A few years ago I started looking for a chalkboard for our kitchen. I had a picture in my mind of what I wanted it to look like. I also had a price point in mind. A few years after that...I was still looking. Even at ANY price point I couldn't find anything that measured up to the image I had made up in my mind of what I wanted it to look like. So my hunt changed. I started looking for a way to make my own chalkboard - and still met a dead end. Until one day - in Main Street Antiques in Mesa, my mom and I found a vintage frame that was so crusty with all its layers and layers of paint, chips and beautiful details that I knew I'd hit the jackpot. Amazingly, it was still sturdy, quite a find for a frame marked as circa 1950. Not only did I love the way it looked, it was the perfect size for the ONLY empty wall in the kitchen. I snatched it up and set about deciding how to turn it into a chalkboard. I settled on plywood, cut to size, and spray painted with chalkboard paint. Strolling down the plywood isle in Home Depot the heavens opened up and I stumbled across pre-made chalkboard! Who knew?! Well, you maybe, but I had no idea that it existed. So I dragged my big, old frame in and they cut a slab of chalkboard to fit it perfectly. My dad helped out by using finishing nails and wood glue to secure it all together. 24 hours later I had the chalkboard of my dreams for $55. Quite a steal compared to the several hundred being asked for a pre-made chalkboard of this size from most catalogs and stores.
It was finished just in time for Christmas last year and I used it to make an Advent Calendar for the kids (mentioned in my advent calendar post previously). I saved toilet paper and paper towel rolls and covered them in faux bois wrapping paper. I used those, along with white lunch bags, to wrap 24 days of little treats, then hung them with twine and mini clothes pins.
Over the past year, I've used the chalkboard for all kinds of things - fun and inspiring quotes, seasonal messages, passages of scripture and Happy Birthday signs. I've decorated it with garland, the kids names spelled out in little ceramic discs and glitter letters. Its turned out to be one of the most complimented items in the house and quite a bit of fun for my family...very versatile indeed!
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