Stenciling is quite fun and you can create so many fun backgrounds with them. My personal favorites are listed below. This list may be updated often as new stencils come out. But as of today, these are my favorites.
If the product(s) are available online (usually where I purchased it), I will be list and link for you. I do link to products in my store and I use affiliate links when possible (at no cost to you), but none of the products I’m listed were provided or sponsored by anyone. (I stock my store with my favorite products!) These are simply my personal favorite products that I use when crafting. Full Disclosure Here.
Not all stencils are made the same. One thing that drives me nuts are the thin, flimsy stencils that just don’t hold up to inking more than a few times. The ones I use and recommend are thicker and high quality stencils that will hold up over time.
There are basically 3 or 4 companies whose stencils I prefer. My most favorite kinds of stencils are the scene building ones and layered stencils. I find the layered stencils to be so much fun and feel like they allow you to be more creative in creating backgrounds or elements on your projects. In this post you will see my top used stencils and personal favorites. (Not all are layered).
Cloud Stencils
My number one used stencil are the cloud stencils from My Favorite Things. I love to create cloudy backgrounds especially when making a scenery card and these stencils have made it SO EASY to create fun, realistic looking cloudy backgrounds. There are currently four that I have and use depending on the size of the size and design of my card.
Cloud Stencil from My Favorite Things
The first cloud stencil I ever bought and my most used one is the “Cloud Stencil from My Favorite Things”. This one has the most commonly used size clouds for me and I believe it was one of if not the first one that came out. It was the one I became aware of anyway. You simply hold the stencil on your paper and with a ink blending tool/brush, blend your ink over the edges as soft or as dark as you’d like. You can twist and turn the stencil as many times as you want until you get the look you like. It is incredible and I absolutely love this stencil.
There are three other cloud stencils that have come out from My Favorite Things and they are as follows:
This is pretty much the same as the first cloud stencil only the clouds are smaller.
Again, this is the same concept as the first two, only the clouds are micro sized.
This newest Rolling Clouds Stencil makes perhaps the most dramatic clouds and has quickly become a favorite of mine. The options for creating a cloudy background are pretty much endless with this stencil. This is a must have in my book.
Hills & Grassy Edged Stencils
When creating a scenery card, the next two most used stencils in my collection are ones that create grassy edges and hills. I have a few from different companies but here are my faves.
Hills & Grass Stencil by Newton’s Nook Designs
This is my all time favorite, because it has the grass and hills all in one stencil. Sometimes I want a shorter grassy edge though and that’s when I turn to my next favorite features below.
Grassy Edges Stencil by My Favorite Things
One of the features other than the shorter grass edges on this stencil, is the fact that you can create grassy hills with this stencil. It makes scene building fun and easy.
Waves & Splashes Stencil by Newton’s Nook
This is my favorite Wave/Water stencil and it’s called Waves & Splashes from Newton’s Nook. I love the waves and the splashes are so much fun!
Ocean Wave Stencils by Lawn Fawn
When I want a more realistic water/wave look, I turn to the Ocean Wave Stencils by Lawn Fawn. It is my second favorite.
Layered Stencils
There are so many cool layered stencils now for almost any theme you can think of. My two favorite companies that make layered stencils are Honey Bee and Newton’s Nook. They have a great selection of layered stencils. If you aren’t sure what a layered stencil is, it is where you have a set of 2 or more stencils that layer over one another so that for instance let’s say you have a pineapple stencil. One layer will allow you to ink in the main part of the pineapple and then you layer the other stencil over your project and it allows you to ink the top part of the pineapple in a completely different color. Here is an example of one by Newton’s Nook.
I love almost all the layered stencils these companies make (plus some others as well) too many to list but if you are searching for a themed layered stencil, just search for that theme such as “Birthday Layered Stencil” and you will find some great options like this one from Honey Bee.
Be sure that the stencils are thick and good quality. The ones made in the US are the best. Oh before I forget, here is my most favorite layered stencil of all time!
Bokeh Layered Stencil by Newton’s Nook
The bokeh look is one of my all time favorites. Newton’s Nook also offers the Bokeh Hearts Stencil as well.
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Anna Lundberg says
Hi! My name is Anna. I ´m from Sweden. I have just start use copic markers, but I miss, videos for biginnings, what colour I need to started with, When the pencil are verey expensive.
// With love Anna
Kat says
I recommend Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend Markers