DIY Stenciled Entryway Bench

I guess since this is my first post I better introduce myself. My name is Bethany. I'm a stay-at-home-mom to 2 cute kids (a girl who is 4 and a boy who is 2 1/2) and a 3rd due in Sept. My husband is awesome. He's a writer and a comedian (I'm not just saying that because I think he's funny... he does improv and sketch comedy). 

We bought our first house December 2010 and I'm having a fun time being able to decorate it how I want to.  My favorite paint colors for the walls are blue and grey. I love accents of yellow, white, blue, and sometimes orange or pink. 

I also have a gluten free blog, Gluten Free in Utah, that I try to keep up with. So between gluten free recipes, decorating/crafting, and "mom stuff" (I can be very opinionated and love pondering on different topics) that's probably what you'll see most of from me. 

Oh, and I am the 3rd sister of this crazy bunch :). 

Anyway, onto the fun stuff:

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 DIY Stenciled Bench

My husband has an old roommate who is really awesome (actually he's got a few of them... we still get together with them and their equally awesome wives multiple times a year). This particular roommate is really good with building and was wanting a new project, so he offered to make me the entryway bench I'd been wanting. 

He had me send him plans and he built it! And I love it! He and his wife ended up making it a housewarming gift for us :).

These plans from Modern Jane were the ones I showed him. I wanted something functional that we could use for storage. I had plans to paint it white and then make a cushion for the top, but I changed my mind. Here's what I did instead:

 

I couldn't find a fabric I wanted, plus the foam can get kinda pricey. Plus, I knew it was going to get dirty often and I didn't want to have to worry about washing the cushion all the time. So I stenciled it! Now I can just wipe off all of the fingerprints (and footprints from my kids hanging up their jackets on the pegs above it). 

And I LOVE it!!! The stencil is actually one I made. I found a free printable quatrefoil pattern and then made a stencil from a stencil making kit my mom had. It went really quickly to stencil. 

I painted the inside and the sides grey and all of the trim white.

We keep shoes in the right side and seasonal items in the left (hats, gloves, etc.). Since taking this picture I've actually gotten an identical basket for the left side ($7 from Walmart). It fits perfectly. The bag has moved since I got the bigger basket for the left side (it was a bag for my church calling stuff). Now I have a tote bag in it that has sunscreen, snacks, and diapers for when we go on a summer outing.  

It's been the perfect addition both aesthetically and functionally for our entryway! Thanks Mike and Shaina! We love it!