stencil and stamp with ferns

I have a soft spot in my heart for the wild ferns in Oregon. Did you know that The Pacific Northwest is home to about 40 different species of ferns and it seems everywhere you turn you are able to find these gorgeous green beauties. Every spring and summer our yard pops with ferns and I can't resist using them in my creative projects. Today I thought it would be fun to show you how I stencil and stamp with ferns in a variety of different ways. Swipe left to see a bunch of examples!

I have to first say that creating with nature is about discovery and engaging with your materials! Forget about perfection and things looking refined- instead challenge yourself to let go expectations and HAVE FUN!

I love to stamp with ferns. I will load them up with paint just like you would with a stamp. Then I press it onto my surface to get an imprint. I like to layer these imprints all over my surface to create a messy and organic surface design.

I also love to use ferns as a stencil. I use Dylusions Ink Spray or Marabu Acrylic Spray for projects like this but I don't always have spray on hand so I like to fill a mister with very saturated watercolor water or even ink. Pretty much any kind of fluid paint can be used to fill a mister.

There is not right or wrong way for this process! I like to arrange my ferns all over the surface and I enjoy getting creative with where I place everything and then I spray lightly over the top.

Using ferns as stamps and stencils on paper and canvas are one of my favorite ways to create colorful backgrounds.





I also like to use the same concept on fabric and I will use fabric paint and dye (I love Jacquard dyes) with the same stencil and stamping process on fabric.

This is a fun way to create one of kind fabric or scraps of fabric for sewing projects. For me, I enjoy using expressive free motion stitching to create patchwork art quilts or placemats.