Paint monograms for Mother’s Day

With Testors craft paint and spray paint in coordinating colors making Mom an upcycled monogrammed tray, vase and plate set using 3 different painting and stenciling techniques is a great project to serve her the classic breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day with customized pieces made just for her.

The first technique is painting a plaid pattern on a woven tray.

It was so zen and relaxing to paint. It was like 3-D coloring with paint on bamboo.

I printed out a big block letter. You can choose your Mom’s first or last initial or any letter you like.

Then cut out the letter on the line. I used the outside of the template as my guide and traced the shape with a pencil on the tray.

Then the painting fun began!

I simply covered each segment of the woven bamboo alternating vertical and horizontal stripes using different colors.

The Testors paint came in nice packs of coordinating colors straight out of the jar and I mixed a few as well.

If you get paint on an area you don’t want it simply let it dry and paint over it with the right color.

The 2nd painting technique uses a pretty blue  Testors spray paint and a vinyl sticker letter.

These paints are available at Target stores as well as at the Testors web site.

I’m calling this technique a reverse leave-on stencil as you leave the sticker letter on the recycled jar but you are looking at it from the back.

NOTE: This only works with prepackaged letters that look the same from the front to the back. If you want to use this technique with other letters you can cut them out of another material in reverse and glue them on the jar.

After you have placed your leave-on letter onto the jar spray 1/2 the jar with the Testors Craft Spray paint over the letter.

I love this jar because it says “Don’t Forgetta” (Italian I think for “Don’t Forget”) along the top edge in the glass. I think it works great together with the back side now having color and the letter.

The 3rd technique I’m calling – Double reverse stenciling as this is also on the back side of the glass and you use 2 stencils overlapping them to create an outline.

To make the two sizes of hearts I die cut them using sticky backed paper through the Crafter’s Companion Gemini Motorized Die Cutting machine and two heart dies. I am using the outside area so I cut them with a lot of space around them.

I first placed the small heart stencil on the under side of the plate and sprayed it with the Testors coral spray paint that was the same coral as the Craft paint I used on the woven tray.

After it dried I peeled the sticky stencil paper off and placed the larger heart stencil around the smaller heart.

Then sprayed it with the turquoise Testors Craft spray paint. I can’t wait to treat my mom to her favorite breakfast on Mother’s Day.

I hope you like these different painting and stenciling techniques and maybe you use one to make your mom something personal for her for Mother’s Day!