Design Inspiration. Planet Stencil Library.

We are having a garage sale at Stocksfield this weekend

Rachel and I are having a garage sale from 11am to 4 tomorrow Sat 11th May. There will be furniture, paint, vintage clothes, decorative accessories, fabric, frames, old stencils and paint, magazines, STUFF and more! We enjoyed looking after them but no longer have the room. Postcode NE43 7TN. We are on the B6309 just before the road block on the way to Stocksfield from the A69, the address is The Farmhouse, Stocksfield Hall, Stocksfield, Northumberland. The Stencil Library will be open as usual from Monday but we won't be answering the phone much over the weekend. See you there, bring a friend.

Helen and Rachel.

Extra stencil class planned for May 5th

Would you like to stencil like a professional? Our Sat, May 4th stencil class is fully booked so I'll be teaching an extra one on Sunday and there are four places yet to be snapped up.

This day class gives a good base to develop stencilling skills and plenty of inspiration. The day involves practical work along with demonstration, discussion and a visit to stencilled rooms at Stocksfield Hall. Stencil technique using various media will be explored including cutting a stencil and working on fabric. The cost of £70.00 per person includes lunch, refreshments, materials used in the class and a starter kit (approx £30.00 retail) to take away.   The classes are hosted at Stocksfield Hall, Stocksfield, Northumberland, NE43 7TN.  There is plentiful free parking and bus and train stops are a short walk away.  Coffee is served from 9.30 on the morning of the class, we start at 10 and finish around 5.  There is B&B accommodation nearby in Stocksfield and neighbouring villages. We are just a 25 minute train ride from Newcastle Upon Tyne and its many hotels.

Would you like to be with us? Contact me to book a place or know more about future classes at The Stencil Library.  My details can be found in 'About' at the top right hand side of this page.

Helen. 

 

I'm starring in 50 shades of grey

Oh sorry, that should have read 'I'm stairring in 50 shades of grey'

The redecoration of the hall and main staircase at Stocksfield Hall has begun. Right now every thing is stark, dark and echoey and I am enjoying the temporary change of scenery.

I like to surround myself with colour and pattern. At present I feel like a tourist in Monochrome Land.

It will feel exotic for a few days then I will start to reintroduce the familiar touches that feel like my home.  My husband is busy painting pictures for our walls.

We hung his new dot painting of Girl with a Pearl Earring last week but it sold to visitors an hour later so I have an empty wall again. I shall trawl the charity shops for furniture which I will stencil and gild to punctuate the landing spaces. My original idea was to introduce a sinuous design snaking up the stair risers, embellished with crystals to catch light from the south facing windows. I am re-thinking that plan at the moment.

One of my ubiquitous disco ball hangs at the window and that makes pretty patterns with light.  The new, mat from Ikea will stay plain until sunlight and footfall spoil it's neat appearance then I will blend fade and stains together with stenciled pattern as I have done with other sisal flooring over the years.

I am perusing our stencil catalogue for the perfect design to gild onto the flat grey dor.

So far I am thinking DE158 Art Nouveau panel or JA122 Oriental Egret panel but there are a couple of other stencil designs nagging me for attention. I shall use Dutch metal transfer leaf in gold so that the lustre will gleam when the sun is low during winter months,

So far, I have added pots of red flowers to the stairway and my husband has stencilled the hall floor with VN22 Tudor repeat.

Colour and pattern is beginning to regain it's hold on our home.

Next month we host the latest production from the Drama in the Parlour theatre company and in May we have our next stencil day, so I hope to have it finished by then.  

Helen.

Back to the seashore

I am hoping to get back to the coast this weekend to finish painting furniture and accessories for a favourite client. The weather forecast is not looking good so will take a sleeping bag and an espresso maker in case I can't get home for snow.

I took this picture last week from the warmth of the pub on my lunch break. Artist, Sabina Rose came to help me, we thought that two pairs of hands would get the job finished with time to spare for walks on the beach and cliff tops. We were wrong.

Neither time nor weather were on our side and we did not accomplish either goal but laughed a lot, discovered three lovely eateries and bought Craster kippers to take home with us. 

Helen

Old House Beautiful (US) magazines require new home

As you know, I have recently moved home.  I am still moving the last few bits and pieces.  Many of you also know I have a rather large magazine collection.  I have moved somewhere in the region of 40 large Ikea blue bags full so far and am not quite finished (see next post).  One advantage of moving is that it gives you an opportunity to sort, assess and jettison (if necessary).  As I struggle to fit everything into my small house, I realised that it is time to part with some of my possessions.  First up, some magazines.  Yes, I could just chuck them in the recycling bin, but before I do, I thought I would give someone the opportunity to take them off my hands.  This batch includes 29 US version House Beautiful magazines from the 1990's.  They are mostly complete, but the odd issue may be missing the odd page.  This is a little gem of an interiors magazine.  Each one is very thin, but packed with information and inspiration.  You never know what you will get in each issue, such is the variety of themes and styles.  I flicked through them recently to be reminded of why I kept them in the first place: they are full of interior (and garden) ideas and would be a great source of creativity.  Whilst the ads may look a bit dated, the features themselves are timeless (aside from any prices I hasten to add).  So if you are an interior decorator or decorative painter or just a lover of magazines and would like these issues to add to your library, please let me know.  You can have them free, but pay for the postage.  And here lies the catch.  They weigh 10kg.  Local people can collect from Stocksfield Hall, but I have had an initial look at postage prices and within the UK they would cost 18.80 GBP to send, within Europe around 44.00 GBP (maybe less depending on your country), to the US and Canada, around 84.00 GBP.  I can do better if I send them surface and the cost will be about 74.00 GBP.  This may put you off and I do understand, but the offer is there if anyone wants to take me up on it.  Please contact me  if you would like them. When they have gone I will amend this post. 

The original sofa co

Yesterday my Mum and I had a day at the Living North Fair

and this arm chair seemed to call to me from a trade booth. It matched my tweedy outfit and so I plonked myself into it so that I could look stylish whilst resting. This had to be one of the most comfortable chairs ever.

Mum rested on the 'Rome Chesterfield' sofa which would look gorgeous in my house, there is a similar one that looks like it has been stencilled,

so that too would look quite at home in my place. The attic room that I am decorating at the moment is suited to this Knowle sofa, all the better for keeping the draughts from me.

The Original Sofa Co is near Gateshead. I have driven past it a few times and was tempted to visit because they advertise vintage and pre-loved furniture. Now that I know what to find I'll definitely be calling in.

Helen.

Craster kippers, seascapes and a plaid armchair.

My own home decorating plans are on hold for a few days as I'll be traveling to the Northumberland coast to decorate one of the old fishing cottages at Craster, home of the world famous Craster Kippers.

Craster is a tiny, harbour village with a gastro pub, a coffee house, a fish smokerie and a ruined castle. I won't have time for a stroll to Dunstanburgh Castle again but here it is from last weeks 'go see' trip. 

The furniture for the cottage has been painted and quietly distressed at my studio and will travel to it's new home with me.

I am working a decorative scheme around this piece of fabric and a painting of stormy seas by Mick Oxley. He has a gallery next to the pub. Happy days....

Helen. 

Farewell to Rachel's art deco stencilled lounge

Please don't shout at me but I am painting over this room next week.

It used to be Rachel's living room. Now that she and her furniture have moved to her new home I shall make a guest bedroom from it. Rachel won't mind, she has already created another lovely art deco lounge with the help of her boyfriend.

Her old room had two halves both had stencilling on the walls and vintage furniture but the colours and function were quite different.

One is definitely for lounging

and the other has a kitchenette and dining table. Before they left Stephen took these photos, I like the one with the fancy fish eye lens! 

 

Stencil. VN7 Chain Lightning

Stencil VN47 chevron stencil

Stencil VN160 Octopus stencil.

and this is how the room looks this morning. I promise I will do something unusual with the rooms redo and will keep you posted. Rachel will keep you up to date with her new rooms too.

Helen 

Jennifer Bernard, then and now

When The Stencil Library moved to Stocksfield Hall in the 1990's we had a 15 year old girl called Jenni Bernard helping us to decorate it.

Jenni was sent by her school for work experience. We thought she was brilliant so she stayed on as a 'Saturday Girl' helping in our shop. Years passed, Jenni trained as an interior designer. We kept in touch sporadically. she opened her own design business, got married, won awards. Rachel, Chips and I would read about her in newspaper and glossies. I would bump in to her at the design shows in London and we'd have a quick catch up over tea. We both have fond memories of her Saturday's at The Stencil Library. Jenni is now Jennifer of Bernhart Interiors and was the subject of a recent 'Then and Now interview' so I thought I'd take this oportunity to give her a shout out, not that she needs one. The very small picture shows the fifteen year old Jen being featured in House Beautiful Magazine.

New private class at The Stencil Library for groups of 6 or less.

Invent your own creative day at The Stencil Library. £390 per group (max 6 persons).

Get a group together and plan a creative day to suit yourselves. Lunch, refreshments, a teacher and basic paint/stencil equipment will be provided. The core charge is £390 so if the price is shared between you and five others your share becomes £65 plus any extra materials you may need. You can chose to learn general stencilling skills or work on a specific project. The cost of any extra supplies will be determined once you have decided what you would like to learn.  So, you get to choose the project, the date and the people that you spend it with...which sounds pretty good to me.

The private class has worked well in the past for training as well as celebratory occasions such as birthdays and 'get togethers' . Contact us for more details.  Non private stencil classes are scheduled at Stocksfield Hall on Feb 3rd and May 4th 2013.