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Altered Stencils

By Mary Ellen Harrison
Off-Road Inksters
Intermediate Scramping Team Designer

Supplies
•Love Tags (Close to My Heart)
•Alphabet set  (Ma Vinci’s Reliquary)
•Ancient Page Brown Ink (Clearsnap)
•Desert Sand dye ink (Close to My Heart)
•Barn Red (Close to My Heart)
•Acrylic Gesso (Liquitex)
•Stencil letter (US Stamp and Sign)
•Acrylic paints (3 colors)
•Confetti White CS  (Stampin’ Up)
•Barn Red CS (Close to My Heart)
•Stamping Sponge
•Foam brush
•Colorbox sylus tool
•Eyelets
•Wire
•Beads

Instructions:

1. Paint the stencil with 2 layers of gesso, allowing to dry between coats. 
    
2. Beginning with the lightest color and  a fairly dry brush, paint on the first layer of color over the stencil.  Do not paint the entire stencil; leave some areas with the gesso showing through.  Allow to dry.  Paint with the next color, painting over some of the original color.  Allow to dry.  With a VERY dry brush, paint on the final color (in the example I used red).  Allow this to dry.
    
3. With the Ancient Page ink, antique the edges of the letter and around the edges of the stencil.  Also stamp the word LOVE around the edges using the same ink.
    
4. Stamp the word image from the Love Tag set on confetti card stock with barn red ink.  Sponge on some desert sand ink for a distressed look.  Adhere this piece to the underside of the stencil so the words show through the letter opening.
    
5. Punch holes in the bottom corners and attach eyelets.
    
6. Cut a piece of barn red cardstock slightly larger than the stencil piece and distress the edges.  Adhere the stencil to this piece.   The stencil letters I used are probably not acid free so I didn’t want the letter itself to sit on the main cardstock of the page.
    
7. Stamp the rest of the title and assemble the finished page. 
    
8. These stencils can be altered in many ways to suit a lot of different projects.  They are inexpensive and great fun to work with.

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