A Christmas Arts and Crafts Project

Our first project with a Christmas Arts and Crafts Theme is a festive candle holder.

While following along keep in mind that the same process can be used with any other stencils for a year round look. A Fleur de lis (or a variety of them) would work beautifully.

The stencils we are using come from our Free Christmas Stencils Page so after you finish the instructions, head over there to get your free printable Christmas stencils.

You can read through the instructions but don’t miss the video below. It’s great to see it in action!

I found this tall, straight glass vase at a local thrift store (one of my favorite craft supply outlets). I started by cutting out nine patterns of the ornament stencil from contact paper. To make this go a little faster and limit the work I cut out three squares large enough for the stencil pattern, stacked them on a cutting board (back side up - glossy side down) and taped all sides with masking tape. Then I traced the Christmas Ornament stencil onto the back of the contact paper and with a craft knife cut along the lines (that way I am cutting three at a time). I removed the backing of the contact paper ornament cut-outs and smoothed them out on the glass vase. Then I spray painted the entire outside surface of the vase with gold. After the paint thoroughly dried I removed the ornament contact paper patterns.

When you use a stencil pattern in the negative like this it’s called a mask. Experimenting with this alternative opens a lot of windows for creating. To learn more go to Stencil Mask for an informative video.

Next I used the Candy Cane from our Free Stencils to Print Collection and while firmly holding onto the surface of the vase I used acrylic paints to dab on a little red. I didn’t want to use a sticky back stencil because I was worried about it picking up the gold paint from the surface. Don’t worry about overlapping the candy canes with the ornaments. This will create a nice effect.

Well, I always find that seeing the procedure is very helpful. I created a video for the Christmas Arts and Crafts Candle Holder so that you can follow along with the action. Enjoy!

One more idea that I wanted to share with you for this project from a very creative friend of mine. If you have some concerns about having lite candles around the house (maybe you have small children), just fill the vase up with a short string of white Christmas Lights (like in this photo). It sure does show off those ornament designs, doesn’t it?

I hoped you enjoyed this project and the video. Now you’re off to the start of a new hobby.

Don't go just yet because below you'll find links to more great projects and some awesome stencil designs that you can print from you computer now and get that project started today! So, keep scrolling down for more ideas!

Want more Christmas Craft Projects? Try these -

Decorate Christmas Gift Bags

Christmas Art Prints

Paper Snowflakes

Painted Cloth Christmas Napkins

3-D Snowflake Centerpieces

Snowflake Gift Ideas

Snowflake Napkins and Other Fabric Snowflake Crafts with Stencils

We are thrilled to introduce our selection of downloadable and Printable Stencils. Instant gratification at its finest! You don't need a special printer - these designs are specially formatted to print straight from your home computer on standard letter sized paper. Once downloaded, you will have your complete stencil booklet with patterns and instructions. Just click, buy and print!

Below is a sample of the books we offer. They were selected because they will work well in your Christmas Arts and Crafts Projects. Each book will come to you as a downloadable pdf file in your e-mail. Just check your e-mail after purchase for the link to connect to your file and print or save. It's that easy!

All designs can be adjusted to fit your project size. Instructions are included. Pages are 8.5” x 11”.

If you'd rather get your Stencil Books in Print, just click the blue button below each book.

Christmas: A Book of Stencils

This collection includes 9 designs. They are Santa Claus, a Reindeer, a Christmas Tree (with options for decorations), a Candle with Holly Accents, Bells with a Bow, a Gingerbread Boy and Girl, and a String of Lights (all of the essential images for your Christmas Arts and Crafts).

This purchase is of a PDF file which has 42 pages.

Price: $9.95

To get this Book in Print for just $19.95 click here:

Fleur de lis: Book of Stencils

This collection includes 22 designs. Ten are easy single overlay. Six have 2 overlays and six have 3 overlays.

This purchase is of a PDF file which has 63 pages.

Price: $9.95

To get this Book in Print for just $19.95 click here:

Angels: A Book of Stencils

These will be wonderful additions to your Christmas Arts and Crafts.

This collection includes 4 designs- Angel in Thought, Young Angel, Angel with Trumpet and Guardian Angel. Angels are a classic addition to your Christmas Arts and Crafts.

This purchase is of a PDF file with 32 pages.

Price: $9.95

To get this Book in Print for just $19.95 click here:

Classic Christmas Cards

Here’s a neat little book that I created for Christmas Card Making. The designs can be used as stencils or masks. You can use them to apply paint or cut out colored paper and paste. Stencils included are the Christmas tree and star, the reindeer, the ornament and bow and of course the carolers. Also, included is a pattern so that you can make matching envelopes. These stencils are great for all of your Christmas Art Projects.

And it's only $4.50.

To get this Book in Print for just $14.95 click here:

And hey! Don’t forget that I (and everyone else) want to see what you have done with your Christmas arts and crafts projects with stencils (or any of your stenciling art for that matter). Just click on Stenciling Projects to get your masterpiece showcased here on this web site. Won’t that be exciting! Or if you have any questions or want to share information join in on the Stencil Blog. Well, I hope to hear from you soon.

Happy Stenciling,

Penny

P.S. If you're looking for Stencil Pattern Books in Print (like these) then visit our Printer's Book Shop for a large variety of stencil collections. These books are easy to follow and come with complete instructions. You'll find all of the stencil designs used as samples throughout this site.

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