Happy Memorial Day...

Photo via CL

Blank Slate...

This is it.

My decorating nemesis.

The master bedroom.

This is how it looks nearly everyday.

Laundry, unmade bed, shoes on the floor...

I am never quite sure how to decorate the master bedroom. I want it to be comfortable and inviting. An oasis for my husband and I. Kid and stress free zone. But as you can tell that is not happening right now. The kids books reside in the black shelf to the left, L's blankie on the bed and I am sure there are toys on the floor somewhere. 

What should I do with this space?

Stenciled canvas...

Awhile back I found this on Pottery Barn (where else?) and knew I just had to make it. I am a sucker for old typewriter font.

Well Susie Harris at {where friends become family} had the same thought. Maybe I am lazy but I was not about to do it by hand like she did, I am not that good. (click on her link for details) Although it is beautiful, I think my way is a bit easier.

 

If I did this one again I would have found a square canvas. At the store I couldn't remember if it was square or rectangle. I chose rectangle. Oh well. Since I am not making the ABC's again I will show you how to make a stenciled canvas.

Materials needed:


Canvas
Vinyl stencil cut to size- if you are ordering vinyl from somewhere explain that you are using this as a stencil and they should understand. You could always order from Off Woodland Lane. *wink*wink* It is my sister. She does great stuff and would know exactly what you are talking about.
Paint
brushes
masking tape

I always want things to look old so I did a light base coat followed by a few coats in darker shade. Each layer was light enough to show the colors underneath.

Then I laid the vinyl. Laying vinyl deserves its own tutorial by itself. So I am not going to go into great depth here. Maybe some other time.

Next peel back the masking that covers the vinyl. Please notice my painted hands. I cannot paint anything unless I get paint on my hands. No matter how big or small the project.

Now paint directly over the vinyl. Do two or three thin coats.

After the paint dries peel off the vinyl. It will bleed a tiny bit, but nothing horrible. It just adds character.

 And there you go! I ended up shading the canvas a bit more around the edges. I finished it with a frame. Hopefully it will find a place to be hung in my bedroom soon.

 I also love this technique on wood. It looks beautiful.

MIA...

Can someone please tell me what we did before computers!?! My desktop crashed last week and since then I have really missed having a computer. Thank goodness for a warranty and an external hard-drive! Now everything is fixed and I can get back to normal.Yay!