DIY: Chalkboard Menu

I finally succeeded! I battled a glass chalkboard and won. I first jumped on the chalkboard paint bandwagon a few months ago but failed miserably. The glass broke as I was placing it back in the frame. I felt a tad bit defeated and decided to wait to try again. I am so glad I waited for my second attempt because it turned out great, if I may say so myself.

I found this little frame at the goodwill for $3, another Score! I loved the gold, the shape and the size. I am a big fan of the vintage scrolls around the frame as well as the real glass inside. I gave it all a good wipe down and was ready to party.

A few light coats and 24 hours of drying time later and ta da! Here it is. I am glad I decided to keep the gold frame, if I ever change my mind I can always spray paint it.

I found the perfect place for it, near my prized possession, the juicer. On the menu is the recipe for the mean green juice that I’m currently obsessed with. I had no idea how difficult it is to write with chalk. You will notice all of my mistakes, I guess that’s why schools have transitioned to dry erase boards.

I have a feeling my mean green juice will stay up for a while as I get used to the recipe. The multi-color chalk was such a good choice.

I really love this new piece of wall art in my kitchen, which I have been working to transform, details coming soon. I encourage everyone to give this a try. It is such an easy project with a huge pay off! Also very inexpensive to achieve: $3 thrifted frame, $4 can of chalkboard spray paint and $0.49 pack of chalk and you too can have a functional piece of nostalgia from your schooldays on your walls.

If any of you give this a try feel free to send me a few pics! I hope everyone has been enjoying their week! Talk to y’all soon!

DIY: Chalkboard FAIL

About a week ago I talked about wanting to jump on the chalkboard paint bandwagon and decided to try it out once I found the perfect frame. Luckily I had a frame to work with, thanks to my mom 🙂 and decided to give the process a shot! And FAIL! Well, everything turned out great, until the final most important step….the glass broke while I was placing it back into the frame. That’s ok, good first try! Anyhoo, I took a bunch of shots of the process and am choosing to share them here despite the unfortunate demise 🙂

This is the picture and frame I chose to cover up. It was a lovely gift from my mom 🙂 unfortunately, the picture was not my style, but I thought the frame was beautiful and did not want to let it go to waste. Maybe the glass breaking was my fault for not appreciating my mothers gift! I kid, I am trying not to be hard on myself, I know my mother just wants to help me decorate 🙂

I decided on using chalkboard spray paint after reading a bunch of great reviews! And decided on a light blue color for the frame, to make the leafy designs POP!

Those are the snapshots of the process! Super easy! I am getting a little obsessed with spray painting. I need to remind myself: just because I can prime and spray paint everything, doesn’t mean I should. Anyhoo, I definitely recommend chalkboard spray paint, just make sure to keep the coats light.

And here it is! Ta-da! Three mini-chalkboard daggers inside a huge frame!

A close-up of the broken pieces. I am just glad it was a clean break, and I did not have to worry about a big clean up. Although it is a little frustrating, considering I traveled all around Austin and Google searching for the specific, anti-dust, calcium carbonate containing chalk the spray paint called for. I am just glad I purchased it and it is ready for my next attempt!

I want to leave you with a close up shot, sans daggers, to brag about how beautiful this frame turned out! I have a few ideas for the frame to make sure I use it. I hope those will come true soon!

All in all, this was a fairly easy project. I am sure I will tackle it again soon and I hope I can share its successful conquest after this weekend. Although, stormy weather is forecast all weekend! If my balcony/spray-paint studio is dry, be prepared for a Chalkboard success!