New Hobby to Learn

In one of our used bookstore forays in the last couple of years, I purchased a lovely little book, Stenciling the Arts & Crafts Home. It showed some really beautiful designs and I got hooked.

According to Amy Miller, stencilling was pretty common during the Arts & Crafts period (1900-1925). During the period, thanks to The Craftsman and other women's magazines, women were encouraged to take part in the decorative arts. Mail-order kits for stencils and linens offering the stylized Arts and Crafts designs appeared everywhere. Walls were just the beginning...a single motif like a leaf or architectural element could be carried throughout the room with a stencil. "Table linens, pillows and curtains were excellent areas to continue a theme by creating a simple unity, allowing self-expression in the chosen design and in the personalized color scheme as well."

I've decided I have to give stenciling a try. A couple weeks ago I ordered a number of stencils and some paints. I actually received them while I was Oregon, but I didn't bring them back down to California with me.

The author's website where she sells supplies is at Trimbelle River, but her prices are very spendy. I did buy one stencil from their site. I also found some better prices at Bungalow Borders and purchased about five of their stencils. And I found a number of great deals at Stencilease. Most of their stencils are too modern, but they had some real nice ones.

This is the stencil I'm hoping to use in the living room, once we've got the woodwork all scraped and the walls painted in "Hubbard Squash" by Sherwin Williams.

The book recommended the Paintstiks® brand of paint. I found a discount source for the paint too, at Hofcraft. I'll probably be using a lot of burgundies, greens and purples. I'm hoping I'll love stenciling.