As I mentioned in last month’s fairy princess release, I’m departing a bit from my usual seasonal stencil releases, and adding a few more event-related and on-trend themes to my stencil mix. No unicorns or llamas though, I promise! There’s a difference between on-trend and overdone, IMO. 😉 Since April was designed for little girls, May celebrates little boys with this prehistoric dinosaur set complete with a triceratops, brontosaurus, pterodactyl, and, of course, T-Rex!
I’ve done up this month’s release in nine colors, which makes for the most lifelike look! But, if you don’t have the time or ambition for multiple colors, no worries! This set can look very bold and fun in just one or two colors. Here’s my colorful spin on it . . .
And, as per usual, here are all of the quick links to these stencils on my partner Confection Couture Stencils‘ site:
Also, don’t forget: the landscape background stencil in this month’s background set (pictured to the far left in the image directly below) is also sold separately. You can find it listed as Prehistoric Landscape Dynamic Duos™ Background Cookie Stencil on my partner’s site.
Before we move on to the details of what’s in each set, let’s discuss my Stencil of the Month Club for just a bit. Basically, if you join my club, each month you’ll automatically get the current month’s background set along with my partner’s single companion stencil, all at a substantial (>15%) discount. For example, here’s what my club’s offering looks like this month:
Pretty excellent deal, right?! If you’re clamoring to sign up, here’s the link for more info.
Now, let’s explore the background set! (Or, if you’re familiar with how my sets are organized, feel free to jump down to my summary videos at the end of this post. The first “style reel” shows the many design variations possible with this release; the second is a rapid-fire time-lapsed tutorial that shows how I created one representative design.)
As always, the simplest way to use this set is to stencil with only the background sheet, aka the Prehistoric Landscape Dynamic Duos™ Background Cookie Stencil, pictured first. Here are some small cookies (no more than 2 x 3 inches) that show different exposures of the volcanic landscape . . .
Of course, the designs get all the more interesting, IMO, when the various prehistoric creatures are layered on top. (Again, my quickie tutorial below shows how to lay the masks with a little bit of painter’s tape to leave room for the corresponding stencils to be airbrushed on top.)
Here’s a one-dinosaur variation using T-Rex . . .
And a closer look, so you can appreciate the details . . .
Here’s another variation with T-Rex facing off with a pterodactyl . . .
And, yet another with a triceratops . . .
If you were wondering, the triceratops that’s walking in the sugar “sand” is a fondant appliqué (a thin sheet of fondant, on which the creature was airbrushed/stenciled, and then cut out). Such a piece could have been applied to the cookie too, as I’ve done in many other past posts, but, in this case, I preferred it as a standalone prop in my landscape.
The more the merrier, as they say! I close this section with a large cookie (about 4 x 5 inches) that uses two dinosaurs and a pterodactyl!
Here’s a zoomed-in view so you can appreciate the precision-airbrushing . . .
With the background set fully explained, let’s turn now to the complementary message and frame set, which has the following seven pieces:
Framed messages can, of course, be airbrushed and stenciled directly onto the dino-landscape background, directly on the cookie, as show in the next four photos . . .
Zooming in . . .
Now, a message with a triceratops . . .
And, lastly, T-Rex with a fierce statement . . .
Or, you can create a little extra lift (and surprise) by turning the framed messages into fondant appliqués. Here’s an example that uses a three-color message appliqué . . .
The upper right pterodactyl is an appliqué too!
Now, a few simpler two-color appliqués, all snuggled up to the same cookie . . .
As I’ve said before (and will say again, because it’s so true), I love the design flexibility that fondant appliqués afford. On the above cookie, I swapped out messages to my hearts content until I finally settled on the one (“Chomp-Stomp-Roar”) to “glue” onto the cookie . . .
And, last but not least, the handy video recaps mentioned at the top of this post, as well as a summary of key links . . .
‘Til next time, have a rawr-some month of dino-mite decorating! (Ahh, silly puns . . . I just can’t get enough of them!) 😉
If you have any technical questions about these stencils, just email me at sweetlife@juliausher.com or leave a comment below. Please, however, direct all ordering and Stencil of the Month Club questions to my stencil partner, Confection Couture Stencils, at service@confectioncouturestencils.com. Thank you!
Julia M. Usher
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