I playfully call my house the “Monkey Playground”. Why? Why not!

Well, okay, I’m sort of monkey like since I like climbing around on lots of things. A little known fact about me: my 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi had a sticker on the side that said “Monkey *” (that last symbol was a star, not an asterisk). I thought it was funny — sort of like an aviator call sign for the pilot.

The new sign, freshly painted:

This is my first stencil. Here’s how I made it:

* Find an image on the internet to make a stencil out of. Drop it into Adobe Illustrator.

* With my Wacom tablet (a mouse would work), trace it with the pencil tool. Fix it up so the path looks fairly smooth. Download my version here.

* Print the stencil — it may take several pages if it is large.

* Tape it down on top of some poster board (thin cardboard from an art supply store.)

* Put something underneath the cardboard so you don’t cut into your table (I used a balsa wood model airplane table).

* Cut it out with a sharp new exacto knife.

* Spray paint it!

I can hear myself telling people how to get to my place: “Yeah, pull into the driveway with a red monkey painted on a huge white saw blade out front.”