Damask Stenciled Nursery Walls

You already know how I'm a huge fan of Cutting Edge Stencils and their incredible product, and I have a major love for damask print. So upon discovering that we would be converting my office into a nursery for a little lady, I immediately hopped on over to Cutting Edge's site to finalize my choice for a damask print for her walls.

(Here's a peek - the view from the crib! :)

I was surprised (and thrilled) to discover that several more damask options had just been added in the past few months!! Now I had even more choices in my quest for beautiful walls, and it didn't take me long to settle on this LOVELY Damask Kerry stencil. (I also found out that the new stencils are named after each of the girls who work at Cutting Edge, isn't that sweet? :)

I have lots of pretty and bright colored fabric that I want to use in the nursery, so I decided to go with a cool soothing gray as a more neutral background. I chose Gray Clouds from Sherwin Williams, and enlisted my lovely mother to help transform the room from Office Orange to Nursery Neutral.

Before, with paint samples.

After. Ahhhhhh.

Then came the fun paint. I used this line of Designer Series All-Purpose Home Decor Acrylic Paint from DecoArt, in White, Daffodil Yellow, and Spa Blue, along with their acrylic paint in Desert Turquoise. I just LOVED them!! Let me tell you, these went on perfectly!! The paint was thick enough that it only took 2 coats to get the coverage that I wanted - even when going to a lighter color!! It had practically no fumes so was perfect for an indoor painting project, particularly by a pregnant lady. It also dried really quickly, so I was able to work my way around the room pretty fast. What more could you want in a paint? Particularly when it comes in such beautiful colors as these!

I also got to use this fabulous clip on stencil level, which you can also purchase through Cutting Edge Stencil's site. You just clip it to the top of your stencil and it ensures that the pattern is level. This was such a huge time and headache saver!! I would constantly have been stepping back from the wall, arms crossed, trying to figure out if any of the damasks were crooked. I am too much of a perfectionist to not be driven crazy by an uneven design and I'm glad this kept me from having to endure that!! :)

Since the damask design has so many tiny and intricate details, I decided to use a tacky stencil adhesive to ensure that it laid flat on the wall and stayed in the exact same spot as I painted.

(A note about stencil adhesive: The fumes are kind of strong, so spray your stencil outside or in another room before sticking it to the wall. If you spray it indoors you'll want to do so over some sort of drop cloth, because if it gets on your carpet it feels so nasty!!)

I poured my paint into a "paint tray," had an extra paint tray with paper towels on it to roll of the excess paint, and got to work.

Then I did it again...

and again...

You get the idea.

I loved this project because I could do it a little at a time over a course of a few days. The damask pattern is relatively small, so I would paint one or two when I had the chance, and then store the stencil until the next time that an opportunity arose.

I didn't want a full pattern on the wall, just little pops of color and a pretty design here and there.

I tried to make it completely random, but in the end I could not fight my need for symmetry. I might have been able to pull it off if there wasn't a window in the center of the wall, but all that I could think was that I needed the sides to be mirror images of one another. I did mix up the colors a little bit though, which I thought was something.

I just love it!! Every time that I go upstairs for any reason, I stop in the room, glance around and smile. I'm sure that is partially to do with it being a nursery, but still, it is pretty sweet looking isn't it?!

I kept my stenciling on the feature wall until I get the rest of the decorations settled and put up. But it was so easy with such a sweet impact that I wouldn't be surprised if I sprinkled a few more around the room before it's finished. I can't wait to show you the rest of the details!

Would you like to try out one of Cutting Edge Stencil's new designs? Stop back by on Wednesday because we'll be giving one away for free!! Yay!!

Happy Monday!!