5 Easter crafts to make with mesh stencils

It’s so fun to decorate the house for Easter (bunnies!) with home decor crafts using mesh stencils on fabric, paper, and ceramic.

With three house rabbits running around my home, it’s all bunny, all the time here at my house. But I still love to make some special rabbit-themed home decor crafts for Easter. The stores have so many cute products, but there’s nothing like making your own holiday crafts.

So here are 5 simple home decor crafts you can make for Easter using mesh stencils and paint. You’ll love these, I promise!

Table of Contents

• Stenciled French rabbit pillow cover
• Stenciled folk rabbit dishcloth
• Chalk paint bunny ceramic bowl
• Easter bunny wood welcome sign
• Stenciled bunny greeting cards
• Why I love these bunny mesh stencil home decor projects
• Mesh stencil FAQ
• Shopping guide
• Related posts

Stenciled French rabbit pillow cover

As tempting as it is to buy yet another bunny pillow at Target, how many pillows do I actually need (plus, where am I going to put them all)? On the other hand, pillow covers are easy to switch out and a snap to store. And with this mesh stencil craft, you can make them exactly as you like them, and make one for every. single. holiday.

For this project, I used a blank canvas pillow cover in the size of my living room throw pillows, which is 18 X 18 inches. Nearly all throw pillow you buy have a zipper on the cover so you can easily remove them. Handy, right?

I used an adorable French rabbit mesh stencil and I chose three colors of gel art ink, which works great on fabric, and cut the various pieces of the stencil out. First, I peeled off the adhesive backing and placed it on my ironed pillow cover.

Then, I squirted the paint onto plate and then used a paintbrush to thickly apply the paint over the stencil. Since fabric naturally has a texture to it, you do have to apply it quite thickly in order to get good coverage. Be sure to place a piece of plastic or cardboard in between the front and back of the pillow coverage so it doesn’t seep through to the other side.

The yellow bunny didn’t “pop” as much as I would have liked, so after it was dry, I washed and dried the stencil and reapplied it to the fabric. Then I went in with some darker brown gel art ink and just put a little around the outside of the rabbit to define it a bit.

Carefully remove the stencils and then wash them in the sink with soap and water. Some ink may remain but it won’t mess up the stencil. Then dry it and store it for the next use!

Important: To set the ink on fabric, let it dry for two hours. Then place a scrap piece of cloth over the painted section and iron it with a hot iron. This will set the ink into the fabric.

Then, just insert your pillow form, zip it up, and place it where you like. Voila!

If you’d like to make this project, visit the Shopping Guide for links to the craft materials.

Stenciled folk rabbit dishcloth

Rabbit themed dish cloths are another item I see a lot around Easter. I didn’t see any that really matched my decor this year, and I wanted some with folk art bunnies. Since these aren’t exactly Easter themed, I can use these all year round.

I started with a folk art bunny stencil and a linen tea towel. For this project, I used gel art ink in the same colors as the pillow cover above because my kitchen/living room/dining room is open concept. They aren’t too matchy-matchy but they do create a harmonious affect together.

As before, I cut out the stencil and arranged it on the towel in the way that I liked.

I put the paint on a plate and then used a watercolor paintbrush to lay it on quite thick.

As before, I then removed the stencil and immediately washed it in soapy water, then set it aside to dry.

After 2 hours, I pressed it with a scrap piece of cloth on top with a hot iron to set the paint.

You can make one or a set of two or four. These would also make great hostess gifts!

Visit the Shopping Guide for links to products.

Chalk paint bunny ceramic bowl

Yes! You can use stencils on ceramics! I have this fun little handled bowl that I picked up at Reny’s to use as a salsa bowl. It’s actually great for all klinds of things. And best of all, at Christmas-time I learned about removable chalk paint. I just don’t have room to store holiday-specific ceramics, and with chalk paint, you can create your holiday design, enjoy it, and then wash it off once the holiday is over. Magic!

The technique is very easy. Since the mesh stencils are flexible, they can work with a round object like this bowl. I just laid it on and then tucked it as best I could to remove any wrinkles in the live area of the stencil.

I used chalk paint from A Maker’s Studio and just painted it on. Then, I removed and washed the stencil. The chalk art is removed with soap and water, or your dishwasher. It’s an easy enough thing to do to create this for a special event like an Easter Brunch.

Easter bunny wood welcome sign

I’ve seen these cute little “welcome” and “home” signs around. Although I wasn’t sure if it was my style, I wanted to give it a try, but with a bunny twist! I think it turned out pretty cute.

I found a piece of pine lumber that was already cut into this cute shape down in my basement. If you don’t have lumber laying around, you can buy pre-cut pieces at craft stores, or go to Home Depot and have them cut a piece of pine board for you.

I painted the background with a white craft paint and let that dry. I didn’t have a stencil for the word “home,” so I created a document in Microsoft word with the letters h, o, m, and e on separate lines. Using Arial Black font, I increased the font size until it was the size I wanted. It turned out to be size 238. Then I printed them, cut out the letters, and arranged them on the wood block. I stuck them down wtih glue dots and then traced around them with a pencil. Then, using craft paint (which was old and thick and goopy), I painted in the letters.

Once that was dry, I laid out the bunny stencils where I wanted them, and painted them using the gel art ink. I removed the stencils and washed them.

Stenciled bunny greeting cards

For my final project, I decided to make some greeting cards. I love to make cards and have a lot of the materials already on hand, including card blanks and embellishments. If you don’t have these on hand, it’s easy enough to make a card out of a piece of cardstock, cut to your preferred size and folded. It’s also easier than you think to make an envelope, but that’s a tutorial for another time.

I tried this using white cards as well as brown craft paper cards and they both worked brilliantly. The technique is the same as the other projects. Just lay the stencil down, and using a paintbrush or a plastic applicator, paint the gel art ink onto the paper. Remove the stencil and wash it.

I have a limited color pallette in the gel art ink just because I’m fairly new to this craft. I have blue, yellow, brown, and a small amount of metallic gold. My favorite combinations were the brown craft paper with brown gel art ink and the metallic gold on white. These turned out soooo good!

You can leave them with just your stenciled design, or you can add sentiments with markers or use embellishments to add to the design. Sometimes the simplest solutions look wonderful.

Why I love these bunny mesh stencil home decor projects

I’m always tempted to buy seasonal decor when I’m Target or at the mall or wherever. There are so many cute things out there. But honestly, how much can I store in my house? I’m making a concerted effort to buy less stuff and to not be part of a disposable lifestyle.

I love these crafts because they don’t take up much space for storing, but they add a lot of decorative impact. Rather than buying more and more pillows, I’m starting to make seasonal pillow covers that I store in an antique trunk in my entryway. When I need a change, I simply open the trunk and take out a pillow cover, replace it on the pillow, and add the old one back to the trunk. I allows me to mix things up a lot.

Working with mesh stencils is really fun! You can get such a detailed result and you can customize it with the colors you like and with the arrangement of the stencils on the surface.

And the best part is that you can use the stencil over and over as long as you care for it by washing it thoroughly after each use. The adhesive backing on the stencils makes it easy to work on just about any surface, including cyclindrical objects like vases or glasses.

Mesh stencil FAQ

What are mesh stencils?

Mesh stencils are also called silk screen stencils. Unlike most stencils that just give you an outline of a shape, mesh stencils can be very detailed. It’s the same technique that they use for silk screening T-shirts. The ones I use have an adhesive on the back that makes it adhere to the surface without leaving any residue. They are really fun to use for seasonal crafts like these Easter home decor projects.

Where can I get mesh stencils?

I have bought most of mine from A Maker’s Studio or Payne Hollow Designs on Etsy. There are others for sale on Etsy and Amazon if you search for mesh stencils or silk screen stencils.

What surfaces can I use mesh stencils on?

Pretty much anything. I’ve used it on canvas, linen, watercolor paper, card paper, ceramic, and wood. Since they’re so thin and flexible, you can even use them to etch on glasses using an etching cream. You’ll get the crispest result on paper. It works very well on fabric, though it takes a little practice to get it just right.

What type of paint do I use with mesh stencils?

For fabric, I have been using Gel Art Ink from A Maker’s Studio. I also used it on paper and wood with great results.

You can also use chalk paint, which is great because you can remove it. I do this on ceramic bowls during the holidays. I don’t actually want to have a bowl dedicated to Christmas, so I just make Christmas designs on it with chalk paint and then wipe it off with soap and water after the holidays. Magic!

I’ve experimented with other types of inks and paints. I used some Tombow brush markers and it didnt’ come out as smooth as the gel art ink, but it did turn out kind of cool! It reminds me of the pointillist paintings of Georges Seurat. The holes in the mesh didn’t fill completely in. I also tried craft paint with similar results. To get a smooth finish, I recommend the gel art ink or the chalk paint.

Shopping guide

French Rabbit Pillow Cover

• 18 X 18 blank canvas pillow cover from State Your Love Design shop on Etsy
• 12 X 12 mesh stencil: Mon Petit Lapin from Payne Hollow Designs shop on Etsy
• Blue gel art ink from A Maker’s Studio, a woman-owned business based in Memphis, Tennesee | $12.99 for a 50 ml tube
• Yellow gel art ink from A Maker’s Studio | $12.99 for a 50 ml tube
• Metallic gold gel art ink from A Maker’s Studio | $13.99 for a 50 ml tube

Folk rabbit dishcloth

• Dishcloth/tea towel. I actually used a tea towel I already had, but Payne Hollow Designs has a lovely selection of tea towels, including flour sack towels that would be wonderful for stenciling on for $10.99 each. You could also easily make your own tea towels with pieces of linen.
• Folk art bunny stencil from Payne Hollow Designs shop on Etsy
• Gel art ink listed above. Note: You can also mix the yellow and blue ink to make green!

Chalk paint bunny ceramic bowl

• Cermamic bowl. I got mine from Reny’s but these ones on Amazon are similar.
• Chalk paint from A Maker’s Studio
• Bunny stencil from Payne Hollow on Etsy

Wood Easter bunny welcome sign

• Piece of wood: I used a scrap piece of wood from my basement, but these from Etsy would work great as well.
• White and blue craft paint from your local craft store
• Blue gel art ink from A Maker’s Studio, a woman-owned business based in Memphis, Tennesee | $12.99 for a 50 ml tube
• Bunny stencils from Payne Hollow on Etsy

Stenciled bunny greeting cards

• Card blanks: I had these on hand already, but here’s a nice set from Etsy
• Gel art ink from A Maker’s Studio
• Bunny stencils from Payne Hollow on Etsy

Affiliate disclosure: I’ve provided these links for your convenience. As makers who support other makers, the only affiliate program we’re currently partcipating in is with Etsy. If you click on the Etsy links and make a purchase, we receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.