DECORATE INEXPENSIVELY... WITH STENCILS

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I found all my decorations in a book called Authentic Victorian Stencil Designs (edited by Carol Belanger Grafton, Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1982). Dover offers a whole collection of books with heavy manila-paper pages that can be cut out and used as stencils. Each book has a different theme: Early American, American Indian, Art Deco, Pennsylvania Dutch, and so forth.

(Of course, once you've had some experience stenciling, you may want to create your own patterns. There are some excellent books and also classes to help you do this.)

In a larger room, I like to use several designs, making sure they're all compatible and that the colors either match or harmonize. For example, when decorating my living room I decided to use just one color for three patterns: a small, regular repeat to add interest over windows and doors, a more sweeping design to decorate the walls at chair-rail height, and one large, dramatic half-medallion to accentuate the arch between the living and dining rooms.

Once the stencils are decided upon, it's time to choose the paint. If the surface to be decorated is varnished or coated with an oil-based enamel, you'll need to use an oil-based stencil paint. Otherwise I'd suggest buying acrylic stencil paints because cleanup will be easierand they smell better, too.

CUT...

You can purchase stencils that are ready to use, but if you trace your designs from a book, you'll need to cut your own. (The printed stencils in the Dover volumes also need to be cut.) When tracing stencils, I use frosted stencil plastic that comes in 9-inch by 12-inch sheets. If you're painting with just one color, simply lay a plastic sheet over your pattern and trace the whole design with a black felt-tipped permanent marker (the plastic is semitranslucent). Then place the tracing on a breadboard or a piece of glass you don't mind scratching, and carefully cut it out, using a new blade in your X-Acto knife.

Stencil patterns are made with bridges—that is, all parts of the stencil are connected so it won't fall apart. If you're tracing a design that wasn't meant specifically for stenciling, you'll have to make your own bridges. (If, when you're cutting, you should accidentally slice through a bridge, you can easily repair it with transparent tape.)

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