My 1st tutorial! How I made my own stencil :)

When we moved into our house about 9 months ago, we basically painted everything a nice, neutral color and threw all of our junk in here.  Seriously, that's all we had time for since we were also planning a wedding.  Next, we started to hang some things on the wall & put out a few throw pillows.  We didn't (and still don't!) have money to decorate like I want to, but I'm to the point that I can't stand to look at these blank, beige walls any longer!  I've been scouring the internet for some super cheap ideas that I can do to bring in some color and character.  I've decided to start in the kitchen.

I already made up my mind to have a quatrefoil backsplash, but I had to find a way to afford one!  I couldn't afford the gorgeous tile that I saw on Nest Egg.

 http://nestegg.typepad.com/nest-egg/2011/04/tidbits.html 

I thought about using the vinyl decals that I saw on Landee See Landee Do.  But even that was going to be more money than I have right now.

 http://www.landeeseelandeedo.com/2011/03/kitchen-gets-some-love.html.

So, I decided to go with the only thing I can afford...paint!  I found a quatrefoil pattern that I liked with a quick Google images search and decided to make my own stencil.

I headed to the store to pick up some stencil 'paper' (a thin plastic sheet), but all they had was the small sheets, which would have taken me forever to get the pattern on the wall.  On the way out of the store, though, I noticed that the plastic placemats up front (with the summer time picnic items) were about the same material as the stencil paper.  They were slightly thicker, but much larger and only $1!  I grabbed 2 of them, an exacto knife, and a cutting mat.

Next, I traced the pattern onto a regular piece of paper.

Then, I traced the pattern onto the placemat with a regular pencil. The stripes on the placemat made it a little hard to see in some places, but it wasn't too bad.

The next step was to start cutting out the stencil!  This step took some time.  I was trying to be careful to cut it smoothly and the thickness required me to make the cuts twice to get all the way through the plastic.

Finally done!  I left some room on one side for taping the stencil to the wall.  I probably should have done that all the way around...but live & learn, right? 

There are probably a ton of other ways to do this (easier ways, I'm sure), but this is the tutorial of how I did it with what I could afford at the time.  Let me know what you think!  Have you made or used a stencil before?  Any tips you can give me as I attempt to stencil for the 1st time?

Stay tuned for pictures of the stenciling process and how the backsplash turns out!  I want to get it done this week...fingers crossed!

**UPDATE**

Sorry it's taken me so long to update.  This project is not going so well.  I can't reach the corner to even hold the stencil up because my prego belly is in the way.  I have to either wait for help or wait til Henry is born :(  I'm bummed!  I really wanted to get this done & make some other changes before his arrival, but I didn't consider my physical limitations.  Hmmm...I'll figure something out! 

Hey, Mandi...whatcha up to next weekend? ;)