From Dated to Divine — How our Gorgeous Stencil Station Became Tres Chic

Oh yes...this was a roadside rescue. 
My husband saw it and lugged it to the studio one rainy night, bless his heart.
I didn't have it in me to say, "This one is too ugly to save..."


So it sat in the studio taking up WAY too much space.
With great effort and a fair amount of grunting, it was shifted from storage to 
one side of the shop, then outside, over to storage again... 
 and then back into the studio about 1,000 times.
(Those of you who know me also know I have a slight tendency to exaggerate).

I waited hoping inspiration would arrive...
Then within the week I realised this monstrosity needed a little Parisian love!
It would have the perfect new upcycled life as 
the display cabinet for our French Collection Stencils.

Still I wondered though...was this a challenge even too big for Chalk Paint?

Most definitely the BEFORE photo

Pink Milk inside and Nearly Black on the outside

What says viva le France better than pink and black?

What many of you may already know is that oftentimes the 
first coat of Chalk Paint can be terrifying.
You think....this is NEVER going to work...even though it's proven itself time and again.

Just remember, sometimes the first coat acts
as a primer and the second coat does all the hard work.

First Coat FRIGHT!

I'm not going to lie...this thing is a beast and it took me forever.
Once I finished the second coat it sat for at least a month.
I don't recommend this. 
My studio is a messy place. 
Leaving it unwaxed for that long resulted in the need for touch-ups.
But once I recovered from all the painting....I realised what a jewel in the rough I had!

Starting to take shape

Because this new-life lovely would be showcasing 
French-inspired stencils, why not bling her up with a whole lot of them? 
So, former roadside rubbish hopped a plane to Gay Paree to don not one, 
not two, but four of our stencils — 
including my favourite the Old Paris Clock.

Check the blog for posts on stencilling tips and techniques

Old Paris Clock Stencil available online

Paris France Travel Stamp

Bee and Laurel Stencil without the laurel

There's something to be said for good tools. 
We now have a limited number of high-quality Stencil Brushes in stock. 
A good stencil brush provides excellent coverage 
and the tightly-compact bristles help keep the paint where it's meant to go.

Stencil Brushes available online in four sizes

Bee Stencil in use sans laurel

The before and after

Once she was all stencilled up, the waxing happened. 
Our wax is so smooth (no stickiness!) it made this MASSIVE job much easier.


After waxing and polishing, the bling selection happened. 
Our Mercury Glass Knobs  make everything look amazing.

Added our blingy Mercury Glass Knobs available online

The revamped beauty in action!

Honestly...I never imagined such a success from the start, 
but now I couldn't be happier and our stencils look 
completely at home, don't they? 
Viva le Stencil!

It's all here...for the love...
Sada