Odds & Ends

Hop on over to the Fashion DYI blog for some great free St. Patrick's Day stencils and ideas for projects, compliments of Lorain Blanken.

When I buy a stencil, I like to get as much use out of it as I possibly can. A relatively new stencil to my collection is the StickyWeed stencil from the Stencil Library. I purchased this design just because I loved it so much and knew I'd find a space for it somewhere! The first time I used it, I tried it out on my own wall in my home office/guest bedroom. I took some photos of it, put them in my portfolio, and soon was able to sell it to a client.

For my client, I did the design on one wall in a small powder room.

I still had not had enough of this fun design, so found the perfect spot for it in my own kitchen. I'm not quite done with this "panel". I'm still mulling over what type of "frame" I want to add, but for now, I am enjoying it, just as it is.

Northwest Nature Shop offers both a Summer and Winter Night Sky stencil in 2 sizes, 8 feet and 12 feet. These astronomically accurate stencil kits are made for ceilings and come complete with brush and a "special formulated luminous paint which absorbs ambient light, and is practically invisible on white or off-white surfaces". Their website claims the stenciled stars can be applied in 1-2 hours by a child as young as 12 years of age. At $21.95 and $26.95, these kits are very reasonably priced! What a fun activity to do with your children! Another socially responsible company, Northwest Nature Shop donates 20% of its' profits or 1% of sales (whichever is greater) to environmental, educational and community organizations.

When I think of stencils, I automatically think of how they will enhance a room, piece of furniture or fabric. But stencils also play an important role in our day to day lives. We find stenciled signage everywhere. Stencil Ease offers a wide variety of utilitarian stencils under their Industrial Stencils category. You can find stencils for Athletic Fields, Highways, Parking Lots, Playgrounds, etc. They also offer stencils, instructions and information on Storm Drain Stenciling. As I read more about this company, I discovered they have taken significant steps to be an environmentally conscious company. One of the biggest changes they have made is to use recycled plastic in “raw material” form to manufacture 95% of their stencils.

Another source for utilitarian stencils is Alphabetsigns.com. This company carries a good selection of Federal DOT Highway Stencils as well as interlocking numbers and letters.

Merry Christmas!

I am signing off until next Monday, Dec. 29th. My family from out of town arrives later this afternoon, and I will be hosting my annual Christmas Eve Dinner.

This morning, as I sit by my tree (whose lights do not seem to be working on the bottom 2/3rds!), and sip my latte stenciled with the Stencil Library's cute little snowflake stencil, I am enjoying the peace and quiet before all descend. It's great not to have to travel and have everyone come to ME! I did my usual, "stay up until midnight and do prep work in the kitchen routine" last night, so today I can mostly relax and just enjoy having everyone here!

Whether you are celebrating Christmas or Chanukah, I wish you all a very peaceful and happy Holiday Season.