Word! Stenciling How-To Tips

I finally got a chance to stop by the Galleria in Roseville and take a peek inside Peek…Aren’t You Curious. Great store. Their shelves of children’s books read like a best-of compilation from all of Sacramento Parent’s recommendations through the years, and I had to smile as a wild one toddled past me at full-tilt, gleefully leaving his weary daddy and lots of high-pitched giggles in his wake. But what I liked most were the whimsical quotations I found stenciled on their walls, in one of the cutest fonts I’ve spotted in a while.

As a wannabe crafter who is generally short on talent, time and confidence, but long on admiration for all the Etsy mamas, Sac Craft Mafiosas, and otherwise creative women in our corner of the world, I’m sort of always on the lookout for fast and easy creative projects to try. (Speaking of—check out our own super-creative Mom-Made blogger, Molly, and her Foothill Home Companion projects. Also worth adding to your blogroll: Lisa Thibodeau’s Paper Cup Poet offerings.)

Choose an uplifting quotation, your most beloved verse of poetry, a single word that says it all (“Breathe,” “Laugh,” “Play…”), or a favorite phrase (maybe some special short-hand spoken exclusively in your family). Then pick your method. You can order wall clings or stencils online, or go the DIY route.

PICK, CLICK, APPLY
Here are a few sites to check out if you want to design online and skip the cutting and hand painting:

• Blooming Words - This local source offers custom vinyl lettering and graphics in a selection of fonts, colors and sizes. The phrases are pre-cut and proportionally spaced, and can be easily applied to walls, glass, tiles, doors or any other reasonably flat, non-porous surface. (To apply, you just peel off the backing paper, rub the vinyl characters on the wall and then peel off the transfer tape.) Their site has an Application Page with full instructions and tips.
• Dezign with a Z - Custom wall clings—quotes, monograms, and more. Just type in the text you want, pick a font, choose your size, and select a color. Orders start at $25, and the Web site offers a helpful how-to video to make application easier.
• ThisNext.com - Great links to hip and fabulous stencils, wall art, books, DIY tools, and more!

DIY-NOT?
If cutting and hand painting is the best part in your opinion (and when I have the time, I totally agree), then here is a handy step-by-step for you:

1. Choose your words. You can print just about any saying (or image) from a Web source or Word document, or draw or trace it out if you're feeling uber-creative. Stiffer stock will give you a cleaner outline, or you can use transfer paper that's all ready for this purpose.

2. Cut out your design. (Here's where an exacto knife and cutting mat come in handy, but if you don't have those handy, nail scissors are nice too.) Spacing can be tricky for larger letters or longer quotes. It might be helpful to lightly trace a bottom line (straight or whimsically curvy-whatevs!) to help you place words or letters that are cut out on separate pages.

3. Stick it up. Carefully place where you want your wall saying. Then stick your stencil(s) as flush as possible against the wall. Sticky paper helps here, or try painter's tape.

4. Finish it off! Paint over your stencil. If this part scares you a little (me too), practice on a toss-able surface first. When you've mastered your technique, be brave and go nuts! Just remember to let it dry before lifting the stencil off (I know, waiting is the hardest part).

5. Feel awesome. After removing your stencil (and, if you're like me, maybe touching up a few edges), step back, enjoy your new view, and bask in the glow of your own creative radness.

One final cautionary note: Stenciling can get addictive. Not addictive like high-fructose corn syrup-coated crack, but still. OD'ing on stenciled quotes can subtract from their meaning and elegance. On the other end of the spectrum, some find a quote can wear out its whimsy pretty fast. So choose your words, and your wall, carefully, and be ready to enlist help (painting party, anyone?) when the time comes to do it again.