grannynet being creative

Getting creative and having fun with stencilling

By Verity Gill & Lorna Edwards

It's always fun to have something planned to do for when your grandchild comes to stay with you or vice versa. So we thought we would start our 'Being creative' series with an activity that would not only encourage your grandchild's artistic side, but would also be really good fun to do together . stencilling fitted that bill exactly!

To make it easier for our users to obtain and understand the equipment needed, we got together with Henny Donovan Motif, the most beautiful stencil experts, to show you how to make the most of your stencilling experience. We even did it ourselves to get in on the fun!!

We suggest that you should take a look at the Henny Donovan Motif website for really good tips, advice and for all the products you need, but in the meantime we thought we would give you a quick synopsis of our stencilling experience and some useful tips so that you can achieve the best possible results.

What you will need:

  1. Stencils - there are a beautiful and diverse range available, when deciding on a design think first about whether the effect you want is delicate or quite bold.
  2. Paints - think about whether you want something fun like metallic or glitter paints, or something more classic. Make sure you involve your grandchild in choosing these colours - they will really feel part of the process.
  3. Masking tape - to attach the stencil to your chosen surface.
  4. Spray adhesive - believe us this is worth the investment as the pattern can really bleed without it.
  5. Brushes and sponges - it is really fun to experiment with both, so we would recommend buying a range.
  6. Instructions - Henny Donovan Motif send really comprehensive instructions with your stencils and equipment. We followed most of the recommendations and when we didn't, we found things didn't go quite to plan! Henny really does know best!
  1. DON'T just think about stencilling walls, get creative and think about any fabric or furniture you could brighten up together!
  2. DO involve your grandchild in the decisions as to which stencils, paints and equipment to purchase.
  3. DO really think about what kind of designs you would like - and buy the equipment to go with that design. We found that smaller brushes work well with delicate designs.
  4. DO practice before you start on the final location. Stencilling adheres better to absorbent matt surfaces.
  5. DO use lightweight rubber gloves when washing the stencils if you are worried about your hands or nails
  6. DON'T forget the spray adhesive - it really helps!
  7. DON'T be afraid to experiment. We found that cutting up the sponges worked well for us with the otherwise fiddly bits!
  8. DO be patient, especially between colours and layers. We found that it was all so much fun that we wanted to rush, but the best results really do come to those who wait.