Category Archives: Custom Designs

Design It

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Life is full of so many opportunities to grab a hold of and run with.  When the opportunity came to stencil and blog for Just A Trace, I thought, “Why not?!”  It’s been a fun ride, but unfortunately this will be my last post.  I have enjoyed learning about stenciling, since I really knew nothing about it, and I am grateful for the opportunity.

My last project is one I plan to put in my Interior Design office to inspire me daily.  It will remind me of how once you start stenciling, it’s really hard NOT to think of what you can stencil next!  Happy Stenciling Everyone!

- Michaela

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I found wooden letters at a craft fair and decided on the word “design”.   I am obsessed with the color mint green and any variation close to that color right now, so I thought that color scheme would be perfect!

IMG_6258Items you’ll need include wooden letters, paint, paint brushes and foam pouncers, and maybe tape. (I ended up not using tape and held the stencils down with my hand.)  You’ll also need the Small Palazzo Pattern Stencil, Mini Mamma Giraffe Pattern Stencil, Mini Baskerville Pattern Stencil, Small Camille Pattern Stencil, Mini Dangle Pattern Stencil,and Mini Pinwheel Two Pattern Stencil.

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I began by painting all of the letters gray.  I chose gray instead of black so that the color wasn’t as harsh on the eye.

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Because these wooden letters did not have a smooth surface, I thought, why not embrace this?!  I chose to go for more of an ‘antique look’, which means I dry brushed the cream paint onto the wood instead of applying a smooth layer of paint.

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The beauty of going for an “antique look” meant my perfectionist personality went out the window, and each letter became unique and a piece of art on its own.

IMG_6267I lined up the stencil and tried to get a very small amount of paint on my foam pouncer.

IMG_6268I found holding the stencil down with  my hand worked better than trying to tape it down to the surface.

IMG_6270As soon as I finished one letter, I moved right on to the next letter and stencil!

IMG_6272I chose to use 3 different colors of paint so I alternated the colors that I used on each letter.  Above, the Small Palazzo Pattern Stencil and Small Camille Pattern Stencil were painted with the same color.

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The Mini Mamma Giraffe Pattern Stencil and Mini Dangle Pattern Stencil were stenciled on the E and G.

IMG_6275And the Mini Baskerville Pattern Stencil and Mini Pinwheel Two Pattern Stencil were painted in their own color as well.

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Here is the finished product!  I chose to keep the letters loose, but they could also be glued or attached together with a staple gun and a stripe of wood.

 

 

 

 

 

Men’s Valentine’s Day Gift Idea

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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and what better gift to give to your significant other than a gift you made yourself?  I decided to stencil a book for a guy to use to journal or sketch in, or to write down recipes.

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Above are the supplies you’ll need, which includes a book, the Mini Mamma Giraffe Pattern Stencil, pouncer, paint, scrapbooking paper, mod podge, foam brush, items to embellish cover of book with and a glue gun.

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I began by taking the front and back of the book off of the wire binding to avoid having to stencil around it.

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I then taped the Mini Mamma Giraffe Pattern Stencil down to the book and began applying paint.

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I found that while one cover of the book was drying, I could stencil the other side of the book to save time.

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I matched up the stencil pattern and kept painting!

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After four times of stenciling each side, I was done stenciling.  I didn’t need to stencil to the bottom of the book because I was applying scrapbooking paper at the base.

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In order to get the look that I wanted to achieve, I tore the scrapbooking paper instead of cutting it.

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To determine the size of the paper, I set the book on top of the paper and drew a line for me to follow when I cut it.

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Once the paper was cut, it was time to apply it to the book.  I used Mod Podge to adhere it.

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First you start out by applying Mod Podge to the book to help the paper to stay in place.

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You then cover the other side of the paper completely with Mod Podge.

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Once the Mod Podge had covered the whole surface, I then applied another stripe of paper to add a little more interest to the cover of the book.

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I then chose some masculine looking embellishments and adhered them with hot glue.

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Here’s a look at the front and back covers of the book!

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Once the covers were dry, I put them back on the spiral ring and the book was complete!  Now to decide who to give it to for Valentine’s Day… :)

- Michaela

A Patterny June Wedding

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What a weekend I had! If you’re on Facebook (go there!), you’ve seen these pictures. I thought I would share a little about the process for the curious (and courageous).

First, I took a section of the aisle runner fabric and tested paint and paint techniques on it. Always test first, especially if you’re working with new materials. I found that pouncers (sponges) were a little too generous with the paint, and didn’t give me crisp lines. Good to know before I headed into a 35′ runner. Airbrushing was the winner. It was fast and I could paint lightly, but cleanly. It’s a little messy, but that’s the fun part!

Next, I had to set this big boy up. How do you contend with a 29″ stencil, a 100′ roll of aisle runner fabric, an airbrush with a relatively short cord, and a can of paint?

You use a lot of tape and masking paper. And a T-square. You might not be able to see it (which is good because it’s masked), but the aisle runner is on the table, taped down. The stencil is masked on either side, and then taped down.

Then I sprayed over the stencil.

I timed it, and each iteration of the stencil took me 8 minutes to airbrush. Not bad! What took the longest was measuring, re-positioning, marking, and setting up the next spraying.

This is what I was left with each time.

These sharp lines are why I chose to use the airbrush.

Thankfully, this wasn’t Princess Diana’s wedding, because this bride only needed 30′ of runner, not 100′. This is how I measured it: lay it out and measure it. :)

And here is the final result. Oh my dear goodness, I love it.

I enjoyed the process and would totally do it again. To tie in the invitations (which used this pattern), the aisle runner, the programs, and the cupcake tables, we used this pattern (or pieces of it) throughout. The mother of the bride used the same design on a wedding quilt she is hand-sewing for the bride & groom.

What pattern would you like to see used on an aisle runner?

 

Stencils For Quilters

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Jan King, the mother of a lovely bride, used my Venice design on a quilt. It looks AMAZING. Here are some photos:

 

Not a quilter, myself, I am completely amazed at this process. She laid the stencil on the fabric, traced it, and then sewed the line by hand. This is just gorgeous. She used the same pattern stencil design her daughter chose for her aisle runner.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Thank you, Mrs. King, for sharing your talents with us!