Chalkboard Crazy

Okay, it is official.  I went chalkboard crazy this year.  It was fun to see what items I could paint with chalkboard paint and give it an "upgrade".  I think at one point my husband was a little frightened that I might paint a whole wall with chalkboard paint.  I assured him that this time I did not have enough paint.  But who knows what will happen the next time I get a little addicted.

Here are the items I painted this year.  Most of them were for Christmas gifts but not all.  There are a few that I tried out not knowing exactly what I will do with them.




An old salad plate and silver tray

My garage sale find above my stove



An old cookie tin from my cabinet

Charger plate from the dollar store



Clipboard for my husband's niece

Cupcake tin for my friend




Old tiles made into trivets

Large tile tuned into sign for front porch

Small wooden shapes

Matboard labels

I made 14 cookie tins for gifts

Dominos

Some of the photos have links to the original post with instructions. Check out 16 days left! for the basic chalkboard paint instructions.  Hopefully you can find some chalkboard projects you want to try.  But, be warned it can be addicting.

 

Danna

Christmas Countdown - 1 day left!

Okay, time is officially out. I hope you have had as much fun these last few weeks preparing your Christmas gifts as I have. Doing the Christmas Countdown has really pushed me to get projects finished.

I have one last project that only takes about 10 min to prepare with supplies you most likely have on hand. Cupcake Picks

I have a friend that loves to make cupcakes. And I love eating her cupcakes. I know one gift that she will love and use is cupcake wrappers and picks. I buy the wrappers and then make my own coordinating picks. This allows for a ton of creativity and unique gift.

Here are the wrappers and my handmade picks.

The picks are two sided.  I thought the #thanks would be fun.

Of course I had to make her a chalkboard cupcake tin.  This will allow her to write on top what flavor of cupcakes she brings to the next potluck dinner.

The picks are simply two shapes glued back to back with a toothpick in the middle. I used my 1¾” punch and then stamped on them. But you could use any shape, the possibilities are endless. It would be really cute to do some with pictures of your child for their next birthday, graduation or other special occasion.

So if you forgot about that wonderful neighbor or friend. Whip out your cupcake wrappers and make some coordinating picks.

Danna

Christmas Countdown - 2 days left!

2 days left! Wait, only 2 days until Christmas? But I am not finished with all my projects. Ready or not here is another chalkboard project. Trivets, you know those things you put under a hot dish on your table. I made some of various sizes.

The tiles I used were left from a stack someone had given me. The largest one was actually buried under ice when I ask my husband to dig it out. He was kind enough to brave the cold, he is the best! After letting the tiles warm up a bit, I washed them well and lightly sanded the top.

The chalkboard paint worked well on these. Full directions on making your own paint are here at 16 days left. They would look nice on a buffet table to help identify Aunt Linda’s favorite tamales. The large one I put on my front porch and wrote a greeting to welcome my guests.

The tiles were a beige color before I painted them.

This is the large one I put on my porch.  The greeting was from our ice storm a few weeks ago.  Since then it has rained several times, I think the last time it finally smeared my chalk.

So ask the sweet helper in your house to dig out those extra tiles left from the last tile project to create your own chalkboard trivets.

Danna

Christmas Countdown - 9 days left!

Oh my, we are now in single digits.  Time is running out.  Hopefully you have found a few gift ideas from this countdown.  

Today's project is one that I saw at school and it was a "What a great idea." moment.  Our PTA treats our staff to a luncheon at the end of each month.  We are very blessed to have such supportive and generous parents.  One mom brought in her dessert for the luncheon.  It was in a simple tin but the top was painted with chalkboard paint.  She had written what type of cookies the tin held.

I came home and started digging in my cabinets for those tins that get shoved to the back and you bring out every Christmas to take to the parties you attend.  I am sure we all have several of these.  These tins are very functional but not always the most attractive, at least the cheesy pictures they put on top. 

Here is the "new" cookie tin I created Before and After:

Santa is cute but he had seen a few too many parties.

 

Since the sides are a red plaid I can use this tin all year long.  By changing the contents and the greeting on top I have a new container each time. 

 

The instructions for painting the chalkboard paint are on the 16 days left! post.  I did lightly sand my top with a fine grit sandpaper to make sure the paint would adhere well.

 

I think after Christmas this year I will search the clearance bins for those left over tins and create a few more for gifts.  Another nice addition would be to include the recipe for the goodies you make.

 

Danna

 

Christmas Countdown - 13 days left!

Only 13 days til Christmas?  What, oh no.  I better get busy.  Today's project is another chalkboard project.  This one is easy and very inexpensive.  All over the blogs, internet and Pinterest are Charger projects.  You know those pretty larger plates you put under a dinner plate to give your table that extra special appeal. 

For years chargers where only used for fine dinner parties, weddings or special occasions outside your home.  But today they are used for special dinners at home or any celebration.  The popularity has also made available less expensive chargers in a variety of colors.  I bought mine at the Dollar Tree for $1.00 each of course. 

The chargers I purchased were a soft gold. (Before)

How many days til Christmas? (After)

 

The process to make these is given in detail in the 16 days left post.  But in a nutshell I painted the center of my charger with chalkboard paint.  I used 3 thin coats and let each coat dry completely before adding the next one.

 

As I have said before sometimes the simple gifts are the best.  I can see a multitude of Pink Lemonade possibilities for these.  They work well to countdown til Christmas or another special celebration.  You could use them to announce important birth facts or wedding date information.  Another idea is to use them in a Kindergarten classroom to keep track of how many days of school until you reach 100 days.  (This is a big celebration day in our area - 100 days of school)



 

If you are looking for a versatile gift for many people on your list, run to the dollar store and grab some chargers in a variety of colors.  Don't forget to buy an easel for your charger so it will stand on its own. 

 

Danna



Christmas Countdown - 16 days left!

Chalkboard is all the rage right now.  So I thought I would give it a try.  Since we have been iced in here in Texas for the last four days, (school out again today) I have had plenty of time to craft. 

I decided I needed to get the supplies on the way home Thursday, the first day of the ice storm.  But I did not want to stop by the craft or hardware store so I made my own chalkboard paint.  After looking at several blogs and websites I found a couple of different directions that I put together.

I used 2 oz tubes of acrylic paint from Walmart (where I stopped to get my groceries for the ice days), and non-sanded grout.  I had the grout left over from a re-tile project this summer.  Here is the "recipe". 

1. Two 2oz tubes of acrylic paint
2. One Tablespoon of grout. 
3. Place ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.  The mixing is what took the longest.  You want to get out as many of the lumps of grout as possible. 
4. Prepare your items to paint as you normally would for acrylic paint. I lightly sanded the plates.
5. Paint your items in thin layers.  I used a minimum of 3 layers for each item I painted.
6. After paint is completely dry. Rub lightly with white chalk to "prime" the chalkboard.  Then wipe with a damp cloth.  Now your chalkboard is ready to use.

One last note on the paint mixture.  Only make up enough paint to use on your projects.  After about 3 days the grout begins to harden and the mixture will not work as well.  I went a little crazy and my husband was afraid I might chalkboard the whole house.  I assured him I did not have enough paint.  This time!

Below are a couple of the pieces I "chalked".  I did several more but they are Christmas presents so I will post those later. 

This is a platter I hang above my stove in my kitchen.  I purchased it at a garage sale for 75 cents. It is one of my favorites but it was in need of a face lift. 

Here it is after I painted the center with my chalkboard paint.  It is so fun now.  It really gave my platter new life.

 

The white plate was one from my everyday dishes that had a crack.  I will probably use this on my porch to greet my guests.  The silver platter I have had in the closet for several years.  I never could figure out anything to use it for.  Now I think it would be really cute on a mantel or hanging on the wall.  Now I just have to find the right place.

 



So, go dig in your cupboards, thrift store or buy inexpensive plates at the dollar store and add new life to them.  These would make great gifts for someone with a new home, or to announce the arrival of a baby or greet guests in your own home.

Chalk it up!

Danna