Stenciled Glasses

I've used and purchased products from the Martha Stewart Crafts Paint Line by Plaid since the day it was introduced last summer. But that didn't stop me from feeling a little giddy when I received an enormous box of supplies from Plaid with a directive to create a Mother's Day gift. Admittedly, I was overwhelmed by the bounty but finally decided to share one of my favorite products with you (the rest of these goodies we'll get to in time).

The self-adhesive stencils are brilliant. In fact, I need Martha Stewart Crafts to design more of them - a whole lot more! They're incredibly easy to use, there's no paint bleed, they never seem to lose their stickiness (even after multiple washings), and there's nothing better for stenciling curved objects. I don't think I could love them more.

Now, on to the gift. My peach lemonade is usually requested for both Mother's Day and Father's Day, so I decided to use that as the basis for the gift and the color palette. While I usually lean toward neutral, muted tones I wanted to create something fresh and summery, and I was loving the Tiger Lily pearl paint, which was perfect. So, big shock - I opted for stenciling glassware (if you've been reading my blog for awhile you know I have a little problem/obsession with glassware).

I had an unused set of white glasses I bought at IKEA ages ago and I thought they'd show off the painted design nicely, playing up the color and the delicate details. The beauty of this paint is that it's dishwasher-safe (after 21 days of curing). But it's not food-safe as far as I know, so I kept my design on the outside of the glass and below the drinking area. As for the design itself, I kept it fairly organic, which means that each glass is slightly different but works together as a whole. I just started from the bottom of the glass and worked my way around. With a stencil like this, it's hard to get it wrong.

To pull the whole thing together, I added a round tray, striped paper straws, and disposable coasters that I topped with wrapping paper scraps. Easy, doable, and pretty.

A sampling of what I had to work with. It's hard to see it all because there's so much here, but to give you an overview - The Martha Stewart Crafts Paint Line contains over 160 colors in five different finishes, specialty mediums, pre-cut stencils, a multipurpose heat tool and stencil film for cutting your own stencils, various types of brushes and bottle applicator tops, even a tool that converts the bottled paint into spray paint. It's a dizzying array of products (and you can find them at Michaels and Jo-Ann fabric and craft stores).

Directions:

You'll need:

Drinking glasses (clear works fine as well)
Rubbing alcohol
Paper towels (both dry and wet)
Self-adhesive stencils (Fair Isle collection)
Martha Stewart Crafts paint in the color and finish of your choice (I used Tiger Lily in Pearl finish)
Foam pouncer tops
Brush and stencil cleaner
Small stencil brush (optional)

Prep: Clean the outside of the glass with rubbing alcohol to remove any fingerprints, oil, grease, dirt, etc. that would keep the paint from adhering properly.

Step 1: Attach the foam pouncer top to the bottle of paint and dab until the paint begins to flow. Align the self-adhesive stencil along the bottom edge of the glass in a straight line and carefully apply the paint in a pouncing motion. Remove the stencil from the glass, wipe the paint off with a damp paper towel, then repeat step 1 on each of the glasses.

Step 2: After you've painted the first set of designs on each glass, go back to the first glass (which should be dry by then) and place the stencil for the second set of designs - look for curves in the pattern where the second design will look natural and don't be afraid to place the self-adhesive stencil over the dried design. The idea is to make the designs look connected, but not in a strictly repetitive fashion.

Repeat this process on each glass, then go back to glass number one and place the stencil on the right side of the first set of designs and work your way through the glasses again. Repeat this process, left side, right side, on each of the glasses until the glass is covered. (You can also just work around the glass if you like. Personally, I prefer to work my designs from the middle out.)

Cleaning Your Stencils: Due to the delicate nature of this particular design, you may find that you need to clean the stencil periodically as you work. (You'll know when it's time as your design will become fainter.) What I like to do is adhere the stencil to a piece of plastic or acetate (I just use a piece of the outer packaging) and put it on a flat surface. Then I apply a little Brush and Stencil Cleaner, work it into a lather with a bit of water and use a small stencil brush to clean the paint out of the crevices. If I have paint on the sticky side, I clean that off as well. Rinse, then gently blot dry.

The finished product!

Resources:

All craft supplies from Martha Stewart Crafts for Plaid

Glasses and SMARTA serving tray from IKEA (The particular glass I have may no longer be available, but the DIOD glass is very similar. The LEENDE carafe would also work well with this stenciled pattern.)

Striped paper straws from Shop Sweet Lulu (Orange Sherbet and Yellow)

Chipboard coasters can be found on Etsy

An Alternative:

To round out this tutorial I tried the paint on clear glasses, just so you could see how it translates. I tried various colors, but personally, I liked the color against white and opted for metallic paint in Yellow Gold for the clear glass. But that's just my preference. You may be happier with a vivid color - and you can always wash off colors you don't like and try again.

Also, I created this design on a shorter glass and concentrated my design at the bottom, filling in the entire bottom area instead of leaving any gaps in the design. But I did keep the staggered edge at the top, some of the designs rising higher in places than others.

For the record, this glass is from CB2 (Marta double old-fashioned)