Cutting Edge Stencils Provides Simple Steps to Create A Custom USA Map
Happy Friday, my DIY artists! Are you excited for the long weekend? We here at Cutting Edge Stencils certainly are! The unofficial kick-off to summer is just days away and we’ve been busy bees sharing outdoor stencil projects, like this gorgeous stenciled patio. Today, we are not falling short on providing you beautiful stenciled eye-candy that is sure to delight and inspire! Let’s take a look.
First, we want to welcome back Kelli, one of the most awesome DIY crafters and blogger behind Lolly Jane. Kelli and her sister, Kristi, confess to loving the USA, stencils, and hand painted signs. So it doesn’t surprise us that they were able to marry all three to create something truly unique. Kelli says that they fell in love with our Charlotte Allover design as soon as they saw it, and ordered it without knowing quite where they were going to paint it. It’s a lace-like design that can instantly glam up any space. Kelli decided to use the stencil in a nontraditional way and to create a piece of wall art. She used her own United States silhouette and combined it with our stencil to make this custom USA map. And with a snap of her DIY fingers (well almost), she had a gorgeous and trendy piece of art to hang in her home.
Do you love it as much as we do? We thought so! Here’s what you need to do to recreate her work of art…
Material Checklist
- wood (For this project the wood was 24″ x 12″ mdf)
- 4″ Dense Foam Roller ( <— we like this one)
- Stencil brush (like this)
- Charlotte Allover Stencil
- acrylic paint (Lolly Jane prefers DecoArt: colors used: White Birch + Soft Jade)
- USA silhouette
- plate or paint tray
- paper towel
Here’s the 411 on how-to create your own wood work of art…
1. Gather Materials: For this project, a piece of mdf wood that was about 24″ x 12″ was used. Paint it white using the dense foam roller and DecoArt’s acrylic craft paint in White Birch
2. Start Stenciling: Position the stencil design (Charlotte Allover Stencil) on the canvas. Create a USA silhouette using this pattern from Lolly Jane. Then position the USA silhouette over the stencil design. We recommend using painter’s tape to secure the stencil and silhouette in place. Pour your craft paint onto a plate or paint tray. Then using your dense foam roller dip it into the paint. Roll off the excess paint onto your folded paper towel until the roller looks almost dry. The key to stenciling is using as little paint as possible. Too much paint will cause the design to bleed and smudge. Gently roll the paint over the design with very little pressure.
3. Complete the Pattern: If the stencil pattern you choose does not fill the silhouette completely, reposition the stencil under the silhouette and finish painting. Allow the paint to dry for about two hours.
And there you have it folks. Now all you have to do is step back and admire your gorgeous pieces of art!
Tell us, what do you think of this custom stenciled USA map? Leave us a comment below!
Can’t get enough?
- Shop our stencils and find the perfect one for your art project!
- We love seeing our fan’s projects so if you’ve completed one, come share it on Facebook!
Thanks for reading, and happy stenciling!
Michelle and the Cutting Edge Stencils Crew