Step-by-Step: Stencil Embossing with Hot Air Balloons

I am glad the week is over, let me tell you.  Work-wise, the last few days have been good but super super frustrating.  We are headed to our fourth [!] wedding of the summer and then to Hood River for a work event on Sunday evening.

Thank goodness for Starbucks treat receipts.  A mocha lite frappacino made all my worries disappear.  I stopped in at Stampin Cat Studio for a little craft retail therapy.  Of course I had to try out my new stencil as soon as I got home.  Here’s a step-by-step of how to emboss using stencils and pastels.  Plus I got to play with my new camera to take these pictures :)

Supplies:
- Stencil
- Pastels
- Paint brush with short stiff bristles
- Clear embossing paste
- Some kind of spreader, like a frosting spreader
- Post-it notes and tape

Position your stamp on cardstock and tape it down using reusable tape.  (Make your own reusable tape by sticking a regular piece of tape to your pants and pulling it off a few times.  It’ll stick to your paper but will pull off without ruining it.)  Put post-it notes around the edges of the stencil.

Using circular motions, “paint” your stencil.  Blow the excess pastel dust off the stencil.

Use anything you can find to spread the embossing paste onto the stencil.  My embossing paste came with a little spreader but a popsicle stick will work.  Use even strokes and spread from top to bottom. Just glop it on there – you’ll get rid of the excess next.

I use a frosting spreader to scrape the excess off.  An smooth, fluid motion is important.

Pull the post-it notes off, and if you’re [super messy] like me, throw them away.  If you’re not super messy and if you’re going to do another stencil, save and re-use them.  Slowly lift the bottom of the stencil up, using the taped edge for leverage.  Pull the tape off, being careful not to drop the stencil – if you drop it, you’ll ruin it.  And no, of course I’m not speaking from personal experience.

Let it dry for at least an hour.  I haven’t tried using a heat tool to speed up the drying but if you try, let me know how it goes.  As it dries, the paste will become hard and clear and the colors will show through.

I’m in love.  My hot air balloons are still drying but here’s a few finished stencil projects.

Are you crafting anything this weekend?