How to Make Chalkboard Paint

How to make chalkboard paint is something that every good mother must know.  If you don’t know how to make this then you are not a good mother and must drop what you’re doing and pay attention.  OK you’re probably a good mother even if you don’t know this, but I needed to get your attention for what would otherwise be a very simple post.

Supplies

• 1 Cup of Paint in any color (I use latex paint)
• 2 TBL of unsanded grout
• A stir stick
• 120 grit sandpaper
• Chalk

Mix together the paint and unsanded grout with the stir stick.  Let dry.  Lightly sand with the fine grade sandpaper.  Wipe off any dust.  Use chalk to let the creative juices flow.

The uses of chalkboard paint are unlimited.  I use chalkboard paint to trick my children into being organized.  I recently reorganized the hall closet and used chalkboard paint labels on organizational bins.  The kids loved it so much that they actually helped.  GASP!  First we painted the bins brown all over.  While the brown was drying I mixed up some chalkboard paint in a styrofoam cup.  I then used a paint brush and just did a small swipe across the front of the bins to look like labels.  Voila….bins with chalkboard paint labels.  Of course on occasion I will go into the closet and find nice little notes left on the bins.

And there you have it.  You are now a good mother.  You’re welcome.

DIY Chandelier for the Entryway

I completed my first project for the entryway! Before I start, I should tell you that I chose the peacock theme and not the purple theme. I thought it was best for my marriage; Chris strongly disliked the purple flowery theme. HA!

Chris got a jumpstart on the project and began to remove the old fixture before I could get a picture. But this picture will give you an idea of how outdated it was. It was an old brass light that had a glass shade with grapes etched into the glass. We saved the glass shade and I’m going to do something with it, just not sure yet what that will be. Nonetheless, here’s the “before” picture with the fixture half removed.

So here’s the shopping list:

• Chandelier $40 Kristaller from Ikea (I actually had this on hand, but I doubt most people do)
• Material: $3 on sale at my local craft store
• Lampshade: $3 at the local Goodwill

Total cost: $46! Now, that’s a steal!

Additional Materials on Hand:

• Spray Adhesive
• Metallic Spray Paint
• Hot Glue/Hot Glue Gun
• Gold Acrylic Paint / Paint Brush

This project was done in two phases. Phase I was the lampshade and Phase II was the chandelier. The chandelier took some brainstorming on our part and I almost scrapped the whole project, but I’ll get to that soon enough.

PHASE I, The Lampshade

I must credit the hubs on his fabulous find at the local Goodwill. He found this drum barrel lampshade brand new for only $3. It was just what I was looking for to begin my entryway transformation. Our very next stop was the fabric store to search for material that I could use to cover the shade. I found this gorgeous blue fabric with gold flowers embroidered on it. (Yes, I found this one because Chris was busy chatting it up with the old ladies and showing off the baby. LOL) The best part… The fabric was on clearance at only $3 a yard. I bought extra so I would have plenty leftover to do a matching shade for the second fixture in the hallway, which still needs to be done.

That evening we were off to my MIL’s to measure, cut, stretch and spray the fabric over the lampshade. Chris went to play basketball with his buddies because we were being way too domestic for him. LOL. I knew I wanted the fabric to not only cover the outside of the lampshade, but to also create a small border around the bottom of the inside of the lampshade. So my MIL made all the measurements from the edge of the border for the inside of the lampshade. We then trimmed the fabric and wrapped it around the shade. Once we knew how we wanted it to lay, we each took a side of the shade. We would stretch and smooth the material over the shade, then one would use the spray adhesive and the other would hold it in place. We slowly worked our way around the shade, spraying adhesive and smoothing. After we got the outside sprayed into place, we glued the inside border into place. The seam wouldn’t lay flat with the spray adhesive, so I busted out the trusty old hot glue gun and hot glued the end down to make a flat seam.

My MIL mentioned that I should paint the inside of the lampshade gold to highlight the gold flowers in the material. I wish we would have painted it before gluing the material on because it would have been so much easier; nonetheless, it looks great. When we do the second shade, we will paint the inside gold first and use the spray adhesive sparingly because it does not dry clear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHASE II, The Chandelier

Man did we brainstorm to get the chandelier just right. The chandelier we had on hand from Ikea was too long for our ceilings. We only have 8 foot ceilings, and when Chris hung the chandelier as is, he had to duck to walk under it. That clearly would not do. We tried to remove pieces and alter pieces, but it just simply would not fit together properly and hang at the height we needed. I almost scrapped the whole project. Then Chris had a genius idea… We He completely removed the portion of the chandelier that attached to the ceiling and attached the chandelier directly into the old light fixture. This allowed the chandelier to hang directly from the ceiling instead of from a chain or rod out of the ceiling. It was shear luc k that the threads matched up. Guess Murphy’s Law skipped over us this time!

Now that we have that problem solved, it’s time to get to work. First I removed all the prisms from the chandelier and put them in labeled bags so I would remember where they go and thank goodness I did. Next I spray painted the chandelier with the metallic paint. I used a dark metallic color to contrast the gold in the fabric.

Once the paint was dry, I reattached each prism to the chandelier. This took forever and I am not a patient person. I whined the whole time. LOL. I was so thrilled when it was completed and Chris was finally able to hang the new chandelier.

 And here it is… The big reveal… My new DIY Lampshade Chandelier

This is just the piece I needed to add some sparkle to the entryway!

 

 

 

 

 

  

Hollywood’s Room Update

So we finally finished her room!  It looks fabulous!  I finally found an idea online for Hollywood’s storage bins from Ikea.  They were just plain pine and did not match her room.  

I followed the directions at http://beyondthescreendoordesigns.blogspot.com/2011/02/painted-papered-school-desk.html and turned those boring old bins into an absolutely adorable spot to hold all of Hollywood’s craft stuff.   I’m sorry I don’t have pictures to show the step-by-steps, but my camera is on the fritz (hence the bad pics) and my fabulous mother-in-law told me not to buy a new one before Christmas.  *wink* *wink* 

My hubby, Chris, took the storage unit apart, sanded it, primed it, and painted it pink with the extra paint from Hollywood’s bedroom walls.  Once the paint dried he gave us the top to decorate.  Hollywood and I used to the fabric leftover from making her curtains, cut it to fit and cover the top, then hot glued it to the top.  We used the leftover fabric from her pink curtains and made a letter H for decoration in the corner.  Chris put the whole thing back together and like magic we have a chic storage bin that accents Hollywood’s new bedroom!  And we spent NOTHING!  How resourceful am I?!

Even after that we still had leftover zebra print suede cloth.  We were getting rid of the old book shelf in Hollywood’s room.  This book shelf was made of particle board and bought for my bedroom when I was 5 years old… 26 years ago!  I cannot believe it held up for all these years. 

Chris removed the top shelf from the book shelf.  We couldn’t sand it because it would just turn the particle board into dust.  We couldn’t paint it because the “stain” is basically a sticker.  So instead, Hollywood and I wrapped it in the extra zebra print suede cloth and hot glued it into place.  For $1.00 Chris bought supports and then he screwed the whole thing to the wall under her newly installed flat screen.  Hollywood collects snow globes and gets a new one each Christmas.  Right now her shelf is displaying her snow globe collection, but who knows….maybe Santa will bring her a DVD player for her new shelf!

Hollywood’s Room

My 9 y/o stepdaughter recently came to me and asked if she could have her own room.  She shared a room with my 5 y/0 diva.  And like most diva’s, Kiersten demanded to be treated like a queen by all.  We only have a 3 bedroom cape cod.  Chris and I share a room, Shane has his own room, and Hollywood and Kiersten share a room.  So I asked Hollywood where she would move her room.  She said she wanted the playroom that is off the living room downstairs.  I warned her that it’s the size of most large walk in closets and not as big as the room she shares with Kiersten.  Hollywood did not care, she was sick of cleaning up after my little diva.  I couldn’t blame her; I’m sick of waiting on the Diva hand and foot too.  And 9 is that age where a girl is starting to want some privacy, ya know!

So Hollywood and I spent the weekend moving all of the toys into Kiersten’s room and picking out a theme for Hollywood’s new bedroom.  It was decided…  zebra and hot pink.  How fun!  Off to google I went searching images for tween girl bedrooms.  I found http://designdazzle.com/  full of creative ideas. 

This is what Hollywood’s room looked like when we bought the house (not my furniture or style and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t St. Patrick’s day either.  LOL).

Hollywood insisted on having pink walls.  After much protest I finally agreed.  It is her room afterall.  I wanted to stay chic yet let her have fun with it.  We had to make do with the furniture she already had.  I am a lover of Ikea.  She had the TROFAST storage and the MAMMUT dresser.  These 2 items were a must stay.  All new furniture was not in the budget.  However, Hollywood had no headboard for her bed which was a result of being on the bottom bunk in a shared room.  So my darling husband made her a headboard.  Thanks to the former owners who left behind all their junk in our garage, basement, and shed.  We were able to use some plywood, put some sponging over it, then wrap it in a soft pink zebra print (again I wanted black and white, but it’s not my room).  The only tool Chris used was a staple gun.  Super cheap and super chic!

My sister had given me 2 pink curtain panels which she had no use for.  I cut the bottom of of each panel and made 2 valances, then divided the remaining to panels in half to make 4 smaller panels.  I wanted to use these as an accent on the windows and not the main curtains.  I bought some black and white zebra print suede cloth and made curtains.  (My first sewing project ever…thanks to the best MIL ever!)  I tied the curtains with some leftover pink bow, threw a mirror on the wall and tied it up with the same ribbon and voila! Awesome curtains!

I put up a message board next to her easel.  She’s such a creative little girl, that the easel next to the window was perfect, she just needed a place to display her artwork.  I also added a rug, that when delivered to the house she ripped open like Christmas morning and some special accents.  For the final touch, I painted Hollywood’s name above her bed to add some personalization.   The result was one happy little girl! 

In typical Murphy fashion, it is not finished.  😦  Chris still needs to move her flatscreen from the old room and I’d like to decorate her storage bins.  Once I figure out how I want to transform it I will update the post.  For now, here’s the after…