I'm excited to share that I'm this month's StencilGirl StencilClub designer! Those of you who aren't already members might be wondering... what exactly does that mean?

StencilClub is a monthly club run by StencilGirl where you get an exclusive collection of three stencils shipped to you for every month that you're a member. (And there's no commitment, but trust me... it's worth it to stick around.) In addition to the stencils you also get a video tutorial and downloadable PDF from the designer for a project using that month's stencils. At $25, it's one of the best deals around.

My stencil collection for July is called Suzani and was inspired by textiles... Suzanis, that are traditional in Central Asia - particularly in Uzbekistan. Check out this reveal video to see the stencils, hear more about my inspiration for these designs, and get a peek at my samples as well as the project that we'll be making in this month's video tutorial.

Ready to see those samples up close? Here are the art journal pages and backgrounds that I made using each of the three designs.

And here are a few peeks at the project I'll be sharing in the accompanying video tutorial where I'll show you how to make this stenciled handmade art journal.

For those of you who are already StencilClub members, I hope you're looking forward to getting these in your mailbox sometime after July 15th! And if you aren't a member but want to make sure you get this month's collection, head on over to StencilGirl for the details and to join the club.

It's time to tap into your inner child... mixed media style. My latest workshop, "Mixed Media Menagerie," brings whimsical creatures, layers and texture, mark making, and more together into a fun and interactive handmade art journal.

The class is being held in partnership with Everything Scrapbook & Stamps in West Palm Beach, Florida and the live portion of the workshop will be held on June 27th from 1-3:30pm eastern time. In addition to the scheduled live, there will be one more video in the group for a total of more than 4 hours of video. Plus tutorials, patterns, a fun marbled paper technique, and more. 

I hinted yesterday in my post announcing my latest rubber stamp release with PaperArtsy, and now for the big reveal... I'm teaching an all new live online class, in partnership with Papercraft Clubhouse in Westbrook, CT,  featuring my new EGL09 stamp set (or the faces, motifs, or images of your choice.)

Pocketful of People will combine stamps and stencils, painted papers, pens and markers, and heat embossing to make fantastical art dolls that live together in a pocket in your art journal or another substrate of your choice. (Or just make the art dolls and skip the pocket!)

In our private Pocketful of People Facebook classroom, I'll share ideas for alternative options for faces - other stamps and images, as well as ideas for turning the pieces into something else if you prefer not to make art dolls. They can also be totems or even a uniquely whimsical Pocketful of Posies.

The main class is taught during a 2-1/2 hour Facebook Live in a private group, but it also includes exclusive downloads, an additional live video and demo from me where I'll discuss shape and form in choosing your images as well as ideas for coloring and preparing art parts for the class. (There's some homework, so make sure you join early to get ready!)

In case you missed it, I wanted to share that I recently did a free mini-workshop / demo in my Facebook group where I used my stencil designs from StencilGirl to demonstrate two ways I paint with stencils using both paint markers and acrylic paints. I also shared several other tips and techniques for adding your own personal flair when using stencils in your work. Although the live workshop is now over, you can still catch it on demand in the group.

(If you're not already a member of my Facebook group, you can request to join - please just make sure to tell me why you want to join the group when you submit the request.)

​Here are the finished pieces from my demo:

So if you're not yet a member of my Facebook group but would like to be, please come on over and join us! The video is still available in the group and I'm already planning more.

Also, for anyone who might be interested, the samples and finished demo artwork from this workshop are available in my shop.

Just popping in to let you know that my quarterly column on the StencilGirl blog is up! Today I'm sharing part of the process for making this mixed media piece, which includes stencils, stamps, heat embossing, and water-soluble cold wax mixed with acrylic paint and water-soluble wax paints. Head on over to see more photos and get details on how it all came together.

The original artwork from this post is available for sale in my shop.

I'm excited to share that my new live online workshop, "Mix & Morph," is now open for registration. I've partnered with Papercraft Clubhouse - a fantastic shop in Westbrook, Connecticut, for this live class which will be held in a private Facebook group on Saturday, April 18, 2020 from 1-3:30pm eastern time. And, it's open to anyone, regardless of location, as long as you have a Facebook account.

I have a new tutorial available today over on the StencilGirl blog! I'm sharing one of the ways I like to art journal on top of layers of paint and images left over from cleaning off my stamps and paint brushes on the blank pages of my journal.

If you'd like to see more on how this page came together, make sure to head over to StencilGirl Talk to see my step-by-step photo tutorial.

And you know what that means... time to save some money!

There are two Cyber Monday sales happening that I wanted to share... first is the big sale over at StencilGirl where you can get all of my stencils on sale for 25% off starting now and going through 11:59p.m. CST, December 3, 2019.

To get the discount, you need to use this coupon code when you check out: cheers25

And... not only do you get 25% off, but if you buy 6 of the same size stencils, StencilGirl’s everyday 10% discount is automatically applied to those stencils.
 
But wait, there's more! You can also earn freebies when you spend over a certain amount!*

• $100+ a free exclusive large stencil made only for this sale
  
• $300+ a free StencilGirl Studio class
  
• $500+ an original piece of art made by StencilGirl Founder, Mary Beth Shaw
  

*Please note: Freebies are calculated after the discounts are applied.

Now for Cyber Monday sale number two... the one in my shop! If you missed the announcement in my newsletter last week, never fear - you can still save 20% off your entire purchase (including lots of already marked down sale items) through midnight eastern time tomorrow night (December 2nd.)

Make sure to use the coupon BlackCyber19 at checkout to get the discount. Don't forget, this applies to my new rubber stamps from PaperArtsy, all of my Boho Blends embossing powders and Boho Bits embellishments from Emerald Creek, and all of my stencils as well as lots of other goodies (original artwork and jewelry are excluded.)

Happy Cyber Monday shopping - I hope you enjoy the deals!

I have a new tutorial up today on the StencilGirl blog - in this post I'm sharing one of my favorite ways to use Posca paint pens with stencils to create layered art journal pages with bright, colorful "painted" focal images.

I'm excited to share that by popular demand, the 9" x 12" Chinese Garden - Buddha stencil from my June 2019 release with StencilGirl is now available in small and mini sizes!

The new 4" x 4" mini stencil is the perfect size for tags, cards, and mini art journal pages like the one here from a recent 2-1/2" square mini art journal.

The small version worked perfectly on this 6" x 6" accordion art journal page:

I deliberately designed these so that you could either color them in completely, leave it as a simple line drawing, or stencil over top of a more complex background and use color and shading to leave some or all of it showing through the face.

Here you can see more examples of how I used most or part of the face on a heavily patterned background and faded out the color so the background would come through... some leave very little showing, some allow a lot to remain visible. I love the variety of the looks you can get using the same stencils, products, and techniques in slightly different ways.

Both of these new baby Buddha stencils are available in my shop, along with the original 9" x 12" large version.