Hey Besties! As a follow-up to the Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie Cards post from earlier this week, I created a quick tutorial to show exactly how I stenciled the lettering. Personally, I LOVE cookie stenciling; it’s so easy, allows for unique designs and really ups your cookie game!
If you have not tried cookie stenciling, I highly suggest giving it a try. I find it to be one of the best ways for beginners to really elevate the look of their cookies with a very quick learning curve. And that is what we are all about – high impact designs that are beginner-friendly!
You can watch the video HERE!
Once I learned about stenciling, a huge light bulb went off in my brain! THAT is how these bakers achieve so many of these amazing designs! This is just one example of the beautiful creations you can make when you simply have the right tools. As an extra bonus, you can use the very same stencils for airbrushing, so it’s really a two-fer!
stenciling tools
Good news! You really don’t need much to begin cookie stenciling. You’ll need stencils (duh), a stencil holder and a scraper for applying your icing. Overall, it’s a VERY minimal investment, especially considering the endless designs and options it provides you. I will admit, in my experience, it can be addictive…much of cookie decorating is! So, while it is a small investment, if you love it as much as I do, you’ll soon collect a lot of stencils! Don’t worry, I show you how to organize them beautifully in THIS post.
stencils
There are many places to buy stencils, but these are my two favorites:
They both produce high-quality, creative designs and are my go-to sources when I’m stencil shopping.
stencil holders
This is where personal preference really starts coming into play. There are several commonly used stencil holders and quite frankly, they are each very different with their own pros and cons. Bestie secret: I will be doing a comprehensive product match-up between several holders in a future post comparing all features so we can really decide which one reigns best. Until then, I will tell you my favorite is made by Sweetest Tiers, and I’ll tell you why.
As you’ll see in the video, the Sweetest Tiers stencil holder has a hinged design which allows you to easily lift the stencil and check how your cookie looks. This may sound trivial, but when you are airbrushing or applying royal icing using a stencil, it is INCREDIBLY helpful to be able to see your finished cookie and be able to keep working on it, if necessary. The other commonly used stencil holders do not have this feature and once you lift or remove the stencil, it’s very difficult to put it back on, matching it up perfectly, if you’re result is not perfect.
However, there are other advantages to other stencil holders, which is why it really boils down to personal preference of what is most important to you. Here is a short list of the most commonly used stencil holders:
stencil scraper
This one is pretty straight forward but it’s critical to stenciling success! I use THESE scrapers and there are two things I like about these. First, it comes with two different sizes to accommodate the size of stenciling design you are working with. Secondly, these are thin enough that there is some flexibility and bend to them, which is very important in my experience.
stenciling tips
There are two pieces of advice that are extremely important to successful cookie stenciling! Make sure your cookie has a completely dry, flat surface. I suggest not stenciling until your flood has dried for at least 24 hours. And if you’re flood is not completely flat, your stenciling will not turn out perfect; make sure you master a flat flood first! Also, like I show in the video, you need a STIFF icing for stenciling. If it’s too thin, it will creep under your stencil and ruin your design. Freshy whipped royal icing using THIS recipe may be stiff enough, but you may need to add a little powdered sugar after coloring to get the best consistency.
have fun!
With this short list of tools and your own creativity, you are REALLY going to love the endless options that cookie stenciling will provide you! I can’t wait to hear about your results! Leave a comment about your stenciling experiences or let me know if you have a favorite stenciling product!!
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