Stencil project #1

I am embarking on a stenciling journey! That sounds dumb I guess, but really, I am going to do a bunch of stenciled projects. First up is my kitchen table. One of the great things about stenciling is that it is cheap. It is also pretty easy, and makes a BIG statement. I guess the very first project I did was not this table, it was the wall in my daughters room. I will post pictures of that at the end of this post. For both the kitchen table, and the wall I used my cricut to cut out a stencil. I just cut it on card stock paper and it worked great! I like to cut a bunch out so that I can tape them all down in a row. It helps make sure everything is straight. For the table, I started in the middle down the center. I just lined them up and used a tape measure to make sure they were in the middle. Then I just taped them down.

Next I just started to stencil. Sorry this isn't the best picture, but you get the point. I used a sponge stencil brush and acrylic paint. When I finished a row I just moved the stencil over. It dries very quickly because you don't use very much paint.





When I was finished, I took a magic eraser (the Mr. Clean one used for cleaning) and I scrubbed it a little to give it a worn, distressed look. I love how it turned out. I think it looks a lot better distressed then it did all crisp and new. The color was too bold and cartoonish (is that a word?) before.

I love it a lot, but I wonder how long until I decide to change it again? The great thing about that is I can change it when I have a new wonderful idea pop into my head, and I don't have to feel bad because it was quick and cheap! I have decided that everyone should have an awesome old table to play with. No more boring kitchen tables! Add a little character to your space! I will let you in on a little secret...I have decided that when I get sick of the stencil, I am going to paint the table top with white board paint and let my kids color on it! Fun huh? And I love the idea of a glossy white finish, and it will wipe clean easily!

Below are some pictures of the stenciled wall I did in my babies nursery. I think it is my favorite wall of all time! I love it sooooo much! It looks like wallpaper, but it didn't ruin my wall like wall paper would! I used the same technique that I explained above for the table.