Stenciled Bathroom Wall and the Cutting Edge Stencil Winner

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a fantabulous weekend! I am happy to say that I finally got around to finishing my stenciled bathroom wall and getting everything else presentable in there. Thank-you so much to Cutting Edge Stencils who provided me with this amazing Fuji stencil. I am pretty much in love...

Now this is my second time working with these stencils {you can view my first attempt here as well as my finished craft room here}.  Overall, this stencil pattern was much easier to work with compared to the first one that I chose due to the simplicity of the shape.  I also used acrylic paint this time and stippled the paint on rather than rolling.  Yes, it did take me longer but I found that it gave me more of the look that I wanted.

So here are a few more stenciling tips now that I am a two-time stenciling pro!

• Practice with your stencil on some cardboard boxes before painting on the wall.  Different application methods {i.e. rolling vs. stippling or using different types of paint can vary the look somewhat}

{See the nifty little level that attaches to the stencil?  Definitely worth it!!}

• Take some time to clean your stencil.  Last time, I did not really bother cleaning the stencil until I was completely finished my project.  I do remember getting a little more bleeding towards the end but I figured it was because I was just getting sloppy.  This time, I found that I had better results {in regards to the crispness of the edges} if I cleaned it more often.  I'm not sure if it just required more cleaning due to the fact that the opening of the stencil was much narrower on this one or if it was because I stippled the paint on.  All I know is when it was clean there was very little, if any, bleeding.  

• Cutting Edge Stencils now includes a free top part stencil {as well as a single shape} to allow you to get right to the top of the ceiling.  I did not have this last time and it made a huge difference!  One of the other benefits with the circle pattern is that it can also be turned sideways to do the corners of the wall.  I totally lucked out and it lined up perfectly for both corners.  

• I mentioned this last time I stenciled and I will mention it again: Do not use too much paint!  A couple of light coats is much better than one heavy one!  Trust me, you will save tons of time on touch ups if you remember this.

• Stenciling is an extremely easy process - it just takes time!  I have read many posts about people doing a much larger wall than mine in 4 or 5 hours.  I don't know why, but everything always seems to take me twice as long as everybody else.  There is, unfortunately, no exception for stenciling and this wall probably took me close to 7 hours {over a period of a few days since I definitely do not have 7 hours of spare time EVER!}  Obviously since this was my second stenciling project, I think that the results are definitely worth it!

I will write up another post sometime this week with full before and after pictures as well as details of some of the other projects that I did in the bathroom.  {For those of you who are wondering, this bathroom is part of our master bathroom and the sink and bathtub area are outside of this little space and are still in the process of being completed!}

And, now that you have made it all the way to the end of this post, the winner of the Cutting Edge Stencil Giveaway {as chosen by random.org} is:

entry 111: Lizzy from My Mind My Life 

Congratulations!! I have emailed you Lizzy so please contact me with the stencil of your choice {up to a $50 value}

Have a wonderful week!

I linked up with Sew Chatty, Skip to My Lou, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, The DIY Showoff, House of Hepworths, Not Just a Housewife, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, Young and Crafty, Lolly Jane, Too Much Time, The 36th Avenue, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Lil Luna, Craft-O-Maniac, Ask Anna, Under the Table and Dreaming, I Heart Naptime, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Whipperberry, Design Dazzle, Delightful Order, Somewhat Simple, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Blue Cricket Design, Oopsey Daisy, Uncommon, Home Stories A to Z, A Bowl Full of Lemons, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia and Thrifty Decor Chick.