You've probably noticed that I always release my stencil sets about two months before the holidays or seasons when they're most likely to be used. That's so everyone gets plenty of time to play with them before they need to be pressed into serious action! So, for instance, in November, I released New Year's sets, and, in December, I released designs for Valentine's Day. When I first started designing this month's release, I was still very much on this same timetable - I let what I'm typically doing or thinking about in March guide the designs. Around that time of year here in St. Louis, we're heading into our early spring tornado season (yikes!), so it's often still cold, dreary, and QUITE windy. It's rare that I don't find myself longing to be whisked away on one of those big gusts of wind to a place that's more warm and inviting. And so was born this month's "up, up, and away" theme with its cheery hot air balloon motifs!
But . . . as I embarked on making the cookies to display this release, I noticed how perfectly some of the messages fit the heart cookies I had leftover from December's Valentine's release. And by perfectly fitting, I don't mean literally; I mean figuratively. After all, what new romance, or even longstanding love, doesn't transport you to some distant, better place, or leave you floating "on cloud nine"?!
Anyway, this is my long way of saying that I think you'll get a lot of mileage out of this month's stencils. They can make wonderful Valentine's gifts in February, and then be used to lift friends and family out of post-winter/pre-spring doldrums come March! They even work for other celebratory occasions, like promotions, graduations, and anniversaries!
Ready now to "fly away with me" as I share this month's stencils? If so, up, up, and away!
- Up, Up, and Away Dynamic DuosTM Background Set (upper left),
- Up, Up, and Away Dynamic DuosTM Message and Frame Set (combined with the DuosTM background set; upper right),
- My partner Confection Couture's Vintage Biplanes Accent Stencil (lower right), and
- Seas the Day Dynamic DuosTM Set (a previous release that is sure to stir similar wanderlust).
Now . . . if you're in my Stencil of the Month Club, this month you'll get both my Up, Up, and Away Dynamic DuosTM Background Set and Confection Couture's Vintage Biplanes Accent Stencil. This specially curated bundle is worth $22.99, but Club members get it for only $14.99! Plus, as long as you stay a member, you also get 15% off anything else on the Confection Couture site! If you prefer a picture, here's what this month's Club offering looks like at a glance:
Let's move on now to talk about how the background set can be used on its own, without the complementary message and frame set. But first, a closer look at the elements in that set . . .
Up, Up, and Away Dynamic DuosTM Background Set (7 pieces)
This set is super luxe this month, as it usually contains five or six pieces, but it's got seven, including four fun foreground elements! I've show just a couple of its many design possibilities below.
You can stencil everything directly on the cookie for a flat, sleek look, as I did on the heart in the foreground, or . . . you can go more dimensional by stenciling the elements on rolled fondant or modeling chocolate and then cutting them out, as on the top cookie. The latter approach makes it a touch easier to overlap elements, though overlapping can also be done through direct stenciling on the cookie. I was going for a vintage-travel sort of look, so I opted for muted "antique" colors, including Chefmaster Harvest Brown (my all-time favorite brown) and AmeriMist Wedgewood and Dusty Rose. The yellow was applied later by dusting on compressed Petal Crafts dust.
But, I'm a verbal (euphemism for verbose 
) person, so I love layering in the complementary messages and frames - always! Here's what comes in that set:
Up, Up, and Away Dynamic DuosTM Message and Frame Set (7 pieces)
Again, seven pieces! Woo hoo! And, here are some of the many ways you can incorporate those pieces with the other set . . . first, a more Valentines-y look on hearts . . .
Above, you'll see a combo of balloons and messages stenciled directly on the cookie and stenciled fondant appliqués applied after stenciling on the cookie. I've also tossed in a modeling chocolate bow (right) for good measure (and flavor)!
Here's a closer look at some of these hearts . . .
Alternatively, you can do a more spring-y look by swapping from hearts to clouds and other shapes.
And, once again, a closer look at the various details . . .
On the upper cookie, I made the curvy bird by stenciling the bird onto wafer paper, cutting it out, and giving it a little lift with a squirt of Fabriliquid on the back. Running the back of it over a damp cloth will work just fine too! (BTW, all the non-stencil product links in this post direct to the home page of my new Amazon store, where you'll find all of these products under their logical - hopefully! - categories. Proceeds from that store help to defray the costs of this site and my video-making, so please check it out. It's a one-stop shop for all of the tools I most often use in my video projects.)
And that's a wrap! I hope this month's sets are uplifting! (Pun intended! )
- To purchase my Dynamic DuosTM sets, click here.
- To join my Stencil of the Month Club, click here.
- To see my entire stencil line, including my Prettier PlaquesTM sets, click here.
- To view my videos that show how to create layered looks with my stencil sets, click here.
If you have any technical questions about these stencils, please don't hesitate to email me at sweetlife@juliausher.com or to leave a comment below. Please, however, direct all ordering and Club questions to my stencil partner, Confection Couture Stencils, at service@confectioncouturestencils.com. Thank you!
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