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sl saw 8i mman mimtmjcuitsimteis stehcilmg is a viable choice for decorating by bruce stapley gretchen johnson is an artist whose specialty involves a de corative artform dated before the time of christ the boyer street stouffville re sident has capitalized on her in terest in art and decorating com bining the two in her own cottage industry business stencils by gretchen according to gretchen stencil ing is a decorating form that was used by the chinese several thousand years ago as well as the ancient romans in more recent history stencil ing was an extremely popular method of wall treatment in colo nial times in north america both the white house and the house of mark twain were stenciled for decorative purposes in the late 1800s stenciling says gretchen is the application of color through precisely cut out designs the material used today is usual ly mylar although in the past waxed paper tin ciled paper and even oiled hides were used since 1983 gretchen has been attempting to revive this old world craft with considerable success her customers have taken advantage of an opportun ity to have a custom designed de corating effect in their homes or businesses it really gives a person the chance to create a beautifully co ordinated look in a house says gretchen whose collection of stencils include herown originals plus some antique stencils found in the attic of a markham house built in 1875 and if someone wants to match a pattern on their uphol stery i can make up a stencil and use it on the walls while stenciling is usually associated with country decor gretchen maintains it is most adaptable it can go with all different styles and trends of furniture from victorian through art deco its not just country it can be any thing gretchen offers a complete ser vice to her customers from help ing select an appropriate stencil through climbing up a ladder or scaffolding and actually painting the pattern this can be a tedious task as each color must be done separately but the final effect is nothing less than stunning a pleasing alternative to commercially and synthetically produced effects and she claims the cost can be very competitive when compared with the price of wallpapering or even painting a room the poten tial for creating various effects is endless she says you can create the look of dutch tiles bricks or whatever her list of clients include several markhamstouffville area businesses as well as homeow ners or people who want that added touch on a blanket box chair or coffee table her work can be seen on the walls of bruce county oak and pine in stouffville on the floor of the front window display of the kauffman gallery in markham and in the dressing rooms of eleven joseph street in mar kham people appreciate the fact that what i am doing is handdone artwork she claims it appeals to those who like unique hand crafted things gretchens artistic interests go back to her school days in wilm ington delaware from grade 7 to 12 i took scholarship art classes in wilm ington she explains she came to stouffville with husband jim in 1981 after stencil ing her own home she decided shed like to do the same thing for other people providing her with the opportunity to contribute a few dollars towards raising a family that includes five children necessity is the mother of in vention she smiles we had a large family on a small budget while she doesnt entertan notions of getting rich at stenciling she does approach it with a discipline usually associ ated with fulltime pursuits shes forever coming up with new applications of the historic artform her latest project has found her bringing back the fire- board a wooden fireplace cover that was used in colonial days to keep dust debris and chinmey swallows from finding their way inside the house when the fire place was not in use gretchen will be setting up shop at the country decorating and couectables show march 19 and 20 at the markham fairgrounds lavish lobby entry sunfilled solariums elegant ensuite master bathrooms panoramic views many cosmopolitan features seven breathtaking new apartment designs now renting immediate later occupancy n tiik iark mccowan road south of steeies quality haircutters is a new hair salon open for all the family in the new stouffville mall save on perms 2000 hair colouring 1500 highlights 2000 streaks 2500 cut style not included ladies shampoo perms mens shampoo cutstyle complete cutstyle complete sale 14 3400 sale no quality hair cutters will offer you the best for less we have space available for an esthetkian hairstylist and nail technician call 6408655 quality haircutters new stouffville mall call 6408655 hours mon fri 9 sat 96 whatever your business were at your service dh k832rvt li4 3j pbi 5fgoaiff izkl jflpgfia kbm iii am ae jficiflbffi2id j your local petrocanada wholesaler weve been supplying bulk fuels and ht lubricants in this area tot many years and we have learned that whatever your business service is the most important thing that we can give you we realize that different businesses have very dilferent needs thais one of the reasons mrocanada has developed fuels and other products lor a wide range ol markets including farm logging marine manufacturing construction and heating and we make a point ol getting to know the requirements of the businesses here in our area the result is simply belter service lor you whatever your business let us show you how call us or drop in as bruce hall fuels ffttn 137 main st w stouffville 56 6403423 rftroomaki understanding your business makes us belter at ours rn mfqi of comwu a wio canms tc