Wall Stenciling to Personalize Your Home

There are a million different ways to personalize your house and each has its own merit. I recently ripped off an idea from a friend of mine but went ahead and took it a step further. I used stencils to write a quotation on the wall in my kitchen.

It sounds like a really cheesy idea but I want absolutely everything in my house to come from me. Since I bought my house knowing that I would have to pretty much remodel the entire thing, I want to make it my own.

Stencils are something we have all done in our lives since we were little kids so there really is not secret to making one. All I did was go to Wal-Mart, in the arts and crafts section, and buy simple letter stencils. They have hundreds of different fonts you can choose from to customize your look.

I chose a quote that really meant a lot for me to help set off the wall in my kitchen. "A man searches the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." (Author unknown) To me this said a lot about myself and why I bought the kind of house I did.

When you are preparing to make your stencil, make sure to clean the wall with a damp cloth to make sure there is no dust. Then take a level and lightly pencil lines at the spacing you desire. If you don't use a level, there is a good chance everything will end up crooked so make sure and don't skip this step.

Next, pick out what color paint you want and make sure to buy a craft paint. My first go around, I used the same latex kitchen paint I used on the cabinets and it is really not easy to manipulate with a small brush. I recommend using an oil paint, as they cover very well.

From this point you can take two approaches. You can paint directly over the stencil or trace the stencil on the wall with a pencil and then fill in. I went with the latter because my long quote required using the letters numerous times and I did not want to wait for the stencil to dry or have to clean it every time.

You don't have to limit your stencils to letters and numbers. I think for my next project I am going to use border stencils on the cabinet I built in the kitchen. Remember, that when making your house unique, you may steal the original idea but then you can make it your own.

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