Stencils. There are so many ways to use these wonderful tools! Trace them, color them with inks, paints or other art mediums on paper or use for Gelli Printing. Pairing Color Bursts with stencils can give beautiful results. I've even used "spackle" with my stencils. (You could use a fancy dimensional medium if you prefer.)
I love discovering new and different ways to use the tools in my stash. You know, to get more bang for my buck. Did you know you can use your stencils to emboss your paper? How awesome is that? And, guess what? It's not even messy. Here's how it's done:
You will need two rubber embossing mats. (Spellbinders are pictured above.)
Place the rubber mats down on your clear embossing tray.
Place paper on rubber mats and put the stencil on top. Add the other clear embossing plate to the top of the stack. Run everything through the machine.
Here are your embossed panels. Super easy, right?
Here's my finished card. (I cut the second flaps off the Office Space Greetings to Go gate card, because I honestly didn't know how to handle those; wink-wink.)
I couldn't wait to try this technique with the Office Space Quick Brown Fox stencil!
I ran White Pigment Ink lightly over the embossed area to help it stand out.
One more idea to share: I love the monochromatic look. This Refresh Fern stencil has always been one of my favorites.
(For a similar, "de-bossed" look, you could try the Twin Tags Fern Masking Stencil.)
Looking for more stencil ideas? Check out these tutorials shared on the blog a while back.
I'm sitting on the edge of my chair waiting to hear how Retreat went this past weekend. My October Retreat packet should be arriving soon. I don't know how the August retreaters can keep the secrets until October. I did that once and it just about killed me!
