{How To} NOT make your own stencil

This post is going to start with a big fat FAIL.  I don't usually share all my craft failures, because really, who wants to read about it?

I *attempted* to make my own stencil....I thought I would be all thrifty and just do it myself.

I've been wanting to stencil my own drapes in Miss E's nursery, so I thought I could just make the perfect stencil.

I started with some stencil blanks from Hobby Lobby.  

Cheap, and there are 3 in a pack.

I printed off my design, laid it carefully underneath a stencil blank-

 and started tracing.

Then, I got out my exacto knife and started cutting.....and cutting....

A close up of how UGLY  this was looking!

I was frustrated, but decided not to give up.  I printed off the free quatrefoil design Jen offers, and made another stencil.

This one turned out MUCH better, but after spending an hour cutting it out, I realized the design was SO small that it would take me FOREVER and a day to stencil my curtains. 

I ended the day in craft defeat-almost!

I then emailed my sponsor Cutting Edge Stencils.  I told them about my disaster, and they offered to send me any stencil off their site for free!

Want to see how it all turned out?  Stay tuned!