Craft Group: Christmas Table Topper

So the Halloween Placemats were such a hit, that I decided to try the same technique and make table toppers for various holidays. I had some left over red burlap that I cut into 2 squares (they are about 22 inch squares). Using my Cricut, I cut vinyl stencils for each of the corners. After applying the vinyl to the burlap, I used newspaper and painters tape to cover the rest of the fabric. 

Here is the final results of one I made for Valentines Day and one for Fourth of July:

(sorry I was too lazy to actually iron them before I took the pictures)

If you look close at the stars, you will see crooked edges and the white doesn't look filled in. I had tried using acrylic paints with a fabric medium mixed in. It took I don't know how many coast and it still looks a bit pink. So when I did the hearts and the blue stars, I switched to using spray paint. Worked much better, but it still took a quite a few coats (just not as many as the acrylic paint). 

So when it came time to get things ready for December's Craft Group, I thought I would try using Duck Canvas instead of the burlap. I sewed a decorative stitch on the edge, like I had done with the placemats. And this time I wanted to try using freezer paper to make the stencils. If it worked, it would be a lot less expensive then the vinyl. So using my Cricut, I cut the designs in the freezer paper. Then ironed the freezer paper - shiny side down on the fabric. Then spray painted.

And the final product was a fail!  The freezer paper didn't adhere to the canvas so well, so there was over-spray as well as edges to the designs that just didn't look good.  It won't be a give like I hoped, but I was able to  "save" it to use on my kitchen table by using a black Sharpie and outlining it.
Fail #1:

So since that failed, I checked out other options on Pinterest. I came across one that used contact paper from the dollar store. Well that was a fail as well, but nothing could "save" this one. The contact paper didn't adhere well either, plus once you got spray paint on it, the edges would curl up, which only allowed for one coat of paint. Even one heavy coat of paint didn't work.
Fail #2:

What did work?
Using the stencils created from the contact paper and we painted them with acrylic paint. It took 3-4 coats and a little bit of touch up once the contact paper was removed.

But I did fail again
 by not getting a picture of the final product.
I need to make more for gifts, so when I do, I will add a picture.

Happy Crafting!
Holly