I have some VERY exciting news to share with you today!
Near the end of this week, I will be flying my way to Toronto and Niagara Falls once again (see my last trip HERE) to be a part of a Fusion Mineral Paint conference, leading a few classes!
This is actually a surreal trip for me. For the past 4 years the stencils have been in existence, Fusion merchants have always been merchants to the stencils. In fact, Fusion helped me launch the first set!
I’ve yet to meet 99.9% of these wonderfully creative folks. So this is my chance to hobnob with the best of them in person instead of just online. It feels like I’m about to walk into a rock star concert with a free backstage pass.
As if that weren’t enough, I am also FINALLY meeting my longtime stencil blogging buddy from WAY back, Joanne and Frank from Muddaritaville Studio, who fabricate my stencils and send the orders. Joanne landed me a fab cottage right on the lake 2 doors down from her, so I’m super stoked to hug her at long last, hang out in their quaint town and finally get to see the stencils manufactured!
I’ll also be spending some time in Niagara Falls in a hotel looking down into the falls no less! (gah! scary) And a cottage getaway in Niagara On The Lake, a quaint sweet town that is so perfect it looks like a movie set.
Ok, and then hang out with the president of a paint company no less. It feels a little like an anniversary of sorts. 4 years ago nearly to this exact date, I met Jennylyn whom had just started a paint line, and after swapping stories, she and Joanne helped to launch my first set of stencils. And here we are still rollin’ along together. You can check out my fabulous day in Toronto HERE with her as tour guide!
Anyway, true to my nature, the 4 day conference trip quickly morphed into 2 weeks… however did that happen?! 🙂 But you know me! I gotta see where I am and the good folks that make it even better! And yup, I’ll be sharing the trip with you all, so don’t you worry.
So as part of the conference prep, I will be hosting a market table and desired it to be more demo-oriented. So I came up with this quick and easy make-and-take project that felt worthy enough to share here.
These custom stenciled burlap ribbon bookmarks take seconds to make, are useful and fun to customize with various stencil parts! It’s a fun challenge breaking up one stencil into more segments to get more mileage out of it.
I think these easy bookmarks would make fabulous hostess gifts ( perhaps with a cute journal or good read?) or wonderful handouts at workshops or parties, or better yet, get your guests to make them! They take seconds and each one turns out perfectly.
Other similar ideas:
Stencil an entire ribbon to hang on a Christmas tree!
Stencil just enough to wrap a present.
Embellish a present gift tag.
I don’t even think this project requires a tutorial, however here’s what I did anyway, in case you pick up some valuable tips…
What you’ll need
(this post contains some Amazon affiliate links)
Stencils of choice (find mine HERE)
Paint of choice (I used Fusion’s Coal Black and Fort York Red)
(find a local Fusion merchant HERE)
ribbon of choice (I used a waterproof burlap ribbon)
How-to
1. Select the ribbon of your choice.
I selected a burlap ribbon I had on hand that I’ve had in my craft stash for years. It is a non-wired variety, however the ribbon has a stiffness to it due to the waterproof coating and doesn’t appear to fray when cut. Perfect!
I could also see a wider one working wonderfully too!
2. Position the stencil pattern or or design along the ribbon as desired.
Use masking tape to hold the stencil in place if desired. I just held mine.
Get the Buffalo Check stencil from HERE
3. Load your stencil brush with paint, then off-load most of it on a rag to create a dry-to-the-touch brush.
While holding the stencil with one hand, tap or swirl the brush onto the stencil.
Tip: When working with Buffalo Check, I like to stencil in the big squares first, then swipe in the direction of the small lines.
You can learn more tips on how to stencil HERE
Boom! Perfect!
4. Trim each end with scissors and call it done.
Adding a secondary ribbon is pretty too. They could be stitched in the centre to hold them together or perhaps held together with some flat charm or stud.
What would you add to it?
Stencils shown: (top to bottom)
Buffalo Check in book, Pumpkin Spice – Teas, Bingo – small, Pumpkin Spice – Lattes, Grain Sack Stripe G5, Houndstooth – small
Find all the stencils HERE
How cute is a Grain Sack Stripe design?! With 6 different grain sack stencil options, you can also make big and bold ones too!
And of course, Buffalo Check never looks wrong on ANYTHING!
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Above is a little video I made through Insta Stories…
Music: Creative Minds by www.bensound.com
Gotta love a simple project that turns out so good and performs a function so well! Now to find a cute journal to tuck one into…
Which one is your fav?
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Stay tuned for more fun Niagara Trip 2018 preparing AND travel posts soon! EEK!
You can also follow my travels in Insta Stories HERE
Cute, cute, cute and a great gift idea! Have fun at Niagra I’ve never been but Canada is on my bucket list. Have a great time! Say Hi to my favorite paint person too!
You can never go wrong with a buffalo check or the striped grain sack stencil. Buffalo check is my favorite. Absolute favorite. I am going to talk to my husband about ordering it. And oh my gosh, the sky is the limit. I want to do a project on a wall. A border of buffalo check? Maybe a small statement wall? And the bookmarks are original. They would be a special touch, the icing on the cake, so to speak, to a journal, or much loved book. Thanks Donna for this. What a great way to start the day. Have a great one!
Hey Donna,
Enjoy NOTL! You can rent bikes (some B & B’s have them for free) and there is a path that you can ride along the Niagara River for a long, long way!
My husband and I try to go there for a getaway at least once a year. It’s one of my favourite places to go and it’s not far from Fort Erie – which is my hometown. ?
Hi Donna,
Enjoy your trip. We were in Toronto last year and Kingston, what a beautiful area.