Recommended Product Links

As we here at Stencil Expressions create projects for you, we come across products that we prefer to work with, and can recommend.

Below you will find a growing list of those products. Come back often to see our recommendations!

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1. FILM FOR CUTTING OUR DIGITAL STENCIL DESIGNS ON YOUR CUTTING MACHINE:

(See #16 for the Cricut machine I use)

We have successfully used the following stencil films, with the Milky Translucent film shown in the above photo:

36pcs 6mil Blank Stencil Material, 12 x 12inch, Milky Translucent- Make Your own Stencil (Amazon)

Looking for CLEAR transparent cutting film? We have tested the 5 mil film below and found it to work well. We do prefer the milky film as it is easier to see the design, but some applications work better with clear:

5 mil Mylar Sheets for Stencil Making (Clear 5 mil 12" x 12" 15 Pack) (Amazon)

PRIME DEAL ON STENCIL FILM, OCT 10-11, 2023:

16 Packs of 12x12in 6mil Clear Mylar Stencil Sheets - DIY Blank Stencil Templates for Cricut Cutters, Laser Cutting, and More - Easy to Cut Your Own Stencils

2. CUTTING MATS FOR THE CRICUT:

I have tested both the Cricut brand as well as the Xinart brand, and both work well. I use the light tack Xinart mat for cutting cardstock, and the standard grip mat with the above cutting film for stencils:

(See #16 for the Cricut machine I use)

PRIME DEAL ON CUTTING MATS, OCTOBER 10-11, 2023:

Cutting Mats for Cricut - Lya Vinyl 8 Pack Variety Cutting Mats 12x12

3. BASIC WHITE CARDSTOCK FOR CARD MAKING:

4. COLORED CARDSTOCK FOR CARD MAKING:

5. CUTTING MACHINE ACCESSORIES:

PREMIUM FINE POINT BLADES: We have tested these cutting blades with our Cricut Maker 3 and found they work great! They are compatible with various Cricut machines (check description for details to make sure they work with your machine).

DEEP CUT BLADES AND HOUSING: For heavier duty cutting needs.

VINYL SCRAPER BLADES: Great for cleaning off your cutting mats. (See below in Scissors, Xacto Knives and Other Accessories for more weeding tools).

6. WORK SURFACES & ACCESSORIES:

THE TIM HOLTZ MEDIA GRIP MAT: keeps your work materials from moving while stenciling, stamping or coloring.

GLASS CRAFT MAT: has a magnetic underside which, when used with the magnets, can keep your work from moving. It also has grid lines for aligning projects, and the glass surface doubles as a palette!

NEODYMIUM MAGNETS: for use with the glass craft mat.

7. STENCILING BRUSHES, ART BRUSHES:

A variety of brush shapes and sizes that we rely on. Great quality at a reasonable price!

PRIME DEALS ON STENCIL BRUSHES AND FINE LINER BRUSHES:

KAYZON Craft Ink Blending Brush, Crafting Ink Background Blender, Soft Bristle Color Coded Handles, Paper Crafter Artist Tool for Painting, Drawing, Card Making, Stamp, Stencil (12Pcs)

12Pack Mini Detailed Blending Brushes for Card Making,Crafting Ink Blending Brushes Set Background Brush for Blender Paper Crafter 8mm/6mm/4mm Angled/Flat Brush Heads Brushes for DIY Scrapbooking

PRIME DEAL ON FOAM STENCIL BRUSHES WITH PAD REFILLS:

Ink Paints Mixing Blending Tool Mini Round Foam Refills, for Scrapbooking Craft, Control of Ink Placement, No More Inky Fingers Ink Blending Tool with Spare Pads for Rubber Stamping & Scrapbooking

PRIME DEAL ON DETAIL BRUSHES:

Transon Detail Thin Paint Brush Set 6pcs for Model Minature Craft and Art Painting Green

8. GLUE:

Aleene's Tacky Glue in conjunction with the Blunt Needle Glue Syringes! SO easy to fill the syringe, easy to dispense, and the glue dries clear!

9. TAPE:

A variety of tapes I love using: low tack, double sided flat, double sided foam!

**TIP: Press the low tack tape (either brand listed below) onto your clothing (shirt or pants) at least twice to take away some of the tack to lesson the risk of the tape tearing the paper.

10. CLEANING CLOTH, BRUSH CLEANERS:

I LOVE using these reusable Swedish cellulose sponge cloths to wipe my stencils clean, wipe up paint spills, or clean my hands while working!

I have relied on the Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver since I had my first stencil company in the 1990's, and it has never failed me! Cleans brushes- it's all you'll need and will last forever!

The Brush Cleaning Mat was made for makeup brushes, but I guarantee that it does a bang up job on stencil and artist brushes too!

11. SCOR-BOARD AND BONE FOLDER TOOL:

12. SCISSORS, CRAFT KNIVES & OTHER ACCESSORIES:

Each of the scissors work great in different applications. I love using each of them for a variety of situations.

The craft knives are both excellent for cutting cardstock, stencil film, etc.

The Sooez Weeding Tools set is an amazing deal with solid tools that work, including comfortable to hold scissors, a weeding tool with a nice cover to avoid poking yourself, reverse tweezers, a great spatula for getting tough to get pieces off your cutting mat, and a nice small scraper.

13. PAINTS, INKS, AND OTHER MEDIA:

I love this set of DecoArt Americana Acrylic paints-it has all the major colors you'd need, with the ability to mix them for even more color combos! I love using these on colored cardstock, as well as other surfaces such as wood and fabric.

The Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pads are one of the best inks for card making and paper crafts. They are a combination of dye and pigment ink, and this set will give you all the major colors you want to have when crafting!

14. STORAGE & ORGANIZATION:

I have these 12" x 12" Cardboard Magazine File Holders to keep my stencil film, cutting mats, and all my crafting paper organized.

15. BOOKS

The authors of these books are experts in the field of historical stenciling.

16. CUTTING MACHINES:

CRICUT MAKER 3 & Digital Content Library Bundle - Includes 30 images in Design Space App - Smart Cutting Machine, 2X Faster & 10X Cutting Force, Cuts 300+ Materials, Blue: