home-rebuilding mode, one of the first choices to be

confronted is: What color will the walls be?

Unfortunately for the indecisive, modern paint-store

palettes seem to stretch well over the rainbow. For those of

us wavering between Heavy Cream and Lotus Blossom for the

living room, there's help and encouragement in

"Paint Can!" and "Stenciling the Arts &

Crafts Home," both of which explore the power of color

in influencing our emotions as well as expressing them.

"Color can cheer us up, calm us down, or simply

remind us that there is beauty in the world," says

Sunny Goode in "Paint Can!," which is subtitled:

"Techniques, Patterns, and Projects for Bringing Color

into Every Room." In "Stenciling," Amy Miller

gets down to specifics: "Green has a tendency to be

calming; violet evokes peaceful feelings and has the

potential to induce sleep."

One of the best things about using paint as a home

decorating tool is that it is not necessarily permanent,

Goode and Miller agree. You can repaint a wall or paint over

a stencil a lot easier than you can change the wallpaper.

The authors also agree on the importance of organization

and preparation -- i.e., having all your ducks in a row

before stenciling the ducks on the bathroom wall. And they

supply checklists to help you achieve this goal.

The obvious difference in the two books is their scope.

"Paint Can!" covers such special effects as color

washes, glazes, stripes, plaids, panels, stone blocks,

diamonds and freehand designs in addition to stenciling.

Although the "Stenciling" book is subtitled

"A Comprehensive Guide to Beautifying Your

Bungalow," it concentrates on designs achieved with the

aid of stencils on walls, furniture and fabric. It also

offers an overv
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