Wrapping It Up Using Your Stencils - A Mixed Media Tutorial

Hello everyone and welcome to my November mixed media tutorial post for STAMPlorations.  This month I am going to show you two ways you can create your own personalized wrapping paper from products you probably already have on hand and just in time for the season when we wrap everything!

Using only some brown parcel paper, the ARTplorations Big Bloom Factory large stencil and matching Big Bloom acrylic stamps, Ranger distress inks and stains and  some white gesso I created this colourful paper in three easy steps...

Step 1: Colour brown parcel paper - I used Ranger Distress Stains and just scribbled the dauber over the paper until I had enough colour for a base coat.

Step 2: Apply paint through an open patterned stencil - make sure you tape down your stencil, I like to use washi tape for this step because it releases so easily and doesn't tear my paper

Lay down the stencil, apply paint and then peel it up and move it over for the next piece.   No need to reapply the washi tape... it just keeps sticking.

You can use any colour of paint for this step but I like to use white gesso because it covers up so beautifully in one coat and I use a sponge makeup applicator in the triangle shape to apply the gesso over the stencil - the pointy piece is easy to hold and the flat side makes a great applicator.

And did you notice how the stain faintly colours the white gesso so I have a pastel-looking paper? I am loving this!

Now I could have stopped here and used this paper the way it is but I wanted something more, so I decided to add some stamped details to the pattern using the STAMPlorations matching Big Bloom Factory acrylic stamps.

Step 3: Stamp Patterns Onto Dry Paper - this was very easy to do because the stamps fit perfectly into the shapes left behind by the stencil.

Using my Ranger mini distress inks I stamped flower details onto the paper in complimentary colours to the distress stains.

And ended up with wrapping paper that looks like this.... aren't they just lovely?

 
 

Especially when paired up with this yummy tag I created last month for my October tutorial.  But if you are pressed for time you can create the following look in just ONE STEP...

Using Ranger Distress Stains with the dauber top bottle and your favorite stencil, tape your stencil down on a some white or light-colored paper using a low-tack tape like washi tape and apply distress stains at random all over the paper blending and overlapping the areas as you go.

That's It!  I used some 11x17 white scrap paper that I use like placemats on my work area which added to the texture, and personally, I think the messier you are the better it looks.

 

So that's my tutorial for this month... I hope it inspires you to go rifle through your stencils to see what beautiful personalized wrapping paper you can create... and if you do create something please think about sharing it with us for this month's Mixed Media Challenge - where Anything Goes Except a Card as long as you use a stencil!

 
As always, thanks for popping in today to see what I am up to, and do leave me a comment if you like what you see.
Lynne Mizera
for the STAMPlorations  Mixed Media Design Team

  
STAMPlorations products used on this project:
 

ARTlorations Big Bloom Factory Stencil - Large

STAMPLorations Big Bloom Factory Stamp

Other products used on this project:
Ranger Distress Stains
Ranger Mini Distress Inks
White Gesso