Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, and stenciled walls are a few of my favorite things. At the moment "stenciled walls" tops the list. A couple of weeks ago I offered you a sneak peak of the wall I was stenciling in my bedroom.
I am so excited to introduce you to a fabulous company that specializes in gorgeous stencils -- Cutting Edge Stencils. They have a broad selection of luscious stencils from geometrics to florals to murals to damasks to nursery patterns and more. The stencil I used on my walls is called "Brocade No. 1", and it is definitely #1 in my book! Here is the wall shortly after I finished stenciling...
I decided to use this beautiful chunky damask stencil on a feature wall in my bedroom. The day after I stenciled the wall my contractor came rushing into the room as he readied himself to continue work on the remodeling in the master bath. He didn't know I had stenciled the wall the day before. He took one look at the wall, stopped in his tracks, and his jaw dropped! The wall has the same effect on me. I absolutely love it...
What's more -- my husband loves it.
That makes me feel really good.
When I decided to stencil my wall, I had a particular look in mind. I wanted the design to be soft and calming, so I chose a paint color just a shade lighter than the wall color for the stencil. Then I chose the stencil...
I love the chunkiness of this particular damask pattern. It's traditional and sophisticated, with a trendy flair. I chose to have the design float -- like bubbles on the wall -- rather than have it spaced out evenly. That's the whimsical in me.
As much as I love the current trend of vinyl stickers {I have a couple on the walls in my home}, they are very one dimensional in nature. With a stencil you can create more of a two dimension feature by making the paint lighter in some areas and darker in others. I love the imperfect nature of a stencil. I like the soft edges and textured feel of the paint on the wall. That's something you just can't get with a vinyl wall decal.
If you've never stenciled and are intimidated by the process, don't be. It's easy to do and just takes a little practice. The best tip I can give is -- don't use too much paint on your roller or sponge! Dip your foam roller, stencil brush or sponge in the paint and then dab the paint off on a paper towel or paper plate until it is almost dry. With just a little paint on your applicator you're ready to stencil! Because I have textured walls, I used a small piece of a sponge instead of a foam roller or stencil brush to stencil the pattern onto my wall. I find that by using a sponge I can control the amount of paint I use more easily. You can always add more paint if you want it darker. Cutting Edge Stencil has this video to illustrate the process...
