How to Stencil a Butterfly Bulletin Board

A French memo board undergoes a dazzling metamorphosis of color and style with help from these easy-to-stencil butterflies.

The Butterfly Bulletin Board stencil makes a stylish and colorful addition above a desk.
Stencil the Butterfly Bulletin Board.

Skill level: Beginner
Time: 2 hours
Stencil Design: Download the Butterfly Bulletin Board as a PDF.

What You'll Need

  • French memo board
  • Fabric medium
  • Delta Ceramcoat acrylic paint: Fuchsia, Lilac Dusk
  • Plaid FolkArt acrylic paint: Medium Yellow
  • Plaid Apple Barrel Colors acrylic paint: Kiwi
  • DecoArt Americana acrylic paint: Graphite
  • 1-inch flat brushes, 2
  • 3/4-inch stencil brushes, 2
  • 5/8-inch stencil brush­

Instructions

Step One: Before stenciling, follow manufacturer's instructions to add fabric medium to the paint.

Step Two: The ribbon divides the bulletin board into diamond-shape blocks. Using 1-inch flat brushes, paint the diamonds Fuchsia and Medium Yellow, creating stripes of diamonds across the board in a harlequin pattern. Move the ribbon out of the way as you work, being careful not to get any paint on it. Let dry.

Step Three: Position stencil A in the center of a Fuchsia diamond, with the top pointed in any direction. Mark registration points; stencil Kiwi with a 3/4-inch brush. Let dry; repeat for complete coverage.

Use the butterfly stencil to add kiwi-colored paint to the fuchsia diamonds.
Stencil kiwi-colored butterflies on the fuchsia diamonds.

Step Four: Repeat step 3 in all Fuchsia diamonds, rotating the direction of the butterfly randomly for greater visual interest.

Step Five: Repeat steps 3 and 4 in all Medium Yellow diamonds, using Lilac Dusk instead of Kiwi paint.

Step Six: Align stencil B on a butterfly; stencil Graphite with a 5/8-inch brush. Repeat on all butterflies.

Use the graphite stencil to add an outline to all the butterflies.
Stencil graphite outlines on all the butterflies.

Trick of the Trade
A French memo board is a cloth-covered bulletin board that uses ribbons instead of thumbtacks to hold memorabilia in place.

The next project will turn an ordinary toy box into a treasure. Learn how to make the Noah's Ark Toy Chest in the next section.

Want to find another stencil project? See: