Our dining room
is really more of a nook off of our living room.
The living room has vaulted ceilings.
However the dining area's ceiling is the traditional 8 feet
making it seem like a design afterthought.
Years ago in an attempt to give the dining area
a little more character I gave the far wall a
special color and plaster treatment.
I loved that it drew one's eye to the little nook,
even when viewed from outside our home.
I adored the dark green aged wall, but last year I was
ready for a change.
I began by painting the wall a very dark blackish-green
with the idea that I would put a light gray glaze on top to
give it the look of a well used chalkboard (without the mess of chalk).
It turned out to be not as pretty in real life
as it was in my mind.
I was so disappointed that I didn't even photo it. Next I found a geometric shape that I liked
so I enlarged, repeated, and painted it on the wall.
Again the design didn't thrill me. I then asked myself what it was that really bothered me about the previous design attempts. I discovered the problem was that I really was tired of a dark painted wall.
My next step was to paint the wall the same color as the other walls.
This gave the area the fresh, new look I'd been wanting.
But I still wanted the wall to stand out so I considered my options. I thought I would try my hand at the new type of wall stencil. I have stenciled walls before, years and years ago, when stencils were small and tedious to use. But the new stencil designs are so much better! I ordered the Marrakech Trellis Allover Stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils.
Let me tell you, this isn't anything like stenciling in the 90's! The stencil is huge and easy to use. Instead of a little stencil brush to paint on the design you use a foam roller.
And probably my favorite thing (because I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist) is the little level that you can attach to the stencil to keep it lined up perfectly. 
If you're a novice at stenciling you can watch the how-to videos on the Cutting Edge site. I reviewed the video just to regain my confidence in stenciling.
With a lot of patience, trial and error,
and the use of the beautiful Marrakech stencil design
our dining wall now has that "wow factor" I've been searching for.
If you're searching for a wow factor for your home
Cutting Edge Stencils is giving away
a choice of stencil (up to a $50 value)
to one very fortunate Joys of Home reader.
Just go to their site, pick your favorite stencil and come back here and leave a comment. For additional entries Like them on Facebook, &/or Pin them on Pinterest, &/or follow them on Twitter---for a total of four entries! The giveaway will be open until midnight Leap Day, February 29th 2012. Best of Luck to all of you!!!
***GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***
Posts
My sons couldn't believe that I was standing right there when the foot went through the wall, and that instead of getting mad I just smiled and shook my head. Perhaps it's because I already had plans to give this hall a makeover or perhaps it's because I have finally come to realize that a hole in the wall can be more easily repaired than an unhappy memory.
If you have a few seconds, I would be THRILLED if you would click over here to vote for this humble little blog. Thank you so, so very much!!!
As I have said before, I love everything that you do! Thanks for sharing with us. There sure are a lot of beautiful wall stencils on Cutting Edge. I would like to pick the "Anna Damask" stencil for a wall in our new home and a dresser front that I would love to do. Thanks!