Painting a Kitchen Chalkboard Door

Well, its about that time again for me to paint something with chalkboard paint.  I did have a good reason this time.  A while ago when our tile floor was being installed our kitchen door was removed and put outside until the tile was completed.  Not a big deal, except for it rained and the door was left  out in the elements.  We had a little water damage on the door but haven't had much time to address it.  Eventually, I would love to get a new door but we don't have time for all of that right now.  So a quick fix was needed- chalkboard paint.

My hope was that the paint plus anything that was written on the door would hide the damage and be less noticeable and from the above picture you can see that it really does the trick.

To paint the door I used a few supplies - paint, foam roller, an angled paintbrush, a small craft brush and after it dries you need chalk and a magic eraser.  The craft brush was huge for painting around the edges of the window so I didn't have to tape anything off - time saver.

I had a great helper for this project.  It did take 3 coats of paint to get a good finish on the door.  Once the paint was completely dry the next day it was ready to be seasoned.  If you want your chalkboards to have the right look and to not have "burned-in" writing on them, you need to prep the surface.  Basically, take the side of some chalk and cover the entire surface and then erase it all off.  The chalk gets into the porous surface and fills it all in.  I have found the best thing to use to erase the chalk is a magic eraser - use it dry not wet!

This part was a little time consuming and required almost a whole box of chalk...sidewalk chalk would have worked better - but thankfully I had such great help who thought this was so much fun.  It was also messy...this was quite a big surface to cover so chalk dust was everywhere.  

I can't find a good before shot when it was painted white but still, I like the original shot compared to the current one.

We are having so much fun with this door, I may not want to ever get rid of it.

I was worried that the black door would be too dark for our kitchen but I actually really love the contrast of it.  I think with it being a chalkboard surface it kind of helps keep it from being too drastic.  

It felt like a little risk when I first saw the black strokes of the paint going on but in the end I decided it was just paint and I could change it if I couldn't stand it.  But the little risk paid off and we are enjoying it!  Chalkboard paint saves the door.

Kids Project: Easy Chalkboard Sign

Today I bring to you, the Silas project.  The winter days can get a little tricky sometimes with a little one indoors.  We haven't had a ton of snow this season, but it seems as though we have had a lot of cold rainy days that have kept us inside.  These are the days when you just need to be creative and find something new to do so that you and your kid don't go crazy.  One of those days recently Silas decided he wanted to paint something.  So naturally, we found something for him to paint.

  Silas is the kind of kid who could care less about craft projects.  If he makes a few squiggles with a crayon he is pretty much tapped out on crafting.  But, if he gets to use tools or a big paint brush he's all in.  Must be the boy in him.  Kind of like the other day when we went inside Charming Charlie's- after a minute or two he sweetly asked me- "Mommy, can boys be in here?"  That was an honest question.  He's just all boy and can't help it.  I guess all of the pink and sparkles were throwing him off a bit.

So after we found something to paint - which ended up being a piece of pallet wood we had in our shed- he chose to use the chalkboard paint.  And, he had a blast painting this thing.  It was like the most simplest of projects ever but it was his own personal project and he was into it.

The camera came out and he needed a few pictures to remember the moment.  I don't know why but when I want him to smile and be still for family shots he can't, but he can all of a sudden pose for this.  We have about 50 more of these photos.  I tried to get him to put something different on the sign but he won out in the end - this was his project after all.  He loves dinosaurs, that is that.

So do you guys have any fun go to indoor projects or activities you do with your kids?  I'd love to know!!  Share withe me!

  

Thanks for stopping by today!

An Easy DIY Chalkboard Canvas

I promise I'm still here. Last week was just one of those tough weeks that included a pretty sick little boy.  Thankfully Silas is feeling much better, we have gotten some rest and things are feeling back to normal.   Honestly, taking an impromptu break from the blog was actually kind of nice for me.  I really was able to think about some different ideas and projects that I want to do and continue to try and learn some new bloggy things, so I was good with taking a break.  I have a a full week of blogging ahead to make up for last week and I'm looking forward to it.

I have a quick and easy project to share today as well as a few random weekend happenings.  First up is an easy chalkboard canvas.  This project actually comes via my sister.  A couple of weekends ago we had a big spray painting party and worked on a few things together.  My sister had this large canvas she wanted to change up and decided to try her hand at her first chalkboard project.  I was of course excited since I love a good chalkboard.  Here's the canvas before...

Just and old canvas print she had from a while back.  A couple of coats of chalkboard paint later and it was looking good.

My sister is kind of a newbie when it comes to spray painting but she learned quickly that lighter coats are better.  Spray paint can gloop and glob quickly so you just need to keep your can moving and keep the coats light to get the best coverage.  I believe though after this that she has caught the spray painting bug.  After it was all dry she decided on the text she wanted and we were done.  This was super easy.

Soon I'm going to grab some photos over at my sisters house so you can see where the canvas ended up.  They had this crazy design dilemma that I think they conquered well so I'm eager to share it.

Okay, on to some random things.  I think being gone a week from the blog is causing me to over share today.  I just missed connecting with all of you!  So, is it spring anywhere?  Because here in NC we have been thrown back into winter - its strange and we are so anxious for warmer weather.  Even so, we had a big easter egg hunt at our church this weekend.  We were glad to get Silas out of the house even if we had to be inside the gym to hunt eggs - it was so much fun for Silas.

Oh, this also occurred at our house this weekend.  This is not a new gallery wall technique - its a little thing called March Madness.   Each year Justin holds a big bracket challenge and the best and most fun way to do it is by hanging them all over your living room walls.  Its just a tradition that started a while back and has continued from house to house.  Lets just say that this year my brackets are awful.  I'm just pulling for Florida Gulf Coast to win it all now.

It feels so good to be sharing here today.  I have some more projects to share this week, a guest blogger, some garden inspiration and some more blog updates all happening.  Come back and visit with me!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  How was your weekend? Any crazy March Madness traditions for you?  Share with me!

Baby Shower Decorating Ideas

Recently I had to the privilege of co-hosting a baby shower for a sweet friend.  My part was decorations so I have a few ideas to share with you - and as always they are budget friendly and super easy. 

Our color theme was hot pink and lime green and we were working with a rather ugly barren and large space (aka our church's fellowship hall).  I feel like I've set up a thousand events in this room and it always seems daunting to me.  At the room entrance we had a little table set up for guests to fill out advice cards for the mom to be.  I used a glass jar I already owned and just jazzed it up a bit with a little ribbon and pretty paper and a monogram - when all else fails just add a monogram, instant adorableness.  

Instead of flowers I used tissues poms and pinwheels.  They have adorable pink pinwheels with polka dots in the Target dollar section right now...although I did not get a picture of those during my fury of decorating and chasing a toddler.  I also picked up a few of these round table place mats at Target to add a little pop of color.

I added a little sand and a candle to these little metal pails and also found these cute sparkly letters in the craft section at Target.

Also, I diy-ed a chalkboard from a $2 thrift store frame.  This flower photo was printed on a particle board type material so it was easily paintable.  

I just spray painted a couple coats of primer and then a couple of coats of chalkboard paint.  

My edges around the inside of the frame didn't come out as crisp as I wanted (I may have rushed it a bit and not used tape).  So I just pulled out the twine and hot glued it around the edges to hide the imperfections.  I actually ended up really loving the twine detail.  This was such an easy and inexpensive project!

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful Thursday!

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