In praise of Ed Roth…and a giveaway!

So, a few months ago I was browsing the Phoenix Art Museum bookstore and I picked up a book called "Stencil 101." As I flipped through it, I got so excited that I let out a little scream. The book is full of tutorial and project ideas for stencils…and BEST of all, there were 25 stencils included. Now, these stencils are not your typical hearts and ponies…no, they are urban and cool and I was so utterly inspired. I immediately began using the stencils in my work.

The sweet man who wrote this book, Ed Roth, recently contacted me after seeing his stencil on the cover of Somerset Memories. My scrapbook page, which is on the cover, is an imprint of Ed's swallow stencil (I was using the stencil and it became coated with ink. I flipped it over & pressed it onto a piece of cardstock to blot it, and the result was the imprint you see on the page. I simply let it dry and cut it out.)

I often get emails about the stencils I use in my work…and 9 times out of 10, the stencil came from Ed's book. Seriously. If you don't have it run, don't walk, run and get it.

Here are a few of my pages using his fab stencils:

I guess what I really love about Stencil 101 is that those stencils made MY work better. And that is the highest compliment I can give.

And…super exciting…Ed has another book coming out! It's called Stencil 101: Decor, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. I start to drool just looking at it…exciting!

Ed and Chronicle Books have a surprise for you! They are generously giving me one copy of each of his books (Stencil 101 and Stencil 101: Decor) to give away! I will choose one winner for each book from the comments left on this post…I'll draw the winner(s) in a week. Sound good?

And seriously, you need Ed's books. Check out his site, too, for all kinds of info, how-to tips, inspiration, and other stencils you can buy.

Thanks, Ed, for the inspiration you have given me!