Stenciling...It's so 1985... or Could it be Timeless??

I'm not sure which came first, 

...the chicken or the egg??...

I don't know which band from the 1980's was the coolest...??

...it's certainly debatable...

But I do know one thing for sure... I was born to stencil... 

(You probably did not see that coming)

 not really... 

...but I have been stenciling things for a really long time.  I stenciled when it was 'cool and trendy'...all through the years when it wasn't and I am still here with my paint and paintbrush in hand...just ready to stencil...

 I can say, I was probably the only college co-ed that stenciled her room while away at college...

every... single... year.

I sure did...

Was I a 1985 carry-over??  Could I just not let go of the whole 'stencil-movement' ??

I have been desperately searching for a photo that I know I have of my beautifully stenciled college room... I have found every other picture from that era...other than that particular one... 

but...

I know I have it.

...and when I find it... 

 I will  post it, so we can all have a good laugh...  

( ...but really, and truly, the stenciling did look good)

Anyway... after all these years... I am still a fan of stenciling*.

(*A fan of stenciling in the right places and in small amounts)

There are always a few rules though... not all stencils are created equal...

So,  what you stencil and how you stencil is super important... 

I would steer clear of really dated 1980's styles (Amish buggies come to mind)

For 2015... geometric shapes and stenciled wall treatments, 

....if done right are simply a-m-a-z-i-n-g.... 

It's a surefire way to add interest to a room, a piece of furniture...or in this case...

 a set of entryway stairs.

I stenciled the stairs in our very first home.

I loved it so much that when we moved to our current home...I did it again.

I recently painted the entryway... which lead to the stairs needing a bit of a touch up too.
 If you would like to read about that project...
Click here:  50 Shades of Gray Paint

I painted over the old stairway stencil to give the stairs a fresh pop of white enamel paint.

Ahh, a blank canvas...a stencil lover's dream!!

Here is what I did:

Using a combination of three paints (one being metallic gold), midnight blue and a taupe.

I used a tiny amount of paint on my brush.
very small...like almost dry...
I lightly blend all the color on the brush, so the finished look is mottled.

With my trusty stencil in place, secured with it a little frog tape...

I lightly filled in the stencil.

If you have areas where the paint needs to be removed...sometimes the tiny paintbrush bristles find their way under the stencil...
I like to use baby wipes and cotton swabs to clean things up.

The results are fast and really give the stairs a finished look.

I like using a little metallic paint in the mix, because it picks up light beautifully.  The picture below shows that...

Styles come and go and fashions change with every season... 

When the stencil comeback  of 2015 happens... I'll be ready!!

Before I let you go... here is another bonus stencil I did on a hutch I updated last spring
....a stenciled monogram... Click here to read that post: Hutch Makeover

Sharing Here:
RedHead Can Decorate via Inspiration Monday
Wow Us Wednesday via SavvySouthernStyle

The Scoop via Confessions of a Plate Addict