Bakers Rack Restyle with Martha Stewart Paints and Stencils

 

MARTHA STEWART!

 

Sorry.  It’s just not every day that I get to start off a post by saying that it is affiliated with THE domestic goddess herself.

 

When I got the email saying I was going to be able to be part of the campaign to launch Martha Stewart Crafts Decorative Paint Line by Plaid, my heart skipped a beat.  When I got the package in the mail, opened it, and saw what was inside… I think I lost time.

 

Paints, stencils, brushes, mediums, and tools – all in that gorgeous Martha-blue packaging.  It was like crafter’s Christmas.

 

The products are exclusively available at Michaels stores in the US and Canada starting the last week of August, so check your local store ASAP.  What sets Martha’s paint off from the competition is that paint is formulated to work on all crafting surfaces including wood, metal, glass, ceramic, terra-cotta, fabric, pets… okay, not pets.  But, it is indoor/outdoor safe, AND dishwasher-safe on glass.

 

 

I decided to use the paints and stencils to do a revamp and restyle of the baker’s rack in my kitchen.  I had decorated it for the Fourth of July, but it still seemed to just fade into the wall.  A few coats of spray paint and it was ready for its Martha moment.

 

 

I chose the large interlocking circle stencil to redo the wooden shelf.  Originally, I had thought I would use a light coat of adhesive spray to stick the stencil down, but I found that painter’s tape worked just as well without the mess.

 

 

I added the paint to the roller tool.  The color is called Grey Wolf and has a high gloss finish.

 

 

I positioned the stencil in the back corner and got to painting.

 

 

While there was likely some user-error involved, I didn’t really love the roller.  I found it difficult to get even coverage because the paint wasn’t flowing onto the roller smoothly.  I eventually switched to one of the ergonomically-shaped foam pouncers, which was fabulous!

 

 

It is important to remove the stencil while the paint is still wet, so none of the paint pulls up.  See how nice and crisp the lines are?

 

 

Each stencil has handy guidelines which make lining up a repeating pattern very simple.  No math required!

 

 

You can’t tell where the stencils overlapped at all.

 

 

I continued stenciling over the expanse of the shelf, even gently bending the stencil around the curved lip on the edge.  There was some gapping of the stencil here, so I had to be careful not to smudge my lines.

 

 

After I stenciled the entire shelf, I let the first color dry.

 

 

I wanted to set the grey off with a bit of yellow, so I used painter’s tape to tape off one stripe of circles on the stencil.

 

 

After painting a row of circles in Jonquil yellow in a satin finish, I sprayed the shelf with a coat of clear protectant.

 

Are you loving these paint colors?  The line has 160 paint colors in five finishes (Satin, High Gloss, Glitter, Pearl, Metallic).  All come in 2 oz. bottles and are non-toxic.

 

 

Such a pretty new shelf needed a new decorative accessory.  I taped off a few stripes on a glass plate from DT and used one of Martha’s reusable adhesive stencils.  These stencils are like reusable stickers, so they mold to curved surfaces without gapping.

 

 

Using a small foam pouncer and the frosted glass medium, I stenciled on a lacy pattern.

 

 

The subtle etched effect looks elegant with another DT yellow plate stacked behind it.

 

 

I also switched out the red magazine holders with yellow (even though they look greenish in this picture) and replaced the roses with daffodils. 

 

When I chose the overlapping circles stencil pattern, I wasn’t thinking of how cool it would look with the circles of the wine rack below the shelf.  Serendipitous! I also love the sophisticated color palette the rack now adds to room.  It certainly doesn’t fade into the background anymore!

 

Although I would have gladly tried these products for free, I was paid as part of this campaign.  For a full disclosure, click HERE.

 

Want to try the new Martha paints out for yourself? Head over to Michael’s and use this 40% to buy some!  (It’s only good until tomorrow, so get moving!)