Big Oak

Hello! One of my favorite stencils from the October release for A Colorful Life Designs is the Big Oak. This is a 6×9 stencil that is so detailed and beautiful. Plenty of oak leaves and acorns abound. My card is full of fantastic shimmer, and it was pretty simple to do.

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First things first. This is a delicate stencil, and the technique I did here is very wet, so it’s imperative to use Pixie Spray, which is a temporary adhesive for your stencils from Therm O Web. After letting the Pixie Spray dry on the back of my stencil, I laid it on to my cardstock and made sure to press it down. Now comes the fun…I broke out the Haunted Halloween set of Lindy’s Magical Powders from Lindy’s Gang (use code P6GKPI07KTCTAV to save 10%) and sprinkled on some Hag’s Wart Orange and Freaky Franken-Lime with a fan brush on to the areas that have the oak leaves. I was careful to not get the “background” areas. For those spaces, I used Tainted Love Teal.

Pro Tip: I am loving these powders. The shimmer is incredible, the colors are stunning, and they are easy to work with to get many different effects. I will tell you though, your paper choice is very important. I used some papers and the colors just would not break down or blend well…that was on inexpensive watercolor papers. But if you use good paper, like Strathmore’s Smooth Bristol, you will get wonderful results. This goes for most mediums….if your powders, markers, watercolors, etc. aren’t preforming as you think they should, try different paper.

After adding a decent amount of powder (you really don’t need much), I sprayed it gently with water. The paper may curl, but the Pixie Spray should hold the stencil in place. I had a round brush in hand so that I could move the colors around a bit where needed. I did get some seepage under the more delicate areas of the stencil, but I quite like how it looks because the veining of the leaves is still there. And man, look at that shimmer!!! I added a double-stacked die cut of the word “magical” from Erin Lee Creative and a few sequins from the “Cinnamon Roll” Sparkle Blend from Doodles Paper Playground.

I love using techniques like this because ink blending is often difficult for me because of my Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Blending brushes of any kind can put too much strain on my hands, back, and shoulders, so I love to find ways to get cool blends without all the physical labor. These Lindy’s Magicals are a great solution. I hope that you’ll check out the full October release from A Colorful Life Designs, especially if you’re a fan of Halloween. If you’re ready to shop, use my code, AlFan10 to save 10% on your purchase, not including Master Bundles. To get lots of great ideas on what to do with these stencils, please visit the A Colorful Life Designs Fan Group on Facebook.