Hi friends! Posts like we shared yesterday are really what it's all about here - YOU! And we sure are crazy about ya. Isn't it time we move this thing to the next relational level and give you a small token of our love? We've partnered up with the incredibly kind and talented team at Cutting Edge Stencils to do just that! We want to shower you with our love and a free stencil!

In case you missed it, I was in a stencil frenzy a couple weeks ago after creating this accent wall in our bedroom using Cutting Edge Stencils' 'Fuji' stencil. I've noticed a few comments on Instagram complimenting on the wallpaper - it sure looks like it! But let me tell you, wallpaper has no room on my schedule or budget! This wall took all of 2 hours, including prep. As a stay at home Mom to three wild ones, time is very valuable to me. To get this much bang for 2 hours of effort is my project happy place.

I've got a second stenciled wall to share with you guys today, and then all you need to do is hop over to Cutting Edge Stencils, pick out a favorite stencil and leave a comment on this post with your pick! You have until this Sunday, 3/8 at noon to enter for a chance to win your chosen stencil! For additional entries, like Cutting Edge Stencils on Facebook and follow their blog.

Today's stencil project was made possible by the kind folks at the Chambrel retirement community where my dear grandparents have just moved in. They encourage their residents to decorate and make their new apartments and rooms their home. Isn't that awesome! I'm reserving my spot early!

Here is a sad photo of their bedroom, pre-stencil, (complete with the Crooked Lamp - All-star of all the great Before pictures in the history of Befores):

And 2.5 hours later:

My grandparents are old time Miami, (or "Miama", as they say). Born and raised in Coral Gables, Florida, they were high school sweethearts who moved to Virginia, where they have lived for most of their lives surrounded by their 5 children, 17 grandchildren, and a nice litter of great-grands. After all these years, (they are 87yrs old), you still find bright florals and energetic colors in my grandmothers decor and closet. You can take the lady out of Miami, but you can't take Miami out of the lady!

When planning this wall we knew something floral would be a nice familiar taste of the South for them. The delicate stencil, Lady Slipper, was a sure-fire winner! Since they are fairly traditional, the soft colors don't play as too loud or modern. We used Carolina Inn Club Aqua, (#5004-3B), and Rose Buff, (#2002-4C), both by Valspar and both in a flat finish, (per the helpful instructions provided by Cutting Edge Stencils).

Just like with our own bedroom, I used painters tape to stick the stencil to the wall in order to roll the paint over. What I did differently this time around, (and LOVED), was the foam roller which Cutting Edge Stencil's sells. The paint didn't get underneath the stencil one bit, and I had so much control with the application. You really don't want a lot of paint on your roller anyways, just a little bit goes a long way! I'd suggest doing a quick clean with your stencil sheet about half way through so that drying paint doesn't start clumping up inside the delicate cuts of the stencil. A dampened paper towel or rag is all you need.

Now you can see how this project flies by! 2.5 hours, folks. Enough said.

This time around I had my Mom following behind me as I rolled, adding a few strokes of soft pink paint to the lower petal of the orchids.

The last step was using the awesome edger stencil that Cutting Edge Stenils provides to get a tighter fit up to the corners and near the floor.

So there you have it! Two beautiful transformations brought to you by Cutting Edge stencils and my right arm.

Alright, you know what to do now! Head over to Cutting Edge Stencils, pick your favorite stencil, (tough, I know), jump back over here and leave a comment below with your top pick! And don't forget to up your chances by liking their Facebook page and following their blog!

You've got until Sunday 3/8 at 12 noon EST for a chance at a free stencil! We'll announce the winner on Monday 3/9 and follow up with that lucky duck then. Now, hustle like the lady in pink slippers; she is in it to win it, ya'll!!!

In the meantime you can brush up on your stenciling skills with this quick tutorial video that helps all you watch-and-learners out there prepare before you begin!

Thank you all so much for stopping by!

Hi friends! Christmas is behind us, (or really far ahead, depending on how you look at it), but I'm here to bring you good news of great joy. If you've been searching high and low for an affordable wallpaper and have discovered that your wallpaper taste is quite expensive, you might want to consider stenciling! (And at the bottom of this post, we've got the deets on a free stencil giveaway)!

Obviously stenciling walls is nothing new. People have been adding borders and full wall patterns to their rooms for centuries. But, did you know you can purchase large sheets of a stencil pattern now, making the process a gazillion times easier and less time consuming? I know! It's unbelievably life changing, right?! Well, it was for me!

I really wanted to give our master bedroom a more boho chic look and modernize our family heirloom bed. The headboard is quite stunning and grand, but it's not a look even remotely seen anywhere else in our home. I don't need or care to have every room in our home looking the same from one to the other, but I like there to be some continuity in the mix of styles. Our bedroom was previously a one-style show with the headboard taking center stage. And it was a bit of a diva. I couldn't figure out how to mix anything else into the room until I finally thought about adding an accent wall right behind the bed!

So I searched and searched for the right wallpaper to do the job and fell in love with a gorgeous print - at $225/roll. Given the size of our wall, this would have cost $900. I kept looking around, trying to forget the one I'd fallen for, and ultimately decided no paper was going to come close. So, I changed course and decided to go the less expenisve route and stencil!

I happened upon an amazing shop on Etsy called Cutting Edge Stencils. They sell most of their stencils by 2'x3' sheets, and include border and edger sheets as well! For less than $40, I got a gorgeous 2' x 3' stencil sheet, an edge/corner stencil sheet, and incredibly helpful instructions for the best supplies and paint to use for stenciling.

This was my first experience stenciling a wall, and the process couldn't have gone smoother - and it was completed in less than 2 hours!

Here is a side-by-side of our bedroom before stenciling and then after.

I can't believe I didn't do this sooner! Our room looks much more 'us' now - so eclectic and laid back. Definitely snapped up!

To get this wall finished in 90 minutes, I added blue tape to the corners of my stencil sheet, stuck it in the upper right corner of the wall, and got to work with my small roller. The key to keeping the paint in the stencil and not smudging was NOT overloading the roller with paint. A tiny bit really goes a long way. Then, I'd gently peel the stencil sheet away from the wall, line up the pattern, and re-stick to do the next section.

This whole section (plus another column I cropped out), was done with one sheet in about a minute. Stenciling for the win!!! The hardest part of this project was moving the furniture away from the wall, (and that is included in the 2 hours I said this project took me).

Fun fact: I found that chair outside of an auto shop when the kids and I were waiting on an oil change. When I asked about it, the shop owner didn't even know it was there! It just needed a good scrub and a new seat.

Quite the transformation for $40 and less than 2 hours of time!

Shire approves!

A full tour of our updated boho bedroom can be found here!

If you've been considering adding a patterned wall to your home, my recommendation for Cutting Edge Stencils is sky-high. And guess what?! They're offering one of our readers a free stencil! Enter here for your chance to win a stencil of your choice from Cutting Edge Stencils!

Thank you so much for stopping by!