Making Stenciled Greeting Cards

Read through the tutorial before starting.

Step 1: Stenciling Basics

The biggest challenge in using paints with stencils is getting a clear image without any smudges, blurs or bleeds. Here are some stenciling tips:

• To avoid blurs, use masking tape, drafting tape or repositionable adhesive spray to hold the stencil in place. Masking tape can rip a card when being removed. To avoid this put the masking tape on your clothing first. This picks up some lint and reduces the stickiness of the tape.
• To avoid smudges, cover any parts of the stencil not being used with masking tape. Also, cover exposed areas of the card with pieces of scrap paper or cardstock.
• Slightly dampen the sponge before loading it with paint.
• To avoid bleeding around the edges of the stencil, use as little paint as possible. To do this only use a few drops of paint and dab the sponge up and down several times in the small puddle. Next, test the paint on a scrap of paper by dabbing up and down a few times. The paint should be almost transparent on the first dab and grow darker as you dab more. If the paint doesn’t dry almost immediately, either the sponge is too wet or you are using too much paint.
• Dab straight up and down, no swirling, no pulling across like a brush – just straight up and down. This will prevent paint bleeding under the edge of the stencil.

To make a simple stenciled card, like those pictured in this project, first try stenciling on some scrap paper then proceed to the next steps.

Step 2: Cut cardstock

• Select two coordinating colors of cardstock.
• Cut a 4 inch by 5¼ inch mat from one color of cardstock.
• Cut a 3¼ inch square and two 1½ inch by 1 inch rectangles from the other color of cardstock.
• Cut a 2¼ inch square from a scrap of cardstock.

Step 3: Stencil

• Select one or two colors of acrylic paint that coordinate with the cardstock. Be sure the paints are well mixed.
• Center the stencil image on the 3¼ inch square and secure with masking tape, drafting tape or repositionable spray adhesive.
• Put a few drops of paint on the plastic lid and load a dampened sponge with paint. Dab up and down on the stencil until the desired darkness and shading is reached. Carefully remove the tape, then remove the stencil by lifting straight up.

Step 4: Sponge border

• After the paint is dry, center the 2¼ inch square of scrap cardstock over the stenciled image. Secure it with a masking tape roll on the back of the square.
• Create a border by dabbing the sponge along the edges. Remove the 2¼ inch square.

Step 5: Assemble card

• Stamp images on the two small rectangles.
• Assemble the card by gluing the stenciled image and stamped rectangles to the larger mat, then gluing the mat to the card.