In case you didn’t know, painted wall stenciling is the new paint—and the new wallpaper. Wall stencils are the latest rage in the home design world because it’s a fairly easy and inexpensive way to create custom wall treatments in your home.

And in case you are wondering just what wall stenciling is, it is what it sounds like—using a template or stencil to paint a design, pattern or words on walls. It’s a great way to create one-of-a-kind artistic wallpaper-like designs without having to be an artist or having to commit to wallpaper–just purchase the stencil you like, affix it the wall and paint away for a creative and unique space. Of course, using wall stencils are a little more complicated than that, but the guide below explains how it works. 

Where to Buy Wall Stencils

First of all, where can one purchase wall stencils? They are pretty much available at all your home improvement stores, but one of our favorite place to look for wall stencils is on Etsy.

Two other great resources are:

•  Royal Design Studio

• Cutting Edge Stencils

You just might get lost looking at all the unbelievable options on both of these sites!

How to Apply Wall Stencils 

Image: Cutting Edge Stencils

There is somewhat of a learning curve to painting with stencils, but it’s not anything you wouldn’t be able to pick up quickly. Just don’t expect to be perfect with your first attempt, and give yourself some practice time.

Here are some great tutorials for how to paint using wall stencils:

1. Basic Stenciling 101 – Cutting Edge Stencils
2. Stenciling Tips – Wall to Wall Stencils
3. How to Stencil a Focal Wall – HGTV
4. Stenciled Ceiling Tips – Not Just a Housewife
5. Trellis Stencil – Courtney Out Loud
6. Damask Stencil – Cutting Edge Stencils
7. How to Stencil a Wall Tips – Chi Chi Studio
8. How to Stencil All Over Patterns – Royal Design Studio Stencils
9. How to Paint with Wall Stencils – Apartment Therapy
10. Stencil a Wall: A Beginner’s Guide – Practically Functional
11. DIY Wall Stenciling – Bob Villa

How to Use Wall Stencils 

Image: Cutting Edge Stencils

Painting with wall stencils allows for so much creativity and so many options, the sky is really the limit.

• Stencil an accent wall.
• Use stencils on your furniture (the seat bottom of a wooden chair, a headboard, etc.).
• Create an all-over stenciled wall.
• Add corner accents to a room.
• Create a  framed piece of artwork by stenciling a portion of your wall and adding a frame to it.
• For something completely different stencil the ceiling OR the floor.

Top Image: Royal Design Studio

Related on EcoSalon:

DIY Creative Wallpaper Decorating Ideas: Wallpaper Everywhere But Walls

Color Trend in Home Decorating: Yellow is the New Black

The post Wall Stencils Are The New Paint: Where to Buy, How to DIY appeared first on EcoSalon.

Just in time for holiday shopping and gift giving: The Box is back!

Our exclusive EcoSalon shopping must-have, the curated eco product assortment known as The Box, is back. We’re offering $500 worth of holiday eco-goodies for just $99 and these won’t last. That’s a guarantee.

From soy candles to handmade rugs, our Holiday Shelter Box is crammed full of swanky products to bring modern style into your home – with enough cool goodies included to give things away as gifts, too. Featuring full-size gorgeous green goods, hop on this now or miss out!

(If you do miss out this time around – supplies are extremely limited – our friends at Curbly are hosting a giveaway for the last remaining Shelter Box standing. Head on over to their site and register to win!)

Just look at what we have in store for you this time around:

Set of Two Wolfie & The Prints

In the dead of winter, these U-Pick Apples and Fresh Eggs prints from Wolfie & The Sneak will remind you of warm mornings spent perusing farmers’ market. Hang them on your wall, and you’ll instantly brighten your mood. The 5″ x 7″ prints are printed on 8″x 10″ French Paper, 100% post consumer recycled paper, produced in a hydroelectric-powered, family-run paper mill in Michigan. With inks guaranteed to last 98 years under regular glass, you’ll be enjoying your fresh produce for years to come.

(Retail value of $40)

Guerrilla Gardening Seedbomb Kit

Change the world, guerrilla style. That’s the idea behind Seedbomb from Greenaid, and the Guerilla Gardening Gift Set ensures that you have all the tools to make the world a greener place. Know of an unused lot nearby? Throw a few seedbombs in. A barren intersection that could use some foliage? Seedbomb away! The packaging is perfect for your guerilla gardening exploits, complete with a handkerchief and slingshot for ensuring that your 12 seedbombs get launched far and away. Seedbombs are hand-rolled in Culver City, Calif. using local materials, sustainable packaging, and socially responsible labor.

(Retail value of $20)

Stencil1 Bird Stencils

Put a bird on it. Your wall, that is. Make your own decorative aviary with these six bird silhouette stencils from Stencil1. You can stencil any one of the six designs onto cards, shirts, even your furniture; the possibilities are endless. And fun.

(Retail value of $19.99)

Wishbone Paperweight

With a busy social calendar in the month ahead, it’s good to keep a few presents on hand, and this striking paperweight from VivaTerra is the perfect item – and a good reminder to make a wish. You never know when it might come true.

(Retail value of $39)

Wishbone Ornament

Hang your wishes up so everyone can see! An match to the Wishbone Paperweight, or perfectly fine on its own, the Wishbone Ornament brings a little cheer to its owner. The ideal go-to gift for anyone who needs a little pick-my-up this holiday season.

(Retail value of $15)

Music for the Planet by 1% for the Planet

Produced by non-profit 1% For the Planet, Music for the Planet is a collection of 41 songs that supports the environment. The album features exclusive and rare tracks by many well known artists including Josh Ritter, Mason Jennings and Rosie Thomas. All proceeds from the album go to supporting environmental causes, so we won’t be surprised if you love the music so much that you’re inspired to buy another one for a friend.

(Retail value of $9.99)

Crash Candles Soy Candle

Every cozy home needs a few candles burning, especially in the winter months, and these hand-made soy candles from Crash Candles are the perfect option. Poured in a glass tumbler you can use when the wax runs out, the candle features the designs of one of our favorite Scandinavians, Lotta Jansdotter. No not only will you bring a little extra light into your home, but you can be happy knowing that they’re eco-friendly and supporting the work of contemporary artists and designers.

(Retail value of $24)

Klean Kanteen and NAU Stainless Steel Pints

Move over, Mason jars. So last year. Especially if you have a reusable option on hand. Perfect for outdoor picnics, concerts or even a birthday party, these pints ensure that you’ll never have to go disposable again, and unlike many glass versions, these won’t break. This exclusive four-pack of Klean Kanteen pints is discreetly printed with the simple NAU logo and made of 18/8, food-grade stainless steel. Durable, versatile, reusable, and dishwasher safe.

(Retail value of $39)

EcoSystem Journal

A blank journal is a blank slate, waiting to be filled with your thoughts, drawings and lists. These blank ecosystem journals have a flexible cover and are filled with pages of 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Sized at 7 3/8″ x 9 7/8″, you’ll have plenty of space to let your creative spirit fly, or encourage someone else that they do the same.

(Retail value of $18.95)

Paper Culture Gift Certificate

Haven’t gotten to your holiday greetings yet? That’s okay – now you can use this $25 Paper Culture gift certificate to customize your own holiday cards. Already ahead of the game with your cards? Your gift certificate can also be used for any product on the site from personal stationery to bamboo wall art. With a motto of “be modern. be eco” Paper Culture uses exclusively 100% post consumer recycled paper for card and envelope and a portion of all proceeds go towards supporting non-profits that focus on education, family and sustainability.

(Retail value of $25)

Recycled iPhone Re-Case

Any busy girl is sure to put her phone through the ringer, which is why you need to make sure it’s properly protected. The Re-Case from Miniwiz is made from 100% trash (rice farming byproducts and post-consumer thermo-plastics to be exact), though from the sleek design, you’d hardly know it.

(Retail value of $24.95)

Plywerk Gift Certificate

Every time you go on a trip you take your camera. In fact, you’ve taken so many photos by this point, your photographer’s eye is actually getting good. But what do you do with all of those photos? Don’t leave them in the hinterlands of your hard drive, print them so everyone can enjoy your work. The masters at Plywerk mount your photo on eco friendly bamboo, eliminating the need for a glass frame. Their easy-to-use website allows you to upload your photo, choose your size, and almost before you’ve had the time to hit send, you have a gorgeous mounted photo waiting at your door.

(Retail value of $20)

Angel Face Botanicals Aromatherapy Shower Steamer Set

In the midst of holiday parties and planning, any good hostess needs to take some time to herself and recharge. These delicious scented Shower Steamers from Angel Face Botanicals make the perfect hostess gift, a little “thank you” for throwing a dinner or cocktail hour in the busiest season of the year. The sampler set comes with Lavender Mist, Juicy Citrus, Peppermint and Eucalyptus, so you could even divide them among your deserving friends. Or if you’re feeling in need of an energy boost yourself, turn your shower into aromatherapy central and enjoy yourself.

(Retail value of $20)

VivaTerra Flowered Thermos

Your friends will be thrilled when you bring a batch of hot cider along on your winter excursions. This beautiful, double-walled, 34-oz. thermos from VivaTerra is perfect for transporting hot and cold drinks alike and with its floral enamelware design, you’ll be serving in ultra current style.

(Retail value of $55)

Verde Lifestyles’ Bamboo Rug

Bring a little zen into your home. This 2’x3′ dark brown bamboo rug from Verde Lifestyles is beautiful and durable, and with a mixture of earthy wood and red undertones provides an ideal dose of warmth to modern, rustic and contemporary settings. Perfect for welcoming guests in your entryway.

(Retail value of $24.75)

Lucky Bowl

A small bowl that can serve as a nice positive daily reminder. This 3 1/2″ inch ceramic bowl by Paloma’s Nest is handmade in Austin, Texas and is a beautiful little keepsake for any friend whom you feel lucky to have. Each piece is made out of pure white clay and has a matte finish.

(Retail value of $22)

Elephant Plantable Pocket Notebooks

If you’re like us, you have a few notebooks lying around, all full of to-do lists and great ideas. But what do you do when they’re full? If it’s a Plantable Pocket Notebook like these ones from Botanical Paperworks, you can take it right outside and put it in your garden. Filled with plantable paper, come springtime you will see a vibrant collection of wildflowers sprout. Perfect for sticking in your purse and jotting down quick notes, or passing along to the friend who always seems to be coming up with good ideas but never has a place to put them.

(Retail value of $9.95)

Grain Utility Card

This card really can say it all. Designed by Grain, with its word search puzzle the Utility Card contains over 100 different wishes, from Happy Hannukah My Love to Howdy Friend, Happy New Year.

(Retail value of $4)

The post The Box: Gimme Shelter Edition! appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnNatalie Chanin’s bi-weekly column, Material Witness, offers a seasoned designer’s perspective on the fashion industry, textile history and what happens when love for community trumps all.

I have always believed that as human beings, we are all born designers. We decorate our notebooks in grade school and our lockers in high school; we carefully select and arrange products for our first apartment, select an outfit for a special date, make a wedding dress, or prepare a nursery.  We work at our job – and whether we work in a grocery store or run a high fashion boutique, we look for ways to make our job easier, to facilitate customer experience, or just to make our desk a little more “ours.” We are born designers.

As a designer, I always thought that making our garments was very simple and straightforward – that is, until I started writing instructions for our Alabama Studio Book Series.  I was pouring over texts for hours and hours, trying to describe and outline the steps in producing one of our garments when I realized that the amount of steps to doing anything well are many.

What I learned from writing those books is that over the years, my design and manufacturing process had become second nature which was the reason why the books were so difficult to write. What seemed nothing to me – like selecting a fabric or a color, became intricate tasks when asked to reproduce them with words.

I’ve been asked many times to describe my own creative processes, so I will attempt to describe them here:

MATERIAL
At Alabama Chanin, we work solely with 100% organic cotton jersey. Over the years, we have tried to incorporate other types of fabric but our clients keep coming back to the cotton jersey over and over again.
The cotton fiber that we are using this year went into the ground as a seed in the spring of last year. In a best case scenario (which was not the case last year), we are able to purchase fiber that is grown in Texas. Cotton has a relatively long growing season and is harvested in the fall of the year.  Farmers who make the commitment to organic are modern day heroes in my opinion.
From the field (wherever that might be), our fiber goes for ginning, then on to spinning in North Carolina, knitting in South Carolina, and back to North Carolina for dying. After dying, the finished fabric arrives in our studio where we keep about 52+ colors of medium-weight jersey in stock and a growing array of colors of light-weight jersey.

INSPIRATION
I use travel, books, exhibitions, newspaper articles, interesting philosophies and people to inspire a theme for each season. I cut out pictures, mix colors, paste them together and let them sit. I may totally rearrange and start over. Over the years, I have learned that sitting quietly and listening to what the images have to say is the best way to start a collection. A simple color swatch or an intricate process may determine the first step in my creative decision making, but the whole process that follows determines the end result.

COLOR + TEXTURE
Looking at my inspiration board, I choose colors that reflect my thoughts and feelings. However, I also consider what I want to wear, what color I want to see on our clients, and what colors look good on the skin. I normally sit very still for a morning and play with swatches of colored fabric and paper to narrow it down to 10 colors that I love. The end result may contain only a small part of what I started with.
The same process goes for texture. Do I want to create texture for a particular collection or would I prefer that the designs are sleek and smooth? Again, this is not based on scientific measure but on what I want to wear, what I feel our clients would look good wearing, and what suits the theme of the collection.

PATTERN
At Alabama Chanin, we work primarily with stenciling techniques to apply patterns to our fabrics. These stencils are developed in our studio and the first ones are cut by hand with an X-Acto Knife and Pennant Felt. We use these prototypes to test how any given design will work with our fabric, the colors that we have chosen and the texture we want to achieve.

FABRIC DEVELOPMENT
Pattern, color and texture are combined in this step to create our final fabric designs. This is where the incredible talent of our Alabama Chanin team comes into play. Swatch after swatch is sewn both in our studio and by our artisans working in search of the best combinations of threads, embroidery flosses, stitches and beads and sequins for every collection. Our artisans help me determine what works best for each piece and each design.

GARMENTS + FABRICS TOGETHER
Our studio team then takes my sketches and translates those into finished patterns and garments. We often create several versions of each garment in order to work out the kinks and arrive at a final piece that we all adore.
After this collection of garments is completed, we start to combine our favorite fabric designs with our favorite garments for a finished collection.

ARTISANS
Once we have found the perfect combinations of garments and fabrics, the collection is cut, painted-by-hand and sent out to our artisans for embroidery and garment construction.

MERCHANDISING + SALES
All of the completed garments are then hung together on a rack to see what looks good together, what we would want to wear and/or photograph together. After fully merchandising what we want to include in a collection, the individual garments are priced and taken to market where we write orders for the stores.

MANUFACTURING + STORE
After orders have been taken, it’s our job to come back home and manufacture all of the orders. This is the bulk of our work and where our team excels. Zac Posen once said, “It takes 5 minutes of designing and 5 months of selling and manufacturing.” He is right. It can take months to complete an order. And after that wonderful order is completed, we package and ship.

CONSUMER
This is the best part of the process. The part where people get to try, take home and enjoy the garments that we make. Knowing they have purchased something that was made with heart and soul makes people happy.

Interested in knowing more about the design or manufacturing process? Click HERE to join us today, November 17th from 12:30 – 1:30 pm CST on the Alabama Chanin Facebook Page for a chat about Design Process + Manufacturing.  See you there!

Natalie Chanin is owner and designer of the American couture line Alabama Chanin and author of three books including Alabama Stitch Book  (2008), Alabama Studio Style (2010) and the upcoming Alabama Studio Sewing + Design which comes out spring 2012. Look for her bi-weekly column, Material Witness here and follow her on Facebook and her own blog at Alabama Chanin.

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