Stencil/Stucco Help for my Cupboard.

I think I mentioned a while back

that I wasn't sure what to do about this huge cupboard

we inherited from my husband's grandfather.

For a while, I have just kept it the way it is,

but as I've been painting and re-doing this living room,

I felt it needed to be cleaned up and updated.

I saw this fantastic redo on Pinterest

 Pinterest.com from twicelovely.blogspot.com

and liked the idea of the added detail.

I checked out the stencils at the local craft stores,

but just didn't see anything I really loved.

So I headed over to the Graphics Fairy

to see what I could see.

When I came across this graphic,

I knew I'd found the right one.

Graphicsfairy.blogspot.com: Vintage-clip-art-amazing-silhouette

I enlarged the image when I printed it

and had to ad the part that was missing,

plus some extra greenery to the top and bottom

so the size would work better on my cupboard.

After tracing the image,

leaving parts out so it would be more of a stencil style,

I cut away using my x-acto knife.


When I got it the way I wanted,
I painted it to get a sample image
so that I could adjust parts that didn't look quite right.

 I measured out

and then taped the stencil where I wanted it on the door.

I had purchased the necessary stucco through Amazon,

and grabbed one of my kid's wide plastic knives

to apply the stucco.

I smeared and leveled the stucco until it looked pretty even. 

Tip #1: It's best to cover the stencil surface so it's slightly thicker than the stencil,

but not too thick..

This isn't hard.

  When you experiment, you'll see what is best.

Tip #2: I let it sit for about 15 - 30 minutes to dry up a little bit,

and then I carefully pulled the stencil off.

 I tried pulling the stencil off right away, and it worked fine.

I just felt the image was more stable when I let it sit;

I wouldn't let it sit much more than that though

as you don't want it to harden up with the stencil on.

Tip #3: I found that pulling the stencil from the bottom to the top

creates a sharper image,

not allowing the stucco to droop.

Using a pointed utensil (I used a pencil),

 I added some detail to the bird.

Excess stucco can be scraped from the stencil and reused.

Tip #4: The stencil does not need to be washed in between immediate uses,

just scraped off.

However, it is IMPORTANT to wash the stencil after final use for the day.

The stucco gets pretty hard when dried.

I also created another stencil from an enlarged part of this image

from the Graphics Fairy.

 

Graphicsfairy.blogspot: Antique-clip-art-fabulous-pharmacy

It takes about a day or two to let the stucco harden.
Once hardened, the stucco is very durable.




Now I need some help on what color to paint the whole thing.

Should I add color to the stuccoed image?

I'm looking forward to seeing this project finished
and am glad I found this way of using stucco to enhance furniture,
thanks to another blogger!

Thank you,

Twice Lovely Blog
and
Graphics Fairy Blog

(To see the finished cupboard,

click >HERE<)

Amazon: Decoart Texture Stucco

Be sure to check out this fantastic giveaway:
$75 your choice of jewelry

from the fabulous Etsy shop "Form and Function"

going on right now!

Linking up to:

Graphicsfairy: Brag Monday
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Sixsistersstuff.com
Howsweetthesound
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Be-different-act-normal.com
Fivedaysfiveways.com
Chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot
Whipperberry.com 
Missmustardseed.com
Shabbynest.blogspot 
Kammyskorner.blogspot: Trash-2-treasure-Tuesday
Frenchcountrycottage.blogspot 
Between Naps on the Porch.blogspot: Met Monday
A Bowl full of Lemons.blogspot
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