DIY: Springtime Hoop Art

This post is sponsored by Plaid Crafts. All opinions are my own.

You guys know I'll put paint on anything that will stand still long enough. The cabinets, the deck, actual canvas intended for paint, my fingernails... So a few weeks ago when the nice people at Plaid Crafts asked me if I wanted to test drive the new Ed Roth Stencil1 line with some FolkArt paint, I was like, "Um, YES." And since we're almost done with the most aggressive winter in years, I thought some springtime-y artwork would be the perfect project.

Here's what you need:

>> fabric
>> embroidery hoop
>> foam brush
>> small paintbrush
>> tape
>> scissors
>> a flat surface
>> FolkArt multi-surface paint, available at JoAnn
>> Ed Roth stencil, available at JoAnn

First I laid my fabric (a fat quarter from the quilting department) out on a flat surface. I used an old poster board that's seen a lot of paint action over the years, but some newspaper on top of a table would work just as well. Then I put the stencil on top of the fabric and taped it down. This is key because to get crisp edges, the stencil can't scoot around while you work.

I put my paint on the flat side of the brush and gently dabbed it on. If you've never stenciled before, less is more when it comes to the paint. It's better to do two thinner coats than to glob it on all at once.

Dab, dab, dab.

While my fabric was drying, I painted the edge of the embroidery hoop. It was easier to put the paint on the angled end of the brush for this part. And yep, it worked just as well on the wood as it did on the fabric.

I waited about half an hour to make sure everything dried and then introduced the fabric to its new friend. This part was very unscientific; I just pulled the fabric around to get it positioned before I tightened the ring. When things were set, I trimmed off the extra on the back.

The last thing I did was take a teensy paintbrush and add some dots to the middle of the flowers. Who else loves yellow and teal together?

And that's it! Now I have some happy new artwork and it took me less than an hour, including cleanup. (The paint came off the stencil with soap and water, which is great.) I plan to keep the hoop for myself, but something like this would also make a cute gift. Maybe for an older girl's Easter basket? Ooh! You could just gift the materials and have yourselves a DIY day putting them together. This is definitely the kind of thing you could make with a group.

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Have you busted out any stencils lately? Or used spring-y colors? I don't make a lot with embroidery hoops, but this was so easy I might do it again.