All About Stenciling

I bought some second hand furniture for my daughter's room and to liven it up I would like to stencil some designs on it. I've never done anything like this before - can anyone offer any tips about how to do this, and also guide me to a good location to buy stencils/paints?

go to your nearest michaels, and buy a stencil that you like. use acrylic paints because those hold longer. my mom did that for my dresser and i've had that thing for 20 years!

There are stencil paints that are in little pots and oil based or you can use acrylic paints, too. The oil based pots are favored by a lot of artists because they are easier to blend and create shading, like on leaves. Getting it to stick to the furniture is a little more complex. A lot depends on what is on the surface that you intend to stencil over. Is is painted, is it stained is it sealed? The slicker the surface, the more the paint will slide and you risk peeling and flaking with use. Often you can rough up the surface on the furniture with simple steel wool enough to create the tooth stencil paint needs to adhere onto. Almost any craft store in your area will have a nice selection of stencils, JoAnnes or Michaels. Buy a roll of painter's tape and stencil adhedsive. Painter's tape holds the stencil down from moving while you are pouncing, but the adhesive around the opening of the stencil design helps keep the paint from flowing underneath so it gives you a sharper edge. Once you have stenciled the design, be sure to seal it with a non-yellowing, UVB/UVA protecting polyurethane. It not only protects your work, but it also makes the piece easier to clean.