Easy Christmas Cards Using Wood Icing® And A Royal Design Studio Stencil

We are sharing this post by Debbie Dion Hayes of the blog, MyPatchOfBlueSky.com



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.

Wood Icing® Products Pair Perfectly With Chalk Paint®, Artisan Enhancements & Artsy Stencils

We are sharing a post from Debbie Hayes at MyPatchOfBlueSky.com

 

One of my absolute favorite pastimes is to get together with artist friends and shop owners who sell DIY products to play with exciting new paint and products. Lots of laughs, learning and good memories. And maybe a glass of wine…

A couple of months ago, a small, energetic group of friends gathered for a fun day and a half of sharing and hands-on experimentation.


I brought Wood Icing® Textura Paste and Fissure Size, used to crackle the paste, and another artist brought the perfect size small canvases, some Artisan Enhancements foil, Leaf & Foil Size, stencils, and some Chalk Paint®.

With some basic product explanation from us both, we all jumped in and created our own little canvas masterpiece, our own way.

Immediately it was apparent how well everything mixed and matched since it was primarily water-based.

Our artsy retreat reiterated how inventive DIYers can use compatible products to achieve pattern, texture and bling.

Though I now wish I had photographed each piece, I can share mine.

THE RECIPE
• On an artist canvas, roll or brush on Artisan Enhancements Leaf and Foil Size (1 or 2 coats) and let come to tack
• Lay Artisan Enhancements silver foil over the surface and burnish
• Brush on some Florence Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan, leaving open areas. Let dry.
• Place a stencil off-center on the surface. Brush or roll on Wood Icing Fissure Size. Let dry.
• Use Wood Icing Textura Paste with an offset knife and trowel thickly through the same stencil over the Fissure Size. Cracks will result.
• Glaze the entire surface with Wood Icing Mud Pie Furniture Glaze. Wipe with a rag to remove some glaze from the top, pushing glaze into the creases. Let dry.
• Use some SIFF (Southern Institute of Fine Finishing) Empire Gold gilding paste on a finger to lightly accent the stenciled area. Let dry.

Everyone in our group used different Chalk Paint® colors and foils, but we all agreed that we were excited about the possibilities!

 

WHAT IS WOOD ICING TEXTURA PASTE AND WHY IS IT SPECIAL?

Textura Paste is a water-based acrylic product, which has the consistency of peanut butter. Simply spread it with a spatula or trowel. While wet, you can add impressions and designs with any number of objects or tools. Use foam rubber stamps, mesh, lace, and numerous other materials.
You can also apply Textura Paste through a stencil directly onto bare or unfinished wood. Once it has been stained, it’s difficult to tell the difference between real carved wood and a Wood Icing design.

MORE IDEAS FOR USING WOOD ICING + COMPATIBLE PRODUCTS Click on the link to get all of the simple directions


CREATE THIS “ICE PALACE” WALL FINISH

Wood Icing + Modern Masters Metallic Paint + A Royal Design Studio Stencil + Artisan Enhancements Fine Stone

 

CREATE THIS TRIPLE-CANVAS ART

Wood Icing® + Modern Masters Metal Effects + Chalk Paint® + Royal Design Studio Stencil

 

CREATE “INDUSTRIAL LACE” ON CANVAS

Wood Icing + Royal Design Studio Stencil + Silver Leaf
 


EMBELLISH AN OLD DOUGH BOWL

Wood Icing + Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint + Royal Design Studio Stencils



UPCYCLE OLD CABINETS

Wood Icing + Chalk Paint® + Royal Design Studio Stencil



CREATE WOOD “LACE” ON A GLASS TRAY

Wood Icing + Royal Design Studio Stencil

 

Are you ready to try mixing and matching products to get some new, unexpected results?

Great!!

Find your local Wood Icing retailer here. Often you will find that Wood Icing retailers also sell Chalk Paint® and Royal Design Studio stencils. How convenient is that?

{This post is sponsored by my wonderful client, Wood Icing®. They allow me to experiment with their cool products, and the ideas and comments are my own.}

Create This “Ice Palace” Wall Finish Using Wood Icing®!

We are sharing this post by blogger Debbie Dion Hayes of MyPatchOfBlueSky.com

Have you noticed that rustic furniture can mix beautifully with a glamorous wall finish?

Our 1970s ranch home is far from glam, but I have decided that a gorgeous treatment on a focus wall can be a sweet addition.




We have an odd corner in our even odder right-angle hallway that runs the length of our house. I have struggled over the years to add interest and a lovely vignette, but it has to be narrow enough for people, pets and furniture to pass. It’s an unlikely area to be designated one of the prettiest spots in our home, but no one ever accused me of following rules when it comes to decorating, right?

So, after having a blast playing with Wood Icing® Textura Paste, a gorgeous wall stencil and a couple more favorite DIY products, I created this wall treatment called “Ice Palace.” Reflective, soft, with a hint of a dusting of snow, it was just what our dark corner, featuring a skinny, crusty cabinet needed.

Here’s everything you need to know to do it! I encourage you to practice first on a large piece of board, drywall, or plastic before you work on a wall.

(When you apply the finish on a wall you will need to tape off the trim and edges with painters tape and put down a drop cloth. Then find and mark the center of the wall – or the focal point – where you want to begin the pattern. Also find the center of the stencil to match up to the center of the wall. Begin at the top and work side to side and down, matching up the little registration marks.)

SUPPLIES
• WOOD ICING Textura Paste
• ROYAL DESIGN STUDIO Lisboa Tile stencil
• MODERN MASTERS Metallic Paint in Platinum
• ARTISAN ENHANCEMENTS Fine Stone
• water, containers, small flexible trowel, large metal trowel, sample board to practice, stir sticks, towels

MIX TEXTURA PASTE WITH SOME WATER

In a container, mix about 10% water with Textura Paste to soften it up a bit.

USE A SMALL TROWEL TO  PULL THE MIX THROUGH THE STENCIL


Tape the stencil on to the sample board. I am using an old sample so that you can see what I am doing better, and to show you that the wall will need no prep before this step!

Use a stir stick to load the Textura Paste onto your trowel and pull it down vertically.



Remove vertical streaks by going back over them with a light touch using the trowel. Use a wet towel to clean off the trowel as needed.


Remove the stencil and either place it in water, or clean it right away with soap and water. If you need to sand raised areas, do it before the paste is completely dried hard.

BRUSH OR ROLL THE METALLIC PAINT.


Brush or roll on one coat of Platinum paint. Let dry.

TROWEL ON FINE STONE


Use a stir stick to load some Fine Stone onto the large trowel.



Pull the trowel vertically, starting at the top. It will naturally deposit some material at the raised pattern and skip areas, which is the look you are going for. Resist the urge to fill in the area completely so that the platinum will show through and reflect soft light. Let dry.

 Do a lap around the house to gather a few coordinating accessories to add to enhance your new look.



I liked the idea of trying out just a couple of reflective items since the finish is soft, but heavily textured.



I’m really pleased with the effect, and hope you are inspired and ready to try it too. Think how impressed your friends will be!

{This post is sponsored by my wonderful client, Wood Icing®. They allow me to experiment with their cool products, and the ideas and comments are my own.}

6 Stunning Wood Icing® Projects!

We are sharing a post on Royal Design Studio's digital magazine Paint + Pattern, written about our blogger Debbie Hayes. It features projects that feature several Wood Icing products, plus Royal Design Studio stencils.

Debbie Hayes is an extremely talented P+P contributor who regularly shares beautiful DIY craft and furniture stencil projects on our blog. She is a marketer, photographer and a professional faux finisher with a degree in fine art. Debbie shares her love for design and creativity through her lovely blog ‘My Patch of Blue Sky’.

When it comes to Wood Icing and a beautiful Royal Design Studio stencil, Debbie never falls short of imagination and creativity. Here are a few beautiful projects from her blog that could not wait to be shared! Let’s take a look.

Picture Perfect Stone Effect


A gorgeous stone effect is just one of the several looks Wood Icing can give your projects. Debbie turned this ordinary frame into an extraordinary work of art in 4 easy steps using our Peacock Fancy Stencil by Royal Design Studio. Her blog post Getting Stone Effect Using Wood Icing gives a step-by-step tutorial.

A Dandy Dough Bowl


Debbie has a knack for up-cycling old, previously unused things and transforming them into something beautiful! For this project she scouted an old dough bowl from her attic that desperately needed some paint and pattern love. By using our French Numbers Typography Stencil by Royal Design Studio, Wood Icing and Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint she gave it a brand new look! Learn more about this easy breezy project on her DIY blog post An Old Dough Bowl Gets Gorgeous.

Get Floored by This Door


A beautiful Royal Design Studio Stencil like the Stargazer Medallion Christmas Stencil by Royal Design Studio, Wood Icing and some Chalk Paint® is all you need to brighten up plain and boring cabinet doors. Learn how in A Lovely Fabric-like Cabinet Finish tutorial.

‘L'ace an Industrial Look


Are you a fan of both, the industrial look as well as lace at the same time? Well, so is Debbie! In 6 easy steps she created this lovely Industrial Lace Canvas Wall Art with a metal-like finish to adorn her dresser. She used our Fleur de Lace Stencil by Royal Design Studio with Wood Icing and simply layered the pattern with silver leaf and Licorice Furniture Glaze.

Voila! An art piece that is both graceful and bold at the same time. Check out our Lace Stencils Collection by Royal Design Studio to find several lace designs and sizes to suit your specific project needs.

Served Up With Pattern


Debbie loves to experiment and loves everything verre eglomise. Her Glamorize Your Table Top with Verre Eglomise DIY tutorial on P+P is one of our favorites! When it came to trying out Wood Icing on glass, she ended up using it with our one-time use Modello Stencils. She finished with a layer of furniture glaze to give the raised pattern a beautiful wooden look. Find a quick three-step tutorial on how to create this Gorgeous Lacy-Wood Look Glass Tray on her blog.

An Antique Look for your Book


If you like the look of old books, this DIY is for you. Debbie shows how you can transform your favorite read into an antique keepsake in How to Create a Gorgeous Antique-Looking Book. For this project Debbie used our Moorish Fleur de Lis Moroccan Stencil by Royal Design Studio, Antique Gold Stencil Crème by Royal Design Studio, gold leaf and Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan. You can also pick any pattern and color of your choice from our Moroccan Stencil Collection by Royal Design Studio and Royal Stencil Cremes’ Collection.

Enjoy! How are YOU using Wood Icing with stencils? We'd love to see. Share your projects on our Facebook Page.

Get A Stone Effect Using Wood Icing®, Artisan Enhancements And A Royal Design Studio Stencil!

 We are sharing a post by Debbie Dion Hayes from her blog MyPatchOfBlueSky.com

{Although this post is sponsored by Wood Icing™, the idea, experimentation, and comments are my own.}

 
Are you always looking for these two things: a cool new furniture finish AND another picture frame to showcase your evolving family, friends and accomplishments? Me too!

You may know that I have the unique opportunity to work with several wonderful DIY products. Yes, I admit it, it’s a little slice of creative heaven for me.

Rose Wilde, co-owner of Wood Icing Co. had a great idea for a stone finish – let’s try some Artisan Enhancements Fine Stone on top of Wood Icing products to get the look of stone. So naturally I added a perfect Royal Design Studio stencil to enhance it all on this flat picture frame I unearthed in my clutter of “great stuff to use for blog posts.”


SUPPLIES




FROM WOOD ICING Licorice & Tree Bark Furniture Glazing Colors, offset palette knife, Graphite Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan

FROM ARTISAN ENHANCEMENTS Fine Stone

FROM ROYAL DESIGN STUDIO Peacock Fancy Stencil

OTHER ITEMS rags, paint brushes, painters tape, sand paper


 
 STEP ONE
Paint one coat of Graphite Chalk Paint® and let dry. Knock off any points with sandpaper if needed.

STEP TWO
Lay the stencil over the frame in a pleasing position. Tape if you like. I chose an off-center placement since this is a frame and I wanted the look a bit artsy.

Put some Textura Paste on your palette knife or color shaper tool and pull it over the stencil openings. When the entire frame is covered, level out the paste. Let dry about 15 minutes.

 
 STEP THREE
Brush on one coat of Graphite and let dry.

Stipple or pounce a coat of Fine Stone on the entire surface of the frame and let dry. Due to the base coat of Graphite you will see some mottling of color. Sand the tops of the design to expose some of the white Sand Stone.


 STEP FOUR
Brush on a wash of Tree Bark Glaze. Let dry. Brush on a coat of Licorice. Before the Licorice drys, wipe the surface with a rag to expose some texture and pattern. When you like the effect, let dry for an hour.

Brush on one or two coats of Dull PolyAcrylic. Let dry.

 
 Fill with a favorite photo or momento. I left off the glass and found this old script in French on TheGraphicsFairy.com which I printed on soft brown card stock. Find it here.

 


 Time to enjoy! Lacey Jane just woke up and she insists that I use her photo in the frame. Who can resist those eyes?

Use Wood Icing™, A Stencil And Silver Leaf To Create This Industrial Lace Canvas Art

We are sharing this post by Debbie Dion Hayes, from her blog MyPatchOfBlueSky.com


{Although this post is sponsored by Wood Icing™, the idea, experimentation, and comments are my own.}

Are you a fan of the industrial look? Do you love lace? Let’s put the two together and create this metal-look patterned artwork with lots of depth. It almost looks like a chunk of heavy solid embossed steel! My favorite thing to do with artwork it to layer it with other pieces. Everywhere. This pretty vignette is on my dresser.

Can you just imagine an entire wall of these in several metal finishes. Love it!


My inspiration pieces for this project were my treasured Moroccan bracelet and perfume bottles, purchased on an artsy trip to Marrakech. I’ve been studying them for ages and it finally came to me that Wood Icing™, a stencil, silver leaf and some glaze would be perfect to recreate the look.

Let’s do it! Normally I recommend inviting kiddos of all ages join in on projects, but since the silver leaf tends to billow everywhere, I can only imagine little fingers putting the pretty things in their mouths. So this time, older children only, please.

 

SUPPLIES



• Any size gallery wrap canvas with a wide edge. Mine is from Michaels

FROM WOOD ICING™ Textura Paste, off-set knife, Furniture Glaze in Licorice, Satin PolyAcrylic Top Coat, Graphite Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan

FROM ROYAL DESIGN STUDIO Small Fleur de Lace stencil, or any stencil

• Any Leaf Size product like Wunda Size, imitation silver leaf in sheets or pieces called shaibin. All are available from Michaels or from online sources

• brush, foam brush, cheap throw-away brush for leaf size, 220-grit sandpaper, rags, wax paper

 

 

STEP ONE above

Paint two coats of Graphite Chalk Paint® and let dry.

 

STEP TWO

Lay the stencil in a pleasing position over the canvas. Tape in position if possible. If not, hold in place with one hand. Using the off-set knife, “butter” some Texture Paste over the stencil pattern, taking care not to push it under the stencil. When the pattern is complete, carefully peel off the stencil and wash it. Let the paste dry for about 10 minutes or so. If you need to reposition the stencil to complete the pattern, just find the design edge and add more Textura Paste. Sand lightly.

 

 

STEP THREE above

Wipe after sanding. Paint one coat of Graphite and let dry.

 

STEP FOUR

Brush on a THIN coat of leaf size. More in this case is not better. Let come to tack for 10 or 15 minutes. My photo shows too much size so you can see it. Definitely wipe away puddles of size.

 

 

STEP FIVE

Lay the leaf sheets or broken leaf pieces over the canvas and press down with your fingers. Use a soft brush to push the leaf into all of the crevasses until the entire canvas, including the edges are covered. If you missed a spot when applying the size, just add some more, let come to tack and add leaf. When finished, grab the dust buster or vacuum and get rid of all of the little bits of silver leaf.

 

STEP SIX

Brush on some Licorice Furniture Glaze and gently wipe off the excess with a rag. Pull a foam brush over the top in all directions to remove more glaze until you like the look. Do the sides as well. 

Let dry.

 

OPTIONAL STEP SEVEN

Brush on Wood Icing™ PolyAcrylic Top Coat, following directions.

Add hanging hardware, or simply prop in a niche, in a bookcase, on the mantel or on your dresser to show off artwork, special jewelry pieces and pottery like I did.

 

 

{Disclosure: This is a paid featured post in conjunction with Wood Icing™. All opinions, projects, and ideas are based on my own experience.}

An Old Dough Bowl Gets Gorgeous Using Wood Icing™ + Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint!

We are sharing Debbie Dion Hayes' post from MyPatchOfBlueSky.com



{Although this post is sponsored by Wood Icing™, the idea, experimentation, and comments are my own.}

I have spent many years in the faux finishing and DIY paint worlds. I can’t even begin to count the number of different products I have used. Some I love to use, and others…well, not so much. I am excited today to play with Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint for the first time. The look is very “me” and the though of pairing it in a project with Wood Icing‘s Textura Paste made me jump out of bed this morning in anticipation of the possibilities.


I wanted to use the Milk Paint on raw wood. But so many items in our home are painted. So I rooted around in our attic and discovered this dough bowl. The day I bought it, I put it on the kitchen table to attend to a ringing phone and – good grief – one of the kitties came flying down the hall, leaped onto the table and the bowl and kitty flew off the table. The bowl split almost in half. The kitty laughed behind my back. The bowl has been repaired, lived on the kitchen counter and many a tomato has gone juicy in it.




I knew from experience that the Wood Icing™ Textura Paste would stick like glue to the wood. This stuff is awesome! But, I was a bit concerned about the milk paint used over the stains.

Never fear, everything worked like magic!

Here is my project! Love it for my first attempt, don’t you?




I hope you are ready to give this a try. For me it was so quick and easy, I was a bit sad it was over.

SUPPLIES



Click the links for details on how to purchase TEXTURA PASTE & MISS MUSTARD SEED PRODUCTS.

• Wood Icing Textura Paste
• Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in Lucketts Green, Wax Puck, Hemp Oil
• Royal Design Studio French Numbers Stencil
• 220-grit sand paper, paint brush, containers, wiping cloths, paint stick

STEP ONE – The Wood Icing™ Textura Paste




Clean the bowl and wipe it.

Lay out a random pattern of the numbers in the bowl. Since the shape of the bowl is not conducive to the flat stencil material, you will have to use one hand to hold the stencil down flat and the other to apply the Textura Paste. I simply used a dab on my finger to apply it through the stencil. The texture will not be very thick, so you can let the numbers dry then place the stencil back on and add another layer. One layer was fine with me.

Let the Paste dry – it only takes a few minutes. Lightly sand and wipe off the residue.

STEP TWO – The Milk Paint



Use the wax puck on any areas you want to resist the paint. I ran it around the edges of the bowl.
Put one part milk paint in a container and add one part water. I wanted more of a stain, so I added another half part water. Mix really well with a paint stick.

Paint one coat on the back of the bowl, let dry, and decide how you like the look. Mine was a stained look. Since I wanted to experiment more, I added another coat. Then I moved on to the front once I had a feel for the product and painted two coats.

After it was dry I sanded lightly and wiped.

Wow, this looks wonderful. I like how the edges are worn after using the wax.

STEP THREE – Finishing



Now I want to seal it with a food-safe, water-resistant product since this bowl is where our fruits and veggies end up.

I  brushed on a coat of Hemp Oil and waited a few minutes to wipe off the excess. I will add another couple of coats over time, following the instructions.

What do you think? I am so happy with my choice of green and the little stencils to give a bit of interest. The Textura Paste and the paint are imperfect, and look like they are just made for the wooden bowl. Did you notice the tomato juice and other stains disappeared and even seemed to enhance the look? Pretty cool.





This bowl will not be going back up in the attic!

{Disclosure: This is a paid featured post in conjunction with Wood Icing™. All opinions, projects, and ideas are based on my own experience.}