Le Petit French Bakery Stencil Tutorial

I love the look of hand-painted signs.  In fact I used to have a bunch of beautiful stenciled quotes throughout my home.   Those were all vinyl beauties that I ordered online and fit the bill for awhile, but deep down I longed for faux finishes and hand painted wording.  Husband had a different opinion but we won’t get into that.

We have moved from that home with the quotes and I have been secretly missing the look, so decided it was about time to sprinkle a little bit of that same feeling in my new home. I have a confession to make though, I have never tried a painted stencil…until now!
Come see how I painted a Le Petit French Bakery inspiration while sharing how I did it!

I recently purchased this DecoArt Stencil. It’s the perfect little hint of hand-made for my home and the right style for our upcoming Bloggers Themed Furniture Makeover Day. (This Thursday!)

You can find similar items here online if they are not available at a store near you.

**Please note that there are affiliate links in this post. ..

My favorite is the French Poem Allover Stencil below, I cannot wait to try it! 

To keep costs low I used paint and sponge stippling brushes that I already had on hand.  

Darice Foam Stencil Brush Value Pack, Assorted Size

Each stencil has extensive instructions included but all involve three basic steps.
Take measurements for your desired placement.  Once it is in place, use a few strips of painters tape to adhere the stencil to (in my case a table top).  This will insure the stencil does not move when you paint over it.

My daughter’s beautiful “petit” hands, aren’t they sweet?

Use your stippling brush or foam brush and dip into some paint on a paper plate, dab it a few times onto the plate and then dab the paint onto the stencil surface. I used two colors in the sample but realized that I preferred the metallic glaze and think it’s probably best to just use one color in this step.  (Remember it’s my first time – trial and error)


Folk Art 4032 Enamel 2-Ounce Acrylic Paint, Licorice

 Carefully pull off your stencil trying to avoid smearing the paint on the surface.
It may look a bit smudgy at first but no worries, it just will give your piece more character. I did go over the letters and lines a bit again with a tiny small paint brush. I am a bit of a perfectionist and it was bugging me a bit.

Now this is my favorite part-the distressing.  Grab some sand paper and sand over the painted surface lightly in one direction. Start out lightly and keep sanding until you get the desired effect!

Now it looks like an aged farm table you may find in an old french bakery display. I love it!

I’d love for you to pin this image for quick reference!

And be sure to check back on Thursday for our Themed Furniture Makeover Day where I will show you the furniture piece that I put this stencil on. 
Did you guess this month’s theme yet? 
Now I’m hungry *sigh* I think I’ll go eat those strawberries! 
Oh who am I kidding, I’ll eat it ALL including the bagel with cream cheese!
Have a great week!
**Please note that there are affiliate links in this post. This does not mean that you pay a dime more when you purchase a product through my website links. It just means I made it easier for you to find something, so I make a few cents when you purchase it. I so appreciate your support of the blog Curb Alert! Thank you!  ~Tami 


2 thoughts on “Le Petit French Bakery Stencil Tutorial”

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.