Growing up, we always had Family Circle magazines around the house. In fact, my Mom still has a subscription. Now, I’ll admit, it is no longer a “must read” magazine for me the way that Elle Decor, Veranda, and House Beautiful are, but this month’s issue is one I HAD to pick up!

You see, there is a lovely little furniture stencil project in there written by the talented (and welcome NEW discovery for me) Suzonne Sterling of the wonderful Urban Comfort blog.

Suzonne used our Small Eastern Lattice stencil on a metal coffee table. Because this particular stencil requires you to paint in the negative spaces around the trellis pattern, Suzonne basecoated the table in a gold metallic paint first. She then did the stenciling in the brown color, so that the actual trellis pattern shines through. Suzonne posted about this project on her own blog here and you can find more detailed instructions also on the Family Circle website.

You will probably want to set aside some time to peruse Urban Comfort. It’s full of inspiring DIY ideas. I particularly liked this idea of creating a Winter Butterfly Garden and think this would be so, so pretty on a mantle of as a dining table centerpiece!

She also recently did a wonderful post on the upcoming Annie Sloan U.S. tour. As a stockist for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I gotta love that one too!!

There is so much that I enjoy with sharing this furniture stenciling pin!

It’s a superb piece by  good friend Debbie Hayes of Faux Design Studio and the Faux Plus Design blog. It uses Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (Duck Egg Blue and Old White), AND Deb incorporated two of my most favoritist stencils from Royal Design Studio: the ever popular and classic Fabric Damask and Brocade Border. It all comes together beautifully in Deb’s brand new studio in Greensboro, NC, where she’ll be hosting an open house this coming Wednesday from 4 to 6:30 pm:

FAUX DESIGN STUDIO, inc
1100 Revolution Mill Drive, Studio 8, Greensboro, NC
336.707.6945

Welcome to a brand New Year! It is now time for the annual rite of making new promises to ourselves, setting new goals, attempting to discard bad habits. A fresh year bring a fresh slate; a blank canvas. Of course you don’t need the occasion of needing a new calendar to start afresh. Your future is yet unwritten and so each day or even each moment brings opportunity and possibilities, BUT there is something very powerful about closing the books on the past year and focusing RIGHT NOW on how to improve on the next one.

If I was to focus on just one, simple way to feed my psyche, nurture my soul, and tend to my spirit (all of which helps me, of course, to be better to myself and others) I would have to say that I simply need to paint more. As my decorative painting businesses (Royal Design Studio and Modello Designs) have grown the creative art that inspired them has increasingly given way to Biz running business. There’s no time to get a brush in my hand because it always seems to be filled with a phone or a computer mouse. I have a fabulous painting studio that stares sadly at me every day while I rush past it in to my computer. This. Will. Not. Do. I have decided to  give myself the gift of regular “painting retreats”-in my own studio. It’s time to get back in touch with me…and this is where it starts. Lots of blank canvases. Thrift Store furniture pieces exactly, that are being transformed for the new year with some creative stenciling and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

Here’s to a 2012 that is creative…

…filled with bold strokes…

…and many bright, creative ideas!

What gift are you giving yourself for the new year? Please-be generous!

I hope your Christmas was fabulous, enjoyable, and joyful! Ours was filled with family-as it should be. On Christmas day we traveled north from San Diego (about 2 hours) to spend the day with my husband’s family at my sister-in-law Anne’s new house in Claremont, CA.

I always love seeing a “new” place she is in because she is one of those people blessed with an amazing decorating gene. Even more impressive, she excels at decorating “on the cheap” with restyled thrift store bargains.

When she was visiting us last Spring, we loaded her arms up with a bunch of random stencils from our studio-and she couldn’t wait to show me what she’d done with them. Fortunately, I had my handy iPhone with me, so I can share them with you!

Here’s an adorable little nook area off the kitchen. The wall on the right is filled with mirrors to reflect the sunlight that comes in the windows on the opposite wall.

The built-in bookcase is surrounded by a randomly stenciled pattern using our Indian Paisley stencil.

The gray paint color on the pale blue looks soft and soothing and ties in nicely with the antiqued, punched silver mirror frame.

In the bedroom, Anne used our Large Hollywood Squares wall stencil to accent the closet-again with a blue and gray color scheme. I like the juxtaposition of the geometric pattern softened by the oriental paisley on the comforter.

The bathroom cabinet had been layered with years of coats of white paint, applied with a heavy hand that produced a lot of brush stroke texture.

This proved the perfect background for a distressed patterned finish of grayed denim blue colors. Anne layered spray paint, latex paint washes, and wood stains with some sanding and distressing to get this fabulous look.

This little floral stencil is actually a freebie stencil that we have been including with stencil orders for some time now. I love how she used it to create a random flower field on the lighter blue here and then just as accents behind the knobs on the darker blue drawers. Hey! Whose that person in the door knob??

On to the guest bedroom for another “out-of-the box” stencil application that works beautifully! Here Anne used our classic Fabric Damask stencil in just two rows above the chair rail. I love how the pattern alternates from horizontal to vertical to give a soft lacy edge to the molding. It’s just enough!

Down below is one of our Moroccan  stencils, the Minaret Border. I would never have thought to pair this with the Fabric Damask stencil, but again, the combo of geometric and soft floral is a perfect compliment! I hope you enjoyed this inspiring little stenciled house tour along with me!

So, by now, you’ve heard about world famous Annie Sloan Chalk Paint right?

The amazingly easy-to-use, environmentally friendly, paint-right-over almost everything in 28 gorgeous, historical colors that launched a furniture painting revolution Chalk Paint?

And you probably are aware that this “British invasion innovation” is now available at over 100 stockists around the U.S. thanks to Lisa Rickert at Jolie Design and Decor. Well, just in case you’ve been living under a designer pillow, here’s some Chalk Paint info on our Royal Design Studio website. Oh, and by the way, did you know that we are now stocking the amazing Chalk Paint? And offering classes in Chalk Paint?? Well, now that you are fully up-to-date and in the know, it’s time to move on to the super fun portion of this post-everybody’s favorite-The BIG announcement and GIVEAWAY! Drumroll……

Announcing the Annie Sloan American Tour and Chalk Paint Giveaway!

The U.S Stockist have banded together to spread a little paint magic around and celebrate the Annie Sloan American Tour, coming in Spring 2012 to a city near you! This little blog, Designamour, is just one of many hosting an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint gift basket giveaway, that includes: 2 quarts of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (you choose!),  Annie Sloan Soft Wax in clear and dark, and Annie’s juicy “tell-all” book, Quick and Easy Paint Transformations.

Here’s how to enter the Designamour Chalk Paint Giveaway:

Go to our Chalk Paint page at Royal Design Studio and leave a comment here telling me which are YOUR two color choices.

For an additional  entry, post a link to this giveaway on Facebook  and leave a comment here that you did.

For an additional, additional entry, post a link to this giveaway on Twitter and leave a comment here that you did.

For an additional, additional extra special entry, go to Royal Design Studio and leave a comment here telling me which stencil you would love to have to paint a piece of furniture with. (If you do, and THAT comment is chosen as the winner, you will get the stencil AS WELL as the Chalk Paint Gift Basket! Brilliant!

That’s 4 chances to win! The Giveaway ends December 31, when a comment winner will be drawn via random.org.

AND the chances don’t even end there. There’s MORE!

The lucky winner of the Giveaway here will also be entered to win a free registration to the Annie Sloan American Tour, in the city of your choice. THAT winner will be drawn by Annie Sloan Unfolded and announced on Annie’s Blog on January 10, 2012.

Good luck!!!!!!!

All furniture images designed and painted by Annie Sloan. Photographer: Christopher Drake

Continuing a theme from last week, I have a few more Stencil Wall-ternatives to share today!

Amy from Playing Sublimely  is lucky enough to have a skilled carpenter husband! Who’s NOT jealous of that?!  He created a custom built-in cabinet at the end of a hallway which Amy promptly painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

Not happy with her first try, she tried, tried again, this time opting for a more classic paint treatment and the decidedly “un”classic and ultimately COOL look of stenciling our Zebra Stripe stencil pattern on the back to show off her pretty white dishes. Check out this post also by Amy to see some more Royal Design Studio stencils used on her walls. I’m sure you’ll find her home dreamy and inspirational-especially if you like formal, classic design.

Back to the floor, here is another fun stenciled sisal rug project from Tam at Sew Dang Cute. A project like this is super fast, easy, and economical. Sometimes it’s the little details that add so much!

Royal Design Studio and Modello Designs customer Terry Leibenguth recently sent in some photos of a stenciled ceiling project that I just love!  This one features our ever lovely Allover Flourish stencil on the ceiing of a powder bath.

Check out the added bling Terry added with glitter and crystals.

Crystal embellishments to stenciling has become increasingly popular, and I think that Terry added just the right amount to accent the stencil pattern and tie it in to the lovely light fixtures.

We love to share our customer’s stencil projects. They inspire us and hopefully inspire you too! If you have a stencil project yould like to share and share alike, please send appropriate photos to melanie@royaldesignstudio.com.