Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Using stencils to give French flair - yes I bought some stencils!

using stencils to give furniture some french flair Lilyfield Life

I know that in the past I've said I hate stencils and only hand painted designs but over Christmas I ended up ordering some beautiful stencils from the US: beautiful intricate damask designs and fleur de lis. Designs that would take me hours and hours to hand paint. So I relaxed my self-imposed rule of no stencils and bought them. 

using stencils to give furniture some french flair Lilyfield Life

I thought this little table would be a great candidate for some French designs. I love this table now and if it doesn't sell I'll be happy to have it in my home.

Available: "Reine de tout" Queen of all!!⚜️👑
Gorgeous vintage two tiered side table: painted and stenciled in a french grey, waxed and antiqued.
56w x 43d x 74h cm
$220
Pickup Lilyfield

using stencils to give furniture some french flair Lilyfield Life

using stencils to give furniture some french flair Lilyfield Life

I also used the Reine de tout stencil on this mirror below. Just love this look for a little bling. (mirror sold)

using stencils to give furniture some french flair Lilyfield Life

Not as good a photo of the mirror below but it does show the design clearly.

using stencils to give furniture some french flair Lilyfield Life

This firescreen below was in a bad way and I bought it quite cheaply.  The old varnished finish was very degraded. 

using stencils to give furniture some french flair Lilyfield Life

Normally I would sand a piece smooth first before painting but for this piece I decided to make it very rustic and so I painted and stenciled over the bumpy varnish. I then sanded the whole piece completely smooth to give such a cool chippy rustic effect.  To seal this piece I coated it with a clear sealer (not wax) as if the buyer actually used this in front of a fire the wax wouldn't hold up.  Although in the past firescreens weren't used close to a fire - they were placed in a room between the fire and the chair you were sitting on the shield the direct heat from the fire.

using stencils to give furniture some french flair Lilyfield Life

Look at the timber grain showing through the paint (this piece has sold)

I will still continue with my hand painting on pieces as I think that adds something very special but you will also see me intersperse them with some stenciled designs. 

Fiona xx

I bought my stencils from Maison De Stencils when they were on sale.

Denise from Barleycorn Vintage Stencils has some good stencils in Australia and she is an excellent resource for how to use stencils and get crisp edges. I personally hate to see stencils badly used so this post is very helpful.







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