Tadaaa!!!!

My chalkboard is finished!  I don't think it could have turned out any better.  The calendar will be super handy considering I can't remember anything! 

The only thing I'm missing now is some sort of eraser. As of yet it's been Kleenex and water.  Any ideas on where to find one?  Just as I typed that I realized I know exactly where to get one.  England's!!!  duh.

So, here's how it was done:

I bought the molding at McCoy's (best salesperson ever helped me --my Daddy!).  It took two of the 8 foot pieces to create the frame. 

I can't for the life of me remember what the exact material was that I used for the board.  I'm pretty sure it's almost exactly what you see most chalkboards made out of.  It has a smooth side and the other is rough and textured.  I know, that helps, like, none.  It was also bought at McCoy's. The size of the board was about 4 feet by 28 inches.  It turned out to be the perfect size so I didn't have to make any cuts.

I painted the board with 2 coats of chalkboard paint, then glued the cut molding to the edges of the board with Gorilla Glue (that was the most frustrating of all the steps --I wanted it perfect!).  Next, I masked the chalkboard area with painter's tape and newspaper and started spraying the frame with Krylon's Indoor/Outdoor spray paint.

The lines were painted on with a white acrylic paint.

I bought the chalk (2 kinds --Rose Art and Crayola) from Hobby Lobby (don't you just love them?!).  After scrounging through some of my estate sale finds I came upon the perfect dish to hold the chalk.  It fits nicely next to my pens/pencil/scissors/whatever holder.

I have considered creating more chalkboards to sell.  If you'd like one I would love to make it for you!  You pick the size, the color, the frame, everything!  Calendar or maybe even... dare I say it... a clock??  Oooohhh the possibilities are endless!

Drop me a line with any questions on how I made it or if you'd like to purchase one.  

I will get back to ya with the name of the material I used for the board.  Promise!!  

I think my next side project will be redoing a chair I bought for $5 at a garage sale a few weekends ago.  I've got cute fabric with a whale theme for the seat cushion and I plan on the color of the wood being a sea foam green....  We'll see!

Preview!

I have been working hard (ok, that's a lie) to get the house ready for DH and I to go back to work.  That includes putting the finishing touches on my homemade chalkboard!  I bought the the trim, sprayed it with Krylon's Indoor/Outdoor spray paint, painted the board with chalkboard paint ($4 clearance!) and assembled it with Gorilla Glue.  Now all I have left is to finish my grid for my calendar.

Let me just say a little a little something about Krylon's spray paint:

1. Don't try to self check out at Walmart with it.  Duh!! 
2. Their cans now come with a EZ Touch 360°™ Dial Spray Tip.  Heavenly!  Just twist the white nozzle to make spraying at difficult angles a million times easier. 
3. Krylon makes the most beautiful colors!  I had a hard time just buying one.  (I did grab a couple of cans on clearance recently --I couldn't resist!)
4. I sprayed the frame and 30 mins later toted it home in my car without a smudge!  Their 10 minute or less drying time is pretty spot on!
5. Sometimes I'm a genius.  On the back of the chalkboard I wrote,  "Krylon, Blue Ocean Breeze, Gloss," so I could remember what to touch it up with if the need arose or if I wanted to use the same color on another piece.  Pretty sweet tip, no?

I found that the further back I stayed when spraying the more even the paint went on.  I had no drips or pools.

One more thing...

Out of curiosity does any woman in their right mind really need a reminder for this?:

I know, I know, that was random.

Long time, no blog.

So much has happened since last we met.  DH and I have been busily (ok, maybe that's a stretch) working on our house.  My bathroom, aka the guest bathroom, is almost complete while other rooms are ranging from 0-75% finished.  Time and money (mainly money) have kept me from completing many rooms.  But, they will be done!

Since I've brought redecorating/remodeling houses up, let me run something by you all.  How would you tackle paneled walls?  Paint?  Even out the grooves and wallpaper?  Fabric?  What has worked for you and what would you never try again?  DH hates painted paneling but as long as the entire room isn't the same shade of brown, I don't care what happens to them.  There may be drywall underneath.... but I'm not sure.  Many thanks to those who reply!

And now for something completely different.

I have never loved doing laundry more!! Let me repeat that: I HAVE NEVER LOVED DOING LAUNDRY MORE!!  Here's why:

My new Samsung washer and dryer have been my best friend for the last month.  I bought them at my local Sears using their price match feature (the best price I could find was at Best Buy -but they were in the town over).  I bought them both for under $600 each!  I am still beaming with pride at my savvy shopping skillz (so good it deserves a "z") and over $200 in total savingz (that one too).  

I absolutely love them.  They even "sing" to me (they have a simple pre-2005ish cellphone tone-like song they play when the turn on and off).  Here are the model numbers for your W/D browsing pleasure:  Washer - WF210ANW, Dryer - DV210AEW.

My laundry used to take 4 and a half hours to get a load done as my washer and dryer were probably a decade older than me.  Now it takes less that half that.  Laundry is no longer a dirty word.  : )

I've got a new project I'm working on and one that I recently finished so I should be updating withing the next, oh, say, week?  Sure.  Within a week.  

'Til then!