July Stencil Extravaganza Week 1 Wrap-Up

Have you gotten out the stencils yet?

We are having a blast creating with them.

There is so much that you can do with stencils and we've got a whole lot more planned for you.

This week we started with basic stenciling.

Just ink and paper and a stencil.

Whether you use a brush, a sponge or and ink applicator, getting one or more color

of ink on the surface of the paper is all it takes to make a great start to a card or scrapbook page.

I used multiple colors of Ranger Distress Inks over this awesome tree stencil to create this card.

Don't be afraid to mix colors and go wild with the combos. I love how this one turned out!

After the basic stenciling came the first of the creative mediums challenges. 

Texture pastes, embossing pastes, etc.

I own white and translucent pastes, but decided to give this homemade one a try. 

I used black acrylic paint (since it uses acrylic paint you can in theory use any color, right?)

My glue was OLD!!! My kids are 21 and almost 20. 

Seriously, I haven't bought white school glue in 6 or 7 years.

I didn't measure the paint or the glue, just guesstimated a tbsp.

I did measure the cornstarch (it wouldn't get my measuring cup yucky)

I mixed it up in a disposable plastic cup. I didn't want the black staining any good plastic ware. 

Of course you could use something glass, but why risk it. 

Because my glue was "drier" than normal, I added a bit of water 

(after I started mixing with my palette knife) using a mister bottle.

 Spraying only a few spritzes at a time,  until I got a decent consistency. 

It's a really simple recipe:

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tbsp white acrylic paint

1 tbsp white school glue (like Elmer's)

Mix it together and if it is too thick, add just a bit of water to thin it out. 

If you want to see the video, it is on the Scrapbook Expo YouTube channel, with the title "Tip of the Day: Creating Texture Paste from Stamp & Scrapbook Expo.

 Here are the cards I made using the homemade paste.

The first card uses just the plain paste.

Card 2 I added ultra fine iridescent glitter.

Card 3 I added Tim Holtz Distress glitter.

I'll definitely be playing with this DIY paste more. 

Bonus, you can use your heat gun to dry it completely 

and it doesn't bubble up like the commercial brands.

Final thoughts on the homemade stuff: 

If you don't own commercial embossing pastes and have the supplies on hand, 

this is a good way to get your feet wet with this type of product/technique 

before spending a bundle on the commercial brands. 

The consistency is a little off compared to some, but if you are willing to use your mixer to whip the paste up it would have the lighter texture of the store bought brands. 

I, however, am not willing to do that, to much like cooking. LOL

It worked just fine, mixing it by hand. Add water sparingly. Use a spray bottle and add only a few spritzes at a time. You don't want this to be watery. It will bleed under your stencil. You want something like frosting (if whipped) or cake decorator gel (if mixed by hand). 

Be sure to use something disposable under your project, as this stuff stains like crazy (of course that's because I used black, but any color of paint is going to stain). I first tried it on my craft mat and it took a bit of elbow grease to get it up so I switched to a piece of chipboard from a package.

All in all, a good alternative. This will be a great product for teaching a class with as it is cheap and you can toss any extra at the end of the night without feeling bad.

CLEAN UP IMMEDIATELY or have a bucket of water handy 

and place your stencils in as you finish using them.

This stuff is even worse to get off than store bought if allowed to dry.

It will stain your clear stencils (if you use colored paints), no big deal but just an FYI.

My recommendation, give it a try!  ~Theresa

Now there is just no excuse.  

You know you have the ingredients to make texture paste and give it a try.

You'll only be out a few cents worth of paint and powder, but I pretty sure you'll be hooked

and want to go out and buy up all the pastes you can find.

Happy Crafting

Theresa & the CADC DT & Guests