DIY Chalkboard

I have been SO busy this past week!  My daughter and I were at church all week for VBS, we had company over for dinner on Tuesday night, and I had two appointments during the week!  Needless to say...we're tired!  Especially my daughter!

I finished up this chalkboard last week, but I finally had some time today to sit down at the computer and write up the blog post!  

I found this frame at a garage sale.  It was originally a mirror, but once I cleaned it up, I noticed a small scratch.  Sound familiar?  I obviously need to be more diligent about checking things out thoroughly before purchasing them!  Here it is fresh from the garage sale.

I didn't want to use it as a mirror even if the scratch was really small, so I took the mirror out and replaced it with hardboard.  We got a big sheet of it since I'm sure I'll be using more of it in the future!  

My husband  cut out the size I needed for my project (because I think he not-so-secretly enjoys helping me when it involves power tools!) and I sprayed it with spray primer.  I wasn't going to prime it, but the hubby thought the chalkboard paint would soak in too much on such a porous surface.  So, I decided to listen to his wisdom just this once and prime it!  Haha!

After two light coats of primer, I was ready for the chalkboard paint.  I used the paint you have to brush or roll on as opposed to the spray stuff.  No reason, really.  That's just what I used for my last chalkboard project and we had a ton left over, so that's what I used!  Here is the hardboard painted with chalkboard paint.

I used a foam brush when I painted with the chalkboard paint this time.  I will say, as you can see in the next picture, it does leave a texture to board.  I'm still debating on whether or not I like the texture.  I think if I knew I was going to sell a piece, I'd use a small roller to apply the paint for a smoother finish.  

After the paint dried for 24 hours (okay, maybe a little less!), I rubbed a piece of chalk all over the board.  See the texture come out?  Apparently you have to rub the chalk on and then wipe it off to make chalk work on it.  I don't know if that's true or not, but I've heard it so many times that I just do it every time now!

Next, I had to attach the chalkboard to the frame.  I tried wood glue at first, but it just didn't hold, so I tacked a few finishing nails into the back of the frame to hold it in there securely.  

I am hoping to eventually have a gallery wall on our living room wall filled with family pictures and I knew I wanted this to be included in it somehow.  But since this is the first piece, I don't know exactly where it is going to end up on the wall.  So, I used Command adhesives to hang it.  It's much better than using a nail, since I may end up moving it in the future.

I believe there are specific Command adhesives for picture hanging, but these are left over from a hook we had once used and they worked perfectly for this.  I may use the picture hanging strips for the rest of the pieces on the gallery wall, so that I can change them around if I want...and I won't have a bunch of holes in the wall!

I should add in here before I go too far, that I painted the frame with  Annie Sloan chalk paint in Provence and then used a coat of clear wax over that.  The frame does look a little distressed/dirty and that's because I was using dark wax on something else before I waxed this frame, so my brush had some dark wax on it already.  I'm okay with that, though!  I think it turned out nicely!


Now, on to the rosettes.  I already had made the canvas rosette for a different project, but ended up using it on this.  I put it on the frame and felt like it needed a little something extra, so I made the yellow one.  To make a rosette, first you cut (or rip) a strip of fabric.  This one is a little small, so the rosette turned out a little small.  The bigger you want your rosette to be, the bigger (longer AND thicker) you need to cut your fabric strip.

As you can see, the edges can be a little jagged.  It just adds to the character of the flower!  

Next, tie a knot in the end of the fabric strip.  Then you just start twisting the fabric and turning from the knot.  I don't have a picture of this part because my husband was sleeping at the time and I was working on this alone.

I kind of "winged" it as I went anyway, so a picture probably wouldn't do you any good!  I think it's good to wing it sometimes and just let it turn out how it's gonna turn out!  ;)

And here is my rosette!    

I used hot glue to keep the rosette together.  I just picked several places on the back and front to dab a little glue, held it for a couple seconds each time, and it held together just fine.  I also used the hot glue to attach the rosettes to the chalkboard frame.  Just a couple dabs and they were good to go!

Here are a couple shots of the final product.  

As you can see, it looks a little strange just hanging on the wall above our couch all by its lonesome.  But as I find more garage sale frames, I'll be adding to my gallery wall collection! 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I really appreciate all the comments being left lately!  I'm definitely feeling loved!  :)  

I'm linking up to the following blogs to share my project!

Cherished Bliss - Craft and Tell

Today's Creative Blog - Get Your Craft On

Domestically Speaking - The Power of Paint Party

{Primp} - Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

Embracing Change - Creative Inspirations

Restore Interiors - Restored it Wednesday

Liz Marie Blog - Link Up With Me, Liz Marie

House of Hepworths - Hookin Up With HoH

Freckled Laundry - {air your laundry friday} Textile Party

The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday

Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

Tatertots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party

Magnetic Burlap Memo Board

I got this piece at a garage sale for $1.  Originally it was a mirror and I was intending to keep it that way.  Until I got it into the trunk of my car and realized that some of the mirror “treatment” was flaking off.   Here is the before shot.  

And here you can see the detail of where the mirror was flaking off.   

I saw it and immediately thought I had just spent one dollar on trash.  I’d just have to throw it away when I got home.  One for the “lesson learned” file.  

Well, somewhere between then and now I had a brilliant idea.  Why not try to take the mirror out and see if I can still use this cool frame for another purpose?  I thought about making it into a chalkboard, but had done a chalkboard recently and thought I should try something else.  When I went to the flea market a couple weeks ago I picked up some great burlap sacks (which I forgot to picture on that post).  I was thinking of using them for another project – and still am – but I thought about this frame that I didn’t know what to do with and it came to me to make a burlap memo board.  

After I took out the mirror, I painted the frame with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Emperor's Silk (red).  Then I painted over that in a light pink ASCP color, Antoinette.  Once the red color was totally covered and the paint was dry, I used a damp rag to rub off some of the pink paint in places.  It is a fun way of distressing that I've really enjoyed the most, I think.  It gives me freedom to make it look the way I want and I don't get a ton of "scratch" marks from using sand paper.

At first I was going to make it a cork board and use push pins, but I’ve never been a huge fan of push pins, so I decided to make it magnetic.  I bought a piece of sheet metal from The Home Depot and laid the burlap over it, but you could see the metal through it.  After wracking my brain, I came up with an idea.  We have these old, ugly, faded pillowcases on our guest bed that I absolutely hate, but haven’t been willing to replace.  Well, they just so happen to be the perfect color.  So, I cut one of the pillowcases in half and glued the sheet metal to it (which I had already glued to a piece of foam board to help stabilize it) and then wrapped the burlap around the whole thing and glued that down.  

 Now you can’t see the metal and you can’t even tell that there is that thin piece of fabric behind the burlap.  AND, it’s not too thick that magnets won’t stick to it, which is what I was nervous about.  I am not selling this piece (unless someone is REALLY interested in it).  It is going in my daughter’s room which we are slowly changing over from a nursery to a big girl room.  This is the jumping off point along with the pillow I shared with you last week.  I think the memo board looks a little out of place where it is now, but I am not really sure how we're going to arrange the furniture once we're all done and I wanted to get this on  the wall now.  So, there it hangs...for now!

Thanks again for stopping by the blog today.  Sorry about such a long post!  I feel like I want to share my steps and thought process behind the pieces I create, but I don't want my readers to be bored by a long, dragged out post.  So, what do you think?  Should I keep my posts short and sweet or do you like me to explain what's going on in my head?!  Please leave me a comment with YOUR thoughts...and be honest.  I can take it!  :)

I'm linking up to the following blogs to share my project!

Cherished Bliss - Craft and Tell

Today's Creative Blog - Get Your Craft On

Domestically Speaking - The Power of Paint Party

{Primp} - Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

Embracing Change - Creative Inspirations

Restore Interiors - Restored it Wednesday

Liz Marie Blog - Link Up With Me, Liz Marie

House of Hepworths - Hookin Up With HoH
Freckled Laundry - {air your laundry friday} Textile Party

The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday

Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

Tatertots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party

Two tiered end table

I’m so excited to share this table with you!  

It was looking pretty shabby when I picked it up at a garage sale a month ago.

The top really needed some help!

I am really loving the look of a stained top and try to do it on all the pieces with tops that are in good enough shape.  I think it lets the piece keep some of it’s previous life and still get a fun makeover!  For this piece, I used Dark Walnut stain by Minwax, the same stain I used for my first painting project.

I absolutely love the color!

The body of this table is done in Provence, an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint color.  It is such a fun color.  Very vibrant and cheery!

I also tried a new technique on this piece!  I taped off stripes on the drawer and dry brushed them in Old White by Annie Sloan.  It was my first time ever attempting dry brushing and I really like the way it turned out. 

I’m really starting to enjoy taking more risks and trying new things when I refinish these pieces.  I feel like it gives the pieces more personality than just being painted one color and doing nothing else with it.  I’m having fun with it and I feel more and more creative the more I use my creativity!  I love it!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest project!  I'm still working on finding a way to sell my painted furniture, but once I figure that out, this piece will be for sale...or you can always contact me if you are interested in it.

I'm linking up to the following blogs to share my project!

Today's Creative Blog - Get Your Craft On

Domestically Speaking - The Power of Paint Party

{Primp} - Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

Embracing Change - Creative Inspirations

Restore Interiors - Restored it Wednesday

Liz Marie Blog - Link Up With Me, Liz Marie

House of Hepworths - Hookin Up With HoH

The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday

Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

Tatertots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party

Yellow end table : The little table that could

I’m so excited to share my end table makeover with you!  You saw this shot of it in my living room update post, but I wanted to share a few before and after shots with you today.

This end table started out very sad and run down.  It looked like it had been painted by someone for their daughter’s bedroom.  It had butterflies, flowers, ...and crayon marks!  It really had seen better days and when I bought it, I was determined to give it new life.  Little did I know, it would take a lot of lovin’ to get this piece back to a happy place.  

First I stripped the paint off the whole table.  The paint was quite uneven on the table and I thought I’d better just strip it rather than sand it down.  Here’s a shot of me taking the stripper off of the top.  

I, in all of my beginner “wisdom”, figured the paint would strip off of the table the same way as it did on my nightstand top and all would be well with the world; I’d paint the table and be done.  Well, it didn’t work quite that way.  When I took the stripper off, there wasn’t wood underneath, there was this weird laminate or whatever that blue stuff is.  I figured it wasn’t that big of a deal since it was smooth, but once I got to the sides of the table all hell broke loose!  The sides were covered with press board and they started just basically disintegrating when I took the stripper off.  It got even worse when I tried to sand the surface smooth.  It was an absolute disaster and several times I debated just giving up and moving on.  But part of me wanted to see if I could actually make this work somehow.

My husband suggested covering the sides with a wood veneer so that it would be a smooth surface to work with that we knew wouldn’t fall apart.  We tried it on the sides (and he also added it to the inside of the back panel to cover up that hole you can see in the before picture) and it worked out really well.  He primed the whole table and once the primer was dry, I realized there were bubbles in the veneer!  Grrr!!  By this point I HATED this table and just wanted to throw it in the trash!  I was so over all the problems it was giving me.  But, obviously, I pushed through and was still curious if it could actually work out.  So I popped a few tiny holes in the veneer, filled the holes with glue, clamped them down and then filled the holes with wood filler once the glue was dry.  I also filled in the little dent on the top of the table with wood filler.  Once I got those spots sanded down it was finally ready for paint.  I don't have any pictures of this whole ordeal because I was so upset and embarrassed that I thought I'd just sweep this whole thing under the rug and not tell anyone about it if it didn't turn out!  Haha!

Maybe in hindsight, I wouldn’t have stripped the paint off the table and would have just sanded it down.  But I had no idea this would have happened, so I never would have known.  This experience makes me a little leary of buying painted furniture in the future (to refinish/paint) because I can’t actually see what’s underneath the paint.  I haven’t bought any painted furniture since, but I’m sure I will again...I’m just going to have to really love it!

I knew I wanted to try out some of my new Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on this table because of all the varying surface types.  I had heard that ASCP covers tons of different surfaces including stained wood, painted wood, metal, leather, and new wood, so this was the perfect test to see how this paint actually held up to three different surfaces on one piece.  I was hoping the chalk paint would help everything look cohesive once I was finished.  I mixed up one part Arles and four parts Old White to make this color and when I compared it to my ASCP color chart, it is almost identical to her Cream color.  So now I know, if I want to create this color again I can just buy the Cream color instead of having to do all that mixing!  And for an extra little surprise, I painted the inside of the drawer Duck Egg Blue.

And here it is...the finished end table in all of it's glory!

 

I still wasn’t sure about this piece until I got it totally painted, waxed, and buffed.  Every step of the way I was unsure about if I could really pull this off and makeover this piece.  I’m SO happy I persevered and didn’t give up on this piece.  I absolutley love how it turned out!  I obviously didn’t do any distressing this time.  I was not about to take any chances with having the blue show through on the top or having anything else go wrong!

The table now sits in my newly painted living room and I must say - I love it!  I’m just so happy with it, maybe partly because it is such a pretty, happy yellow color!

I'm linking up to the following blogs to share my project!

Today's Creative Blog - Get Your Craft On

Domestically Speaking - The Power of Paint Party
{Primp} - Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Restore Interiors - Restored it Wednesday

House of Hepworths - Hookin Up With HoH
The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday

Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday

Tatertots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party

My first piece for sale : Duck Egg Blue mirror

I’m so happy to be sharing my first for sale painted piece with you today!  It's actually a mirror with a magnetic chalkboard!  The black area that you see above the mirror is magnetic - that's a flower magnet on it (it comes off - and is not included with the mirror).  It's also a chalkboard.  So, like I have shown, you can hang the mirror in your entryway and write "welcome" on it.  Or you could even use it for notes, a menu, grocery list, whatever you want!  And, if you use magnets on it, you could use them just for decoration, like I did, or you could use them to hold notes, important receipts, etc.  

If you remember my post from a couple weeks ago, I found this mirror at a garage sale and it wasn’t all that cute.  I knew it had potential, but the finished product surpassed anything I could have imagined for it!  I’m really happy with how it turned out!

This is how the mirror looked when I bought it.  The decorative pieces above the actual mirror was the part that gave me the most concern about revitalizing this piece.  

please excuse my daughter strutting her stuff!  ;)

But then I thought about covering them up.  Couldn’t be that hard, right?  Then you wouldn't see all that craziness and it would look less dated.  And then my husband and I had a great idea.  Why not just knock them right out?  So I knocked the decorative pieces out with a rubber mallot.  It was super easy to do.  Just a couple taps and they popped right out.  Then I filled the holes with wood filler.  Lots and lots of wood filler!  All I had to do then was paint it (with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, of course!) and attach the magnetic chalkboard to the back!  Super easy!  

And if you’re wondering how I made the chalk board, well, that was super easy, too!  We bought a small piece of sheet metal from Lowe’s - which is already magnetic.  Then I covered it with a couple coats of chalkboard paint and tacked it in from the back!  Told ya, super easy!

I’m selling this magnetic chalkboard mirror for $50.  If you’re interested in purchasing it, be sure to either leave a comment below or email me at allisonhop@hotmail.com


Also, check out my new "for sale" tab at the top of my blog where I'll be adding pieces as they are ready to sell.