Do you have little ones who love to get involved in holiday activities, not to mention birthdays, special events, and baby showers? As a little girl growing up in winter-frozen Massachusetts, Mom and I often found ourselves snowed in, Dad at work, anxious for fun stuff to create. She was always able to conjure a cigar box of art supplies, and away we would go, making and doing.
One especially fond memory, when I was in grammar school, was making greeting cards for all occasions when neighbors observed my passion for drawing. They paid me as much as it would have cost for a store-bought version, and I even designed a logo to add to the back, like Hallmark.
So, here we are, back to where I started, a long time ago, making quick, thoughtful and artsy Christmas cards! I love it. You will quickly notice that the technique is easily transferable to any occasion, even wrapping paper and book covers.
How do you do it? I bet you can ask a kiddo to look at the photo, and they will explain right away. We’re making a raised tree pattern with a stencil and simply rubbing over it with crayons. Yikes, so simple. Add a verse you make up, or Google one, to add to the back, a tree on the envelope, and done.
SUPPLIES
• Wood Icing® Textura Paste
• Bonnie Christine for Royal Design Studio Small Timberland Furniture Stencil
• Stiff cardboard, thin masonite, or anything that won’t bend, to use for the pattern
• Card stock or printer paper of your choice
• Crayons and colored pens to write a verse on the back
• Rigid small trowel, putty knife or old credit card, painters tape, scissors, stir stick
Tape off the board to keep the Textura Paste from getting onto the table. Plan which size envelope you want to use, and make sure the paper you use can be cut or folded to fit inside.
Position the stencil on top of the board and tape. Apply some paste to the trowel with a stir stick, and starting at the top, pull the material across the stencil pattern, level with the depth of the stencil.
Don’t worry too much about perfection. A few ridges in the paste are fine, and add a bit of texture. But too much, too thick, will obscure the design when you rub the crayon over it.
Let the design dry. Wash the stencil and the trowel in warm water while you’re waiting. Textura Paste is water-soluble and dries fairly quickly.
Select a few crayon colors to layer over the trees – I used several greens – and rub over the trees. I peeled the paper off, like we loved to do as kids. Then, to make a colorful statement, I added red stars to shine over the forest of trees.
Cut out the final card. I planned ahead to use a single sheet to fit inside a #10 envelope, then I could get two cards per sheet of paper.
Add a single tree motif on the side of the envelope, and write a message, a poem, or a quote on the back, sign, address, and you’re done. I’m confident you, or your little helper elves, can turn dozens of cards out in an afternoon.
Store the pattern you made, and use it again. Consider making some more different designs to mix and match, too.
Is there anything Wood Icing Textura Paste can’t do? Hmmmm. Every time I think about writing a new post I seem to think of something new to try.
Ready to get those cards checked off your to-do list?
Find a Wood Icing retailer near you.
