Here's what you'll need to gather:
- Wood Pallet
- Contact Paper (or premade vinyl or plastic)
- Exacto Knife (if creating your own stencil using contact paper)
- Paint
- Paint Brushes (various kinds/sizes)
You can use any kind of stencil or make your own! A vinyl stencil would make for the cleanest look, and contact paper works great if you want to cut out your own. I used a sticker sheet that I had on hand, printed out the word and cut it out. It worked pretty well, but I think contact paper would work better. I decided to hand paint the small words and the gems, if you have a steady hand this gives you freedom and does not limit you to finding or making a stencil. After taking the time to do it by hand, I would suggest finding a stencil if you can.
Foam brushes (see photo) are great for dabbing on the paint, it is helpful in ensuring that paint doesn't bleed under the stencil.
When making a contact paper stencil be careful of designs with thin lines and intricate patterns. My smaller letters were a little too thin to cut out so I decided to do them by hand, it wasn't easy. I like how the stencil letters look much better. I also hand painted the gems, which turned out to be a little easier. I used a thin, flat shaped brush and they turned out great.
