Our weekly Stencil Star™ series showcases our customer’s use of our Royal Design Studio mylar wall stencils and Modello™ masking stencils on walls, ceilings, floors, and more.  This week, we travel to Dallas, Texas to see the beautiful work of Amy Christensen and her studio, Faux Get About It.  Amy wields her considerable creative skills with stencil patterns in many of her decorative painting projects.

Amy Christensen

ABOUT FAUX GET ABOUT IT

Amy Christensen has always had creative pursuits: sewing, cooking, painting, stained glass and remodeling, to name a few.  However, after working in the advertising and marketing fields for many years, she yearned to do something more creative, in the physical sense, with both her hands and mind.  In 2000, she took this to heart and launched her professional faux finishing studio.  Today, her favorite aspect is helping client’s re-imagine their spaces through stencils and finishes with great colors, patterns and textures on furniture, ceilings, and accessories.

Above, a peeled paint and ceruse treatment by Amy incorporates our classic Ornate Italian Panel stencil. This is such an incredible finish for either furniture or cabinetry!  Range and vent hoods are also a wonderful surface to transform with a stencil! Below, Amy created a faux hammered copper for the top, wood-grained the frieze. She then created a faux marquetry look with our Napoleon Panel stencil from our Modern Masters Designer Stencils Collection.

What draws you to Stenciling?

Stenciling enables me to incorporate a design element or pattern into my finish that is crisp, concise and consistent in a way that hand-painting alone doesn’t provide.  The beauty of a stencil is that I can use it with just paint, or I can give it dimension with plaster, glass beads or even joint compound. I can further embellish it with gold leaf or foil as well as crystals and hand-painted details.  It’s an excellent tool for anyone to give an otherwise run-of-the-mill finish that extra pizazz that makes it come alive.

Using individual elements from the Allover Corsini Damask wall stencil, Amy created a metallic drop-shadow technique. She then used glass beads through the stencil to add a wonderful shimmer.  The walls received a beautiful pearl color wash prior to the stenciling for an allover shimmer.

How do you determine which pattern will work for your project?

I look at the space as a whole and envision how color, pattern and texture can enhance it as well as be combined in the same space.  When I’m allowed to do pattern building and use more than one stencil and finish in a space I  get really excited about the possibilities.

Plaster, gold leaf and bead accents are a beautiful touch with our Modello Ornamental Center OrnCen162, one of our most popular ceiling designs. Modello vinyl stencils are one-time use patterns that can be very helpful when working on ceilings or when larger size options are needed.  Below, the bedroom walls and ceiling are two-color pearlized plaster. A Modello was used for both the ceiling fan medallion and the frieze design.

What would be your “dream” stencil project?

One of my favorite chateaus is Chenonceau in the Loire valley of France.  It is filled with pattern and design on everything from elaborately handcarved wood work, to bas relief in stone, as well as  beautifully stenciled and hand-painted walls and ceilings.  No detail was left out in this castle! Even the windows are beautiful examples of pattern in both stained and leaded glass.  It would be amazing to work on reproducing many of these beautiful designs and share them with the rest of the world in the form of a mylar stencil or Modello vinyl pattern.

The barrel vault ceiling above has a custom vinyl stencil from our Modello Ornamental Panels collection with an aged gold leaf treatment.  Below:  The Large Italian Medallion Border stencil helps a cabinet panel end piece (far right) pull in the overall design along while adding decided interest.

Beautiful work, Amy and thank you for sharing!  You can see more of Amy’s artistry and projects on her website, Faux Get About It.  Keep up with her decorative projects via Facebook and Twitter.