Star stencilled boxes

When I was pregnant with Allegra, we moved the boys in together to make way for a nursery. A friend passed on a pair of cute toddler beds which were a perfect fit for the small space. This awesome hand-me-down saved us shelling out big bucks for a bunk bed, which I worried wouldn’t be all that safe for kids as little as ours anyway (they were only 3 and 4 at the time).

I had a vague idea of doing something red-and-navy themed for their new joint bedroom, so when I spied these patchwork-striped cot quilts in Target, I knew I had to get them. They came in a pack with the quilt AND a complete set of navy and red star sheets – for the reduced price of $25 per pack! (Which is no more than we would have paid for the set of sheets alone.) They’d been reduced by over 60%. Complete steal!

The rest of the room, however, remained pretty uninspiring. This was the view of the wall opposite the beds. Original dirty-white paintwork (I’d always planned to paint in here, and hadn’t quite gotten to it yet), no art, and a jumble of stuffed toys that had been shoved onto the dresser in a lame attempt to add a bit of colour to a bland and boring room.

I quickly realised that with two boys now sharing the one dresser for all their clothes/ shoes/ socks/ swimmers/ winterwear/ pyjamas, plus an extra set of sheets and mattress protectors to stow away in the room, extra storage would be the first priority. I wanted to find some boxes that would be large enough to store multiple sets of sheets, and good-looking enough to display on top of the dresser, since there was no room to hide them away anywhere else.

Once again, Target saved the day. These boxes were sturdy and large – big enough to easily store all the boys’ linen: mattress protectors in one, fitted sheets in the next, and flat sheets/ pillowcases in the last box. They were also lovely quality boxes with an attractive leatherette finish and stitched edges. If there had been a navy box on offer, I would’ve gotten one in each colour (navy, red and white), but I figured I could introduce some blue myself with a bit of DIY magic. The boxes needed a bit of personalising anyway to bring some pizazz to the room and make them a real feature.

Being a little bit obsessed with star motifs for boys’ rooms, I decided to DIY my own star stencil using contact paper.

First I searched online to find a star template I liked; then I printed the image and traced it onto the paper backing side of the contact. I cut out the image using a craft cutting knife and a ruler to ensure I got the edges straight.

I grabbed some tubs and tubes of craft paint that I already had lying around, and a foam stencil-brush.

Then it was just a matter of applying the contact to the box in the correct position, and using the stencil brush to dab paint over the stencil. The trick to getting really crisp lines is to use a fairly dry brush – don’t overload it with paint, or the paint will bleed underneath.

I did a white star on the red box:

A red star on the white box…

… and a blue star on the second white box.

Here are the finished boxes! I was so happy with how they turned out!

The boxes give a real pop of colour to the room and I really like how the star motif is picked up in the toy box we already had.

My next step was to give the entire room a fresh coat of paint in Dulux “White Duck”, a modern stone colour that looks lovely against crisp white trim and goes beautifully with navy. Unfortunately the only shot I have of the painted room is the one below, which doesn’t really show off the new paint colour very well. I always planned to take some more photos, but I kept putting it off because the room wasn’t completed to my satisfaction – and then we moved.

If you have a keen eye, you may have noticed the star motif popping up again in that wall canvas to the right of the dresser. I found some fabric at Spotlight with the navy/ red/ star theme, and used a piece of it to cover a plain canvas. Makes for some cheap wall art!

I also added a new rug, another Target steal – reduced to $40! I brought it home, very pleased with my unusually frugal self, where it lasted all of a week before sustaining the mother of all spillages, care of two small boys who decided to help themselves to a bottle of milk from the fridge and pour it into cups in their bedroom. On the new rug, of course. Of all places they could’ve chosen. My poor milk-sodden rug was then subjected to a wash in the bathtub and being spread over the outdoor table to dry (for days – because it would not dry! And it was too heavy to hang on the clothesline.) The upshot being it was left to slowly bake in the hot sun and become crazily sun-bleached except for one lonesome strip that had been hanging over the edge.

Um…. lucky it was only $40, is all I can say! I have plans to redeem it – but that’s another DIY project.

I’m looking forward to actually finishing off the boys’ bedrooms in our new house – photos of the new abode coming up next week! And a list of DIY to-do’s a mile long. I can’t wait! 🙂

What do you think? Are you a fan of the classic star motif for a boys’ bedroom? Ever tried stencilling something to personalise it?

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