Designer Stencils

06.13.07 10:03 am
-Designer Stencils
Subject: SUMMER IS HERE
SUMMER IS HERE and the creative time when you look at your garden and your home and say to yourself, how can I make my home decorations special? Stenciling on pots, benches, tables in your garden can have a beautiful effect. A drifting hydrangea stencil on the back of a bench or random hydrangeas on a table can change an ordinary piece of furniture into something that will add color and interest to dull or old looking furniture. A porch floor can be enhanced by painting or faux finishing and add detail by stenciling a border or divide the floor into a grid and stencil flowers or geometric designs. Another idea is to stencil one of our all over patterns. Make sure you spray an acrylic clear coat on your designs before treating with an exterior varnish such as c-500 - a waterbased
commercial varnish that we sell in our faux web store.
I also like to work in my house when the weather becomes so hot and the air conditioning is a must. I have two bedrooms that I am planning to redecorate. I plan to faux finish
one bedroom with a chantilly lusterstone ( a troweled on finish from our Faux Store). The final touch will be a crown molding stencil since I have no molding at my ceiling. I will
first paint the solid background color, then stencil with a light and darker color.
The second bedroom will have a ragged faux finish and then a wallpaper stencil designed from the fabric in the room. We have wonderful designers that can create the pattern to fit your decor.
When I finish my rooms we will add them to our photo gallery. If you need ideas or help, call and ask for Helen Walker. I started this business in 1982 and have lots of experience stenciling but most of all, I am known as the idea person.
Have a great summer. Remember - Life is not a dress rehearsal. Live everyday as best you can. Helen

~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~

04.04.07 3:03 pm
-Designer Stencils
Subject: Spring is Here
In Delaware we are seeing the beginning of spring. Many of you may be looking around your
home and wanting to spruce it up a bit. I finished redecorating my family room and love it. I had my two sofas reupholstered in a buttercrunch matlaisse fabric, repainted my walls with Venetian Bellissimo, troweling white, then sand, and a final thin coat of white. The last touch was to buff with cheesecloth and Olde World Venetian Wax. I found the perfect rug from Pakistan with gold, beige, turkey red, and teal geometric patterns.
I am going to pick a saying to stencil over my french doors to add a special touch. We have so many quotations, it's hard to pick out the one that I want to see every day.
After being so pleased with my family room, I have continued by painting two coats of
off-white Aquabond in the entrance, stairs and upstairs hallway. I'm going to stencil a crown molding in the upstairs hall and add a dental molding addition in my entrance. I'm going to faux finish a stripe stencil, but haven't had time to decide colors and design.
I always use the polystyrene boards to make sample boards so that I know exactly how it is going to look.
My next projects are two guest bedrooms. I think I am going to use Lusterstone in each of those rooms with a stencil to tie everything together. We'll take pictures and add to the website.
Don't forget to look at WOW Bargain Stencils. Sometimes we are sending stencils that you could have had for half price if you had taken the time to look at the overstock stencils.
I'm Helen Walker, the owner of the business,and would like to hear from you. Send pictures and questions and we will be glad to communicate with you. If you send us pictures using our stencils, they may end up on the website.

~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~

02.02.07 4:40 pm
-Designer Stencils
Subject: February Projects
Thoughts: Super Bowl, Valentine"s Day, Decorating Tips
February is a great month to be creative. How about cookies, pies and cakes with football
designs - check our culinary section for designs to use. If you missed Super Bowl, don't forget basketball. You can use royal icing to decorate cookies or melt chocolate to decorate candies. Melted coco butter and a stencil brush make a quick way for jazzing up
tiny mints, etc.
I love to decorate for Valentine's Day! Surprise your significant other with painted boxer shorts. We have great Valentine designs but we can also create a special design for your loved one. What a surprise when my husband saw Valentine designs on his boxers.
Tee shirts would be a lot of fun. Wash your fabric first, stencil with fabric paint or add textile medium to Folk Art Acryliic paint. Heat set by going over the design with a medium set iron for 30 seconds. Do not wash for two weeks.
We have some new stencil designs for St. Patrick's Day. Think ahead and order cookie designs for your party or celebration.
DON'T FORGET TO LOOK AT WowBargainStencils.com. We are trying to help your budgets. When our cookie designs are cut out of thinner plastic, we offer the designs at a discount because they are not cut on food grade plastic. The plastic is perfect to use for scrapbooking and craft projects or simply, stenciling a small stencil border around your wall. Think of decorating furniture with these small designs. Paint your furniture with a pretty light color and use a darker color for stenciling.
Thought for the month: Life is not a dress rehearsal. Hope to hear from you. Helen Walker null null

~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~

12.20.06 12:36 pm
-Designer Stencils
Subject: Holiday Stress
Clogged roadways, crammed grocery stores, empty department stores, and busy stores that sell electronics are what I will remember about December 2006. Regular retail merchandise
is sitting on the shelves in my city. Online has to be where everyone is buying the majority of their gifts. Stencils are mainly sold through the internet because they are easy to see online and order. Designer Stencils can be made taller or shorter so that they will fit your space in your home. Call our 800-822-7836 to discuss size changes and pricing.
Reduced sizes are $10.00 additional fee but larger sizes are $5.00 an inch or a stated price for a big design. Our laser tables will cut 48" plastic for 5 mil plastic.
Our holiday closing will be December 23 to the 26th. Shipments and orders will be going out on the 28th. We will close New Years Day. We hope you all have a happy and safe holiday. Helen Walker

~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~

12.20.06 12:35 pm
-Designer Stencils
Happy Holidays - we will be closed December 23rd - December 26th

~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~

12.12.06 2:48 pm
-Designer Stencils
Subject: Stenciling in your Kitchen
Stenciling in my kitchen was my very first stencil project. This was in 1982 and supplies were limited. I used regular brushes, taped to make a round circle for the tap motion or swirls, and quarts of paint. I copied the stencil design from a book "Early American Stencils" in color. My husband cut the design out of a plastic from the dime store. It was 10" high by 12" long. I stenciled in three colors and I thought it was beautiful! Can you believe that I opened a stencil shoppe with so little experience!
Needless to say, the talent walked in and I hired almost anyone with a little talent in designing and cutting stencils. In 6 months my shoppe was too small(400 sq. ft.)so the landlord provided 1000 sq. ft. space , then 1500 and eventually 4000 sq. ft. For 25 years we stenciled everything that was not moving. This year we closed the store and moved to our 5000 sq. ft. building that we bought 6 years ago. We sell retail but the majority of the space is my studio and production of stencil space. If you are ever in Wilmington, De. stop by to see us.
A customer came in today and bought the kitchen stencil #1741 that I stenciled in my daughter's kitchen. It's a lovely stencil with a matching basket for a backsplash. We have a picture of it - I will make sure it is in our photo gallery.
Because of computer viruses I cannot let you ask questions at this location but you may e-mail me at helen.walker@verizon.net and I will respond as soon as possible. I'm a busy
lady but I will try my best. Our location will be closed from Dec.23-26, but we will be back on the 27th to answer any questions. Have a wonderful holiday. Helen

~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~

12.08.06 4:03 pm
-Designer Stencils
Subject: New Blog
Thoughts: Here is our new blog
Designer Stencils became the name for our line of stencils in 1982. I opened a small stencil shoppe in Chadds Ford, Pa. and could not find enough pre-cut stencils to sell in my shoppe. Employees and other local stencilers began to hand-cut stencils to meet the need of the public. We were inundated with customers and requests for designs not available. Driving to work one morning, I decided to call our line of stencils,"Designer Stencils" because so many people were involved in the whole process. Needless to say, twenty-five years has passed - some designers have come and gone, others have stayed and are still packaging their designs but technology has taken over. Two large lasers, state of the art printing equipment, computers, and talented employees have helped us to continue our successful stenciling business.
I'm Helen Walker and husband, Jim is our accountant, engineer (DuPont retiree), and Carol Bova, our daughter and heir apparent, is the design and computer expert. I try to
do the non- technical work such as stenciling, faux finishing, phone consultations, and
teaching with the Faux Effects Aqua Products. I will be the blog person so I look forward
to answering questions and giving personal suggestions regarding decorating and faux finishing.

~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~ = ~ - ~