DIY Paint Stencils for Spring

For families on a budget, an easy way to freshen up the look of a room for spring is with stenciling. Stenciling is the process of cutting out a design on a sheet of plastic, and then transferring the design to a wall or other surface using paints or inks.

While there are all kinds of ready made stencils available, your family may enjoy making their own custom stencils out of sheets of acetate or even old report covers. When my kids were little, one of our favorite rainy day activities was DIY stencil making for decorating the rooms and toy boxes.

Making your own DIY stencil starts with hand drawing or tracing a favorite image onto a sheet of acetate using a permanent marker. Once the drawing is complete, an adult can cut out the pattern using a craft knife, taking care to include some divisions so that the stencil "reads" as a stencil. Here's some ideas of spring themed single stencil patterns for you or your children to create:

Butterflies. Little girls enjoy butterflies and a butterfly stencil is a cute spring design for a little girls bedroom. For paint, carefully swirl some purple, red, and lime green paint onto a flat dish. Dip the flat part of the sponge into the paint, then blot a couple of times before gently applying to the walls. This creates a wispy, multicolored look without the fuss of having to apply different layers.

Jumping frogs. For a boys room or a back porch, a border of jumping frogs can add a whimsical touch. To create a variegated color, swirl a mix of yellow, dark green and light green into a painting tray, and apply with a sponge using the same blotting technique as with the butterflies.

Cabbage roses. Instead of wallpapering the master bedroom, a faux wallpaper look is easy (and cheaper) with a repeat pattern of stencils. For spring, white stenciled roses on a blue background has a charming Wedgwood look.

Green bamboo. Pale green walls are cool and calming, and look great in practically every room in the house. To accent those green walls, a stenciled pattern of bamboo stalks will do the trick. I'd recommend making up at least 3-4 bamboo stencils (complete with joints and leaves) to apply to the walls in varying shades of green. Darker green stalks will jump forward, light green stalks will disappear in the background to add depth and dimension to the walls.