Martha knows how to make me happy! With Fall just around the corner, I was so excited to get my September MS Living…and to make it even better, it was a Decorating Issue!
Making a Mark, one of the issue’s feature stories, surprised me. I haven’t seen stenciling in the decorating world since probably the early 90s, when I was in middle school trying to personalize my room with my babysitting money and begging my mom to let me stencil my room, my desk, my notebooks…anything!
So you shouldn’t be surprised to hear that I’m super excited for Martha’s DIY stenciling project that will turn Blinds.com roller shades into customized works of art.
STENCILED ROLLER SHADE
Tools and Materials
Roller shade
Vine stencil or choose your own from stencil-library.com
Ruler
Drafting tape
Pencil
Small sheet of glass (palette)
Palette knife
5 to 7 ounces acrylic paint in white
Natural sea sponge
To Mark Stencil Spacing
1. Measure widths of roller shade and stencil using ruler. Determine how many stencil repetitions will fit across shade, leaving even spaces between each column and on outer edges.
2. Using strips of drafting tape, block off measured space between each column and on outer edges. The stencil should fit snugly into columns.
To Stencil Vine Pattern
1. Place stencil in far-left column, shifting it 1 to 2 inches below shade’s bottom edge for a wraparound effect. Using pencil, mark the registration holes at stencil’s top edge (pencil marks can be erased once paint is dry).
2. Prepare palette with paint. Use sponge to apply paint to stencil. Let dry 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Shift stencil up, aligning it with registration holes and marking new ones. Paint as in step 2. Repeat until column is complete.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for remaining columns, flipping stencil over (make sure reverse is dry) so adjacent motifs mirror each other.
Sources
4 1/2-by-18-inch Spencer Eddy House vine stencil, $33, mbhistoricdecor.com
Still have stencil fever? Go nuts on your lampshade or even make a stenciled clock! Martha’s has tons more DIY stencil projects to share.
Now get out there and start stenciling away!
Images & instructions from marthastewart.com
