DIY Stenciled Bee Pillow

Greetings Friends! It's that time of year when I refresh my outdoor space.  When you can't find that specific something pictured in your mind, do you DIY? That happens to me a lot and today I'm sharing my latest endeavor, a whimsical stenciled pillow...

Between my rosemary bushes and blue sage, my yard is full of pollinators which is good for the garden. However, this year I've been seeing bee home decor everywhere--have you noticed it too? Target has a really cute bee pillow that I first saw on Renaissance Mermaid when Julie shared her charming casual porch. Of course, it wasn't available at the nearest Target and while I considered ordering it online, the light color gave me pause. Mine will be uncovered outdoors and I've learned from experience that light colored fabrics don't fare well. Did I mention my garden has as many birds as it does bees? You get the idea! Inspired to make my own version, but not being a freehand paint kind of girl, the search began for a bee stencil.  I found just what I was looking for at Hobby Lobby for $2.99. Funny shopping story, when I was there the stencil aisle was being stocked. Two employees, both with large carts crowded the area so I left my basket on another aisle while I looked.  As I browsed the stencils, a teenage employee asked if he could help me find something. I explained that I was looking for a bee stencil. His response was to point me in the direction of the alphabet stencils and inform me that I couldn't buy "just a B, but would need to buy the whole stencil." Seriously? About that time, he noticed the bee stencil in my hand and we had a good little laugh. 

Next, I found not one, but two of these outdoor striped pillows at Ross for $7 each. Perfect! Also FYI, Walmart has some cute $5 outdoor pillows. The only difference is theirs are square and I really wanted the lumbar shape.

Now I was ready to stencil!  Conveniently, the pillow had a zipper case, so I unzipped it and placed wax paper inside to keep the paint from soaking through the fabric to the pillow.

Next, I used masking tape to secure the stencil and painted most of the sections with yellow craft paint. 

I love the honeycomb and it will be fun for a future project, but for these pillows I wanted just the bee.  After I  finished the yellow, I used an extra fine point Sharpie for the legs and to outline, then filled in with a regular point, as seen below.

Almost finished, but wanted to add one last thing.  The fine sharpies work really well for small  lettering stencils like this one, too.

Here's a close up of how it looks after I used Sharpies to outline the wings and add buzz!

Bee-utiful! Plus, I was able to make two for the price of one! (Target's is $19.99.) 

The colors are perfect with my bright outdoor furniture.  Remember the adirondack chair I purchased last spring? As promised, it hasn't faded or been affected by our harsh summers, in the least! Read more about it here.

I would love to hear about your latest DIY projects!