A Hug In A Mug! DIY Fall Latte Stencils

Autumn days are almost here and as it starts to get chilly out, nothing is more cozy than a warm latte or hot chocolate. This week I'm sharing how to make these festive fall latte stencils, so you can curl up with a cup of awesome! There are two methods for making these stencils, I like to use my Silhouette Cameo but if you don't have a home cutting machine you can still make these by hand! I go over both methods for making the stencils. I also share a few tips so you can create perfect latte art!

Good Morning Pumpkin! A sweet little morning pick me up they'll adore :)

Nothing says fall more than acorns and whirling leaves, it's like your very own autumn storm in a cup!

Surprise your sweetie with this chocolate love note! Is there any better kind?

You can use all kinds of materials to make stencils, mylar plastic stencil sheets, shelf liner, overhead projector transparency sheets etc. But for this project I just used good old card stock, it's the one thing I always have on hand. Feel free to experiment and use whatever material suits your needs. Materials and instructions are given below. :)

Download Your Stencils Here>>

Fall Latte Stencils JPEG, Fall Latte Stencils SVG, Fall Latte Stencils PDF

I created the outside circles of the stencils slightly larger than the rim of an average 12oz coffee mug so that they are easy to place on top of your cup. Feel feel to resize them if you're using a bigger or small cup.

Method 1 - Cutting By Hand

Materials: Printer, 8.5" by 11" white card stock (65lb weight) or plastic stencil material ( ei. transparency sheets, mylar, clear palstic shelf liner etc.) printer paper, scissors, a craft knife, cutting mat, and a marker.

Step 1: Start by downloading the JPEG file and printing onto your card stock. If you're using plastic stencil material you will need to print onto paper and then transfer the design. If your printer is able to print directly onto plastic then you can skip the transferring step..

Step 2: Choose a design, I recommend starting with the less intricate designs without words and go from there. Start cutting out the black areas. If you're transferring the design onto plastic you'll need to place the printed sheet below your clear plastic and trace the outlines of the designs with a marker or pen ( ideally a smudge proof one) before you can begin cutting.

As you can see there's not a huge difference between the hand cut design and the machine cut design. It's really just that one takes more time than the other. I still cut a lot of stuff by hand...it is strangely satisfying :)

Method 2 - Using a Cutting Machine

Materials: Die-cutting machine ( a Silhouette Cameo or other, I've only used a Silhouette machine so if you're using a different brand then the steps may vary) and 8.5" by 11" card stock ( I used 65lb weight but you can use something heavier if you want it to be more sturdy) or any plastic stencil material ( ei. transparency sheets, mylar, clear palstic shelf liner etc. )

Step 1: Start by downloading the SVG stencil cut file or JPEG stencil file. The basic version of Silhouette Studio software can't open SVG files so if you don't have the designer version like me, you need to open a JPEG instead and follow a few simple steps before you can begin cutting.

Step 2: Open and place the JPEG file on the grid. Next click on the Trace Tool icon in the top right of the screen. Select Trace Area and draw a box around the stencils. Adjust the value of the High Pass Filter until all the black areas fill in with yellow.

Step 3: Click the Trace button, you should see the jpeg and red cut lines outlining the stencils. Once this is done you can delete the JPEG image and you should be left with just the red cut lines. There maybe a double set of lines around each circle. you can get rid of any extra lines by right clicking and selecting ' Release Compound Path'. This will separate all the objects, you can then select the extra lines and click delete.

Step 4: Next go to your Cut Settings in the top far right corner and select Cut Edge. Choose your material type, I selected card stock but if your using plastic stencil material then select that. I left my settings alone except for the Blade Depth, which I set to 4. It's normally 3 but I wanted to make sure I got a clean cut. Your blade settings will depend on the thickness of your material and the dullness of the blade etc. It's important to do a Test Cut first. I've wrecked so many mats by cutting right through them!! I switched to using cricket brand cutting mats because they are thicker and more durable then the silhouette brand.

Step 5: Stick your card stock or plastic stencil material to your cutting mat. Make sure it matches the placement of the designs you have on the onscreen grid and load your machine. Click the Send To Silhouette button next to the Cut Settings icon. Once it's done cutting and your mat is unloaded you can carefully peel off your stencils. If you find your stencils are a bit curled you can stick them in a book to flatten them out. Voila! They are ready to use.

How to Make Latte Art

To make latte art you'll need steamed milk with foam, some cocoa power and a tea strainer or sifter. After frothing your milk, place the stencil over your mug as close to the foam as you can get it without soaking your stencil. Having it nice and close creates a crisp image. Use a strainer or sifter with tiny holes so you can lightly dust on the cocoa power.

Some lessons Learned..

For best results the foam is key! You want a nice micro foam with tiny bubbles for your design to lay on. If the bubbles are too big the design caves into the foam after a few seconds. This happen to me and I was crushed...for all of 3 minutes.. But I decided to keep trying. I scraped off the top layer of foam and added a bit of cold milk to the side of the cup. This time the designs came out nice and clear! If your barista skills are a tad rusty I recommend watching this quick Six Common Milk Frothing Mistakes video I found on Youtube, it was super helpful for me!

Thanks for following along, I hope you give these stencils try. They don't just make great latte art but you can also use them to decorate cookies, cakes or pies! Either way they are sure to raise a smile.

P.S. More fall DIY projects coming soon! If you want to hear about new DIY crafts on the Little Luxuries Loft blog the best way is to follow us is on Instagram and to join the monthly newsletter!

Hope you all have a wonderful, crafty and caffeinated rest of the week!!

-Cheers

AlleC

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