Here are a few sites that are offering a nice variety of free Christmas stencils for crafts or Christmas cards. Some of the sites also offer instructions and ideas:

About.com Free Stencils Collection: Christmas
Christmas Customs - Free Christmas Stencils
Free Printable Christmas Stencils

Editor’s Note: Today we have some tips for cutting your own stencils, courtesy of artist Fran Cicero.

Stencil Cutting Tips

by Fran Cicero

Long ago I tried different methods to protect my fingers from the pressure of cutting stencils. I hated cutting them because it was so awkward and painful. Based on my experience, here’s what I suggest:

1. Use a foam finger pad (that they put on pencils, I cut one in half and put a half on either end of my stylus too. You can get a 6 pack in Staples. I don’t like the triangular ones, I think they are too hard.
2. Use a snap blade, the kind that slides up and down, preferably with a lock, and you can vary the length of the blade during the project to decrease finger fatigue, plus it is flat so it doesn’t seem to press as hard on the fingers. When the blade gets “draggie” you can snap it off easily with pliers (horizontal and close to the score mark)
3. Use a big utility knife (some call it a box cutter). These have replaceable blades.

I always use a glass surface instead of a self-healing mat, I find there’s less drag and you can turn the stencil easier when you are cutting.

I use a hot knife stencil cutter for small curvy pieces and sand the edges with a fine sanding disk. I find that if the tip is very clean, it cuts well. The melted plastic tends to build up and cook onto the tip and seems to reduce the temperature of the tip and makes cutting clumsy. I lightly sand it, even when it’s hot, with a sanding disk — it doesn’t take much effort to make it clean and shiny.

Also, if you cut with the handle angled slightly toward the piece that will be thrown away, the possible “melt down” spots that can happen at turns, or because of hand fatigue, seem to happen on the throw away piece, rather than the stencil part you want “perfect”.

For shapes like circles, teardrops, hearts, etc., I use a decorative hole punch. For example, after you cut a flower and need little circles in the centers, use a hole punch of the correct size! You can usually get it to fit by placing it through an area you already cut, or make a separate piece.

When it comes to studios, I have the smallest and ugliest space of any of the decorative painters I know in my area. My fellow dp’s all have huge spaces, most in detached buildings on their properties.  Some lease space away from home. I’ve always had my studio in 1 small room in my unfinished basement.  I like the fact that I can run down there in the morning in pajamas to check on a supply I think I might need, quickly base coat a few sample boards, etc., before I even officially start my day.  I don’t have to worry about getting paint on the floor, etc. because my floor is just plain old cement.  My walls are my cinder block foundation. I will never win any awards for having the most beautiful studio, that’s for sure, but I’ve made it a little more comfortable over the years, keep it very organized, and it works for me.

I have a vast stencil collection, most of which hangs on wire clothes hangers, clipped with wooden clothespins.  I have three areas where I have these hung. One section has all my children related stencils, another has all my garden related designs, and the third has all my architectural, linear borders, and free form stencils. Again, this works for me, because I know exactly where to find what I need. I bought this clothes rack system at the Container Store and it works well, because it’s on wheels and I can move it out of the way to access the shelving behind it.

For those very large sized stencils,or those that have multiple overlays and are just too heavy to hang, I keep rolled up in large trash cans. I have them labeled and also keep a list on the front of the containers so I can quickly see what’s in there and not have to search though the three containers I currently use, to find what I need.

So, nothing fancy, but again, it just works.  I’m always curious to know how others are storing their stencils. Care to share?