The Paper Mill is one of our Riot house brands, and this small range is honestly just three products: two layering craft stencils for card making and paper craft, plus a two-piece spatula and scraper set for weeding craft vinyl. If you make cards, journal pages or vinyl designs, this is where those three items live.

What is in the Paper Mill range

Three products, and they each suit a different maker. The Paper Mill Layering Stencil Banners gives you a banner-shaped design built in stages, handy for card fronts, journal pages and other card making supplies projects. The Paper Mill Layering Stencil Pop Sugar works the same way with a patterned design, so you build up colour and shape one stencil at a time.

The Paper Mill Spatula and Scraper Set for Weeding Craft Vinyl is a two-piece hand tool. It is not a stencil. It helps you lift and finish adhesive vinyl designs, and there is more on that further down.

What a layering stencil does

A single-layer stencil gives you one shape or pattern in one pass. A layering stencil is a set designed to be used together, one layer at a time, so each stencil adds a different part of the finished design. You might lay down a background colour first, then a pattern over the top, then a highlight.

The trick is registration, which just means lining each layer up so the design sits where it should. Most layering stencils include marks or matching edges to help you position them the same way each time. Take it slowly on the first go. It clicks quickly.

You can use layering stencils with inks, blending brushes, texture paste, acrylic paint or watercolour on paper and card. They are reusable, so wipe them down between colours and let them dry flat.

Layering stencils for card making are the obvious use, but they also suit mixed media pages, gift tags and paper craft. For letters, numbers, mandalas and other styles, our wider stencils range has more.

What weeding means, and what the spatula and scraper set is for

Weeding is the step after you cut a design out of adhesive vinyl. You lift away the bits of vinyl you do not want, so only your design is left on the backing sheet. Simple in theory. Fiddly in practice, especially with small letters and tight corners, which is where the tool earns its keep.

The spatula has a fine tip for lifting cut edges and picking out the pieces you do not need. The scraper is flat and firm, so you can smooth vinyl onto its surface and press down transfer tape without bubbles.

The set suits anyone working with adhesive craft vinyl for stickers, labels, water bottles, laptop decals and similar projects.

Where to find the wider stencil and vinyl ranges

The Paper Mill sits inside a much bigger range at Riot. If you need letter stencils, number stencils, mixed media designs or something for a larger surface, the full stencils collection linked above is the place to look.

For vinyl projects, the weeding tool pairs with our craft vinyl range, and you will find more weeding hooks, scrapers and application tools in our vinyl weeding tools section.

FAQs

What is a layering stencil?

A layering stencil is a set of stencils designed to be used together, one after the other, to build up a design in stages. Each stencil adds a different colour, pattern or detail, and small registration marks help you line each layer up in the same spot.

Are The Paper Mill stencils reusable?

Yes. Both layering stencils are reusable. Wipe them clean between colours with a damp cloth or baby wipe, remove any dried paint or paste gently, and store them flat so they do not warp. Handled that way, a stencil lasts across many projects.

What does weeding vinyl mean?

Weeding is the step where you remove the small pieces of adhesive vinyl you do not want after cutting a design. You are left with just your finished shape or lettering on the backing sheet, ready to transfer. A weeding tool makes lifting those small pieces much easier.

What surfaces can I use these craft stencils on?

The layering stencils work best on paper and card, with inks, acrylic paint, watercolour, blending brushes or texture paste. You can also try them on wood, canvas and mixed media pages. Test your medium on an offcut first, especially if you are using a thicker paste.