I took the Plunge ...

... I've used two cut-up stencils in mixed-media collages!

Cutting up stencils may not sound like a walk on the wild side to some artists, but I come from Germanic stock who are currently spinning in their graves over my having "destroyed" a pair of perfectly good tools.

Oh yes, at first whack of the blades, I felt as if I were cutting into my own flesh ... but I got over that.  "The diligent make use of everything they find," reads Proverbs 12:27.  And what I "found" was delightful color and patterns on two of my StencilGirlProducts stencils --

http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/l046.htm  (Rafters, designed by Mary Beth Shaw)


http://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/product-p/l137.htm (Calligraphy, designed by Daniella Woolf)

-- as result of my having used them several times for my stencil-and-stain technique (described in my Sept. 5 blog post.)  These altered stencil-bits enhance the artworks in such a way that I just know it was meant to be, all along.  I haven't yet used the gel medium to seal down the stencil-bits, so I can't post the photos yet.  (The collages don't look quite as good while still wearing those temporary pieces of masking tape!) 

This means adding to my "order-next" list, at StencilGirlProducts, since I can't live without replacement stencils.  Besides, I just noticed a whole lot of new exciting stencils on the newly redesigned StencilGirlProducts website.  It's just about time to place that next order!