New Stencil Releases and a Giveaway

Stencil Girl is releasing four of my new stencils today!  I hope to have some step out photos and videos for you in the future, but in the meantime, here are some project photos for you!

Seven Hearts and Hearts, Flowers and More, were inspired by the happy mail I have been sending out all year.  A group of us artists started a Facebook Group called "The Angel Project."  We list the name and address of someone we know who is going through a hard time, whether it's an illness, a personal crisis, an accident - whatever.  And we send that person "happy mail."  These stencils are perfect for creating cards and more to give someone in need a lift or just to let them know they're on your mind.  They work well together or separately.

Back in the winter, several members of Stencil Club requested owl stencils.  I love owls - from OWL in Winnie the Pooh, to Hedwig in Harry Potter, owls hold a special place in my heart.  So it was with great joy that I designed "Three Owls on a Branch" and "Horned Owl."  Here are art journal pages I did while playing with them. Again, I hope to have a video for you soon.

I hope you think these stencils are as much fun as I do!

I know I'm very late announcing the winner of the Namaste stencil.   (Here's the post with all the projects from that stencil.

Why so late? I am moving (locally) and it has been crazy!  How could I have so much stuff?  I moved 5 years ago and purged.  I swore not to over-accumulate again but it all went out the window.  So here we are doing it all over again and I swear -- never again!!!  If you're curious - here's my house listing... I am so sad to leave this beautiful house but I know the move is right.   We're going to Montclair, a more urban suburban area, just one town over.

Because I am so late announcing the winner.... I decided to give away THREE Namaste stencils!  Here are the winners...

Ladies - send your snail mail addresses to me at jessicabethsporn at gmail dot com and I will get your stencils to you (after 7/7)!

And, why not have another GIVEAWAY!  Leave me a comment below and one person will receive one of the notecards I made using my new stencils, with a lovely handwritten note from moi!

AND... If you are in the US - Happy Upcoming July 4th.  Here's a free download for your personal use -- just because. Just right-click and save, or click and drag it to your desktop.  Have a great start to summer!

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

 

Intentionally Left Blank with the Namaste Stencil & Giveaway

Packing and purging are all I seem to be doing lately.  (I am moving this summer - only one town over but still so much work.)  I just had to take a mental health pause and work in my journal.

This lady appeared on top of some previous play with my Namaste stencil.   (Read to the end for a giveaway of this stencil!)

The mandala made lovely hair, don't you think?

The lines on Pam Carriker's "Your Thoughts" stencil created just enough interest on her shirt.

I was playing around with words to journal around her and, with the jumble of emotions I'm having right now, my mind was a blank.  I just felt gratitude at having stolen time to make some marks and get my hands dirty and sticky with something besides dust and packing tape!   

Lo and behold, Pam's stencil had the words "Intentionally Left Blank" on it.  PERFECT!






I love how these words leave her thoughts, and my thoughts, up to the imagination of the beholder.

Here are three other projects I did with the Namaste stencil. 

And this French Memo Board transformation:

The beauty of stencils is that you can use parts of them or all of them.  That's why I love them so much.

GIVEAWAY:  Please let me know in the comments how you might use the Namaste stencil and I will pick one random commenter to win the stencil!  Comment by Sunday, 6/22 at 9PM ET to be eligible to win!

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

 

Repurposed Tissue Boxes Using Stencils

As some of you know, we are packing up to move one town over.  It's been hard to find time to make art - there is so much to pack and so much to sort and give away.  But as part of the moving, I had to redecorate two tissue boxes that no longer fit with the decor of our "staged" house.

Here they are "before," stenciled long ago before my affiliation with Stencil Girl Products.

I covered both of wooden boxes with white gesso, and then used teal, golden green and white Golden Fluid Acrylic paint to stencil patterns from Sporn Flowers Negative, Mary Beth Shaw's Random Circle's, and Jamie Fingal's Houses stencils.  

Then I glazed over them with a mixture of Phallo Turqouise and Glazing Medium.  

I went back and forth, adding white, and adding deeper blues, Viva Decor Perfect Pearls, and Scribbles 3D Fabric Paint, until I was happy.

I added some gold accents as well.  Here are my new and improved tissue boxes in my newly improved bathrooms!

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

 

Vision Board Art Party

Did I ever mention that I love to teach?  Yes, I know I have.  I've been enjoying teaching at The Ink Pad and at my home studio with great groups of women through my Meetup group.   Recently, I had the great honor of being the art guide for at a friend's party.

She had wonderful women as her guests, many of whom had never done mixed media art before. Creating a vision board was her theme.

We started with a brief meditation on what it would mean to live in a "perfect world," and what we need in our lives to live in a state of no longing, no wanting - just contentment.  And then we meditated on what we needed to release, shed, let go of, to be completely at ease with the conditions of our lives.   There were some tears shed during this process - it was deep and profound.

To honor both what we wanted to create and what we wanted to release, we journaled with sharpie directly onto canvases, and then collaged over the journaling with lots of ephemera to symbolically create a new beginning.

We created patterning with lots of stencils from Stencil Girl.

and then personalized with bits and pieces that the women brought with them.

Everyone created unique and deeply personal works.  (No faces, as this was a private party!)

Upcoming classes include one with the Teacups and Teapot stencil in my home studio, and of course - October at Art is You in Stamford Connecticut.   If you've never been, it is a wonderful supportive experience - grab some friends, or come alone and make new ones.  You won't regret it!

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

 

House Blessing with the Hamsa Stencil

I have been introducing you to my newest stencils from Stencil Girl, and today I am on the Stencil Girl Talk blog showing you how I created home blessings with the Hamsas Stencil.  I hope you'll go over to Stencil Girl Talk for the meaning of the Hamsa, and step out photos for how I created this house blessing.

You can also click here for the introduction of my Teacups and Teapot Stencil,

and here for the Layered Peonies Stencil.

Giveaway:  In gratitude for all of you who visit me, I am giving away this small Hamsa Blessing, which measures 3 1/2" by 5 1/2" and is on a small remnant of a book cover which I covered with plaster and gauze.  Leave me a comment here, as well as on Stencil Girl Talk, by Sunday night, 11:59PM ET, for two chances to win it!

And... the winner of the giveaway for the Peony stencil is Elizabeth Jones, with this sweet comment:

I look forward to hearing from Elizabeth (email me at jessicabethsporn at gmail dot com) with her address and sending her the stencil!

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.

 

Layered Peony Stencil Tutorial and Giveaway

Last week I introduced you to the new Teacups and Teapot stencil from Stencil Girl Products.  This week, I would like you to meet Layered Peonies and Leaves.  Again - this design was inspired by a conversation with Judy Shea, who said - "I wish there was a flower stencil with big flowers."  She really is my muse in addition to my good friend!

You can create flowers three different ways with this stencil -- maybe even more.

Here are two projects I created since the release of the stencil!  The one on the left is in my art journal - the one on the right is on a collaged canvas board.

And here's a video tutorial to introduce you to to the peony stencil.


You can also watch Layered Peonies Tutorial on You Tube here!

On Saturday, a group of women came to a Meetup Class at my house to make mixed media canvases using this stencil.  Check out all the different flowers - no two alike!

 I hope you're inspired to create something with the Layered Peonies stencil.  I would love to see it!

GIVEAWAY! Want to win your own copy of the Layered Peony stencil?  I will send one stencil out to someone who comments on this post!  You have until Friday at 9AM ET to comment.  Let me know you follow my blog, like my FB page, and/or "Liked" the stencil at Stencil Girl, for up to 3 extra chances to win!

UPDATE:  The winner is Elizabeth Jones - send me a message (to jessicabethsporn at gmail dot com) with your snail mail address and it will be on its way to you!

Your comments make me so happy and let me know you were here. I read and treasure every comment and will happily answer any questions as soon as I can.