Thursday, April 26, 2012

Fast Fix Friday

Yeah...it's been a while, and it's been one crazy week.  You never have those though, do you?  Anywho - this Fast Fix Friday project was a great one for someone just starting to dip their toes into the DIY world.  It was really super quick, didn't require much technical skill, and (my favorite) was CHEAP!

The first thing I did was go thrifting at a local second-hand store.  My friend Allison, who has a magnificent blog at http://budgetmaven.wordpress.com, has been writing a lot about thrifting and I was totally inspired!  Check out this post (http://budgetmaven.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/adventures-in-thrifting/) she did on thrifting to catch some of the motivation.  I found several fabulous things on this adventure, but I'll just tell you my favorite two:  a super cute metal sign to put in my 4 yr old's room & this old chalkboard.
Pretty scraggly, huh?
You probably can't read the stickers on there, but they say $1.50.  Pretty amazing, huh?  That's another great thing about thrifting - you don't have much in the project, so if it doesn't turn out the way you want you don't feel too bad scrapping it.  Here's what I did to transform this little beauty:
  • Wiped off the wooden frame, then cleaned the chalkboard part
  • Lined my work space with newspaper - I'm a mommy...I have enough messes to clean up, I don't want to make another one, especially on my counter top!
  • Using painter's tape, I put tape on the perimeter of the chalkboard so I didn't accidentally paint it.
  • Painted on some "crackle" paint, and let it partially dry.  If you let it dry fully you won't get the crackly look...which, if you're using crackle paint, is probably what you're going for.  I know - I'm a genius.
  • Painted white paint on top of the crackle.  You need to do this quickly because the crackle dries quickly.  Don't worry too much if the paint looks bad when you first paint it on - the crackle will fix that.  Just try to get an even coat on the frame.  Let dry.
  • Using a staple gun, I stapled ribbon to the back of the frame in two places, then I tied a knot in the other end of the ribbon.  
....and, the resulting chalkboard was much cuter than the one I started out with.   As you can see, I'm going to use mine to write scripture on.  My hopes are that we can use it for the whole family (kids included) to begin to memorize some scripture - all for $1.50  (ok...plus crackle paint and ribbon...maybe $4.00)
  

I'd love to see your latest craft projects, DIY projects, or your fast fixes when you're in a bind...share away!  Happy Friday :)

No comments:

Post a Comment