Hi Chelone! ( and anyone else who might want to give raised stencils a try!) I first saw LJ's raised stencils on her TV show about 12 years ago and went about pricing the 'raised stencil paste'. I think the price quadrupled back then because it was a relatively new idea for the DIYer and it had the words 'raised stencil paste' on the little 14 oz. bucket. I was determined. But I was broke. I did have a 2 gal. bucket of wall/joint compound/ wall patch. (Not the whipped. Don't use the whipped. Ask me how I know this. *giggle*) I bought a regular stencil at Michael's of a full Wisteria vine (I think it was wisteria) for $2.99 and cut it up because I only wanted the leaves. In our garage I had one of those plasticky "no parking" signs, 12" x 12". I placed the cut pieces of Wisteria stencil on the thicker plastic sign, traced, cut out using exacto knife and I had my thicker and sturdier stencil. That process worked for me for awhile (I admit, I got raised stencil happy) but got too time consuming with the cutting out of the thicker stencil on the No Parking Signs ( $2.98). I went searching and found Victoria's web site (when she first started). She hadn't started advertising her raised stencils, only regular and 2, 3, 4 & 5 layer stencils. But the difference with her regular stencils was the thickness. So I ordered one of her stencils, tried it on the apron of my M. bathroom sink vanity and I really liked the thickness of the stencil and the quality. When Victoria Larsen first started out, her site was a whole two pages big. She has grown! She now has the raised stencils which are a little thicker and the design and the galleries on her site are fabulous! I no longer visit her site as often as I used to because we are in the process of DIY redos, five rooms at the same time, but I do visit (and purchase) if I want just a touch of something, somewhere. My latest: We used an old piece of granite on a few cinder blocks locked together and covered in cement. Turned the cinder blocks into a very sturdy little bench/granite seat out back. The cinder block, even though had the texture of the cement (dyed) was still missing something. I am in the process of adding a raised stencil to the base part of the bench--- trailing vines stencil I purchased at V.L. middle of summer. About the softer look with light sanding when the raised plaster is dry. Below is a pic of a dried raised stencil. See the edges? That's what I didn't like when I first started doing Raised stencil. So I used my nail file or my small square buffing nail file and then some water on my finger to soften the edges. Just in my case, I like the softer edges of the raised stencils. Others might like the crisper edges and leave them alone. Get yourself your favorite beverage and plan on staying awhile because this site is addicting and I can literally spend hours looking at the galleries and ideas sent in to VL by her loyal customers. No, other than a few emails over the years when I had questions about a particular stencil, I don't know this woman nor do I have any vested interest in her website other than finding some good quality stencils with great customer service. She is also selling on Ebay now but I haven't compared her prices there. Sharp, dried edges of leaves.

I do try to keep thinking of the outcome, but I am tired and cranky lately (guess what time it is, lol) and bad stuff keeps happening. I got home from work today and went to the bathroom, I heard a splash and realized my cell fell into the toilet (luckily before anything else had....).... I am not sure if it is done for. It worked afterward, but then was touch and go for a few hours. It seems almost ok now, but who knows for sure.... I would just like a day where things go normally. I don't need major victories, but our heat to work or the right stencil to arrive, the washer and dryer to function, our stove to be connected/working, motion detector lights to detect instead of staying on all the time.... would really cheer me up. It is like the end of a pregnancy. You are excited it will be over soon, but it seems like forever since you started and when it goes late, you feel ready to explode! Although, at least when pregnant, I did not have to worry what time of the month it was. I think that should happen during a reno too (if the world were fair). It certainly should not happen 4 times since living cramped in the bsmt! Sorry if that is tmi to the guys here, but when your reno day is rough, just imagine it could be worse if you were one of us! I do appreciate the chance to vent and the supportive voices here. I forget how nice it looks sometimes because I keep seeing the stuff left to be done and know what is looking good may not be functioning yet (like our stove) or will be ripped out again (our floor). I'll try to view it more as half full tomorrow. If my new stencil arrives, and I get some of it up on the wall after work, that will do wonders for my spirits ;) Oh, and if I sell a house or 2 tomorrow, that would help big time...

First of all...LOVE that pattern....wonder why... Anyhoo, back in the day when I stenciled a lot I used a temporary spray adhesive rather than just taping down the corners. This really gave a nice finish. I think you want to use a stencil brush, and after dabbing it in the paint, you want to practically have the brush dry! Dab off most of that paint and then you stipple it on. I'm also thinking about doing a stencil in my dining room if I paint it that dark purple. I am interested in using the same color, but in another sheen. I'll be watching for your updates! (My favorite gray strip is the one with the Baltic Gray on it, it goes really nicely with browns. Check it out. It is BM 1464 - 1470 strip)

Hi Christine, It is nice to see a new "face". They are products for water color artists, can't give you a brand, but they are called RESIST or something like that. If you go to Hobby Lobby they can help you find it. Anyway... place your stencils how you want the wording to be and paint the resist over the whole stencil area. Then you paint the dresser, over the resist and everywhere else you want the paint. When dry the resist will come off when rubbed with your finger, a rag or whatever. I would practice on a piece of wood first, but it should work out just fine. Please, show us your finished dresser. It sounds like it will look lovely. Joan