Well of course we had the best time holding the new grandbabies, laughing, eating and visiting with each other. For a thank-you gift, I told Ann and Mike I would stencil their powder room. Now, I have stenciled many times before, so I should have known it would take me a long time, but I am ambitious and knew I could complete the project.
Mike and Ann are such great clients and friends. They completely trust me and this time that trust came in handy. We chose a stencil together from an internet site, but it failed to arrive on time. I found a stencil here in Rochester, changed the paint color we had chosen previously, purchased a valance and drapery rod and Mike and Ann took off for Pittsburgh without ever seeing any of it.
The stencil is a medallion style and I worked on it over the holiday until it was completed. I took some good photos for you so you could see the progress.
I will give you a few stenciling tips:
- Use a good stencil brush as the hairs from the inexpensive ones fall out very quickly.
- Buy the small bottles of acrylic paints, (they are about $1 a bottle and you need very little).
- Buy as thick a stencil as you can find and if it is less pricey, buy 2 so you can cut one for the difficult corners.
- Get yourself a can of spray mount so you can spray it on the back of the stencil. It will adhere to the wall and move very easily—tape just does not work as well.
- A roll of Scotch Blue Painter's Tape is a must for the baseboard work, around the light fixtures etc.
- Never be without a damp Handi Wipe or paper towel to clean up smudges.
- You need a good pencil with a clean eraser and a measuring tape and ruler.
Stenciling takes patience but it is truly one of the best ways to inexpensively decorate. And if you are unhappy with the way it looks, it is so simple to paint over it, unlike wallcovering that is so difficult to remove.
If you have any questions, e-mail me at beckybarras@hotmail.com or leave a comment and I will be happy to help!
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