled CD Sea Stenciled Wind Chimes and enjoy!

*Feel free to share your projects. I'd love to see what you create. Happy Summer!

Hanging Panel Made from Recycled Packaging

My project in this month is a hanging panel created using a part of the packaging of an old product. This quote was taken from a short poem written by Erin Hanson. This is one of my favorite quotes and I have been planned to use it for a long time. It is incredibly meaningful to me personally because I constantly second guess my dreams and am sometimes afraid to take chances. Many can relate I am sure. Hope you will like my project. So let’s see how I have created this little hanging panel step-by-step!

Stencils I used: Daniella Woolf’s Succulents Stencil and Traci Bautista’s Journal Words Stencil

1.                  I took an old product packaging which I have bought a few years ago and pulled out its little ‘drawer’ from the box. Luckily it originally has a ribbon hanger. I realized that it will be a perfect base for a wall hanging panel. So I have decided I will recycle the ‘drawer’ of the packaging. First I wrapped the ribbon hanger with washi tape (as a protection), then I painted the back of the ‘drawer’ with a light layer of gesso.

2.                 For the second layer I covered the whole surface with torn pieces of pages I teared from an old book. I used gel medium as glue.

3.                  A background need some texture, right? So I took the white crackle texture paste again and Succulents Stencil and covered the pattern of the stencil with texture paste and let it dry.

4.                  Then I wanted to color these beautiful stenciled flowers so first I used mists then alcohol inks in the same shades of colors (vanilla, hollyhock and ginger) and painted them.

5.                 Next I gently swiped the edges of the panel with black gesso. You know, I love making contrast of colors.

6.                  The final step of creating the background was tracing the word ‘imagine’ with a black sharpie of the Journal Words Stencil. Oh, how I love this stencil! ♥

7.                  So as I have finished the background, I have built up my composition: used the above mentioned quote, a photograph of a young girl, paper butterfly wings and a metal embellishment.

Here you can see the finished project and some close-ups.

Hope you liked my project and will try these techniques in the future! Thank you so much for visiting me here on StencilGirl Talk. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have regarding this project. You can contact me through my blog or on Facebook.

Hello, from Hungary,
Brigitta Budahazi aka Gigi :)

Cardboard Recycle - Post Cards/Mail Art

Hey, it's Judy coming to you from the land of StencilGirl to show you a little fun I had recycling an old Portfolio Crayons box and using the Venetian Stencil by Carolyn Dube.  And, no clay today.. imagine that.

Ok... can I just say.. I was getting tired of opening the crayon box, sliding out the crayons, sliding them back. Back and forth. Where did I put that color? This side or that side? OK, fuhgeddaboudit! Time to take them all out and put them in a container so I can see them all.  So, in front of me, I had this box that had all these marking inside where the crayons laid.  I thought it would be a fun project to see what I could do with it using Carolyn's stencil.  Recycle here I come.  Let's go.

I sprayed the markings with water to activate them.

Now, I'm adding more crayon scribbles and smooshing them around to blend. 

 I wanted to add some Dylusion sprays to the cardboard to give it some messiness.

I used Carolyn Dube's Venetian stencil, but I split it up and flipped it around.

Let me note something here.  I know that acrylic paints ARE NOT supposed to go on top of oil pastels... but this is not a piece of art to sell.. it's just mail art to send to a friend or put in your journal. It probably won't last years. But, that's OK.. to me.  Stay with me here.

Using a cosmetic sponge, I added black acrylic paint through half the stencil on one card.

Then the same on the other card with the other half of the stencil.

This cardboard "stencil" below is from an Christmas box that I broke up.

Because there was a layer of crayon on the surface, I scraped off where the stencil would go.

Then I put back the stencil and put in some white acrylic paint.  I did that on both cards then on top of that I added yellow acrylic paint. (not shown)

I decided I wanted to scrap away the black paint and use the situation to my advantage. Because of the waxiness below the paint, it scratches off easy (resist).

Scratching out the windows and putting in yellow paint for a light glow. Knock, knock..Anybody home? I think it's Rapunzel's tower.

 Adding flowers in the center of the 3 windows with white paint.

Now it time to just add a little, tiny, whiny, insie winsie bit more of stenciling.  

Here, I used Andrew Bolorz's Cross Rounds and Squares stencil.

Just a little touch on each card.

 See, isn't that better?

I added a few more touches of paint and my cards were done.

These cards measure approximately 3" x 5".

I hope you enjoyed this. I love taking a stencil and make more out of it by adding touches of YOU to it.  I also save a lot of cardboard sections from mail I get (StencilGirl stencil packaging is perfect) to recycle and make art with them.

Please visit my blog where I will be mailing each of these cards out to two winners. Let's see if they make it to you in one piece.

Thanks for visiting StencilGirl.. the happiest place on earth. Oh, wait.. I think that's Disneyworld.  No, it's StencilGirl. Carry on.

Judy