Freezer Paper Magic

I think I've read dozens of books and blogs and websites extolling the virtues of freezer paper stencil printing and now I understand why. I have made permanent stencils out of the harder plastic stencil sheets and was always disappointed. First, it hurt my delicate crafting hands (I'm a wimp) to push so hard on the exacto knife, and second, the permanence of the plastic stencil seemed fraught with anxiety for me. The freezer paper was almost freeing in it's quickness and impermanence. And yet, if you make a paper stencil you like, you could easiy transfer your design to a more permanent plastic stencil.

I also like the way the speed of the freezer paper stencil gives you the ability to make all your friends a customized, more personal version of something that could seem borderline mass produced, like the apron below. Everyone gets something one-of-a-kind and you still have time to read to the kids and contemplate world peace.