Yesterday I announced my Cutting Edge Stencil Giveaway (which is still going on so if you haven't entered to win the stencil of your choice yet, hop on over to the giveaway). I also promised to reveal my Cutting Edge Stencil project. So here it is... the new headboard for our bed.
I used the stencil called Oceana Damask. I love that it has an ocean theme but at first glance looks like a traditional damask fabric pattern. It's perfect for the "New England Beach" theme I'm going for in the bedroom.
Image from Cutting Edge Stencils
To be honest I was shocked they had a stencil design that fit the particular mix of ocean and traditional elements I was looking for. (I wasn't kidding when I said I thought they had something for everyone.)
I used a stencil with two overlays (there's also a version with just one). The first overlay is solid. The second is the accent/highlight stencil.
Here are some pictures of my test board where I tried out different color combinations. All in all I tried about six different color schemes before deciding what I liked best.
Here you can see the stencil before the second overlay was applied.
The whole project was pretty easy. I watched the how-to video on Cutting Edge's website and learned a few tips that helped ensure I got good results.
Using the accent overlay did add an extra step, but I love how it changed the overall look, so in my opinion it was definitely worth the added stenciling time.
The overlay was, as promised, easy to align with the first stencil. Personally I definitely didn't want or worry about perfection when it came lining up the second stencil. I actually really liked the look of it being a little offset. But it would have been very easy to make it lineup perfectly using the built-in registration.
Although I did make one mistake when it came to using the overlay.
See that squiggle there....
It shouldn't be solid chocolate brown. It's on both stencils to help you align them correctly. However, in an overzealous moment of rolling I painted it with my accent color. It ended up being a happy accident because I really liked how it looked. So instead of fixing it I made the same "mistake" on the repeats.
If you are using a stencil with multiple overlays that's definitely something to watch out for.
Anytime I lost my bearings on how the pattern should look I found it really helped me to refer to the picture of the finished pattern that came with the stencil. I could look at that picture and easily figure it out.
I tried using both a stencil brush and a roller to apply the paint. I definitely preferred the roller. Not only was it faster but I wound up with way less paint creeping under the stencil edges.
I also tried using spray adhesive to stick the stencil down on the board more firmly.
It's listed in the instructions as an optional step to give your pattern sharper cleaner edges. In the interest of product review I thought I'd give it a try, but it ended up being very problematic. First of all, I had to go outside to spray the stencil with adhesive. Then the glue only stayed tacky for one application of the stencil to the board. After sticking it down and painting the pattern once I'd have to bring it outside to spray the back with adhesive again... only now the front was wet with paint, making it hard to hold.
It was all way more trouble than it was worth. I honestly didn't notice much of a difference between the areas where I used the adhesive and the areas where I simply taped the edges of the stencil down.
Over the years I've done a lot of small craft sized stencil projects. But this is the first large scale stenciling I'd ever done, and I have to say it was more exciting that I expected. Seeing the board all done and stenciled gave me a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. I couldn't get over the fact that I actually stenciled something that big.
In just a few hours I got something completely custom that totally changed the entire feel of the room.
It's definitely inspired me to think about what else I could do with these large decorative stencils. I could paint some interesting details on the ceiling of the porch. Make a custom patterned curtain or bed spread. I bet you could even stencil onto an area rug.
I'm really happy with the results.
And Lucy likes it too!
Disclosure: Cutting Edge Stencils provided this stencil for my review. They have also provided the prize for the giveaway. No other compensation was received.
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