I have a video on furniture finishing/refinishing put out by "Fine Woodworking".
It shows staining can be rather complicated. There are different kinds of stain. There are dyes. There are variations of technique for different kinds of wood. There are variations of technique required to get consistant results.There is the distinct possibility that some of these finishes will change or even disappear when subjected to sunlight. It all seems like something a newbie should avoid till he has time to learn the ropes.
I think using contrasting or ornamented feature strips is the way to go.

: I was hoping someone would have a brilliant solution, guess not.

: Going to be a real trick staining one piece in a stripped deck, the stain
: tends to bleed and will want to color the strips next to the one you've
: stained. I'd rethink this idea and perhaps use instead a different color
: wood for that piece.

: The other possiblity will take some experimenting, is to use a wood that
: doesn't absorb the stain as a border to the piece you're staining. There
: are woods that tend to be oily that resist staining, don't ask me which
: one as I've not tried this.

: Bill H.
: Bill H.