Sunny's Stencil Project with Sarah...and a feature in Southern Living

My friend and decorating partner in crime, Sarah, and I decided that we had the steady hand to stencil my tiny hallway.  I wanted to wallpaper it, but could not find anything "juuuust right."  (Know that feeling?)  So, emboldened by Sarah's fine arts major and beautiful painting abilities, I committed to this project back in the Fall. 

We decided on a stencil we both loved so that it could be used twice.  The lucky winner?  Why, the knot from Sunny's Good Time Paints. 

Sunny's Good Time Paints

After a bottle of wine and some serious pep talks, we started and finished the project beautifully!  I could not be more pleased with how it turned out.  I must say that everyone who sees the hallway raves. 

Ta Da!

From a bit of a distance.

Her closeup...love that antiqued look.  A bit of patina goes a long way. 

Now.  The excitment does not stop here.  Sarah then marched home and did her pass through hallway in her kitchen.  Without my supervision  heckling, Sarah did an amazing job....love her diagonals. 

Great kitchen too....can you believe it once had 6 inches of water in it?  Thanks, Katrina.

Beautiful!

A couple of tips for easy application and the fabulous result we achieved.

1.  Use blue painters tape to firmly press stencil down onto wall and hold it in place while you work.

2.  Firm foam brush required.

3.  Apply thinly.  You may think that you are not putting enough paint on the wall, but the thinner the coat the better. 

4.  Remove your stencil while the paint is still wet. 

Sarah, any other tips or tricks?  I think I summarized the main points of our trial and error process!

NOW...ready for the crazy part?   I opened my Southern Living magazine (you know, the one you get if you used to get Cottage Living, RIP?) 

Look what I found...

Anne Turner Carol's painted roller shades in this month's issue!

 Such a simple project and affordable project that yields such bold results. 

We are taste makers!

I couldn't believe it when I saw "our" knot...and in gold!  The project is a great "Done in a Day" project...I may just have to try it.  Click here for the full tutorial. 

There is also a great option if you are too scared to undertake the stenciling.  The Sunny's monogram decals can be simply affixed to a roller shade.  How easy and chic for a powder room or a child's room?!

 Very very sweet and chic.

If you have questions about painting stencils, I will happily answer them...or try to research the answer to them for you. 

Good luck on any stenciling endeavors you may embark upon!

Cheers,

JSH

P.S.   Another fabulous stencil source is Whitewall.  Go nuts!