Stenciled Fall Chargers

Thanks to Plaid Crafts for sponsoring today’s post; all opinions are my own.

Friends, I have a confession to make. I love fall, but I absolutely hate Halloween. Always have. So, when I’m decorating my home for fall, I’m always looking for ways to be festive while avoiding all the scary and gross things that can be associated with the season. This year, I decided to keep things classy by using metallics and some leaf stencils to create a set of chargers I can use all the way through Thanksgiving. Here’s how I made them and you can too!

You’ll need:

Dark brown chargers {mine were less than $2 each at Michaels!}
FolkArt Leaf Variety Stencil
FolkArt Metallic Paints
FolkArt Stencil Brush
Painter’s Tape or Washi Tape
Gold Paint Pen or Metallic Paint and Script Liner Paintbrush

Creating Your Chargers

Step 1: Tape your stencil in place so that the leaf of your choice is positioned on the rim of the charger.

Step 2: Load your stencil brush with the metallic paint of your choice and fill in the open areas of the image.

To get the best results, offload any extra paint onto a piece of scrap paper first. You want a relatively dry brush to prevent the paint from bleeding under the stencil. Then, gently tap the brush up and down until the area is filled with color.

Step 3: Remove the stencil and repeat, using the same stencil image and color three more times around the charger rim. 

I tried to space mine somewhat evenly, placing one at the top, one at the bottom, and one on each side.

Step 3: Fill in the remaining space by stenciling with two other leaf shapes and colors.

You’ll have a total of 12 leaves stenciled around your charger. You can leave them as is, or continue on to the final step.

 

Step 4: Use a paint marker or a script liner brush in the metallic paint to letter a word in the center of the charger.

You can use any word{s} you like. If you’re new to hand lettering, check out my basic step-by-step tutorial…you’ll be amazed by how easy it really is! Or, you can use stencils from the FolkArt line instead. There are lots to choose from, including alphabets, words, and phrases, that would work for this project.

 

The words I chose are “thankful,” “blessed,” “give thanks,” and “grateful.” Of course, you could use the same word or phrase on all of the chargers if you prefer.

 

 

That’s all there is to it! As soon as your chargers are dry, they’re ready to use. If you’re planning on using them as part of a table setting, you may want to seal them with a coat of Mod Podge. The chargers I used specify that they are not to come into contact with food, so remember just to use them under a plate rather than serving dinner on them. You can also use these decoratively as part of a seasonal display, like I did on my mantel!

I chose two of the chargers, one for each end of the mantel, and accented them with a faux leaf garland and some pretty pumpkins. It’s easy to turn any pumpkin into a pretty white or metallic accent with a little help from FolkArt Home Décor Chalk paint. Choose a white or cream color you like {my favorite is White Adirondack} and evenly coat the pumpkin. Let it dry between coats. When you can’t see orange anymore, you’re finished! Then, if you like, you can use a large stencil brush dipped in FolkArt Metallic paint and stipple it on top to create shiny accents.

I absolutely love the look; it’s classy and will look just as appropriate at the end of November as it does right now.

What do you think? Are these stenciled chargers something you’d like to try creating?

For more inspiration, check out Plaid Crafts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and their blog, The Plaid Palette!