Paper Stencil Pitfalls

Working with stencils is not always easy, especially when they're paper.

Here's what I learned...the hard way!


Fall may not be my favorite season, but it's definitely one of the best times for crafting.

For some reason, inspiration seems to be all around.

Maybe even more than at Christmastime.

Which, let's face it, is the craftiest time of the year.

Once the autumn equinox arrives, I get the urge to stencil, stitch, paint and decoupage virtually everything in sight.

Red, yellows, oranges and even whites look bolder, brighter and more fetching, as the color outside my window begins to fade.

Plus, the quick succession of holidays provides me with the opportunity and need to redecorate often.

Things I've collected over the summer, from yard sales and thrift stores, explicitly for that purpose are dragged out of storage and placed in the to do pile.





And then one night, when it's quiet around here, I turn on the music and dig in.

Some projects, which seems a little nutty, are super successful, like my dollar store splatter screen transformation. Others, which seem rote, like today's cutting board makeover, are less so.

That's ok though, you can't win them all.

Here's where I started, with an adorable apple shaped cutting board I picked up a while ago at the thrift store.

I loved the shape and the price, so I brought it home. It was a blank slate, a no brainer...what could go wrong?


I could. I could go wrong and my inexperience and impatience were completely to blame. I take full responsibility.

Sometimes quick, cheap and easy is not. Here's where the problem started. With paper stencils. Big mistake.

At JoAnn crafts. I saw this fall multipack for 70% off - yes 70 - and I couldn't resist. The bargain hunter in me didn't really think it through.


The kit was filled with so many cute patterns, and they were a really good size, that I ran straight to the register.

I knew they were paper, but what I failed to realize was how difficult they would be to work with. What a novice.


At first, I whipped out the stencil I had originally planned to use on that wooden apple. It was plastic.

I was going to paint it green and add it to the kitchen this summer, next to my windowsill grass for a fresh look.


Well, once I was immersed in my creative frenzy, 70's rock (and let's be honest, a little Kelly & Kat) pumping in the background, there was no stopping me.

I scrapped that plan and decided to fall-ify it instead.

With my problematic stencil pack. Now, as I said, I've never worked with paper stencils before. You definitely get what you pay for.

The bonus was that I didn't have to pop anything out, they came precut. The bummer was that they were slick and flimsy.

The paper was never going to stay put and the pieces in the middle moved a lot.


Had I been better prepared, I would've had a can of spray adhesive on hand.

I feel like that would've made all the difference. However, honestly with these lungs, I wouldn't have been able to use it anyway.


So I muddled through and muddled is what I ended up with. The paint crept underneath the paper and it bubbled up on the plastic coated paper.

Then the bubbles ended up on the wood.

Imperfect, uneven and splotchy lettering. Another project for the less than perfect crafting pile.


Live and learn, I guess.

Not one to toss my creations, I kept on grooving and straightened some of the edges with a brush. From a distance, you'd never notice it wasn't up to my standards.

Up close, well, you can be the judge.

It has sort of a charming weathered look...if I squint.


At least that's what I'm going with.

Maybe one of these days, I'll believe it.

Or repaint it.

Gee. I wonder which it'll be?

Are you a fall crafter?