As a lifelong bird lover, (inherited from my mother and her parents,) I love to incorporate birds in my artwork. For this set of stencils I paired them with global and tribal influences from my travels - both real and imaginary. 

You can check out my introductory video to learn more about the inspiration behind each stencil and see some of the samples I created with them (also shown in photos below.)

This collection is only available to members of StencilClub, but if you join before February 15th then you'll start your membership with this set (and also have the ability to purchase any previous set - more than 10 years' worth!) And while I think it's one of the greatest deals around with fantastic stencils from different designers every month, membership is always month to month - you can cancel for months you know you won't use and join again for the ones you want, or just stick around indefinitely! There's also a fantastic private Facebook group with lots of ideas, swaps and collaborative projects, and fun tips and support.

As a member of StencilClub you'll get all three stencils plus an accompanying project with a video lesson, a downloadable PDF and printable, and 20% off regular stencils from StencilGirl. All of that for just $25 a month!

For this month's collection, my video shows you an easy way to make painted collages using stencils. Here you can see the samples for the project and accompanying lesson:

I've also been having a blast working on other projects with my new stencil designs. First and most simple of the bunch, I made a background that shows how the 4" x 4" stencil can be rotated and repeated for a cool patterned design.

Next I used bits and pieces of each of the three stencils to make size 3" x 3" mini collages. I really like how you can get so many looks by using only a part of the stencils.

Lastly, and probably my favorite so far, I used the small songbird design from the top of the 9" x 12" stencil as an embroidery pattern. I embroidered it and added some seed beads, then stitched it into a nature-themed artist book that I'm working on.

I'm looking forward to continuing to use these in my work as well as seeing and learning from what club members do with these.

​If you're not already a member of StencilClub but want to get your hands on this set (along with the video class, PDF, and printable that come with it,) head on over to StencilGirl - make sure to sign up before February 15th to start your membership with this set. (And if you can't join now but want to later, once you're a member you always have the ability to purchase past sets.)

I'm delighted to announce my third live online class, POCKETbook. I'm offering this class in partnership with my local store, Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria, VA.

In the POCKETbook workshop we'll be making a 5" x 7" handmade book with embellished paper and / or fabric pockets as the pages. The class includes tutorials, patterns, exclusive downloads, and, of course, the live online class. It's all hosted in a private Facebook group, and registration is open now.

Signups have begun and we'll start adding students into the private Facebook group on April 16th. The live class is on Saturday, May 9th, from 1-3:30pm eastern time. I hope to see some of you there!

Hi all! It's been a while, but I was finally able to finish up a tutorial I've had in the works for about the last two months. I've used kraft-tex from C&T Publishing as the basis for a fun new mini accordion art journal. There's plenty of collage, some stamping and heat embossing, and even some stitching.

Here you can see a peek at the finished outside of the journal, but be sure to head over to view the full tutorial for details and step-by-step instructions and photos.

Hi all, I just wanted to pop in and let you know that I have a new post up today on StencilGirl Talk - it's my quarterly column on Paint and Texture with your stencils. This month I'm sharing a tutorial for this collaged and highly textured "Art Card."

Make sure to head over to the StencilGirl blog to see the whole post with a step-by-step tutorial. As always, an index of all of my mixed media tutorials is also available here on my website as a reference.