Fun With ChalkBoard Paint

I'm sure we all know you can make your own message board with some chalkboard paint. But did you know you can use chalkboard paint on all kinds of things? It works really well on all types of surfaces from metal to wood. I painted a little rectangle on this galvanized tin and wrote "Bloom!" and then potted some hyacinths. Here's how -

Step 1 - tape off the area you want to cover with chalk board paint

Step 2 - paint, let it dry and carefully peel off the painters tape.

The mirror screen came from Goodwill and only cost a little over $3!

I've used this same can of chalk board paint for years! It's getting a bit thick now but I just added a bit of water and mixed it well and it thinned out quite nicely!

Here are a few other things I've used chalkboard paint on.

On a plate

Directly on the wall and then I just hung a frame over it

Storage jars

This is the back of my daughter's door. I painted it with chalkboard paint many years ago and we used to write her morning and evening checklist on it. Now she just uses it to draw on.

The uses for this paint are just endless! Here are a few more ideas to get you started. A chalkboard calendar (from the web-sorry don't know who it belongs to) - Martha Stewart has a video tutorial on how to make one (a different one)

Chalk board placemats from Real Simple

A cool chalkboard dresser from FamilyFun.com

Chalkboard paint is a really easy and inexpensive way to personalize things. Plus if you're like me and like to incorporate words and sayings into your decor, this is the thing for you. You can change what it says with a wipe of a cloth! So give it a try!

"Be Sweet" & the Winner

Thanks so much for the all the well wishes! I'm feeling a bit better. Not quite up to my normal energy levels but at least I'm able to do a few things. I started working on a few Valentine things this week. One of them is a sign that says "Be Sweet". I painted over the sign I made for Thanksgiving (didn't I say you'd be seeing that sign again and again!). It turned out much better than the first sign I made!

This time I used a paint pen instead of a paintbrush and it was much easier for me to control. I printed out the words at 270 on Microsoft Works Word Processor - I forget the name of the font. I probably could have gone larger. I did like before and used artists charcoal on the back. Set the words on the board and traced around them with a dull pencil. Then I filled them in with the paint pen and wiped away the charcoal residue. I hope you try making your own sign - they're really very easy to make!

One of the guys who works at Goodwill always says "Be Sweet" when you say good-bye to him.

***And now for the winner of the give-a-way.......Tina (who doesn't have a blog) said "I rarely comment, but I read your blog each and every day. It's great!" I've sent you an email. Please email me your address and I'll get your package out to you sometime next week. I'm amazed at all the people that entered - Thank you!

I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you!

Just For You. A Give-A-Way

Sorry I haven't been around but I've been battling a wicked sinus infection since last Friday and now the doctor says I'm on the verge of bronchitis. I'm not one to take alot of medication - I usually try natural means first. But I must say that since taking the first antibiotic yesterday I'm already feeling a bit better. The codeine in the cough medicine is making me groggy though!

I've been wanting to have a give-a-way for a while now. So now seems like a good time. Just to say thanks to everyone for welcoming me back with such kindness and enthusiasm and for all the encouraging comments you leave (I read everyone!). I've never been involved with such a lovely group of people in my whole adult life! I'm very thankful for each and everyone of you who takes the time to read my blog.

A little something for you. If you already have the books you can feel free to pass them on in a give away on your blog (if you have one). That's some blue toile ribbon on the spool, some blue transferware and the larger plate is Spode "British Flowers - Poppy".

If you'd like to enter just leave a comment on this post and Saturday 10 am EST I'll post the winner. Please be sure you leave me some way of contacting you if you don't have a blog. Everyone is welcome to enter blog or not.

I have to take a few days off to rest, so please forgive me for not coming by to visit you (especially all the Thrifty Decor Chick's Organizing party people - I hate being a party pooper!). I'll catch up with everyone next week when I'll hopefully be recovered.

Thirfty Decor Chick's Organizing Party

Welcome! We're suppose to share some of the ways that we organize in our homes so let's get right to it. But first, let me just say, I'm not super organized so I'm looking forward to getting some new ideas and maybe you'll pick up a few things here as well.

Like a lot of people, I use baskets to help keep things tidy. This basket holds our everyday placemats. I roll them up so that it's easy to see what we have and to save space. They're kept in my dining room in a small narrow bookcase that I use as a buffet. It's my daughter's job to set the table for dinner and it's her pleasant task to choose which placemat we will be using. Keeping them in the dining room makes it easier for her to do her job.

This basket hold the magazines that I'm currently reading. I like that it has handles because it makes it easier to move around the house with me.

I go through my magazines and I remove the pictures or articles that I want to keep. I then file them according to category such as Spring Ideas, Homekeeping, Gardening etc. I keep very few magazines in tact. The only decorating ones that I keep are ME Home Companion (so sad it's out of production), a few select old Victoria's and random issues of various magazines that I think have so many good ideas it wouldn't pay to tear out pages.

I keep the files in that toile bin on my night stand

When you have a house that's old and on the smaller side ( a 1960's, 1900 sq ft split foyer) you look for furniture that can be used for more than one thing. My coffee table is a chest that I keep my extra vases in it.

A picture from Fall 2007

My kitchen doesn't have a pantry but I do have three bathrooms - one of which we rarely use. So I transformed that shower stall into my pantry.

I use see through bins and jars to help organize things.

This vintage bread bin in my kitchen holds dog toys and treats. I tried keeping bread in it but the bread would always get moldy so quickly. It still looks cute in my kitchen but hides something necessary. Toys to keep Maxie busy!

I'm working on my craft area and one of the photos I saved as inspiration is this one from Country Living.

It looks organized but not so pristine that you wouldn't want to do anything for fear of messing it up!

Please check out Thrifty Decor Chick for more organzing fun!

Use It Up - Make It Do

Making that pillow out of a sweater made me think of the expression "Use It Up & Make it do or Do Without". I'm afraid that so many of us have not learned the frugal trick of making the most of everything we have. I remember reading that in the Depression they made dresses out of flour sacks, saved string to make string balls, kept all leftovers and made them into soup and such. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:


Old Sheets for quilt backing

Unravel old wool sweaters to use the yarn or felt them

Quilts from old pieces of clothing

Wash out jars and use them to organize items like nails, buttons, or craft items

If a shirt has holes and is no longer wearable, take the buttons off and cut the shirt to make rags or quilt pieces

Use the last bit of ketchup in meatloaf or soup

Add a bit of water to the last of the handsoap to make it last longer

Save wrappers from butter and margarine to grease pans

Old bread can be made into croutons or bread pudding instead of just trashed. Bread also freezes so if you think you might not use it all before it dries out you can wrap it and toss in the freezer.

My husband usually gets his work shoes resoled at least one time often more instead of buying new. But when he does buy new he buys a good quality.

Make your chicken stock from your leftover chicken bones instead of throwing them in the trash. Save them in the freezer if you don't have enough.



Glass bottles can become edging for a garden.

An old garden hose can become a soaker hose

Old shower curtains can be used as drop cloths

Old greeting cards can be made into gift cards or framed as art

We don't have to take it to the extreme and become packrats never throwing anything out for fear we made need it one day or hoarding sugar packets that were taken from restaurants. But I do think we need to ask ourselves if we can use it up, can we make it do for the short term or indefinitely, can we do without it. We as a nation waste so much! You'll find that there's a certain gratification that comes with being resourceful and creative!

Go here to learn how to make this rug from 4 or 5 wool sweaters How to Make a Snug Rug.

What To Do With an Old Sweater

Say you have a sweater you no longer want. Maybe you put it in the washer and it shrunk, maybe it has holes, maybe it's starting to look to worn or maybe someone gave it to you and it's not your style. What can you do with it....let's make it into a pillow!

Step 1 - get the sweater. If it's wool you can put it in the washer and dryer and felt it (it reduces the wool fibers so that you get a more solid piece of fabric that shouldn't unravel when you cut it- it shrinks). My sweater in the picture above is acrylic so I just cut and sewed.

Step 2 - find yourself a pillow. Most of my pillows have pillow slips that I can take off but any pillow will do as long as it fits on your sweater. Make sure you leave yourself enough room for a seam allowance.

Step 3 - Cut around your pillow and then put right sides together to sew er up!

**One of the good things about not really knowing how to sew is that you don't know enough to be concerned about tension and stitch lengths and whatever! So never mind that and just go for it. You can always take it apart and start over - it's only thread!

Step 4 - I sewed up two sides and then I stuck the pillow in it and pinned up the other two sides. I did that so that the fit would be snug. If you were more meticulous in your initial measuring you can probably skip this step and you obviously know what you're doing!

Step 5 - sew the remaining sides - only on the fourth side don't sew all the way across. I sewed about 2 inches in on each side to leave room to stuff the pillow in. Now turn it so that the right sides are facing out - put your pillow in - and hand stitch up your opening. And BAM! Well...about 20 minutes later....You have lovely one of a kind sweater pillow!

If you know what you're doing you can of course add buttons or a zipper for the closure otherwise you'll have to do like me and just cut it up to get your pillow form out when you're finished with it. Unless you really, REALLY love it and want to keep it forever! Which you might because it is so cute! So now that I see how easy it is, I'm on the look out for one of those great white fisherman's sweaters at the thrift store. I think that would make a great pillow for winter!

If you'd like to learn how to make the cute sweatertotes pictured above, the instructions are in the January 2009 issue of Country Living (They're each made from one sweater with cute mitten pockets). Hey, you could make mittens out of old sweaters. These would make really cute Christmas gifts and sew easy:-)!

Speaking of pillows...look what came in the mail right after Christmas from my dear friend Phyllis For The Love of Vintage- cute little gingham pillows and a door hanger!

Thank you Phyllis - I love them! They look great on my window seat! I might be able to start painting today since it's sunny and not too windy. Come back on Monday for Thrifty Decor Chick's Mission: Organize & Declutter (it's not too late to sign up - there's a button on the top of my sidebar). Have a good weekend everyone!