Hello from G2B readers! How have you been? I hope well! Now that the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is over - the focus of the New Year is typically resolutions, weight loss and organization! Well, I may be a little crazy because I don't wanna talk to you about any of that, so I thought I'd give you a fun craft to work on instead!!! :)
Did you know that from what I can determine, colorful, craft chalkboard paint has been around since the late 90's? Way back in the day - I saw it on some home improvement show (which I can't remember the name of) and they used it to paint a kitchen door to be for grocery lists or whatever - in navy blue! At the time, I had a toddler. An artistic toddler - one that liked to write on walls, finger paint white chairs, ya know the kind? So, instead of discouraging her - I encouraged her. I bought Anita's Chalkboard Paint in 2000 in navy blue and made her a chalkboard that spanned the entire hallway. FUN! Ever since then, she and her sister have always had some sort of fun painted chalkboards on the walls in their room - in many different colors. The paint that I used for this project - is actually part of the original purchase 14 years ago. Anita's craft paints no longer makes this product, but it is dated 1998 and it is what I used for this project - amazing that it is still perfect after all of these years. (Since Anita's craft paints no longer make this project you can find many different brands at a home improvement or craft store.)
To do this project, I simply took a discarded old window that I saved from some garbage pile at some point in my life.
I wanted a peek-a-boo affect on the front of the window. So I began by painting the back of the window in red.
I used my Cricut to cut out the wording: "Today's MENU: Eat it or Starve!" and carefully applied the letters onto the front of the window.
I then used Zinnser primer and applied it over the letters first to form a seal around them.
After the primer dried, I applied two coats of chalkboard paint in the navy blue color, (sorry, I forgot to take pictures, but I painted over the whole window, being careful around the lettering.)
I then used tweezers and a utility knife and carefully removed the letters. That reveals the pretty red from behind the window and gives that peek through affect.
Around the chippy white part of the frame of the window, I painted on two coats of polyacryclic; to seal it and to really help prevent any further chipping or peeling of the old paint.
Next, I drilled holes to fit the drawer pull (flipped upside down) to hold chalk. I was originally going to put it in the center where they had the original hardware for the window - but I decided I really liked that character in the center and didn't want to cover that up. It adds to the chippy charm of the whole piece. Gorilla Glue epoxy was used to set it in place.
Next, take your chalk and prime the board. Done by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk over the entire surface (again, using care around the letters) and then erasing it.
Then all you have to do is write out your menu so your guests or family is aware and you don't have to hear "what's for dinner?" :)
If you haven't turned something into a chalkboard yet - it is a super easy project that you should try & can be used on most any surface! If you every have any questions, feel free to ask, I would be happy to help!
Wishing you and your family a Happy & Healthy New Year!
Until next month,
Jenny
Did you know that from what I can determine, colorful, craft chalkboard paint has been around since the late 90's? Way back in the day - I saw it on some home improvement show (which I can't remember the name of) and they used it to paint a kitchen door to be for grocery lists or whatever - in navy blue! At the time, I had a toddler. An artistic toddler - one that liked to write on walls, finger paint white chairs, ya know the kind? So, instead of discouraging her - I encouraged her. I bought Anita's Chalkboard Paint in 2000 in navy blue and made her a chalkboard that spanned the entire hallway. FUN! Ever since then, she and her sister have always had some sort of fun painted chalkboards on the walls in their room - in many different colors. The paint that I used for this project - is actually part of the original purchase 14 years ago. Anita's craft paints no longer makes this product, but it is dated 1998 and it is what I used for this project - amazing that it is still perfect after all of these years. (Since Anita's craft paints no longer make this project you can find many different brands at a home improvement or craft store.)
To do this project, I simply took a discarded old window that I saved from some garbage pile at some point in my life.
I wanted a peek-a-boo affect on the front of the window. So I began by painting the back of the window in red.
I used my Cricut to cut out the wording: "Today's MENU: Eat it or Starve!" and carefully applied the letters onto the front of the window.
I then used Zinnser primer and applied it over the letters first to form a seal around them.
I then used tweezers and a utility knife and carefully removed the letters. That reveals the pretty red from behind the window and gives that peek through affect.
Around the chippy white part of the frame of the window, I painted on two coats of polyacryclic; to seal it and to really help prevent any further chipping or peeling of the old paint.
Next, I drilled holes to fit the drawer pull (flipped upside down) to hold chalk. I was originally going to put it in the center where they had the original hardware for the window - but I decided I really liked that character in the center and didn't want to cover that up. It adds to the chippy charm of the whole piece. Gorilla Glue epoxy was used to set it in place.
If you haven't turned something into a chalkboard yet - it is a super easy project that you should try & can be used on most any surface! If you every have any questions, feel free to ask, I would be happy to help!
Wishing you and your family a Happy & Healthy New Year!
Until next month,
Jenny
