I mentioned in a previous post that I went shopping at Michaels last weekend. What I didn’t mention was my epic failure of crafting that happened shortly thereafter. Here is what happened:
On my shopping trip, I spent a good amount of time pursuing the shelves, looking for new ideas and discounts. I hit the acrylic paint aisle and didn’t leave for a good 20 minutes. What wonderful things awaited me there! Chalkboard paint, glitter paint, glossy paint, glow in the dark paint, antique finishes, etc. I sat down and investigated the Martha Stewart Collection while other customers grumbled and slunk their way around my sprawled out body. But I was hooked. No one could get in my way of a paint project.
I walked away from that aisle with quite a few purchases, mostly revolving around stencils. Stencils! Who would have thought *I* would be inspired to get crafty with stencils! Glancing over the how-to, it said to pick up some utility brushes, foam pouncers, and some paint, which I did.
I got home, unpacked my bag and asked myself, “Self, what can I stencil the heck out of first?” My eyes lit on my plain Ikea picture frame. Yes! I could stencil a pretty Moroccan inspired design onto the white mat!
Or could I?
Here is how I started:
Mistake # 1 (I think): Using scotch tape. I’m pretty sure the instructions said to buy stencil tape, but I’m a cheap bastard and I said to heck with that!
I started out fairly well, or so I thought.
I enjoyed pouncing. It was a nice stress relief. After painting as much of this section as I could do, I removed teh tape from the stencil and moved to the next section.
Mistake #2: Not letting the first section dry first. I got excited, what can I say? I’m not known for my patience.
At this point I realized it was a disaster. The pouncing left a weird texture, the lines were blurred, and there were blue spots where there should be white. My solution?
Pounce the heck out of the ENTIRE thing!
So there I was, with a now completely blue mat and no real design. I was pretty annoyed with myself so I gave it a day before I turned my attention back to my failure. I figured the best thing to do would be to try again with white paint, but let each section dry in between. Seems like a no brainer, right?
Wrong.
Here is my project currently:
I just can’t get nice edges with this pouncer thing. I’m wondering now if I should be using a different type of brush? Is it possibly an issue with the material? I’m about to call it quits with this stencil business right about now and scratch it off my list of domestic goals, but I’m determined to figure this thing out.
Anyone have any suggestions as to what I could be doing wrong?
Till we meet again Stencil.
Tagged: crafty, DIY, fail, Ikea, paint, stencil, stencil wars
Domestic Quest 
I don’t really know what the heck a pouncer is but i would suggest using a stenciling brush with natural bristles if possible. Make sure you don’t use to much paint and resist the urge to move side to side… You should be using vertical “strokes”… Less runny paint is best, less chance of it bleeding under the edge of the stencil.
I’ll have to look for a stenciling brush next time. I didn’t think I had too much paint, but I probably did in hindsight. Thanks for the tips Phi!
Much less paint! You want to actually blot the excess paint off on a paper towel and pounce lightly and build up the color slowly! My personal choice is a bristle brush, I have never had much luck with the sponge brushes, but other people love them. Keep trying!
My humble opinion is you’re using too much paint and it is seeping under the stencil. Use less paint but dab more times to fill evenly with cleaner edging.
Science! 🙂
I concur! Less paint should do the trick. As Lori already said, blotting the brush with a paper towel to get rid of any excess paint works well. I also think that you might have more luck with a large, bristle brush. And try to keep the brush perpendicular and move it in small circles. You’ll get it!! 🙂
Thank you everyone! I will try this again and keep you posted!!!
My tip would be to trace the stencil with a light blue colored pencil and then paint it! Stencils give me a hard time to so I just use them as templates instead of painting on them. Good luck!! Don’t give up!!