Even though summer doesn't officially start until June 21, I've "seas"ed the new season with this month's nautical-themed release! As always, I'll show you my new stencils and how they work, but I'm also going to share an extra nautical flourish with you at the very end! But first, here's what I'm releasing today:
Here's the quick rundown:- Seas the Day Dynamic DuosTM Background Set (upper left),
- Seas the Day Dynamic DuosTM Message and Frame Set (combined with the DuosTM background set in the upper right),
- My partner Confection Couture's Ships Wheel Basic Accent Stencil (lower right), and
- My Vintage Bon Voyage Prettier PlaquesTM Set (a reminder of one of my previously released summer sets, in the lower left).
If you're in my Stencil of the Month Club, this month you'll get both my Seas the Day Dynamic DuosTM Background Set and Confection Couture's Ships Wheel Basic Accent Stencil - a $22.99 value for only $14.99 (plus 15% off anything else on the Confection Couture site)! What's this offering look like? Glad you asked!
If you're not yet part of my Stencil of the Month Club, I think you should be! 
Of course, I'm a bit biased, but it's hard to match 15% savings every day of every week, as long as you stay a member. For more info about joining, simply click here. If you're not convinced about making the monthly commitment to my club, no worries! You can still get big one-time savings by bundling my two DuosTM sets each month, as you'll see on the offer on this page.
Before I get into the details of what's in each set and how I used those sets here, just a quick reminder that I launched another product a couple of weeks ago! Yes, it's my new JULIA dual-action airbrush system, with extra precise air control, which makes working with these stencils (without overspray or spattering) a relative breeze! For more information about my new system, please read my launch blog post, and, to purchase, click here or here.
Now, on to this month's stencils! As always, the Seas the Day Dynamic DuosTM Background Set is designed to provide lots of design flexibility all by itself. Simply by swapping in different foreground elements (the anchor and two compasses, in this case) and shifting their orientations on the background (the map), you can come up with myriad cookie options! I'll show you a few in a sec, but, first, let's see what comes in this six-piece background set:
Seas the Day Dynamic DuosTM Background Set (6 pieces)
Because these stencil patterns are so lively, I decided to start simply, using just two colors reminiscent of those on vintage nautical maps: a light brown (Chefmaster Harvest Brown plus Dinkydoodle White) and a sea-green (AmeriMist Sky Blue with a touch of AmeriMist Electric Green). Here are just a few possibilities using these stencils and colors . . .
And a closer view:
Now, let's talk about the Seas the Day Dynamic DuosTM Message and Frame Set. Here's what it contains:
Seas the Day Dynamic DuosTM Message and Frame Set (7 pieces)
As always, these frames and messages could be used all by themselves on plain cookies, or be superimposed on any number of backgrounds, but they are specially designed to work in conjunction with the previous background set. Taken together, these sets form a more dynamic duo, with nearly limitless design possibilities! Here are just a few, dressed in the same color palette used earlier . . .
If you'd like step-by-step details about how to layer the various stencil pieces to get these looks, don't forget that I have several videos on YouTube showing the process for other sets. The layering process used here was no different.
Now, for that extra nautical flourish that I mentioned at the top of this post: I owe the inspiration all to @Manu biscotti decorati's recent royal icing knot tutorial! While I didn't use royal icing for my knots, I think that these fondant (and modeling chocolate) ones look pretty darn lifelike too. I simply used a sugar paste/fondant extruder to create the cords (in two different sizes), grouped them in pairs (or not), and then followed instructions in the "Learn the Ropes" knot-tying book and kit to create this array of twisted and tied embellishments:
(Pssst! I also made up a few - easier - knots of my own! ) For a little added depth, I airbrushed the knots once the fondant was dry, using brown food coloring sprayed from the side.
Even though this month's stencils can hold their own with nothing else on top, I am a more-is-more person, as you all know, so I just had to jazz them up! I couldn't decide if I liked the chunky knots or the dainty ones better, so I used both! First, the dainties on the message-less cookies . . .
And then the bigger ones on the cookies using both DuosTM sets:
And because, well (ahem), I just can't leave well enough alone, I ultimately decided to add pops of a third color to finish them off! I started with this . . .
Then I added free-form splashes of AmeriMist Electric Green (airbrushed on too) . . .
And, ultimately, I landed here with both sets, all three colors, and my handmade fondant knots all in use!
Hopefully this post has sparked some additional ideas for how you might use these stencil sets. Before I leave you to experiment, here's a quick recap of where you can find the various resources mentioned in this post . . .
- 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 purchase my new JULIA dual-action airbrush system, click here or 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!
'Til next time, happy stenciling and airbrushing!
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