As usual, I was running around my kitchen at the last minute, still needing to make frosting and slather it on the cake before leaving for the potluck. I needed a stick of butter, a block of cream ...

Until I became a pastry chef, I associated stencils with quaint country inns and old-fashioned arts and crafts projects. But they can be used for so much more than retro wall decor. If you’ve got a ...