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

And the winner of the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint gift basket is……

Kim Lombardi. Kim left comment #7 and ALSO left two other bonus comments including a comment about which Royal Design Studio stencil she would like-our amazing Springtime in Paris Typography stencil. Way to wish big! Kim, you WIN and are also entered in this weekends drawing to attend the Annie Sloan North American Tour date of your choice.

Thank you all for your comments!! I really enjoyed reading your fav Chalk Paint color combinations and stencil choices.

Allow me to introduce you to Sylvie Bilger and Metamorfaux.

 

I had the great pleasure of meeting Sylvie this past October when she attended my last painting trip to Marrakech as one of our very special Peacock Painters. Originally from France, Sylvie has a joie de vivre that is both infectious and endearing. She also happens to be a classically trained decorative artist with an impressive resume.  Sylvie learned her craft first during 4 years in the Ecole National des Arts Appliques et des Metiers d’ Art. She followed that with a year at the Institute de peinture Van Der Kelen in Brussels where she perfected her decorative painting skills in trompe l’oeil, wood graining, marbleizing and lettering. Impressed yet? Well, to top that off she then proceeded to work for two years doing restoration at the Palace of Versailles. Yeah. Cool. For the last 25 years she has lived and worked in NYC, and established her decorative painting company, Metamorfaux with her artist/husband Joe Bilger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right before we left for our Morocco trip, she contacted me regarding the opportunity to sponsor the decoration of  a space in the annual Holiday House NYC-an annual showcase and fundraiser for the Susan G Komen foundation for breast cancer research. Of course I said yes! The space was of the sort normally given to decorative painters-a hallway. Hallways are actually fabulous, because they are generally lacking the need for furniture and you can be left to let the paint treatment be the star. Sylvie was inspired by the stenciling that I had designed the year before for a dining tent in Morocco, and this became the basis for the hallway decoration at Holiday House. Of course, she reinterpreted the idea unique and special way. Let’s see, shall we?

 

 

 

 

 

Sylvie used a combination of Royal Design Studio stencils and Modello masking patterns. I suggested the Modello patterns for the ceiling, because they can be so much easier than trying to maneuver a large stencil around, and we were able to cut the design to fit the space exactly. Above, she is removing the transfer tape to begin the painting process with metallic paints from Modern Masters.

 

 

 

 

 

We also provided Modello patterns for the the arches and medallion. Again, the Modellos are much easier to apply and decorate an otherwise difficult space like these arches!

 

 

 

 

 

Cut to a week later, and…..voila! Sylvie used our new large Peacock Feather stencil on the walls. I love how she has them trailing randomly from the ceiling line,

 

 

 

 

 

and added just a little extra touch on the window treatment.

 

 

 

 

More of our Moroccan  stencils were used in the small hallway, including Moroccan Lace, the Fez Corner, and the Fez Floral Border.

 

 

 

 

 

A final touch of magic happened when the light fixture was installed. Along with a warm, reflective glow, it adds a whole other dreamy layer of geometric pattern to an already beautifully designed space.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a shot of Sylvie and our mutual Moroccan traveler and friend, artist Tom Henman-her lucky date to the opening night Gala! If you happen to be in the NYC area you can check out Sylvie’s work along with many other beautifully designed and decorated rooms at Holiday House NYC through December 11!

 

One of my favorite things about designing stencils to share with the world is getting to see how our customers use them in their homes and creative projects.  All this internet interconnection makes it even easier to enjoy these rewards-and to share them with others. I truly love and appreciate it when people “share” their stencil art on our Facebook Page. It’s like instant gratification on steroids! This past week there were some particularly NICE photos posted, so just in case you missed them, here’s a visual recap…

Nichole Blackburn of Celadon Style recently completed a large commission at Bel Bambini, a high-end baby boutique in Newport Beach, CA.  Nichole completed 20 different original and creative murals and decorative schemes throughout the store to coordinate with different nursery collections. Here, she used our Grand Damask stencil in a stripe pattern to create a romantic graphic look.

Former textile artist turned decorative painter and muralist extraordinaire, Carmen Benoit,  is always to nice to comment on our Facebook pages and posts, so I’m thrilled to share some of her lovely work on a grand ceiling. Carmen used our Delicate Floral Damask all over this tray ceiling and finished it off beautifully with the Oriental Brocade Frieze border pattern. This looks like SO much work, but what a STUNNING effect!

Sylvie Bilger of Metamorfaux (top photo) is an amazing person and artistic talent who I met recently on our last Moroccan painting adventure to Peacock Pavilions. She was such a joy to be with and I am thrilled to be sponsoring Sylvie’s space at the upcoming Holiday House NYC event to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer research. Sylvie is very modest, so she probably won’t tell you that she trained at an important decorative finishing academy in Europe and her first job had her working at the Palace of Versailles, but I think that deserves a major SHOUT OUT! Sylvie is currently completing two amazing hall spaces in the showcase house with a combination of stencils and Modello patterns pulled from our Moroccan stencil collection.

On a much smaller scale, artist Kathryn Donatelli shared a table top that she enhanced with wood stains and one of the designs from our Architectural Scroll Set.

Another fellow Moroccan traveler, Cindi Rowley of Cindy Rowley Designs recently shared a cabinet furniture finish using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and our Ornate Italian Panel stencil. Cindi embossed the pattern for a raised effect which is highlighted by the lovely antiqued wax finish.

Another Chalk Paint furniture stencil project was posted by Kristin at Chi Chi Studio Designs. This is a super pretty blog by a darling  Mississippi girl and this dresser stenciled with Paris Gray and Pure White and our Small Chez Sheik Moroccan stencil totally rocks, IMHO! Oh, and by the way, Royal Design Studio is now officially the stockist for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in San Diego County, but I haven’t officially announced it yet, as I am trying to get all my ASCP ducks brushes in a row.

And now for the BIG finish!! It’s the Chez Sheik Moroccan stencil again-this time in the larger version.  When I saw these pictures posted on our Facebook Page wall today by Haneen Matt, I thought they were the work of a pro decorative painter. I was already SUPER impressed by the color choice and stylish props, but then I found out that she is a very talented homeowner and I was super, DUPER impressed. How about you??

So-there you have the week in review, and now you know how much I LOVE it when peeps share their stencil photos…….so…….I’m just suggesting……and letting you know that our Facebook page is right here. Have a lovely, creative weekend!

 

It was so much fun doing a stencil giveaway this week with the help of The Nester!

Thank you all so, so much for all the comments, stencil feedback, facebooking and tweeting.

I wish you all could have won, but Random.org only picks one number and that number was 14.

So, congratulations to Beth-the winner of our $75 Royal Design Studio stencil shopping spree. For the rest of you wonderful peeps who took the time to “window shop” for stencils, look for an email from me very soon with a special offer. xo

We LOVE to sponsor stencil giveaways on many cool design and DIY blogs. When the opportunity came up to participate in the Giveaway Day at one of the bestest blogs,  The Nesting Place, I thought it was the perfect time to host my own stencil giveaway on Design Amour as well!

 

Just in time for the Holidays – and the chance to pick a REALLY AWESOME stencil that could help pull all your holiday décor together or make a fabulous gift for someone special!

PRIZE: We are giving away a $75 Shopping Spree at Royal Design Studio along with free shipping to the continental U.S. That’s $75 to buy anything your heart desires on our website, including stencils, stencil cremes, and stencil supplies. We have hundreds of stencil patterns to choose from. Here are just a few ideas to whet your whistle….

Feeling like a tigress? Our new Tiger Stripe stencil offers you an elegant way to express your wild side.

Our Rockin’ Roses floral stencil is a little bit floral and a little bit rock and roll. Stencil it in bold, contrasting colors or metallics for a deco statement or in soft pastels for a romantic look.

More modern African adventure awaits with our Zebra Stripe stencil. It makes an awesome addition to a feature wall and can easily be dressed up or down to suit your style.

More soft romance awaits with our lovely Phoebe’s Tulip Vine floral stencil. This design is perfect for a vintage modern design scheme. Check out this blog post on Busily Spinning Momma for a peek at a lovely bathroom project with this beauty!

Our Delicate Floral Damask is a classically inspired pattern done on a large scale for a modern feel. It’s perfect for bedrooms. Lovely, in dramatic black and white, it can take on multiple personalities depending on your color choices. And the great thing about using stencil patterns? The color choices are yours and yours alone!

How to enter you ask?

There are SIX different ways to enter!

1) Visit our Royal Design Studio website, take a look around and just simply leave a comment on our blog post here on your favorite stencil and/or products that you’d pick up during your shopping spree!

The rest involve Facebook, Twitter and/or your blog to give you a chance at additional comment entries!

2) Like us on our Facebook Fan page and leave a comment telling us you did;

3) Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment telling us you did;

If you are already a fan or follow us, do let us know as well.  We love our fans and followers so that counts!

This counts as three entries. Want three more ways to win? Yeah, I thought so!

4) Facebook about our giveaway, and leave a comment here, telling us you did;

5) Tweet about our giveaway, and leave a comment here, telling us you did;

6) Blog about our giveaway, and leave a comment here (and a link if you can!) telling us you did.

I hope it’s not too complicated – just make sure that for whatever you do, leave us a comment.  Do one or do all six — it’s your choice! We think it’s always a little more fun to spread the word and up the ante!  Let the entries begin!!!

We do want to thank The Nesting Place for helping host the Giveaway Day and offering us a chance to participate– She’s featuring all of her sponsors, so do be sure to go there for more giveaways. We’re so happy to be featured along with some very cool companies.  Thanks, Nester!

…and Thank You, Everyone!  You have until Midnight on Thursday, November 3^rd, to get all your comments in. We choose a Winner via Random.org and their name will be announced by Saturday morning, November 5th.  We hope to see your entries and look forward to seeing who the fabulous Winner is!  Good Luck!

Having two companies can be a lot like having two children. You love each one passionately and strive to give them equal amounts of time and attention. It can be hard to maintain that balance, though, when one or the other becomes more “needy”. And so, while lately I have been focusing a lot on my “oldest” child Royal Design Studio, which sells reusable, “designer” mylar stencils since 1994, my “baby” Modello Designs (one-time-use vinyl masking stencils) has been feeling neglected and is frankly starting to get a bit jealous. And so, my darling Modello Designs, I am committing some quality time to spend with you, and promise to show you off and brag about you here once a week!

This will not be hard, as you can do amazing things! While your Royal stencil sister excels at creating beautiful repetitive pattern, YOU truly shine when it comes to creating custom-designed, custom fit patterns. Take this recent project by my good friend and Italy traveling buddy, Gary Lord, of Prismatic Painting Studio and Gary Lord Wall Options.

Gary worked with our in-house custom Modello designer extraordinaire, Michelle, to modify some of our existing designs for an amazing kitchen cabinet conversion.

Each Modello vinyl stencil pattern was designed to fit the various door panel spaces perfectly, so that Gary could simply place them and focus on his artistry rather than the frustration of trying to fit the patterns to individual spaces.

Gary used an elegant trompe l’oeil painting technique that Alison Wooley shared on one of our painting trips to Italy.

Using multiple values of the same color and applying some hand painted touches over a quickly stenciled base color that was applied through the Modello patterns, Gary created a kitchen masterpiece! What will our Modello customers cook up next?! Stay tuned, and see….

WHOA! Check THIS out….this is an amazing bathroom transformation from the ever fabulous Gracie Reed, of Grace Designs Dallas.I have posted quite a bit of Gracie’s work here, as she is super talented and was also a featured artist and cover girl for our inspiration book, Modello by Design, Volume 2.

For this project, Gracie acted as the general contractor, decorator, and decorative finisher to turn this ugly duckling bathroom into a black swan. Modello masking stencil used: EasCen103. I wouldn’t normally use the word “sexy” to describe a bathroom, but I think it’s totally appropriate in this case, don’t you?

Lisa of Lisa Goulet Design, an interior decorator in Ottawa, Canada recently posted a simple and elegant stencil transformation on her blog that is too chic not to share here.

Lisa’s foyer before. Nothing horrible here, yet nothing memorable either.

Lisa used our classic and simple Moorish Trellis stencil in a creamy white over the golden beige walls. The black painted doors add so much sophistication,  and would be a brilliant idea to copy if your daring and want to add some designer dash to a neutral space.

These other views give you a good idea how the stencil design is used in a limited area, yet relates well to the surrounding spaces. Do you have a Royal Design Studio stencil transformation up your sleeve that you would like to see posted here?? If so, please share!

You’ve seen the amazing work of Gracie Reed, of Grace Designs Dallas here before. Her work is on the cover of our Modello by Design, Vol. II book and also featured in the whole first chapter. Gracie continues to inspire and amaze me with her talent and she recently sent along these juicy, colorful photos of some fabulous porch projects she did recently with some custom-fit Modello  masking stencil patterns. And so, to brighten up your day…..He-e-e-e-r’s Gracie!

Porch before: yaaaaawn.

Porch after: YEAH!

I think you’ll agree with me that these are really exceptional uses of some of our Modello Concrete Carpet patterns, adapted to fit the projects perfectly. For these projects, Gracie used a polymer-based concrete overlay product called RSCrete from Faux Effects, International. Like the products featured in the last post, this is an easy to use, integrally colored overlay that gets thinly troweled over an existing concrete slab. It’s kind of like a Venetian Plaster type material-for floors-and works wonderfully in combination with our masking stencils! Wouldn’t you love to walk up to either one of these houses and be surprised to see this?!?!