Archive for September, 2009

September 28th, 2009

Make Your Eyes Wonderful by Eyebrow Stencils

Freezer Paper Stenciled Onesies!

Eyebrow stencils is one of the fastest, yet easiest, means for novices to achieve perfect eyebrow shapes without complicated measurements and angles. We need to be a bit careful while applying the eyebrow stencils since the making mistakes is equally easy. It is also important to understand how to choose, use, and refine stencils to achieve the best effects. Eyebrow Stencils are used to create a perfect shape for your eyebrows. The eyebrow stencil works as an interesting template which gives shape to your eyebrows. Combing the hair through the template will shape the hair and brush it in the direction you want.

The stencil can be used by placing the stencil over the eyebrow hairs. After that use the brush end of the dual comb and use it on the hair back towards the end of the stencil.

Types of Eyebrow Stencils

Celebrity-Inspired Stencils – Celebrities use professional salon technicians to achieve the perfect look, and it is important to consider the celebritys hair color, face shape, and facial features to determine whether their eyebrow shape is suitable for you.

Plastic Stencils – The stencils should be thin enough to be used comfortably, and they should be thoroughly cleaned before and after use.

Pre-Waxed Stencils – These are both eyebrow shapes and wax in one; after firmly applying the stencil, it can be used as a waxing strip to automatically remove hair. This may seem efficient, but it does run the risk of removing too many or too few hairs.

Printable Online Stencils – Some beauty and makeup websites offer printable eyebrow stencils suitable for one-time use. One-use stencils are great for trying a new look before purchasing full stencil sets.

Stencil Sets: These stencils come in coordinating packages of 3-4 subtly different stencils.

Tips on Eyebrow Stencils

Choose the stencil that has as much of your natural brow hair inside the eyebrow cutout as possible

Eyebrows which look like the famous celebrity or model can be made using stencil. Perfectly arched eyebrow stencil can be used for this purpose.

There a wide range of varieities in eye brow stencils according to the needs of facial feature and eyebrow shaping which suit the customer. Each brand has minor differences in them which should be understood clearly before making a choice

Before printing the stencils care should be taken not to adjust the size or proportions of stencil which will distort the desired look.

Eyebrow stencils can be purchased in a number of places.

Fine salons that supply cosmetics frequently offer stencils as well, along with department stores and drug stores that have beauty counters.

Online stores have a wide selection of brow stencils, as do cosmetology supply stores.

September 14th, 2009

Kids crafts: Painted T

Heroin - stencil by C215

What better way to personalize your wardrobe than to custom design a t-shirt? Try to create something fashionable to wear by using stencils. It is a great method to use when painting images on t-shirts. Stencils offer a clean edge to the design being painted making them look almost store bought when finished. The quality of the work achieved is simply a matter of patience. Here is a guide of what to do when decorating t-shirts by painting through stencils.

A list of what you’ll need:

Brushes (in a few variety sizes)

Fabric paint in a variety of colors (don’t forget glow in the dark, metallic, pearlized)

Embellishments (gems, beads, etc.)

Fabric Glue (washable)

Stencils

T-shirt or tank top

Tape

Cardboard and a plastic garbage bag

First set up the work area. Make sure the area is clear and ready for the project. Tape down a garbage bag over the surface to be used to prevent any accidents. Tuck cardboard insert into the t-shirt so the paint will not bleed through to the other side. It helps to tape the t-shirt back so that the side being painting is tight and smooth.

Gather together stencil designs. You can find pre-made stencils in local craft shops or even dollar stores. Feeling crafty? Make very easy customized stencils out of craft foam sheets. Draw shapes of pictures, such as hearts or stars, directly on to foam sheets. Cut out shape and use the negative space of foam piece as a stencil.

Place stencil over area to be decorated. When the right position has been found, securely tape the stencil into place. Using a stiff bristled brush, paint over the stencil in a dabbing motion. This motion will keep the edges looking clean. Wait for the first coat to dry. Apply a second thin coat to thicken up color. Let the paint dry for a few minutes before picking up the stencil. The shape could smudge if you’re impatient. Make sure to let t-shirt dry and set to manufacturer’s specifications.

Now it’s time to accent the t-shirt design. This can be achieved by using ribbons, buttons, beads, appliques or acrylic gemstones. Adhere them to your t-shirt using fabric glue.

September 5th, 2009

How to stencil Easter eggs

Billi Kid Blondie Stencil

DECORATING EASTER EGGS is one of the nicest seasonal crafts.

The only tricky bit is working out how to hold you egg so that you get the decoration all the way round! If you look in craft shops, they often sell special gadgets for doing this- they hold the egg in a sort of rotisserie arrangement so you can turn it.

Egg decorating has a long history, the pinnacle being the Faberge eggs of the 20th century. In the 1980s there was a craze for decorating ostrich eggs to display in the home.

For the home crafter, there are many ways of decorating eggs, from plain painting to gluing on all sorts of additions.

To stencil an egg, I recommend first colouring it all over. You can do this most easily by adding food dye to the water when you are hard-boiling it. If you choose to blow your eggs first so that they will keep for longer, then putting them in a vat of dye is still the best option as it gives a good overall colour.

While this is drying you can design your egg. You will either need to buy some ready-made stencils or cut your own out of tracing paper with a craft knife. Remember that masking off an area with sticky tape will help keep your base colours clear until you are ready to stencil over them.

If you are feeling brave, use a whole-egg stencil. It will need to be gusseted to fit the shape of your egg, which is a bit tricky,but will pay dividends in the end. Secure with sticky tape, making sure not to mask any of the holes you want to paint through.

To me, stenciling has a folky feel, so I would choose either pastel colours or bright primary colours.

As stenciling an egg is fairly tricky, I suggest that you do only a basic stencil and fill in the gaps with tiny dots made with the finest point of a paintbrush. This emphasizes the folk art feel.

Happy crafting!