Friday Focus - Stencils

Hi there everyone. Welcome to another edition of Friday Focus, our weekly spotlight on a product or range. This week it's the turn of stencils, one of the most versatile crafting tools we can own. And because they are the centre of attention you'll find a 15% discount on the wide range of competitively priced individual stencils at The Funkie Junkie Boutique this coming week (note - does not apply to pre-orders or stencil bundles).

A noticeable trend in the crafting world at the moment is the ongoing quest to find alternative ways of using existing products. As I'm sure many of you are familiar with using your inks and sprays through stencils it seemed appropriate to tackle a twist on texture paste. Maybe it's down to the legacy of all those Hugenot silk weaving ancestors in my family history that I have a passion for old fabrics, and damask in particular. So how can this be replicated with paper, ink and paste?

Start with Coredinations Kraft Core and part of a technique from the talented Tim Holtz. Spray the kraft side with Ink Refresher and rub it into the card until fully absorbed. The idea is the fibres in the card will absorb it and become more flexible, making it easier to scrunch up and giving it the appearance of suede. When dry turn it over to the non-kraft side and sand lightly to reveal those wrinkles.

Add a layer of white texture paste through a patterned stencil onto the non-kraft side of the card.

Using a small soft brush, sprinkle Perfect Pearls Pigment Powders onto random areas of the wet paste, working from light to dark colours.

Lightly mist the area with ink spray in a coordinating colour (I made mine with some Distress Ink Reinker). This adds a little colour to the paste and 'fixes' the Pigment Powders.

Carefully remove the stencil (don't clean it yet) and gently set the patterned card to one side so it can dry.

Flip the stencil over onto a blank tag, rolling a brayer over the stencil to transfer the remaining paste, powders and ink onto the tag. When you lift the stencil this is what you will be left with. Now you can clean that stencil!!

 Time to see what I did with that original piece of stencilled kraft card...

To fulfil a special card order and keep this elegant I decided to keep it simple when putting this together.

Linda stocks the most fabulous straight edged doily paper rolls which, if applied to card and covered in Picket Fence Distress Paint and Antique Linen Distress Stain, give the look of aged plasterwork. Use the same Distress Stain on some seam binding to cover the join between the two textured pieces.

You can see from this photo how the Pigment Powders add a subtle shimmer to the surface of the paste. Compliment this with your choice of matting and layering card. The sanded wrinkles in the kraft card also make a huge difference (it really doesn't look as vintage without them).

Simple vellum leaf stems, Distress Glitter blooms with pearl centres and a Simple Saying completed the card. As an alternative you could choose some of the fabulous Prima embellishments  or some rhinestone glamour, both available in The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

I promise to show you what became of that 'mop up' tag in the not too distant future. In the meantime don't forget that 15% discount on the wide range of competitively priced stencils at The Funkie Junkie Boutique this coming week (note - does not apply to pre-orders or stencil bundles). And if you do give this a go why not enter it for our current challenge, 'Stencils and texture'!

Have a fabulous weekend. Jenny x

$6.39 Core′dinations Kraft Core By Tim Holtz - 4.25x5.5" Paper Pad	Ranger Inkssentials Ink Refresher	Prima 6x6 Stencil - Flourish	Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste - White	Ranger Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder - Perfect Pearl
Ranger Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder - Pewter	Ranger Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder - Heirloom Gold	Ranger Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder - Perfect Bronze	Ranger Tim Holtz Seasonal Distress Ink Reinker - Iced Spruce	25 Jumbo Manila Shipping Tags 8x4" #12
Paper Lace Doily	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Picket Fence	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain - Antique Linen	Rayon Seam Binding	*Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Garden Greens Bigz Die
Sizzix Alterations Decorative Strip Tim Holtz Spring Greenery	Sizzix Alterations Decorative Strip Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers Die	Tim Holtz Distress Glitter Victorian Velvet	Tim Holtz Distress Glitter Antique Linen	Melissa Frances White Pearl Embellishments
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps - Simple Sayings	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Tea Dye