The REAL Stencil

So I had to switch stencils. I was cheap and bought a cheap stencil at Hobby Lobby. BIG MISTAKE. The registration marks were so small it was hard to line up, the stencil itself didn't move well around the corners or top of the wall. It was a mess. I broke down and bought one from Royal Design Studio. So much easier. The registratoin marks were huge and also part of the pattern. It was so easy to line up. It also came with a smaller stencil to do along the top of the wall. Here's the finished wall. I couldn't get the whole thing because it's a small room. I just did one wall. I still have to paint the molding and door. I also accidently got gray paint on the cupboard. I was going to paint that anyway, just not now. It will now be painted a little sooner than planned.

Now, to decide what to hang on the wall.

The cheap footstool

You probably shouldn't ask about the powder room. It's been rough. I was cheap and bought a cheap stencil. The border is way too thick and I can't get all the way to the bottom, top, or turn a corner. Also, I broke it when I was cleaning it. I either need to fork out the money and buy a more expensive one, or do something else totally different. Until then, I have another project to work on and one less bathroom.

When I saw this in the Ballard Designs Catalog I knew I needed one. However, I didn't have any desire to pay $129-$205 for it. I remembered that when I was little my dad made some for our house. I could totally do that, right? I went to Home Fabrics in Salt Lake. They were having a half off sale on all their fabric. I bought this for $3 a yard. I also got enough to make curtains for my kitchen. The fabric appears a much brighter red than it really is.

I wanted it bigger than the ones at Ballard Design, because I wanted more than one person to be able to use it. I'm about 5'3 (although I think I seriously may have shrunk) and my husband is about 6'3. We needed a wider one so that we could both use it. I bought a foam pad that was 22x22. I'm also lazy so I decided that that would be the size to cut the wood. That way I didn't have to cut the pad. Then I just layered the fabric, the pad and the wood and stapled it all together.

I bought the legs at Home Depot. They were the most expensive part of the project. I painted them Heirloom White by Rustoleum. They may turn black later. Anyway, now we have a super cheap foot stool!

Powder Room

Yes, this usedto be a sewing blog. Now, I have a two year old who loves to push buttons on my sewing machine while I sew and is very interested in the iron. I am making a quilt for her new bed, but it's slow coming since I have to do it while she is sleeping. That time is getting shorter too. In the meantime, I'm redoing my powder room. Here is the before. Are you bored yet?

The paint is a putrid 80's color of some sort. This bluish splotch is me testing some oops paint I bought for $1. It wasn't this blue in real life. It was more of a dull, wet cement color so it didn't get to stay.

I painted the bottom white and I'm in the process of stenciling over the top in a light gray/blue called Cloud Nine from Kwal. It's slow going, but so far I love it.

Not quite sure what to do at the bottom though. It doesn't go all the way to the sides or bottom and the stencil doesn't bend very well.

Hopefully this bathroom won't make you want to die of boredom anymore. Ignore the ugly, putrid door. I ran out of white paint.

Full DIY Mode

The last few days I've been debating. Do I stencil our powder room, or do I wallpaper. I love this from The Mustard Ceiling.