Paper & Paste, Take 2

 After thinking about last week's paper & paste demo, 

I realized that showing how to make your own stencils with

a material you probably have on hand could be useful.

Here we go: raid your recycling bin. 

Find and wash a styrofoam tray of any size and shape. 
You may decide you want a few stencils for the same paper 
or for making several papers with one batch of paste. 
We're focusing on one stencil today.

 

 You only want the flat part of the foam tray or container, 
so cut away the sides and trim the flat piece to the size you need.

 Simple shapes can be effective design elements, so freehand or 

find objects to trace, like these coins in various sizes.

Using a craft knife on a cutting mat, insert the blade 

straight through the foam, hold it in place and gingerly rotate 
the foam against the blade rather than trying to drag 
the knife smoothly around your shape. 

Don't fear, it's easy. Just remember, gingerly.

Position your stencil on your paper.

This is a good time to consider how you're using the 

finished decorated paper. In this example, I'm going to 

cut my finished paper into a narrow strip and wrap it around 

a Christmas gift wrapped in brown paper. 

There's something so cheery about white polka dots on red.

 With your cooled paste made from the recipe 
in last Wednesday's post, use your palette knife, 
plastic knife or spoon to fill each circle. 
Hold the foam in place with your free hand as you 
fill the shapes all the way up to the surface of your stencil. 

Once filled, carefully lift your stencil, wipe the back if needed, 
and lay your stencil down without touching the 
previously made circles. Repeat the process. 
You may decide to fill in some open areas of your design 
with only one or two of the shapes on your stencil. 

 Glitter. Because my paper will be used for decorating 
a holiday package, fine white glitter is in order.
Just sprinkle your glitter over your paste shapes before 
the paste dries. These photos aren't doing the glitter 
any justice. Glitter lovers understand. 

Here's a look at glittery white polka dots on red foil paper.
Let the paste dry completely before cutting the paper. 
The stencil is reusable, just rinse & dry.

Next week I'll share examples of how to use these 
decorative papers to their best advantage. 
Two words: limitless potential!