DIY stencilling

I have this piece of wood that was part of an old patio chair; but the chair is so old and dilapidated that it cannot be used as was intended anymore...

                                              

I was thinking of a way to do stencilling without using the actual rigid stencils. I used paper cut-outs before, but that was a bit of a messy affair -  this time around I had a different idea...

Print out your design regular printer paper;

Cut out an appropriate sizes piece of contact plastic to fit your design;

Tape your design or wording to the top of the plastic using cello-tape;  like this. The sticky side must face DOWN.

 Using your exacto knife, cut out the letters/design;  like this...

Peel the backing off the contact plastic and stick the plastic cut-out on your intended surface. Make sure you smooth out any air-bubbles.  I had three separate pieces to my design so, I drew lines where I wanted them to line up...

Paint over the plastic making sure you don't go over the edges and onto your painted surface; use a sponge roller for this - I used a paint brush and the bristles went under the plastic and messed up my letters a bit;  also make sure the contact plastic is stuck down tightly onto your surface, it will prevent any spills.

Allow to dry and peel off the plastic to reveal your design.....

I sanded the whole thing again because the letters got a bit messed up from the paint brush and with a bit of sanding it looked much better. It also got a coat of antique glaze and voilà!!




Happy day!!