Design Inspiration. Planet Stencil Library.

Yaeko's Golden Squares stencil.

This stencil helps to mimic the squares of metallic leaf that you may find in the background of Asian style murals and wallpapers. One of the experts in this style of decoration is Japanese artist Yaeko Kurimata of the Tokyo based Faux Arts Design   Yaeko designed this stencil as a tool to help speed up the process of measuring and masking squares. We are pleased to be featuring it in the 'New Stencils' section of Stencil-Library.Co.Uk  

Faux Arts Design often create large scale artworks therefore her stencil helps them (and us) decorate full walls as well as smaller projects like wardrobes or canvases.

There is a skill in achieving the appearance of gilding that Yaeko creates but with practice and experiment you will find your own way of using it. My first attempt gave an appearance of Northumberland stone which was perfect for the Chinoiserie panels project that I was working on.

Yaeko often uses a metallic painted background ( I use metallic wallpaper) the squares are stencilled in a vaguely haphazard manner to give the impression of antiquing or corrosion.

Yaeko uses a lint free rag to further distress the surface paint but this is only one of a myriad ways to use the stencil.

I often stencil the squares using an acrylic scumble glaze tinted with paint. I no longer sell the glazes but they are available at DIY stores. The glaze makes the paint dry slowly without making it runny and then I can make imprints into it using sponges or fabric.

I found that 'Yaekos Golden Squares' stencil also helps to create the effect of a tiled background. The background becomes the grout colour and the squares are stencilled with the colour of the 'tiles'.  To add further interest keep the squares stencil in position and place a patterned stencil on top of it.  Stencil though both of the stencil layers,  The pattern will appear only in the squares and if all was lined up correctly gives the impression of decorated tiles.  I'll try and do a demo and publish it here or at our Instagram page.  However a similar project showing stencilling a pattern within a shape can be found here

This is the pair of us muralling in Tokyo some years ago. It is very rare that we sell stencils from another designer but the stencil is fabulous...and so is she so we made an exception.

Helen.

Some stencil projects for the garden

I expect that those of you who have a garden are spending more time than usual in it at the moment.  For the next few weeks I do not forsee me going anywhere other than the four metre commute accross the yard to cut stencils and the short walk to the post office to send them to our customers. So, I may get time to finish some decorating projects. One such project will be to stencil some more garden pots and another fabric gazebo.  I stencilled the Indian style tent in 2018 for my Mum's birthday, the sun hits this spot in late afternoon and early evening so I decorated a dining table.

I intend to create the other stencilled gazebo on the opposite side of the garden.  

I used acrylic paint on the canvas. The stencils were from our Ottoman stencil range and I adjusted some of the sizes. All our stencils are made to order which enables us to offer the same service to our customers.

The seating was made from packaging pallets and hidden under bedsheets decorated with the pheasant border stencil no JA22.

I used True Gold paint from our metallics range, they are machine washable on the material so will withstand the British rain! The stencilled table was protected with exterior varnish bought from a hardware store. 

The plant pots in my pictures were stencilled six years ago and are holding up well. I want to paint some more for the new gazebo.

They were painted with household paint; the kind that sticks to plastic. The stencil was a custom sized F6 Rope design from our stencils for furniture range. None of my garden pots are varnished and the decoration lasts very well.

I used the normal sized rope stencils from our stencils for furniture collection on the chairs.  

If you are inspired to decorate planters in your garden or balcony and would like more information from me just let me know.

Helen.

 

 

A stencilled border on a wooden floor, frames a room.

I have been corresponding with a lady in the USA who wants to stain her wooden floor and stencil a border around it so I thought it timely to show one that I did at home. It may help her and inspire you. The border could not be more simple it is a row of diamonds framed on either side by a solid line.

The solid line needs bridges or ties in it to stop the stencil from flopping but they can be painted out with ease, one just moves the stencil along a couple of inches and fills in the gaps with paint.

I used black acrylic paint to stencil the border and butted the edge of the stencil against the skirting board. Registration marks cut into the stencil facilitates a regular pattern repeat.  I could have mitred the corners in the room but I chose to put a motif in each corner. The motif sits inside a black square stencilled with the same paint.  Putting a square in the corner effectively chops off the border in a neat fashion so that you don't have to fuss with measuring to make the corners symmetrical.

The motif that sits in the black squares is a CS86 a Tudor rose motif from our Budget Collection. It fits with the style of the room and complements the border.  When the stencil work was completed I diluted the same paint with a bucket full of water to make the wood-stain and then just wiped the floor with a cloth dipped in the mixture. I decorated this floor more than twenty years ago and acrylic varnish was not as sophisticated as it is now. This floor had an oil-based varnish applied to protect it. Since then my floors are protected with acrylic varnish. It works well if one applies four or five thin coats. Acrylic varnish dries quickly so this can be done in a day.

The sisal floor mat was also stencilled, see how it was done here.  I hope you agree that the room looks so much better for having a frame of stencilled pattern around the edges.

A Stencil of A Flight Of Swallows

We have designed a companion for one of our favourite stencils, the 'Y10 Three Swallows' The Y10 stencil features a swallow motif in different sizes.

They can be stencilled as a swarm, in a row or as single motifs. Stencil Y-10 is versatile and inexpensive. Now, meet the new kid on the flock.

The new stencil helps those that have less time or confidence to create a swarm or 'flight' of stencilled swallows. The beginning of the flight has been created for you on stencil layer 1. The direction of flight depends on which side of the stencil you wish to use.

Creating a stencilled flock, swarm or flight is a handy solution when wonky ceilings, odd placements of doors, niches, windows and other obstacles prevent a more formal style of decoration. The flight could provide an alternative to directional signage, eg. 'Follow the Swallow' whereby a trail of stencilled swallows leads to an exit, or the washrooms or garden.

I have stencilled a long skirt with the swallow flight too, I was told it was 'Just the right side of creepy' which actually was meant as a compliment.

All the small swallows (stencil 1) are applied first. When you are happy with the flow of the 'flight' start to stencil the medium-sized swallows over them (stencil 2). You do not need as many of these as you did with layer one.

Finish with a few motifs from layer 3 The three sizes of swallows gives a sense of perspective to the decoration.

Here are a couple more examples of decoration from our various stencils of swallows.

The new 'Flight of Swallows' stencil is available by contacting us, it is not on our website. I will put details of the new stencil in the comments section below. Links to other swallow stencils are VN300 and Y-10.

Helen.

A stencilled caftan in Marrakech

Last March I visited a friend who owns a riad in Marrakech. Before I went I stencilled a caftan to wear around her house. 

The caftan was made for me by a lady in our village. This was it before I started painting.

and this was it after.

If you would like to know what went on between those two photos, read on.

I chose the stencil DE173-Border 81 because I had not used it before, it is an art nouveau style border depicting papyrus in water and I thought it would be a perfect size for my project. A more 'normal' use for this stencil would be to decorate the area above a picture rail on a wall.

I wanted one of the tall flowers in the design to be central at the base of the caftan, flanked by two shorter ones. To find the centre point of the base of the caftan I folded the fabric like this....

I made a crease at the centre of the hem to align with the centre of the tall flower motif. To stop the fabric sliding whilst being stencilled I cut a vague body shape out of wallpaper and sprayed a light misting of SprayMount onto to one side of the paper then inserted it into the caftan. I smoothed the fabric over the slight tack on the paper taking care not to lose the crease that I made earlier. The centre stem of the tall flower was aligned with the crease on the fabric. The caftan has side splits so the pattern does not have to flow around the entire hem of the garment. The back of the caftan can have a central flower too.

The border was positioned along the hem, there are some diamond-shaped holes cut into the stencil to help create regular pattern repeats and to make sure that stencil layer 1 and 2 will align with each other. Place both layers of the stencil together and check alignment and position before any paint is applied. Then set aside layer 2 and spray or tape stencil layer 1 in position.

I used a mid-tone blue to stencil the leaves and white for the water. Dip only the tips of the stencil brush into paint then eliminate the excess paint by 'stirring' the brush in circles onto a wad of paper towel until the paint is distributed evenly through the brush tip and the paint is damp, not wet. Apply the paint through the stencil with a gentler version of the stirring motion. 

The colours were chosen to go with scarves and other accessories that would go to Marrakech with me. I like to take minimum luggage so everything has to work together. After the mid-tone was applied I added shading to some areas with a darker blue.

Before removing the stencil I placed small pieces of tape onto the caftan directly under the diamond shapes. I marked through the diamonds onto the tape. The diamond shapes cut into the second stencil fit directly over the marks on the tape. The tape is marked rather than the fabric, all the bits of tape are removed at the end of the project.

Once stencil layer 2 was in position I applied magenta and orange through it, two colours that are always in my suitcase and wardrobe. I added silver paint to complete the water part of the design. I could have added another layer of white but my favourite sandals are silver so the colour had to be featured. A clean, dry stencil brush is needed for each colour.

To reproduce the border along the hem just position the diamond shapes in the stencil with the marked tape on the garment.

When you reach the outer edges of the garment find a natural looking place to finish the pattern. I applied masking tape onto areas where I did not want paint applied and then filled in the rest. with colour. Do the same on both layers of the pattern. 

On one edge of the pattern I appear to have applied a butterfly stencil to the gap in the pattern, I can not remember whether that was deliberate or just that I forgot to do the opposite edge.

The top of the caftan was stencilled with designs from our Ottoman and Moroccan style stencils. I had used them one on of our guest rooms and they were perfect to reuse on this project. This was the front of my stencilled caftan...

and this was the back....

and this was me wearing it on my friend's roof terrace in Marrakech.

I was holidaying on one of the fabulous 'creative retreats' that she runs from Maison 28, her riad in the heart of the Medina, Marrakech. Some of the retreats are based in the city and others go further afield.  I can highly recommend both the riad and the retreats. Outside of retreat season, Maison 28 is available for hire. You can host your own retreat!

I will tell you much more of my visit in a future post but for now, you can follow the link and learn more about the offering at Maison 28. Did you notice that I'm posing by a matching stencilled cushion? That'll have to wait for a future post too.

Helen.

 

Introducing our Foo Dog stencil and how to decorate a cushion with it.

We have great pleasure in introducing our Foo Dog stencil, it was originally an exclusive design for our readers and social media followers. It is now on The Stencil Library website. All the paints and brushes are available from The Stencil Library and the plain, cotton cushion cover came from IKEA. Read on to follow our stencilled cushion project.

To re-create this project you will need:

Paper, this should be cut to a size to fully insert into the cushion cover.

A spray repositioning adhesive. We use Spraymount by 3M but are unable to supply it by mail, get it from art or office suppliers.

Paper towel.

Painter's masking tape.

A stencil brush for every colour used in the project. I used four of our stencil brushes on this one.  Size 6 and size 4 will be useful

Paints of your choice. I used Burnt Umber and Phthalocyanine Blue mixed together, White, Naphthol Crimson, Pearl Turquoise and Pearl Magenta. The two pearlescent colours are not essential, I just like to add a bit of sparkle. However, you can use any combinations of colours that you like. All the paints used in this project can be ordered from The Stencil Library

The cushion cover should be dry, laundered and ironed before starting this project. Fold it into four equal quarters and make a crease along the inner edges towards the corner so that when unfolded you will see a cross made from a horizontal and a vertical crease.

Spray a light, even, misting of SprayMount over the piece of paper and after a few seconds insert it into the cover and smooth the fabric onto the slightly tacky paper. This will stop the fabric from shifting when it is stencilled. The paper should nearly fill the cover. Then apply a mist of the spray onto the back of the stencils. Do not overload with adhesive. My technique is to press my hand onto the back of the stencil a few moments after applying the spray. The stencil should stay stuck to my hand for a few seconds only before falling off.  You just need a similar stickiness to Post It notes.

Place stencil No1 so that the outer edge lies along the centre line at the desired height on the cushion cover. Remember that you may be adding a decorative box underneath the foo dog, so, adjust accordingly. Now stick a length painters' tape under the bottom of the stencil extending to the other half of the fabric. This helps you get an equal height for the matching image. Tear a few small pieces of tape and press them onto the fabric directly under the four diamond shaped registration marks cut into the stencil. 

Pour a little paint onto a palette and dip the flat face of the brush onto the surface of the paint, you need very little paint. Now, stir the brush in a circular motion onto the paper towel this will distribute the paint right across the bristle and dry the tips so that the paint is damp rather than wet before you apply it through the holes in the stencil. Apply the paint with the same stirring motion. The fabric is being held in place with the tacky paper so it won't move when the paint is applied.

Start by stencilling the darkest shade onto layer one of the four overlays that complete the foo dog. In this instance, it was the Phthalo Blue mixed with a little Burnt Umber. Put some paint or pencil through the registration marks onto the tape before removing the stencil. 

Once the first layer is removed the paint should be dry enough to position stencil layer two.

The registration marks should align exactly with the ones on the tape.  Decant some of the original paint colour from the first layer and add white to it. Test the two colours on paper to make sure that the tonal difference can easily be seen but is not extreme.

With a different clean, dry, stencil brush fill in all the holes in the pattern and remove stencil No2

Lighten and brighten the original paint mixture even more and apply stencil layer number three to add the highlights on the Foo Dog. This is when I added touches of the pearl turquoise to add a bright shimmer to the colour scheme. It will not ruin the effect if you omit this extra shimmer, but it does improve it if you do.

Complete the image by stencilling layer 4 in the same colour as the first layer.  If you are adding a background stencil you do that AFTER you have stencilled the foo dog image.

My dear friend Holly tells me that Foo Dogs or Foo Lions should always appear as a pair. So, we will stencil a matching partner.

Now, flip the stencil over and apply the spray adhesive to the other side. Position the foo dog to mirror its partner by lining the edge of the stencil with the tape and the centre crease just like you did with the first one.

Repeat the process of stencilling all the layers. Now you are ready to stencil the boxes underneath the dogs. In my pictures, I have made the box shape with tape, but since I completed this stenciled pillow cover, we added a base layer to the box stencil which will make it easier for you to use. Full instructions and colour suggestions come with the stencil. 

Stencil the two layers of the box in contrasting colours. You should now have a matching pair of 'Foos'. Remove the sticky tape. Decide whether you want to apply a background pattern and if you do, you'll need to mask the stencilled image.

Select a stencil for the background. I used red paint and tinged it with highlights of the pearl magenta. The stencil was F43 Damask from our stencils for furniture collection. There is quite a choice of small patterns like this one. An alternative background could be stencil JA54 Bamboo or some of our Japanese Style repeating stencils.

Stencil over the mask so that you can match the pattern up easily, this design is repeated by placing the stencil over the last line of the previous imprint. I chose to stop the pattern halfway up the cover but if you prefer to fill the whole space then do so.

The stencilling is now finished. Remove the tacky paper and save it for the next cushion. Turn the cover inside out and with an iron heated to the appropriate setting for the fabric, heat set the paint and remove the crease marks.

Then, stuff a cushion pad into it, stand back, admire your handiwork then go off and stencil some more. You could create a 'foo family' with varied colours and background patterns!

My next project with the Foo Dog stencil will be to decorate matching cabinet doors. 

I have priced the stencil based on a height of 14.5 inches (368mm) including the base which is 4.5 inches. There is a bigger one at 23 inches tall, perfect for cupboard and cabinet doors....or much larger pillows than the one in my pictures. Custom sizes can be accommodated too. You can buy them in film weight 125 or 190 micron just select your preferred options on the website.

My next 'how to stencil a cushion cover' project will feature a pair of stencilled Staffordshire Spaniels or 'Wally Dogs'. The Staffys are another new stencil. Visit again to see the results of my project and order the Staffordshire Wally Dog stencil here.

Helen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing our new French Style Stencils: Versailles Pattern

I chose this image to post on our Stencil Library Facebook page when we announced the unveiling of hundreds of new stencils that we created for our online shop.  It shows me removing one of our new stencils to reveal the pattern beneath it. Its name is FR6-Versailles-Repeat and I had much enjoyment from stencilling with it. The FR6 stencil is large and it looks good in one colour, therefore I was able to decorate quite a few room sets with it over a weekend. 

I painted a wall Jasmine Yellow and stencilled the Versailles pattern in another matt emulsion paint from Johnstone's Paint called Saffron Yellow, then, I added a little shading with Raw Siena from our range of acrylic paints. This was to give a subtle variation in colour throughout the pattern.

One room set completed....Yaaay, this is my 'happy face'.

Next, I went to my studio and painted a fake wall with Clarity Green from Johnstone's Paint. 

I stencilled some boxes and files with the matching pattern called FR42-Versaille-Trellis. I used a dark, blue colour called Midnight from Johnstone's Paints for the stencilled decoration.  If using a large stencil and a single, flat colour, it makes sense to use water based household paint and a large stencil brush or a paint roller. Save the artists quality acrylic paints for more artistic stencilling, blending or shading and apply these techniques with stencil brushes.

Colours can be mottled together using sponges as well as brushes.

Now, of course, this is not real, Notting Hill Tube Station does not look like this...but don't you think it should?

Helen

Pretty and subtle stencilling in a bedroom.

I just discovered this photo in my archives, it was quite a joy to see it again. The subject was a bedroom that I stencilled for a rather lovely client some years ago. The JA119-Chrysanthemum panel is stencilled in ivory and bronze on the pink walls, in pink and bronze on the ivory wall then ivory and bronze on the cushions. Simple, subtle, sumptuous, stencilled and special. I posted a picture of a large version of the chrysanthemum stencil on our Facebook and Instagram recently,

it was winging it's way to the USA and no doubt the results will look gorgeous and very different from mine.

Helen.

How To Stencil A Pattern Onto Wallpaper; Featuring Squares and Sharkskin

I had been wanting to do a small decorative project with our MD45 Squares stencil, like our polka dot stencil this one is so fast to do and very effective when finished. We offer it in four different sizes but custom sizes can be made too. I used the MD45-M, the medium-sized stencil.

My paint was True Gold and I used a large stencil brush. I had some leftover wallpaper from the time when we were writing our Stencil It book. It has the look of sharkskin or shagreen which was a good pattern to have underneath the stencilled squares. I like stencilling on wallpaper, this one was by Tektura Wallpapers, they make widths of 137cms, useful for applying a decent amount of pattern on to.

I used low tack tape to hold my stencil and pressed it into position making sure that the squares aligned with the edge of the paper. The first of the pattern repeats must be positioned correctly as the rest of the stencil pattern grows from the first imprint. Take a small amount of paint onto your stencil brush stir the brush onto a paper towel so that the paint is distributed evenly across the bristles and the tips are damp, not wet.

Apply the paint through the stencil using either a stippling or a swirling motion I used the swirling method. There is a very short video on The Stencil Library's Instagram feed showing this. The paint should be touch dry within seconds. Realign the stencil by lifting it and replacing the stencil so that the squares fit exactly over a couple of the rows that you just stencilled. Keep stencilling and aligning until you feel that the decoration is complete.  I did not fill all of the wallpaper with stencilled squares, preferring to leave spaces towards the lower half.

Occasionally, in this area, I turned the stencil so that individual squares would appear to be falling at an angle. Just do one falling square at a time and limit them, otherwise, they will compete with the rest of the pattern. All you need to do now is hang the wallpaper!

Helen.

 

 

In praise of Palmette Motif stencils

 

Our first photograph shows OTT51 Palmette no2, a two-layer motif stencil by The Stencil Library. In this example the first layer is stencilled in a soft white colour, the next overlay features the same taupe colour that is painted on the wall. Foam paint rollers are beneficial for applying paint through large stencils onto walls when a single colour is being used. Of course, you can apply any two or more colours that you like through this stencil. My next example has a lot more colour and is stencilled onto fabric. Stencil brushes were used instead of rollers, that is because brushes are better for applying paint to fabric and because we employed several colours on the second overlay.

I used to have a bedroom that had the OTT51 Palmette motif on stencilled bed canopies. I used a coppery, gold metallic fabric paint for the first layer and then added flowers of red, orange and green acrylic paint through the second part.

I retrieved the stencilled bedhangings from storage this morning to take a closer picture.

Look at this picture showing one of the exhibits from the Jazz Age exhibit at The Cleveland Museum of Art.           

See how fab the palmette looks on a cape! Already I am itching to stencil more fabric!

Recently on DesignInspiration, we featured our VN197 Palmette Repeat stencil.

The VN197 Palmette Repeat is based on our motif stencil but the repeat version is designed to create a regularly spaced pattern speedily and easily, the area between the motifs has been predetermined and guidelines are given for the stenciller to follow.

The palm motif appears to crop up in Egyptian art around the year 2,500 years B.C and spread through much of Eurasian decorative art. A palmette design is loosely based on palm leaves. Usually, they are flat or have outward facing fronds or fingers. There are five to fifteen fronds in a typical classical palmette. We have a few different versions available from The Stencil Library....just type palmette into the search box on our website.

All over pattern, panels, vertical or horizontal lines...? Please tell us how you might use a palmette stencil.

Helen. 

 

 

 

How to stencil onto fabric; stencil a festive pillow....or two

During the recent festive tour of our stencilled home at The Stencil Library, I showed visitors how to stencil cushion covers. We used some inexpensive cotton covers from IKEA and stencilled them with paints from Liquitex, Golden and Lumiere, all are excellent on fabrics. Fabric should be washed, dried and pressed before stencilling. Do not use fabric conditioner or additives other than soap powder. The stencil used was 251 Festive Garland from our Holiday range. This is my tecnique for stencilling cushion covers, pillow slips and tote bags.

Firstly, spray a light mist of repositioning adhesive onto a piece of heavy paper that is cut to fit inside the cushion cover or bag-type shape.

Once inserted, smooth the fabric onto it,  the paper stops the two sides of the cushion cover from slipping against each other. The 251 Festive Garland stencil is in two layers, select the first layer. Lightly spray the reverse of the stencil with the adhesive and press it into position on the cover.

I applied a dark brown paint through all the holes in the stencil. After taking a small amount of the paint onto a medium/large stencil brush work the paint in circles onto a wad of paper towel. This works the paint evenly through the bristles of stencil brushes and it lessens the paint on the tips of the bristles.

The paint should be damp when applied through the stencil. Wet paint will leak. Gently swirl the paint through the holes in the stencil as if stirring a cup of tea. Build up the intensity of the colour by going over the shapes again, this will keep the imprint clean and sharp. This technique is much faster than trying to clean up mistakes from paint bleeds. If different colours are desired then a clean, dry, stencil brush for each colour will be needed. I added some black paint around the edges of some of the larger leaves.  I dusted highlights of bright gold made from adding a rose gold powder to my usual gold paint and stippling it onto the fruit shapes in the pattern.

Before removing the first layer of the stencil I adhered a piece of masking tape to the fabric underneath both the registration marks. I stippled paint through the marks so that they appeared clearly on the tape. The second stencil layer was positioned to match the registration marks.

A red acrylic paint was used to stencil the ribbon shape, we have a few to choose from in our range of paints. I added a little shading with Ivory Black paint to some of the edges.

Remove the tape, admire your handiwork, if the paint manufacturer recommends that you heat set their paint onto fabric then do as they ask. Also, take notice of the fabric laundering instructions and recommended heat settings.

Before finishing the demonstration a black pillow cover was stencilled with the same design.

This time we used a metallic brown shade and added green, red and gold colours. All were from the Lumiere collection of metallic paints. I added a little of our rose gold powder for extra bling. I use 3M Spraymount as the repositioning adhesive for my stencil projects, readers in the USA may find the repostionable spray from Stencil Ease is a good alternative.

One of the great things about the Gurly cushion covers from IKEA is their low price, another is that the backs of the covers are as good as the front...which gives me another surface to stencil onto. When the season changes I can just flip the cushion cover!

Helen.

 

 

 

Stencil a stylish, snowflake stocking.

Stencilling Christmas stockings and gift bags are easy creative projects for a wet winters day. Stylist and author Catherine Woram stencilled this fabric holiday stocking with the SS83-Snowflake stencil by The Stencil Library. It can be found in both the Budget selection and the Holiday section of The Stencil Library's online shop. Catherine is the author of many craft books and a recent post on DesignInspiration showed how she used the same stencil onto table mats.

Acrylic paint adheres very well to fabric and in most cases is machine washable. Follow the instructions for laundering on the product label. Liquitex acrylic and Lumiere metallic paints are two of the ones that I use a lot and throughout this blog, you will find many examples of my stencilling on fabric projects. There is a video clip on YouTube where I show how to stencil fabric. Both ranges of paints are stocked by The Stencil Library.

Helen. 

Photo credit. Catherine Woram.

 

 

 

 

A festive table setting with snow flake stencils.

Stencils of snowflakes can add an instant, minimal, festive charm to a winter-themed table setting. Stylist and author Catherine Woram used our SS83-Snowflake stencil to decorate MDF table mats. Look at charity shops and car boot fairs for dinner mats that you can recycle. After a thorough clean of the mats apply a paint that offers a good adherence to shiny surfaces.  Protect your handiwork with acrylic varnish if you want to keep them pristine. Alternatively, leave them unprotected and redecorate every time you want a new theme for your table decor. I recently made table runners and mats from a frayproof fabric that is used to make roller blinds. I bought my fabric from Surplus Stock at Prudhoe.

Similar table glasses can be ordered from RE-found Objects. Also, look at Nkuku, Rockett St George and Plumo for silver mercury glass. 

Catherine re-used the SS83-Snowflake stencil to decorate Christmas stockings. I will show you those in a day or two. This same snowflake stencil would be a good size for gift bags too....or window panes!

Photo Catherine Woram.

Helen.

 

 

 

 

 

Stencilled Pattern onto Stencilled Pattern, the UnderCoat Collection.

No one at The Stencil Library is pattern-shy or scared of colour, stencilling pattern over more stencilled pattern is quite normal for us. 

We thought that the combination of our VN60-Tiffany and VN24-Inferno stencils, both from our Vintage style range looked rather ravishing as did the combination of our Art Deco repeat stencil with the Klimt inspired VN3-Klimtomania and so a new collection was born. 

We selected some of our stencils, paired them off and reworked the scale so that the patterns were harmonious. Then we made a mini collection of these design duos and called them 'UnderCoats'. They are all stencils from our existing ranges, they are still there and singly they make a stylish decoration for all sorts of surfaces. However...

...as a couple, they add an extra dimension to stencilled decoration.  We found that the combinations look very effective when the first layer is stencilled with matt paints, normal household paint is perfect for this. Then we stencilled the coordinating pattern with metallic paint so that the difference between the two layers is striking. Metallic paint shines or fades with the light, sometimes in low light, the contrast is strong and then as the day brightens the secondary pattern looks less apparent. Texture paste may work well on the second layer but we have not experimented with that yet. Maybe you can try that and report back to us!

There are 16 of these duos in the 'UnderCoat' range, these are a few of them. I will bring you more photos and information very soon.

This picture shows re-sized versions of our JA45-Mokko stencil from our Japanese Style collection and the VN108-Gingham stencil from our Vintage Style range

In small areas, they are not too labour intensive and the results are unique. What do you think?

Helen

A stencil collection inspired by Lanvin's blue bedroom

There is a beautiful blue Art Deco bedroom in Paris and this is the photo...

that provided the inspiration, that created the stencil ...

and this is how it looks on a wall.

In 2008 The Stencil Library was commissioned to make a set of stencils for a magazine that wanted to create a blue and white bedroom just like the one that Interior designer Armand Albert Rateau designed with couturier Jeanne Lanvin in the early part of the last century. The feature was to publicise the newly recreated Lanvin rooms at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. Unfortunately, soon after the stencils were designed the magazine ceased publication and the stencils did not get their chance to shine. We are now hoping to give them a better fate and they form part of our range of ‘Stencils inspired by France’. You will find them at The Stencil Library website, look for the French section.
We are treating you along with our Instagram and Facebook followers to a sneak peek.  There are 12 different stencils in the collection and their prices range between £9.00 and £130.00. Read on for a bit of history, more pictures. different colour-ways and further details of the stencils.

LAN1 is the stencil that looks like the main embroidery pattern and LAN2 mimics the shape of the plaster moulding that goes over it.

We went a little freestyle with elements of the design from Lanvin's bed covers and made a basket of flowers stencil, some border stencils and some motifs that help to create the decoration for furnishings and accessories.
The floral decoration on the original walls and fabric were embroidered onto cornflower blue silk with ivory stitching with accents of copper and orange. Fancy plasterwork and some rather fabulous Art Deco furniture completed the look. A stencil is a less expensive way to achieve the style.

If blue and white are not to your taste you might consider using metallic paint, this effect is stunning on both dark and light backgrounds.

Our paint is by Lumiere and offers a subtle shimmer on walls and fabrics.

I now have a black dress stencilled with this design but will save it and show you at another time.

These blue-grey walls feature the same LAN1 stencil in gold paint on both sides of a long corridor.

The area ended with a cream coloured bathroom and the stencilling continued on the bathroom wall to complete the vista. We made the stencil a little taller to accommodate the sloping ceiling on the corridor. Are you starting to realise the versatility of this stencil and its companions?
If you would like some Art Deco style, French chic, remember that we are offering our readers and social media followers a chance to buy these stencils before anyone else. Not all the stencils in the new collection appear in this post.

You can visit a re-creation of the original room in the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris. My photo of it was snapped from the pages of my copy of Decoration et Haute Couture by Helen Guene.

Helen

 

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How to make a tented canopy bed

A simple addition of a canopy over a bed can give a theatrical touch to a bedroom. Here are three examples from my home and they all employ the same basic structure for assembly.

The first and third examples show the canopy attached to a wooden baton which is screwed into the wall. The lower end of the canopy is suspended over an arrangement of tall, decorative spears which stand on the floor and allow a pole to be cradled between them. The beds in the Ottoman Room have the lower end of the canopy suspended from hooks in the ceiling. A cradle made from a pair of curtain tie backs hold the pole suspended like a trapeze. The pole was a broom handle that was wood stained and gilded but a length of wood doweling would serve the same purpose. I attached curtain finials to each end for decoration. Make sure that the length of fabric is generous enough to look good when draped and be warned that it can weigh a lot.

The fabrics used for each of the bed canopies were stencilled with metallic and acrylic paint, the stencils came from various ranges in our web site including Empire and Ottoman. 
The 'bed head end' of each canopy is fastened to the wooden baton on the wall by means of a length of hook and loop tape such as Velcro. The hooked portion of the tape adheres to the wood and the loop side is sewn along the hem of the fabric. I peel away the fabric from its anchor when I need to launder them.

One of the boards on our Pinterest pages is called 'Tented' and there are more examples of tented (and sometimes stencilled) projects to be found there.

All the cloth was bought at Factory Fabrics which is located close to The Stencil Library.  Another local company, Fionda Furnishings sewed the canopies for me; they made the tented ceilings in the Napoleonic style bedrooms too, but that can be another post!

Helen.

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Upcycle furniture, floor and fashion

‘Up-cycling' Is a word that I loathe but the concept appeals to me.  'Up-cycling' or 'creative reuse' as I understand it is to adapt an existing item and customise it to benefit my purpose and style...often for a relatively small financial outlay. I dislike chucking things away when they can be 'repurposed'...another horrid word.

Our attic guest room is full of recycled, repurposed and up-cycled pieces. The floor mat used to be one of my paintings; I no longer wanted it on the wall and was ferrying it between attic and garage depending on the available storage space in either location. I cut it from its frame and coated both sides of the canvas with emulsion paint, I decorated it with stencilled coach lines then added several coats of acrylic varnish; the varnish makes the painted canvas hard wearing and easy to clean. Also, it adds weight so that the mat does not slip under foot. The creative reuse of this piece means that it is being enjoyed rather than travelling between storage places. I must stress this was one of my paintings not an old master.  An old roller blind has made a suitable floor cloth in the past by using the same varnish and paint technique.  

A veneer table was ruined when one of our work experience students rested a hot iron on it. The damage was beyond repair so the table was filled, painted white then stencilled with Willow Pattern motifs from The Stencil Library's range of stencils for furniture. It now sits under a large mirror that we gilded with an imitation gold leaf called Dutch Metal. The colours featured on the stencilled wall were reused to paint large tin boxes which became useful lamp tables with storage. With the exception of the mahogany table all items were given a more glamorous reincarnation than they had in their previous life. 

When redecorating the attic bedroom I used Anne Sloan Chalk Paint on the walls, the floor cloth, the tin boxes, the iron beds and both the tables. The Chalk Paint gripped to all the different surfaces making them easy to cover. The use of paint gives infinite possibilities for mixing and matching colour and a piece of furniture can be further updated by changing knobs and handles or adding trim.

I saw this chest of drawers in a skip at our local charity shop but it looked nothing like this when I found it. The wood was warped and split. I thought that it was too damaged for me to restore or even paint but I liked the dimensions of it and the shape of its feet. My solution to revive the chest was to have glass cut to fit all the facings and new handles were sourced. Bombay Duck, Anthropologie and Chloe Alberry are good places to look for these. I stencilled each piece of glass on the reverse side, applied aluminium leaf on top of the stencilling and burnished it to a mirror finish. Aluminium leaf gives a soft mirror finish similar to silver leaf but does not tarnish.The decorated glass was then fixed to the drawers with screws. The stencil work and leaf are protected behind the glass. The result is unique, it was not a cheap solution but it has given me a lot of pleasure. My intention was to sell the piece in our shop, but decided that I wouldn’t part with it and decorated a guest room around it instead. I now teach this gilding on glass technique at our workshops.

The chandelier is made from a broken beaded curtain.

The chair was glued, re-covered in fabric, painted, waxed and stencilled in an afternoon. It was stencilled with oil sticks and the pattern of GMT54 Pomegranates matches the fabric.

Some of my other up-cycling projects include clothing; curry spices staining a white linen shirt might no longer be a disaster if you can apply painted decoration over the offending spillage. The same goes for cushion covers, table cloths and curtains.

This sisal matting floor got so badly stained one year that I was going to have to replace it. Rather than throwing it away I thought I would see if an allover stencil pattern might save it.  I applied a the GMT43 damask pattern stencil to it using paint and stencil brush; this camouflaged the evidence of chocolate cake and red wine. Some of our 'up-cycled' transformations are given further exposure under the 'Projects' section of this blog...and I am sure that we will bring more to you in the future.

Helen. 

 

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Exterior wallpaper and stencilled murals.

Rachel's recent post How Far Can You Go With Pattern features 'outdoor wallpaper' and one of the images showed a wave and fish design by Gio Pagani for Wall&Deco.

Image from Wall&Deco

I liked the design and started contemplating the merits of 'out wallpaper' along with murals or stencil work and where you might pick one alternative over the other. To add weight to the stencil alternative I have compiled a few photos of our carp and wave stencils from my files.  All these stencils can be ordered in special sizes and are shown in our Japanese Style stencil range. Masonry paint can be tinted with stainers to provide a wide colour palette for use on exterior walls. However; I have used acrylic paint on clay pots and concrete pavers in the yard at home and it has survived seventeen years of British weather so far.

Wave border JA34 and JA52 Wave repeat stencil from our Japanese Style range. 

Stencils on terracotta pots from Chinese Style and Budget Collections.

Helen

 

Make a wall planner with paint and a stencil

This is a simple idea for home or office that uses painted stripes of magnetic paint and a stencil of numbers. It is a great way to display engagements and could be the ideal way to show off that collection of souvenir magnets! Our stencil project and came from the 'Stencil It' book by Helen Morris. The book is available in most countries but is sold out in the UK (We Brits have to buy from the USA and have it sent)

To make your planner mark straight lines onto the wall with water soluble pencil.  Use the lines as guide for the stripes. Lay one length of low tack tape along the edge of the line, press it into place then lay another length of tape on either side of the original one. Make sure that all three align perfectly then press the two outer tapes firmly into place so that no paint will leak under them. Remove the central piece of tape to reveal a long stripe which you will stencil with magnetic paint

My picture shows a very narrow stripe but tape wider tape can be bought.

Do not throw away the tape it can be reused for the next stripe; just place it along the pencil lines of another row.

Use a clean, dry, stencil brush to apply the lines. Put a little paint onto a saucer or palette to prevent dipping the brush into deep paint; you just need to cover the tips of the bristles. Work the paint onto paper towel do this with a circular motion as if stirring tea as it will distrubute the paint across the bristles. The intention is to apply damp paint through the stencil. Apply the paint along the stripe stencil by using a gentle version of the stirring tea stroke. Build up depth of colour and magnetic power by applying several light layers of paint. It should be dry within a couple of seconds so it is easy to re coat. It is speedier to apply a few light layers than to clean up drips and smudges from using too much paint.

I reproduced the following snippet of information from Kidicraft's website page on their Magnet Paint. 'It paints on just like a normal emulsion or primer. We recommend that you use a minimum of three coats. Once dry you can paint over it with any emulsion colour of your choice' See their contact details for UK stockists.

There are many number stencils around. To see our selection at The Stencil Library type 'numbers' into our web site search. The numeral stencil that we used was SIB10-B  there is a laminated paper version of the stencil in the Stencil It book; use the same stencilling method to apply paint through the stencil. Now all you need is magnets, invitations and appointments to display!

Helen Morris.

 

More star stencil projects

I was reminded of Rachel's festive post in 2013 where she showed you how to stencil a table runner, hers was inspired by Madonna's dress. I found a couple of earlier projects that used the same CS57-R 5 point star stencil that Rachel used and because we are approaching the time of year when a little starry sparkle is expected I thought I'd share them.

A much younger me stencils the stars with spray paint around 1990. I used spray cans quite a lot in those days, you can see them on the shelf beside me. I think I still have that sweater!

This was Easy Living magazine's interpretation of our 5 point star stencil.

 A cotton duvet cover was stencilled with stars. The gold stencil paint was heat set with a hot iron after stencilling the fabric. It lasted very well.

Unfortunately the same could not be said of the stencilled stars on these bed canopies. I sent all the stencilled fabric away to be flame proofed and the metallic paint reacted with the flame proofing solution, I now stencil fabric after the flame proofing process.  However, I like the tarnishing and it is the sort of finish that I get asked to replicate. Note, use an aqua colour with gold or copper paint to acheive a patina effect...its much quicker than waiting for it to oxidise.  If you prefer your stars to be a little spikier take a look at the CS58-R 8point star

Also, there are a good selection of small stars in our CA2 star stencil, all of these star designs are in our Budget range of stencils. 

Helen Morris 

Rags to riches. Adding the luxe touch to old clothes

At dinner the other night a friend asked if I knew how to jazz up her much loved, old dress.  She added that it was a flattering fit but now looking rather shabby. "I'd stencil it" I said. "I'd choose a pattern to complement the dress and cover the worn patches with paint to match your shoes, jacket or necklace".

I appear to have landed yet another project.

Winter is a great time to add rich colours and sparkle to your clothes and older items can be recycled for the holiday season using a stencil, imagination and some delicious, sparkly colours.  Lumiere paint with its fabulous range of metallic and pearlescent hues might be just the tool to help you up-cycle an outfit.

Here are some fabrics that we have stencilled with metallic paint.  The waistcoat in the first photo was stencilled with GMT70 and GMT72 from our Gothic stencil range, it was stencilled onto velvet.

Worn denim appreciates a facelift too. This was a project for our Stencil It book using the SB20B Damask stencil.

The linen/silk dress was stencilled with willow and carp in a feature that I wrote for Decorative Painter Magazine both designs are in our Japanese Style motif range

I stencilled the 'Faberge Egg' jersey dress for a trip to St Petersburg earlier this year, I combined an egg shaped stencil with an assortment of patterns along with some barge painting designs from our folk art range.

The silk ball skirts come out for posh parties. The pink one uses a Chinoiserie stencil from our Chinese Style collection and the dark blue one hosts the LTL11 Wisteria stencil along with one of the birds from VN177 Sparrows design.   The matt paints are mostly from the Liquitex Acrylics range. The final pictures show an assortment of stencilled home furnishings as well as clothes.

Some of the step by step projects from making these items appear in our 'How To Stencil' and our 'Projects' sections of this blog; you can find them on the side bar. A colour chart and order form for both Lumiere and Liquitex paints are on our Stencil Library web site. I hope that I may have inspired you to pick up a stencil brush and add some painted festive sparkle to a neglected garment. 

Helen Morris

 

 

Decorate with bamboo design stencils

If you want a touch of the tropical oasis trend a stencil of bamboo may be just the thing to provide it.  

Our JA72 was stencilled by Sania Pell for Elle Deco magazine; although the picture is a few years old it satisfies the current trends for dark walls, opulence and the tropical touch. JA72 Bamboo stencil is found in our Japanese Style range and would be at home stencilled on both interior and exterior walls. Also, it could look gorgeous stencilled onto curtains, roller blinds or onto long wardrobe doors. 

The wall was stencilled with gold paint, Iridescent Gold by Liquitex Acrylic or Bright Gold by Lumiere Metallic would be good choices on a charcoal coloured wall; both paints are washable on fabric too. You can find them both in our Paints and Accessories section of our web site at The Stencil Library. 

The bamboo stencil is made up of leaves and canes of different sizes, on the folding screen in the photo above only the canes have been used.

The same JA72 bamboo design has been stencilled onto a lightly textured wallpaper in the picture below. The paper was made by Tektura Wallpapers and I think it is called Bark.

If you prefer your tropical decoration to be portable consider decorating a frameless art canvas or stencil some covers for large floor cushions.

My final photo of this post shows the same wall with the stencilled, textured wallpaper. Areas of the stencilling have been covered with discs of stencil film and then the wall was painted black around them. The discs can be made at custom sizes but there is a set readily available to order, the code is DM20 in our Big & Bold range of decorating masks. I found a post from 2007 which tells a little more about this technique along with some chat about pattern onto pattern.

Helen Morris.

 

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Big Flower stencils and O'Keeffe at The Tate.

You have until October 30th to see Georgia O'Keeffe at The Tate Modern, London. However, if you want to paint your own big, bold flowers on walls our C015 Lily  stencil might be a good starting point. 

To get the drop shadow effect stencil the first overlay in a warm grey; move it slightly and then stencil the same shape again in your chosen colour.  It looks great without the drop shadow too.

This stencil has five overlays but don't let that put you off because they have marks to show you where each layer goes and a shade card to help you get the colours in the correct order. If you wanted an allover repeating pattern of large lily flowers take a look at our VN153 lily stencil.

The next few pictures show you how the floral stencils build to give a professional looking imprint.

This time the design was CO1 Rose stencil, the principle and technique is the same for all of the large floral stencils....Blooming marvellous!

Helen Morris.

The final photo is from Better Homes & Gardens Magazine, USA.

Pale, Shimmering, Chinoiserie Stencilled Walls.

This bathroom appears to have a perfect hybrid of wallpaper and mural, it is neither.  The decoration has been created with two stencils from the Chinese Style collection at The Stencil Library. The plaster walls have been painted with household paint and the stencil work has been applied using pearlescent white and silver metallic paint from Lumiere.  There are a few hints or rather tints of colour in the stencil work. This was achieved by adding minuscule amounts of acrylic paint onto the stencil brush and working it into pearlescent white paint on a palette.  These paint are washable on fabric which may be useful if curtains or cushions are to be part of your bathroom decor.  I have used this technique many times before most notably in one of my guest rooms which is also decorated with stencils from our Chinoiserie range.

If you like the look of Chinoiserie style wallpapers but have neither the budget or a dry enough environment to use them in a bathroom the stencil is a great alternative. The bonus is that you choose exactly the colours that you wish to apply and if you are stencilling with acrylic paint it will not wash off the surfaces when the going gets humid. The look of Iridescent and pearlescent paints change with the available light and appear quite different when applied over dark and pale backgrounds.  This is shown well on the metallic paint section of our web site, we smeared paint onto both black and white paper then photographed the difference to help customers choose the correct colour for their projects.

Darker backgrounds provide a dramatic contrast to the hues of the paint and displays the brilliance and intensity of them whereas we wanted a 'barely there' look to the stencilling on these walls. We chose tones that would reflect the background paint and enhance the mirrors and fittings in the bathroom. Pearlescent and metallic paint paints appear different under natural and electric light. There is quite a difference between the picture above and the one at the beginning of this post; I recommend that a sample board ( I use a length of heavy lining paper) is painted with the chosen colours, placed in the room and then observed at intervals of daylight and darkness

I started to stencil the walls alongside the owner of this bathroom to help her to get the colours and the technique right and then I left her to complete it.

 

The stencil decoration fits around the light fixtures and radiators and curls around the door frames.

It grows behind the radiators and around the doors and windows.

I think it looks rather fab, don't you?

Helen Morris.

 

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60 minute makeover! Customise a cushion with stencils

The stencilled cushion project took less than an hour from having the idea to completion

I bought a car full of these pug cushions from Tesco a few years ago and they have sat happily as a family on our sofa but it was time for a change.

The pugs are taking a holiday except one and he gets a new home in the kitchen..after a bit of jazzing up. The cushion had been washed at some time in the past, it is important that the item has been laundered at least once if you intend your stencilling to be washable in the future.

The paints that I used were from Jacquard, Liquitex and Golden. They are three makes of paint that are always in my drawer and I sell Liquitex and Jacquard; all are washable on fabric.

I had employed stencil number 298RoseGarland to decorate a dress that I wore to visit Russia earlier this year so it was on hand and was a perfect fit for this project...although the pug looks a tad dubious about it. Our stencil design is inspired by painted canal boats and similar folk art, we have others on the same theme on our web site.

A clean, dry stencil brush is needed for each colour used. I recommend the use of 3M SprayMount repositioning adhesive when stencilling onto fabric, a light misting of adhesive onto the work surface will hold the fabric in position and another misting on the back of the stencil is advised. Because the cushion cover was ready made the two surfaces of fabric would slip against each other so instead of applying SprayMount (TM) to my work surface I sprayed a piece of heavy paper with the adheshive and inserted it into the cover then smoothed the fabric over it to stop it from moving whilst it was stencilled.

Colours were applied by stencil brush through the pattern of holes on the first layer of the stencil. A small amount of paint is taken up by the stencil brush then rubbed in a circle onto the paper towel, a bit like stirring a drink. This distributes the paint through the brush and dries the paint so that it is damp rather than wet when put through the stencil.

When the first layer is completely coloured put a mark through the registration points cut into the stencil. Rather than mark the fabric I stick green stencil tape onto the material directly below the registration marks, that way the tape gets marked instead of the fabric.

Remove the first stencil and position the second so that it aligns with the marks on the tape from the previous layer. Once the second layer is complete remove the paper and the pieces of tape.

Heat an iron as hot as the fabric will take and press on the reverse of the painted side. Some paints need no heat setting; check with the manufacturer's instruction.

Finished! Re-insert the cushion, plonk it on an armchair and take delight in the result of brightening up a corner with colour and silliness.

Helen Morris

 

 

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A black and tan bathroom revisited

Last year I posted 'before and after' photos of a bathroom that I had stencilled with our MD40 Beads No2 design. It was February and dark when I snapped and posted the pictures, I wrote that I would return and photograph the room in daylight. Well; it took a while but here it is.

The yellow colour in the stencil is one of Farrow & Ball's paints and was used on the walls of the room adjoining the bathroom. I like to take a colour from one room and lead it into the next. Other colours used in the stencil are Raw Sienna and Ivory Black; both are acrylic paint from The Stencil Library. The sienna colour is randomly stippled over the yellow lozenge shapes in the stencil and the black paint is applied to the small circles.

The Beads no2 pattern is design to repeat in all directions enabling total coverage of a surface with relative ease and speed.  The purpose of the stencilling was to add decorative detail and unite the two rooms with colour so I did not feel that all the walls needed to covered with pattern. Also, I did not want the stencilling to look like wallpaper.

A deep band of this design could look wonderful on pale linen curtains. I considered stencilling the roller blind in this room, I really enjoy decorating them but had to stop myself as it would detract attention from the wall. I hope that the room looks both classic and contemporary at the same time. I have been asked  to stencil another of the bathrooms so I'll bring you pictures of that one when it is finished.

Helen Morris.

 

Recreating the look of 18th Century Chinoiserie wallpaper with stencils. Part 1.

On many occasions I have featured projects that have been achieved with the extra large size of this Chinoiserie stencil....because it is one of my favourites. This time I am working with the small version of it and will write a 'how to' for each stage of the project as I create my interpretation of the wall in the picture.

Firstly I divided the wall between a top and bottom section. I drew a pencil line using a level to keep the line straight then applied 1 inch wide, low tack, masking tape along the pencil line this separates the two areas of colour that will be covering the wall. The upper part of the wall has had a broken colour technique applied. I used a pearlescent pink shade and a pale matt pink and patted them together with a Woolie, I have had mine for years and got it in America.

After the wall is painted the tape is removed and the exposed area should be painted in a contrasting colour. I may add some architectural detail such as a wood or plaster chair rail. The wall was previously yellow so that is why the horizontal stripe is that colour...it will be covered later in the project. The blue paint was applied with a large fleece roller and the edges of the wall were cut in with a brush. I will stencil the blue area with a background pattern of VN34 Ebb Tide from our Vintage stencil Collection.

This stencil is a wonderful slinky pattern and does not need any accompaniment but on this occasion I will be using it as a background pattern to go under CH53 Bamboo Railings.

The stencil has four diamond shaped registration points cut onto it. I am using the top two points to keep the pattern straight by laying them onto the edge of the stripe so that the line goes directly through the centre of the diamonds. The first row must be straight therefore the repeats on this row will use the same line and diamonds method There are two lower points cut into the stencil to facilitate vertical repeats as well as horizontal.  Two of the four marks are employed to repeat the pattern in each direction

The stencil design is formed from circles of varying sizes so there are no long or floppy parts to the stencil which means it can be held in place with tape rather than using a spray repositioning adhesive. After taping it into place I applied paint through the stencil pattern with a foam roller. Once the roller has been introduced to a shallow depth of paint roll away the excess paint on the tray and then again onto paper towel, the paint must be damp not wet when it is rolled gently over the stencil. This will keep the imprint crisp.

Cover all the shapes up and down and side to side taking care not to stray over the edges of the stencil. Mark the registration diamonds before removing and repositioning the stencil. Usually one would place tape onto the surface directly under the registration points so that the tape is marked rather than the surface below it. This time I was lazy; because I had lots of background paint I marked the wall and will cover the registration marks before the project is completed. I used tape on the the pink portion of the wall because it would be less easy to disguise the marks on a broken colour background.

In a separate container I mixed some of the blue paint with a little paint of a much darker hue; a ratio of around 1 to 9 parts.  I added touches of the darker blue here and there and used a stencil brush to do this. Again the paint must be worked from the tips of the stencil brush onto to the paper towel so that no wet paint is transfered through the stencil; the imprint must be crisp at all times. Hold the brush at right angles to the surface and apply the paint wth a gentle tapping or stirring motion through the shapes in the stencil.  

Continue stencilling and repositioning the stencil until the area is complete. I had to wash the stencil once during decoration of the wall because the smallest holes were getting clogged with paint. I placed it in a large basin with hot water and added liquid soap. Because this particular stencil is made from circles it can take a vigorous scrubbing but most stencils should be cleaned with care.

In part two of this project I will add the CH53 Bamboo stencil over the VN34 Ebb Tide pattern. After that we will add the stencils to create the Chinese walllpaper effect and add the centre stripe.

All the stencils and stencil brushes are for sale at The Stencil Library. The blue and the matt pink wall paint were from Johnstones Paint.

Helen

 

 

Our creative customers and their recent projects.

We have a few new projects to show, they are all the work of our creative customers. 

This show stopping stencilled wall features our VN302 Lace Border Stencil. Our customer wrote 'I ordered the stencil and could not be happier with the result! We have since finished our living room but I have attached a photo so you can see it straight after I had stencilled it. I have had so many compliments and most people can't believe that it's a stencil.' Rachel and I think it is fab and it seems that our Facebook followers do too! 

We were delighted to see this stylish, stencilled, concrete floor from Florida, USA. It was stencilled with our T4-L Medieval Tile ; the message that accompanied the photo told us that by the end of the job both the stenciller and the stencil were a tad beaten up...but did not care because they were so pleased with the results. My tip to save wear and tear on knees when stencilling floors is to tie cushions under them!

This stencilled side board features stencil DE150 adding extra beauty to a home in England, the photo arrived with the quote 'It has attracted lots of praise (and some disbelief that this is our handywork)'

Another UK customer showed us these fabulous frames decorated in an Italianate style. Stencils were ordered from our Stencils for Furniture Collection and we cut special sizes for him. 

I visited the Botticcelli Re-Imagined exhibition at The V&A Museum in London last month, there were a lot of lovely Florentine frames that looked like this one.

We were thrilled to receive some pictures of a beautiful restoration project at Pale Hall Hotel near Bala in Wales. I see numerous reviews and features on line that rave with enthusiasm about Pale Hall and the area around there. I have not been to the area since I was a teenager but recall that every place that I visited during that holiday was quite gorgeous.

There will be a forthcoming post featuring more of the work at the hotel but for now we limit this post to one photo of one stencil and invite you to visit their blog to follow their progress and see more of the glorious North Wales countryside. The owners Angela and Alan Harper were very complimentary about our service; take a look at the stencil restoration work in their library.

I would like to thank all the customers who gave us permission to show pictures of their projects. We do appreciate it, after we have been involved in emails and phone calls with some of you we feel quite attached and are intrigued to know the results. We are happy to keep your anonymity or to link to you. Some of the creators are professional decorators and others are using a stencil for the first time.  We love the diverse array of surfaces, colours and styles that feature within our customer's projects. We have been inspired by them all and hope that you are too. 

 Helen