Design Inspiration. Planet Stencil Library.

New dates for events at The Stencil Library

TOURS OF THE STENCILLED HOME

Morning or evening tours £20 Morning tours 10am. Evening tours 7pm. Duration:  Approx' 2.5 hours 

2023: Saturday 9th December, Saturday 16 December 10am 

2024: Jan Wed 24, Feb Wed 21, March Fri 8, April Wed 10, May Fri 3, June Wed 5 and Sat 8, July Wed 3.

All the rooms in Stocksfield Hall are decorated with stencils. It is the home of the The Stencil Library partners. The house has been featured in many books, magazines and television programmes worldwide. Our tour visits 12 stencilled rooms and your guide will explain the decoration of the different surfaces.

After light refreshments, a demonstration of basic stencil techniques is given. It is fun and informal.    

Private tours: groups of 10 or less by arrangement, £170 per group

COURSES:

Total beginners as well as those with previous stencilling experience should benefit from any class. Also, the classes may be useful for those who are already teaching paint-related workshops and want to add some extra skills to their repertoire.

We will start with the basic stencil skills then build. Once the techniques have been demonstrated, you will work and experiment to your own level. Bring a note book and an overall/apron (we have spares if needed).

Refreshments, vegetarian lunch and materials are provided on full-day classes. Please advise us if you have any allergies or dietary requirements. Refreshments and materials are provided on half-day classes.

We offer a price reduction of £5 per class per person when two or more classes are booked at the same time (does not apply to House Tours or Tea & Stipple).

 

TEA & STIPPLE £50  A tour AND a class!

1pm-5pm 2024: Jan Thurs 25, Mar Wed 6th, May Mon 6 (bank hol).

After a guided tour around The Stencilled Home, enjoy tea, cake and a stencilling session. You will decorate and take home a cushion cover. Ideal as a treat to yourself or with friends.

Duration: 4 hours

Private class: groups of four or less by arrangement, £170 per group

Cushion colours will vary.

STENCIL DAY  £95

9.45am-5pm 2024 Saturdays Jan 27, Feb 24, Mar 1, May 4th, June Thurs 13,

Gain confidence, knowledge and skills to tackle projects such as walls, floors and soft furnishings. The day involves practical work, demonstrations and a visit to the stencilled rooms in Stocksfield Hall. You will learn to cut a stencil and experiment with different media and surfaces, including fabric. You also get to take home completed samples and a starter kit worth around £45, including brushes. It gives a good base to develop stencilling skills along with plenty of inspiration for using them.

STENCIL TECHNIQUES FOR FABRIC £90

 9am-1.00pm 2024 Jan Sun 28, May Sun 5

Gain knowledge and experience and learn techniques to stencil fabrics for home decoration and clothing. Using an elaborate, Moroccan-style square stencil and matching borders, you will decorate a length of fabric. You will learn how to apply colour, repeat patterns, measure for symmetry and connect corners in your project. The design is suitable for walls, floors and furniture decoration as well as fabric. The stencil set is yours to take home.

 

STENCIL TECHNIQUES FOR FURNITURE £95

9.45am-5.30pm 2024 Sundays: Feb 25, April Tues 9.

We shall experiment with a collection of corners, borders, repeat and spot motif stencils to create panels, circlets and overall pattern using paint and metal leaf. Simple fantasy finishes and decoupage will be demonstrated. Many of the skills learned will apply to larger projects too. You should gain skills and confidence to customise pieces of furniture and other small-scale projects. You take home completed samples of work on paper, class  notes, and more than £50 worth of stencils.

 

CHINOISERIE STENCILLED PANEL £295

9.45am-5pm for 2 days then 10am-1pm. 2024 April 12 to 14, June 15 to 17.

Fake your own Chinoiserie wallpaper with stencils. We will explore ways of using stencils to create the look of hand painted Chinese wallpapers from the 1700’s to the present day. We will create at least one decorative panel and practice simple gilding and broken colour techniques. Students use and take home an exclusive stencil set to help create murals and panels; discount will be given on the day if further stencils are desired.

Duration: 2 full days plus a half day.

 

MIRROR IMAGE £95

9.45am-5pm 2024 June Fri 7.

Create a decorative mirror finish on a framed acrylic panel (size approx 30x40cms). You will explore stencilling reverse colour onto a transparent surface before gilding it. A unique water gilding process and metal leaf will be employed. This technique can transform flat glass or acrylic into a silver leaf effect mirror suitable for wall panels, splash-backs and furniture. The mirror frame will be decorated using a different gilding process. You take home your framed panel, stencil and notes.

MOROCCAN STYLE PANEL £110

9.45am-5.30pm 2024 Mar Sun 2.

A fun and challenging project. Create a decorative panel using repeat and border designs. You will leave with knowledge, experience and a fabulous set of stencils that will enable you to create further projects.

BOOKING

All classes and tours must be booked in advance. Prices are per person. We will issue a payment request for your booking and confirmation will be sent upon receipt. Credit card payments can be accepted by phone. In the event of customer cancellation, no money will be refunded unless 14 days’ notice has been given or we can fill your place on the class. We will endeavour not to cancel a class unless unavoidable, but reserve the right to do so.

To book, please contact us by phone 01661 844844 or by email [email protected]

The Stencil Library,  The Farmhouse, Stocksfield Hall, Stocksfield, Northumberland NE43 7TN

ACCOMMODATION

We are a short train ride or a longer bus ride from the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and from the historic market towns of Hexham and Corbridge. There is accommodation to suit various budgets in those places. There is also B&B accommodation in and around Stocksfield, but you will need to walk or drive from most. We can email the local listings to you. There is ample parking for visitors to The Stencil Library. Newcastle upon Tyne is 17 miles away and has an airport, rail, bus and coach station.

GENERAL

The classes and tours take place in a private home; there are uneven floors and stairs. The house can be cold, even in summer, so wear layers!

Due to the size of the projects, classes are limited to a maximum of six students on the stencil day class, three on Chinoiserie or Moroccan, and a maximum of four students on the mirror, Tea & Stipple and fabric class.

We can host private classes and tours on other dates by request.

Buy one, get one free. My mistake, your gain.

Would you like a free stencil? Yes? Then, read on.

Because all our stencils are made to order we won’t usually have discounted excess stock to offer. However, I miscalculated the quantity on a large order of stencils going to a shop and cut a lot more than they needed and so rather than have them sit in the office I am offering you a 'buy one, get one free' on all Basic Borders from our Budget Collection  Just choose and pay for one Basic Border stencil on our website. Then, in the special instruction section on the order form tell me which other Basic Border you would like free of charge. You may choose two of the same design if wished.

If you are ordering by phone rather than through the website, just give me the information when you call. Our contact details are here.

Basic Borders are a range of stencils that we created for shops, so all the prices and the sizes are the same. Basic Borders cost £11.25 each and their design size varies between 2 and 3.5 inches. (50mm and 90mm) The total size of the stencils including the surround is around 4 and a half inches tall (115mm) and just over 10 inches (260mm) long. All the Basic Borders start with the code BB. If the code does not start with BB it is not part of this offer. There are 106 rather lovely BB's in the Budget Collection, there is bound to be one, two or more to suit you. Enjoy browsing and choosing....this will not be happening again. I hope.

Helen.

How to fake the look of mosaic with stencils

An alternative title to this post could be 'Taking the Ache out of Mosaic' how to fake the look of mosaics with stencils.  There is an entire section of our stencil catalogue full of mosaic stencils Originally, we designed them to enhance floors and walls. However, the smallest of the sizes is a good scale for use on furniture and looks rather splendid on fabrics too. My first picture shows the small standard size on the wall and the medium size on the floor.

There are three sizes available to order in the mosaic section. They are all in scale with each other so if you want a medium sized border make sure that any corner pieces or tiles are medium sized too. The large size has impact and is fast to stencil, the smaller sizes look more realistic

A medium sized mosaic tile and border stencil was used to decorate these concrete pavers in the yard behind our office.

Most of the stencils in the Mosaic Collection have layers; one for each colour so the application of the paint is simple and precise; you will not have to worry about colour separation because we have done that for you.   You just need to decide which colours you would like to use. This fabulous range of stencils is simple to use and looks great.

A mid-tone background is best to stencil onto when using the mosaic stencil collection, both grey and brown are suitable colours because they offer a realistic grout effect when combined with light or dark colours. 

The mosaic collection of stencils from The Stencil Library can be accessed here and if you type the word mosaic into the site search when you are on our website you will find more mosaic borders that are not part of this collection. 

Recently, our customer JCM Studio of Decorative Arts in Westminster, Maryland used our mosaic stencils to decorate the entry ramp area to the workshop.

photo by Jutz Moreland. The owner Jutz Moreland said it took her a while to do but was thrilled with the outcome....so are we. You can see her photos and videos on The JCM Studio Facebook page

Decorative artist Sabina Rose stencilled the window sills in her conservatory with border no ML6-M

......and I stencilled this stencilled canvas floorcloth using the MT1 Plain Tile, the ML5 Border and the ML17 Corner Tile.

This project used to be one of the classes I taught.

A helpful instruction leaflet full of tips and information is included with stencils from the Mosaic Collection.

Feeling inspired? 

Helen.

 

 

 

5 reasons to choose stencils when decorating walls

As an experiment I asked an Ai chatbot for an answer to the question 'Give me five reasons why people would choose stencils to decorate their walls' to see if I agreed with it. I did agree; mainly because I think that I wrote most of it over the past three decades in both on-line and print articles.  

There are several reasons why a person might choose to decorate their home using stencils but I limited it to five so read on to discover what the Ai Chatbot and I had to say

1. Cost-Effective Solution: Stencilling and doing it yourself can be a budget-friendly option compared to purchasing expensive wallpapers or hiring professional decorative painters. Stencils are generally more affordable and for most projects do not need specialist paints. Plasters, gels and textured paints can also be applied through a stencil if required. Stencilled decoration can help to achieve a luxury look tailored to your living space without the associated costs of a bespoke decorative scheme. Even if you hire a professional stenciller the results can be cost effective in comparison to papers and professional hangers.
2. Customization: Stencils offer a high level of customization, allowing individuals to create unique patterns and designs that match their personal style and preferences.  Firstly, you can choose the pattern from a huge selection offered by on-line stencil designers and makers worldwide; The Stencil Library in the UK can change the scale of their own designs to suit you. Secondly and most importantly you can stencil those designs in any colour that you want. You control the depth of the colour; you can opt for an even, flat application or use shading, blended colour and highlights. With a wide range of stencils available by mail order, you can select ones that resonate with your taste and the style or theme of your home then have them delivered to you. If you cannot find what you want you can always try making your own. The Stencil Library sells stencil material and cutting tools for this purpose.
3. DIY Creativity:   Stenciling is a creative process perfect for those who enjoy hands-on DIY projects. It allows active participation in the decorating process, adding a sense of accomplishment and personal touch to each project. This can be particularly appealing to those who enjoy crafting and artistic activities. However, in my experience stencilling often requires common sense rather than artistic ability. My advice is to allow yourself the time to enjoy the project, the sense of achievement can be addictive
4. Temporary Decor: Stenciling is a great option for those who like to change their home decor frequently without committing to permanent changes or major renovations. Renters can decorate furniture, fabrics, art, rugs and wall-hangings if the walls cannot be painted. There will be a surface somewhere that can be embellished with your personal touch even if it is just cushion covers or place mats.
5. Accent Walls and Focal Points: Stencils can be used to create eye-catching accent walls and focal points within a room. Stencilled decoration adds visual interest and can transform a plain wall into a stunning feature that attracts attention. Stencils allow you to experiment with colour and pattern to create a focal point that complements the room's overall design.

As someone who lives in an extremely stencilled (and rented) home I will add that the pleasure that I have had from the process of creating this home and the reactions of the many, many visitors would always make me choose stencil and paint before any other option.

Some years ago I wrote a piece called 'Ten reasons to choose stencils' and included fifteen in the feature. Do you have your own reasons to choose stencils to decorate surfaces?..It could be all sorts of surfaces from cakes to curtains, skin to steel, not just walls. 

Helen

I know that there are at least fifteen...when I have re-found the article. 

 

 

15 Essential Stencils for Gorgeous Gothic Style.

Our subscriber newsletter this month introduced Gothic as the featured stencil collection. However, a newsletter format offers little room to show the relevance of period style in a contemporary setting or to give examples of how the stencils may be used......So, scroll on for inspiration and information

From simple transformations like decorating a chair cover, clothing, rug or storage chest to embracing the creation of an entire room of gothic gorgeousness there may be the perfect stencils waiting to help you achieve it.

The first and second image show stencil GMT52. The chair covers stencilled with GMT38 are tied on to existing seat pads for ease of cleaning and to avoid reupholstering. Both are in the repeating pattern section of our Gothic Collection.

Previous and next images show GMT53 in rich bold colours and then subtle shades of pearlescent and interference paint. Both rooms were in my home.

Image 6 shows interference paints with the same GMT53 stencil. I think you would agree that the choice of colours makes a big difference to the final result. Contact me for a colour chart and current stock list of these unusual paints I have a few colours left and they are lovely.

You could create the most dramatic wall-scapes with large stencils of knights and heraldry 

just like I did in my first dining room! We can make the same knights and heraldry in a smaller scale and there is a simple version called TP52 Gothic in the Budget collection which would be a perfect size to embellish items such as boxes, book covers and cupboard fronts

For full on gothic colour think of richly decorated churches and civic buildings of the 1800s not just in Great Britain but North America and Western Europe. Although the style originated from England it spread rapidly. 

Wall-hangings are a great way to add colour and style on a more portable basis. Stencilled hangings and rugs can be rolled and transported with ease between homes. The image above shows GMT51 on the mirror cabinet.

This stencil is GMT58 The addition of gold or other metallic colours add movement to your stencilled pattern because its changes with the reflecting light.

Here is GMT69 Gothic Motif no 6 stencilled in Crown Paint's 'Millionaire' gold paint for one of their brochures, it demonstrates that minimal gothic can be very appealing... and quick to do. The photo credit is Crown Paint U.K.

Stencilled tile patterns are an extremely versatile tool to decorate many surfaces. This one is T2 Tile no 2 from the tile section of our Gothic range. I have used it in various sizes over the years onto walls, floors and furniture. It remains a favourite.

Stencilled sisal matting and canvas floor cloths can offer a dramatic and portable way to inject colour and style into a room.  Stencil GMT43 is the design. When I decorating these IKEA was a good source for buying sisal rugs.

SIB19-L Elizabethan is stencilled with both light and deep magenta coloured paint.

A similar design appears in black around the top of the room in the next picture. It is a border stencil; number GMT23 I had it enlarged to fit the space. All the herbs and flower stencils can be found in the Tree and Flower section of the Gothic collection. 

My last essential gothic stencil for this post is GMT54 This design crops up on my social media and past blog posts because I use it such a lot; possibly the most unexpected of my projects was these stencilled jeans with velvet inserts.

What do I mean by Gothic style? 

The Gothic Revival period is also called Victorian Gothic and Neo Gothic. The decorative style emerged in the 1800s Although described as the quintessentially English style it spread throughout Western Europe and North America.  On our blog this month I am featuring classic and contemporary examples of Gothic stencil projects, some are from my own home. Please have a look; I hope they will inspire you and please do not forget that Chips, me and our social media followers really enjoy seeing your projects. If you mention @thestencillibrary or #thestencillibrary on Instagram or Facebook I should find them.

What does Gothic pattern look like?   If you think of the painted pattern on church walls and grand civic buildings of the Victorian era you will recognise Gothic Revival. These richly detailed patterns historically were stencilled in deep reds, blues and golds although a modern interpretation might include the use of pearlescent colours, monochrome, pastel and self-tone examples

Who are the famous names in the Gothic Revival era?   Well,  there are quite a few but I shall mention the ones that had a direct influence on our stencil design and decorating style at The Stencil Library: Herbert Minton, Edward Burne-Jones, George Gilbert Scott and finally A.W.N Pugin & his family.

Not too far from The Stencil Library at Ushaw Historic House and Garden you will find a beautiful example of Gothic Revival in the main chapel, the design and decoration began with AWN Pugin and completed by his descendants. I have featured it some years ago in the 'Reasons to visit Northumberland visiting Ushaw' chapter of this blog.

In the late 18th century Gothick style emerged; it is not the same style as Gothic without the 'K. Gothick was often romantic and frivolously frothy with little historical basis....and along with contemporaries' 'Rococo' and 'Chinoiserie' is worthy of a future post and newsletter.

Helen