Mary Engelbreit Home Companion
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Text by Mary Forsell

a la cart
(a) Set up in the shade, allow nature to inspire you, and let the creativity begin. Chairs, cart, easels, Rothschild’s Antiques & Home Furnishings.

park it here
Finally, art you can sit on. We dressed up a plain canvas chair with stencils, (b). It’s the perfect alfresco project—no worries if paint spills on the grass. Tote, L.L. Bean. Quilted throw blanket, Utility Canvas.

brushes with genius
(c) and (d): To stencil, work on a level surface, adding a little paint at a time. Start at the outside and move inward, so you’re not accidentally pushing paint to the outer edges and making it bleed beyond the stencil area. Our outdoor-inspired stencils are free of charge. Just download here (stencil one) (stencil two). Sure, you can use them to decorate canvas chairs, but that’s only the beginning. They’re a great motif for personalizing a beach umbrella, a tote bag, or a barbecue apron. You could even stencil a drop cloth to use as a blanket or a hanging decoration. (e) Chris and Nichole swap painting stories.

Paint your Art out page 1 | 2
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