Our homes have never been more important than in this unprecedented year. They've not only been the roofs over our heads, under which we routinely take shelter to eat and sleep; they've also been our workplaces, the schools for our kids, and the sanctuaries sought when the outside world seemed too chaotic and complicated for words. And so, in my penultimate set of 2020, I pay tribute to our homes and the special place they have played in our lives this past year. This month's From Our Home to Yours design - the facade of an elegant home - can be decorated in myriad ways for the holidays to bring your friends and family endless cheer.
Here's a quick look at this November's stencil release:
And here's where you can find all of the related stencils on my partner Confection Couture Stencils' site:
- From Our Home to Yours Dynamic Duos™ Background Set (upper left),
- From Our Home to Yours Dynamic Duos™ Message and Frame Set (combined with the Duos™ background set; upper right),
- My partner Confection Couture Stencils' Laurel Wreath with Ribbon Stencil (lower right), and, if you're till hankering to party in Times Square this year, please stay safe and stick to cookie versions of that place
using my . . . - Ring in the New Year Dynamic Duos™ Sets.
Also, heads up! The Holiday Manor background stencil in the background set (pictured immediately below) can now be purchased all by itself (as can many of the background stencils in my sets).
Use of that stencil alone will create a look something like what you see on the cookies here:
Of course, depending on the size of the cookie you use, more or less of the background stencil will reveal.
A partial reveal always adds interest to a cookie, IMO!
Also worth pointing out: I used untraditional holiday colors of pale sky blue, electric purple (which looks almost pink), custom-blended purple (violet and electric purple), electric green (which looks almost yellow), leaf green, and brown, but a more traditional red-and-green palette would look great too. (Note: All colorings used are AmeriMist with the exception of the brown, which is Chefmaster Harvest Brown, and the blue, which is Spectrum Flow Sky Blue lightened with Spectrum Flow White).
You could further dress up these background stencil-only cookies with sanding sugar (for snow on the evergreen limbs) and royal icing transfers (for dimensional wreaths and garlands). I'll be dressing them up with more stenciled elements (from the foreground stencil) instead, but first a note about my Stencil of the Month Club.
If you're one of my club members, you'll get the background set part of this release, as well as Confection Couture Stencils' larger laurel wreath stencil with two sets of ornament overlays:
If you're not familiar with my Club, you can read all about it here, but basically it gives you huge savings (20%!) on the multi-piece background set in each release, as well as another complementary single-piece stencil designed by my partner. Plus, these items are automatically sent to you each month, so you'll never miss my latest designs!
Now, on to exploring the details of the background set!
From Our Home to Yours Dynamic DuosTM Background Set (8 pieces)
It includes eight pieces this time, along with a special extra background layer (#1) designed to block off any previously airbrushed trees and building facade (in layer #2), so you can add shadows or highlights to the door and window interiors. In fact, that's how I added the electric green to the windows and the electric pink to the doors on the cookies above, and also below:
And a closer view . . .
I used three of the four foreground elements (all but the bell) on these two cookies. In the case of the wreaths, I airbrushed them directly on the cookies, whereas in the case of the poinsettia swag on the left cookie, I made it as a fondant appliqué. (Note: A fondant appliqué is thinly rolled fondant that is airbrushed and stenciled and carefully trimmed. It's then left to air-dry until it is rigid enough to pick up and hover over or hang off the cookie without misshaping.) I also used the background stencils to make fondant appliqué trees that are placed in the foreground of both cookies and propped up with tiny blobs of fondant to give them extra dimension.
And, just so you can better appreciate those details, here are a couple of more up-close-and-personal views:
LOL! I forgot to airbrush the door panels in the center of the wreath above, but what a happy accident! I ended up with another nice, albeit unintended, design variation!
Now on to the complementary message and frame set!
From Our Home to Yours Dynamic DuosTM Message and Frame Set (7 pieces)
This set is extra loaded this time too, with four frames and five (yes, five!) messages that can be added to the background set elements! To give you an idea of the many style variations now possible with this set, take a gander at the photos below. In this first one, I've used the set's namesake message "From Our Home to Yours" along with a fondant appliqué wreath. All of the other elements are stenciled directly on the cookie . . .
Here's that namesake cookie again, but, this time, it's paired up with a cookie flaunting the "Joy" message, which handily fits into the transom at the top of the door . . .
Or, how about "Noel" with an adjoining wreath?
That certainly works too, as does this spin on one of the background set-only cookies pictured above. Here, I attached a fondant message to the lower door panel. It could have been placed just as effectively on one of the front steps!
Even a tiny "Noel" plaque with no additional door dressing looks inviting!
And . . . remember those background stencil-only cookies that I showed at the very start of this post? Well, I'm a more-as-more person as you should know by now, so I just couldn't leave them that plain! Here they are, now adorned with the whole nine yards - wreaths, swags, and framed messages . . .
I count four fondant appliqués on this one cookie!
Even this smaller cookie neatly fits three appliqués!
Seeing as I just came full circle in this post, let me wrap up with the following "recap" video and summary of key links. Please also check out my and my partner's many other Christmas stencils and New Year's stencils. We've got so many options to give you holiday cheer!
'Til next release, best wishes, from my home to yours, for a happy, safe, and prosperous holiday season and new year!
- My Dynamic Duos™ stencil sets
- My Stencil of the Month Club
- My entire stencil line, including my Prettier Plaques™ sets
- More Christmas stencils
- More New Year's stencils
- My videos that show how to create layered looks with my stencil sets
If you have any technical questions about these stencils, just email me at sweetlife@juliausher.com or 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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