Are you ready to create something truly unique? Here are 31 project ideas (one for each day of the month!) that you can make using the Ikonart Custom Stencil Kit and our stencil making accessories. Keep scrolling if you want to try a new DIY craft, learn a new stenciling technique, or discover a way to use Ikonart that you hadn't thought of.
If you are just getting started, make sure to also check out our Paint and Ink Selection Guide as well as our Photo Gallery and Demo Videos!
1. Wood Signs
One of the questions we get asked most often is, "Can I use Ikonart stencils for multiple wood signs without washing it out?" And the answer is, "YES!" Jessica Lynne with Shine Designs gives her best tips and tricks for using Ikonart for multiple signs in her Facebook group and also shares her must-have paints and products for doing multiples.
2. Screen Printed Shirts
There are a few different ways to do multiple shirts in a row without washing out your stencil. You can use our purple Textile Film and go from shirt to shirt without a frame, you can mount our blue Stencil Film directly in a Speedball Frame, or you can tape your stencil to a screen printing frame. Whichever way you choose, creating matching shirts for the whole gang with just one stencil is totally doable!
3. Wood Burned Cutting Boards
Custom wood burned cutting boards make super easy personalized gifts for friends or family. Use Torch Paste with your Ikonart stencils to burn your design into the surface of your cutting board, then seal with food-safe mineral oil for a matte finish or food-safe wax for a glossier sheen.
4. Etched Glassware
Personalized glass etching with Ikonart Stencils and Etchall Etching Crème is another great way to create custom, handmade gifts. Etching it permanent and can be done on ornaments, slate coasters, glass photo frames, drinkware, vases, and more. You can even add color to your etched designs with colored wax.
5. Stenciled Cookies
Do you enjoy making custom cookies and fancy cakes? You can add Ikonart Stencil Glaze to your Ikonart stencils to make them safe for food contact. You can use an airbrush, luster dust, or a semi thick royal icing as your edible “ink” when stenciling on food surfaces.
6. Distressed Chalkboard Art
Create beautiful chalkboard signs and make them look more authentic by distressing your artwork with one of our free distressed SVG files. You can use our large 12x18 stencil film or combine multiple 10x12 stencils to get the size you need for your chalkboard. Plus you can use Coco's Chalky Powder to make your own removeable chalk paste.
7. Layered Signs & Designs
With Ikonart you are not limited to one-color designs. Learn how to separate your artwork onto multiple layers so you can screen print multiple colors with ease.
8. Ceramic Mugs
Grab some ceramic mugs and make them your own with Ikonart. We use our Smart Jig stand to hold our mug while applying DecoArt Americana Multi-Surface paint so the mug doesn't roll around. Then just bake to make the mug top-rack dishwasher safe. This same technique can also be used to stencil on ceramic bowls.
9. Polymer Clay Earrings
Our blue Ikonart Stencil FIlm has a very light adhesive on the back which makes it the perfect choice when working with polymer clay earrings. You can use acrylic paint on your clay earrings before sealing or you can use mica powder on your clay earrings to give them a beautiful shimmery look. Hint: this same technique can be used for clay ornaments.
10. Acrylic Awards
Ikonart stencils are a great way to create a custom award for any event. Make a single award for your MVP or create custom mementos for the whole team. If you have a floating award a quick hack is to make your stencil in reverse and screen print on the back side of the acrylic. Then when you turn it over your design is right-reading but completely protected.
11. Hand Lettering
Lisa Coles turns her hand lettering into reusable stencils so that when she wants to make a multiple sign or item she can do it faster and easier. You can do this by drawing directly on the printer film and skipping the computer all together, or you can hand letter in an app like Procreate and then print it. Either way you will save a ton of time!
12. DIY Cards
Design your own beautiful handcrafted cards like these by Natacha Creative. You can use watercolor paints, embossing powder, foil, ink or paint. Design your card front digitally and create one stencil to apply on multiple cards, or create a variety of stencils to be mixed and matched on multiple cards.
14. Window Decals
Chalk paste window decals are just so fun! Chalk paste window decals are easy to remove and replace at any time with zero damage to the window surface. A few decal ideas are: custom stick-person family, company logo, sports team name or mascot, family/friends road trip saying, holiday decor like these temporary snowflake window decals from Betzy.
15. Coloring Book Shirts
This is an awesome activity to do with kids, and would make a fabulous birthday party activity. Choose a design with bold lines and plenty of open spaces to be colored in like a coloring book page. Use Speedball Screen Printing Ink in Black along with the Ikonart stencil of your design to screen print the base image onto the shirts. Use fabric markers to color in the shirts. Party activity and party favors, done!
16. Swap Holiday Decor
Combining DIY chalk paste with Ikonart stencils makes the BEST holiday decor. Since chalk paste is removeable I only need this one metal sign. My Ikonart stencils store flat so they take up so much less space then having a custom sign for each holiday. I have used this one metal sign for Fall, Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Mother's Day.
17. Logo Merch & Branding
Add your logo to just about anything with Ikonart. Brand the back of wood signs or bottom of clay pottery, add your logo to a sign for a show or event, create custom gift bags, or screen print your own merch.
18. DIY Fabrics & Patterns
You can create your own custom fabrics with Ikonart, or print your pattern on fabric before embroidering. For embroidery, lightly stencil on the your design for easy guide lines for your stitches. If you are concerned about being able to see the ink once it is complete, you could use a washable paint that will disappear once gently washed.
19. DIY Candle Jars
If you are a small business owner with a niche market like Julie Varney with The Dental Gift Shop, you can use Ikonart stencils to create custom designs that relate to your niche and then add those designs to candle jars.
20. Large Signs & Porch Leaners
Vertical porch learner signs are so trendy right now and are a great way to add decor near your front door without taking up too much space. You can combine multiple Ikonart stencils to make any size you want, and make it super custom with your family name and a year of significance to you.
21. Drawings & Kids Art
Turn your own drawings or your kids' drawings into a reusable stencil. You can either draw directly on the transparent printer film with a sharpie marker and then make your stencil (no computer needed!), or you can scan in your image and print it. So many fun possibilities!
22. Add Hand Painting
Want the look of a custom hand painted design but the time-saving ease of a stencil? Combine Ikonart with hand painting! For this pillow Amy Sadler stenciled on the black outline but then handpainted the rest of the pillow. This would save a ton of time if you want to make these in bulk, yet each pillow would still be unique.
23. Fun With Foil
Foil adhesive works great with Ikonart stencils. You just stencil it on, remove the stencil, let it dry a bit, then add foil. I have foiled on cards, fabric, wood, acrylic, and this custom graduation card box.
24. Book Stack
Book stacks are a simple yet adorable way to use Ikonart stencils. You can paint old books or simply stack three pieces of painted wood. Add your names, a special date, favorite quote, embelish a Halloween book stack, or make this love you more book stack.
25. Anthropologie Curtains
Have you ever seen something that you love but it is out of stock? Or you can't afford it? Ikonart to the rescue! Jennifer with The Craft Patch recreated some Anthropologie curtains that were out of stock using just one Ikonart stencil.
26. Cork Trivets
Ikonart can be used on textured surfaces like these cork trivets, you just have to be a little more careful with your application technique. We recommend our purple stencil film for this because it is stickier than the blue.
27. Tea Towels
Tea towels are such an underrated way to switch up your kitchen decor. Plain flour sack tea towels are an inexpensive and easy way to swap out your decor each season and add to your festive furnishings. Custom tea towels also make great housewarming gifts! Wrap your finished towel around a bottle of wine and secure it with a pretty ribbon to make your next host's night!
28. Customize Furniture
Ikonart stencils are great for embellishing furniture because they have an adhesive backing and they are also flexible so they can wrap around corners and edges. Stand out from the crowd when you add your own designs to furniture vs. the same pre-imaged designs everyone else is using.
29. Custom Nail Art
Yes you can use Ikonart on your fingernails! Just use regular acrylic paint to stencil on your design and then seal your designs with a coat of clear nail polish. So easy!
30. Screen Print Multiple Colors
With Ikonart your not limited to just one color. You can add as many colors as you want to your design as long as you can print each color/layer in solid black. We use these four different ways to line up our colors when screen printing with Ikonart.
31. Screen Print Jeans
Whether you want to add a little flair to your back pockets, customize a denim jacket, or deck out your entire pair of jeans, Ikonart has you covered. Just use a screen printing ink for fabric and heat set the ink after it dries.