Royal Design Studio Stencil Giveaway!!

Royal Design Studio

 

Happy Friday peeps! Raise your hand if you’re so excited for the weekend. Yeah, me, too!! And what better way to get the weekend started than an awesome GIVEAWAY!!!

 

Last week I showed you all our pretty new powder room…thanks to the Marrakesh Trellis Stencil from Royal Design Studio.

Stenciled Bathroom 

 

And now, Royal Design Studio would like to give one of you a $50 shopping spree! You can order a stencil, a brush, maybe some stencil creme! And, shipping is FREE!! Gotta love the free!

 

Want to win? You have up to SIX different ways to enter!!

 

TWO are mandatory:

1. This giveaway is for Free Stylin’ readers only, so you must subscribe in order to enter. Please subscribe, and then leave a comment letting me know which way you subscribe to Free Stylin’ (RSS feed or e-mail.)

 

2. Go to the Royal Design Studio website and check out their incredible selection of stencils. Come back and let me know which stencil is your fave and where you would use it.

 

With all entries, please leave a comment letting me know which way you are entering.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

This Giveaway ends Friday, September 7th at 12:01 am. The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter, and an e-mail will be sent to that person. They will have 5 days to respond, and then a new winner will be chosen.

 

Good Luck!

Joining the Truncating Train

Well, the news on the street in blog land in the last week or two is scary fact that peoples’ hard work is being stolen left and right. “Scraper” sites (jerk face blogs) are stealing bloggers’ content…their entire posts, and adding them to their own blogs and websites. They make money off the posts because their sites have lots of ads. Their content is so good (because it is stolen), and updated so frequently (because it is stolen), that they become the first choice in a Google search.

 

For example, if a scraper site stole my No Sew Beaded Tutu Bedskirt post and added it to their site, when you decided to make a tutu bedskirt and wanted to Google how to do it, their blog would be the first on a Google search because they have more ads and pageviews. Super rude. And illegal.

 

They are making money off of bloggers’ content, and it’s SO not cool.

 

I have found a few of my posts on scraper sites, and it freaked me out. It makes me angry to know that my hard work is being stolen within seconds of posting. So, to protect myself, I will be making a few changes…including joining the “Truncating Train.” Like many many bloggers, within the next few days, my blog posts will be truncated in RSS feeds. That means that if you read Free Stylin’ through a reader (like Google Reader), only part of my post will show up. You will need to make one click to continue reading.

 

I know it can be super annoying to have to click through, and I promise I am not a fan of truncated posts, either, but I need to protect myself. I’d really appreciate it if you would be willing to make that one extra click to read my posts.

 

If you want to know more about truncated feeds, scraper sites, and all that mess, I found these awesome posts really helpful:

HERE

HERE

 

Thank you for understanding. And, please, if you see any of my posts (or any other blogger for that matter) on a site, and it looks suspicious, please let the person know. I would really appreciate it! :)

 

Free Framed “Artwork”

K, so there are times that a large blank wall needs something, …but what? And what if I don’t want to spend a lot of cash on artwork but still want to make my space personal and beautiful to me?

 

When adding art or prints or frames or pictures to my walls, running out to buy something new just isn’t in my nature. Instead, I dig around in my stuff, go through boxes and closets and drawers, and display items that are personal and beautiful and important to me and my little family.

 

It’s FREE art. I like FREE. :)

 

Here are some examples of things that could be used as FREE art in any space:

 
 

Using Material:

 

Flags

Free Art: Flags

Centsational Girl

 

Placemats

Free Art: Placemats

Emily A. Clark

 

Fabric

Free Art: Fabric

6th Street Design School

 
 

Using Random Items :

Shells

 Free Art: Shells

My own Shell Specimen Art  

 

Pennies

Free Art: Pennies

My Covered Bridge

 

Utensils

Free Art: Utensils

Creative Living Blog

 

 Jewelry

Free Art: Jewelry

Hodge: Podge

 

Buttons

Free Art: Buttons

Flickr

 
 

Using Paper:

 

Candy Wrappers or Fortune Cookie Fortunes

Free Art: Candy Wrapper or Fortune Cookie

My own framed Dove Chocolate Promises

 

Favorite Book Pages

Free Art: Book Pages

320 Sycamore

 

Love Letters

Free Art: Love Letters

Elements of Style

 

Maps

Free Art: Maps

Style Me Pretty

 

Sheet Music

Free Art: Sheet Music

Restoration Hardware

 

I love the idea of having a few of the things that are most important to me out and around me. I like giving them a place of honor on the wall; displaying them in a frame or on a shelf or counter or nightstand. These items, and their memories, make me smile. And not spending a dime on random artwork makes me smile even more. :)

 

Have a great day lovelies!

A Stenciled Bathroom {How to Stencil}


Marrakesh Stencil

 

K, so we have this little powder bathroom downstairs by the family room, and it’s functional and serves its purpose, but it’s a little on the blah side. Nothing to write home about, really.

 

Back when I was in the One Crafty Contest, one of the rounds incorporated the use of stencils as the challenge. I knew that if I made it to that round, the powder room would get a little makeover, stencil style. I didn’t make it to the stencil round, but once the idea was in my head, there was no stopping this transformation.

 

I recently met Regina with Royal Design Studio Stencils, and she taught me the correct way to stencil. (I’m so glad she did, too, because it took me some practice. I would’ve made a big fat mess on the walls!)

Royal Design Studio

 

After I told her about my super boring bathroom, Royal Design Studios sent me a stencil, paint, and a stencil brush to try. Because I wanted big impact in the room, but the space is small, I chose the Large Marrakesh Trellis Moroccan stencil and Pearl Oyster paint. The large stencil gives the me the change and style I’m after while the subtle silver sheen keeps the look from being overwhelming.

Royal Design Studio

Here’s the bathroom before:

Bathroom Before

 

Bathroom Before

 

Bathroom Before

 

Pretty boring, huh? Nothing a little stencil action can’t fix!

 

Now the only hard part about stenciling the bathroom was that I had to do a little math (not my fave). But it worked out in the long run because I knew I would be super annoyed if the design was off. I just picked the part of the room that I knew would annoy me if it wasn’t right, and started there. Measuring the length of the wall, I marked a spot right in the middle, and that’s were I started.

Marrakesh Stencil

 

Here are a few tips and tricks to insure a great stencil outcome:

 

1. After pouring a bit of the paint into the lid of the paint container, dip your stencil brush into the paint.

 

2. Swirl the brush onto a paper toel to remove the excess.

 

How To Stencil

3. Starting on the outer edge of the stencil, swirl in toward the stencil. Any excess paint comes off on the stencil and not the wall.

 

4. Use your hand to hold down the section of stencil you are using. Hold down each small section of the stencil as you go around.

 

5. Paint from the outer edges in. Once you’ve painted all of the edges, fill in the middle.

How To Stencil

 

The trickiest part, for me, was the corners. I followed the instructions included with the stencil, and that definitely helped. The stencil is made of really sturdy plastic, which tells me it’ll last forever, but sometimes I wished it would fold like paper to make the corners a little easier. Make sure you have taped off one side securely, but leave the other side loose so you can adjust things easily.

How To Stencil

 

I snapped this crazy shot after a few hours of stenciling on day one. I had to work late at night when my cute kidlets were sleeping, so I started to get pretty loopy. ;)

Marrakesh Stencil

 

I’m pretty pleased with the Royal Design Studio paint. It had very little odor, and, like the chalk paint on my dining room chairs, it didn’t make our house smell like paint at all. The paint cleaned up easily, too, with just soap and water.

 

It took a couple of days, working in sections, to complete. And I got pretty intimate with the toilet and sink when I was trying to stencil around those. (Luckily I cleaned the heck out of the whole place before this party got started!)

 

But I am SO happy with the results!!

Marrakesh Stencil

 

Marrakesh Stencil

 

Marrakesh Stencil

 

I love the subtle silver sheen. LOVE it!

Marrakesh Stencil

 

Marrakesh Stencil

 

The stencil makes a great impact without hittin’ ya over the head with it, right?

Marrakesh Stencil

 

This new pretty potty is a big deal in our house right now. I’m happy to have guests use this “guest bathroom” when they come because it looks so cool!! Even though we rent, I took the leap and painted this room because I felt like it only adds to the value of the home. (And we gotta paint if we move out eventually, right? So why not make this space our own for awhile?)

 

Overall I am really happy with the Royal Design Studio stencil products. They are great quality, and I will use the stencil and brush again on other projects.
 

And guess what?! They want YOU to have a stencil, too!!

Giveaway next week, peeps!

Keep your eyes peeled for that!

 

Have you ever stenciled a room before? Did you hate the corners, too? Got any stencil tricks you’ve learned? Please share!

 

 

Disclaimer: The Royal Design Studio sent me the stencil, paint, and brush I used in this post, but all opinions are my own.

 

I’m linking up!

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia , A Bowl Full of Lemons, The Thrifty Home, Someday Crafts, Seven Thirty Three, Beyond the Picket Fence, House of Hepworths, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Made in a Day, Sassy Sites, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, The Shabby Nest, RemodelaholicBeneath My Heart, Lolly Jane Boutique, Be Different Act Normal, C.R.A.F.T., Thrifty Decor Chick, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table and Dreaming, House of Grace, Primitive and Proper, Sugar Bee Crafts, Home Stories A 2 Z, Domestically Speaking, Southern Lovely, Somewhat Simple, One Artsy Mama, It’s Overflowing, Six Sister’s Stuff

 

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Low Country Boil

Low Country Boil

 

K, so my whole fam damily (Mom, Dad, sibs and their spouses, and nieces) all went to the beach last weekend for one last trip before school starts. We had a blast digging in the sand, jumping in the waves, and just spending quality time together.

 

Sunday night we had a big family dinner of one of our favorite meals: Low Country Boil.

 

It’s got all the essentials…corn, sausage, shrimp, and potatoes. And a little kick.

 

Holy Freakin’ Yum. The first time I had ever heard of this meal was while watching Steel Magnolias. There’s a scene where Julia Roberts is talking to Dolly Parton at the town fair, and Dolly Parton and some other ladies were dishing up Low Country Boil to the fair goers in the background. Julia Roberts orders iced tea (…”the house wine of the south!”) instead, but the corn and potatoes and shrimp still caught my eye.

 

To keep costs down when feeding a large crowd like our family, we divide up the ingredients. One person buys the shrimp, one buys potatoes and corn, another person is in charge of sausage, etc. Then we all cook it together!

 

So, do you want to learn how to make it, too? Here’s how:

 

Low Country Boil

(adapted from Paula Deen)

 

Ingredients

  • Crab boil (I use Old Bay), 2 teaspoons per quart of water
  • 12 red new potatoes
  • 6 (4-inch) smoked sausage link sausage
  • 6 ears corn
  • 3 pounds fresh shrimp, unpeeled
  • one large onion (optional)
  • one large clove of garlic (optional)

 
The thing that makes this dish, to me, is Old Bay Seasoning. Use it to make your boil as spicy as you want, hot stuff!

Old Bay Seasoning

 

My oldest sis is an awesome cook, so when she said to add onions and garlic this time, we did. (And, she was right! SO yummy!)

Low Country Boil

 

Instead of one flavor of sausage, we used a variety for different flavors.

Low Country Boil

 

Directions

    • If you are using garlic, slice the tops off, wrap each garlic head in foil, and add salt, pepper, and olive oil inside before closing the foil. Roast at 400 for about 45 minutes.

 

    • Fill a large pot with enough water to cover all of the ingredients. (We used three large pots instead of one huge one.)

 

    • Add the crab boil (and onions and roasted garlic if you are using them) and bring to a boil. Adjust the crab boil to suit your taste.

 

  • When the water boils, add the potatoes and sausage. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.

Low Country Boil

    • Add corn and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

 

  • Add shrimp and cook for no more than 3 minutes. Drain.

 

The fun part is serving the Low Country Boil. We put clean plastic down on the table, and then place newspapers on top. Once you drain your pot, dump your Low Country Boil on the papers. Sprinkle more Old Bay on top if you wish. We also add cocktail sauce and ketchup to the table.

Low Country Boil

 

Low Country Boil

 

Served with warm bread, this meal is one of my family’s favorites!

Low Country Boil

 

Low Country Boil is easy to make, as long as you add the ingredients in the right order. (If not, your food could get over or under cooked.) It’s a total crowd pleaser, and you can adjust the spice to your taste. Serving dinner on the newspapers makes cleaning up a breeze, too! :) Yummy dinner, easy clean up? My kinda meal!

 

So, have you ever had Low Country Boil? Do you add anything else to it? Does your family have a favorite meal you make when you get together? Ever eaten off newspapers before? (The clean up is so easy!!)

 

Hope y’all are having a great week!

Only three more days home with my boys before school starts. :(

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