Raised Plaster Stencils

I have been spending time on some very cool blogs over the last week. I have been inspired by some very talented people and have started to list some of my favorites over on the right side of this blog. Make sure you check them out. If you like this blog, you'll love some of those. It's really very cool because I had never met anyone before that did the kinds of things that we do. Yes, I've met other faux painters, but I've never met anyone who used all the decorative accents that we use, or someone who turns pieces of found trash into beautiful treasures or someone who makes over a room on the cheap and then shouts it from the rooftops. I have opened up a whole new universe and I am addicted to the home decor blogoshpere.

So today I want to share with you a simple technique that adds a whole lot of pizazz to lots of different surfaces. Brooks calls the technique "embossed stencil", but I like the term "raised plaster stencil". We have these in between the molding in our dining room, in the corners of rooms, above doorways and light fixtures. I am also including one that Brooks did with an art imprint that he stenciled around a light fixture. If you click on the pictures you can view them larger and see the detail.

How to apply the raised plaster/embossed stencil:

Find a stencil you like. There are lots of good ones on line. We love Melanie Royals designs. Next you take a stencil adhesive and secure your stencil to the surface you want to apply it to. Then you take a Japanese scraper and apply the plaster through the stencil and smooth and even out the top layer. We like to use Pallet Deco, or Aqua stone as our plaster. We have also used drywall joint compound with much success and little expense. Then carefully lift the stencil and you are done. Let it dry at least 24 hours. Then you are ready to paint, gold leaf, age it, stain it or whatever your heart desires. I have included some photos. Have fun creating!