~free Valentine printables~

I have created these 2 little printables for you.

Just simply right click the image and copy it to a word document, and make whatever size you need.

Print out on card stock, frame, or give to a loved one!

~Enjoy~

xoxo

~diy no smudge chalkboard~

Savannah's 16th birthday is coming up so I am busy making things for it.

One of the things we will be having is a sweets bar, so I wanted to create a chalkboard sign for it that won't smudge.

I started with a plain frame, no glass.

I cut a piece of mdf to fit in the inside and secured it with screws.

Then I painted 2 coats of chalkboard paint on it and let it dry.

Next, you want to season your chalkboard. Do this by rubbing chalk 

over the entire surface, no rhyme or reason.

Once you erase it, your chalkboard will be seasoned and ready for wording.

Print out the appropriate size words in a word document and tape them to your chalkboard.

First you will want to scribble pencil over the backside of the words.

When your words are taped on, use a ballpoint pen to trace around each letter.

The pencil will transfer off onto the chalkboard like below.

Then simply fill in your letters with chalk!

To make sure it doesn't smear, simply spray a coat of this on when you are done.

Make sure it's a matte finish so it's not shiny.

I added a few hand drawn flowers as well.

That's it.

Please keep in mind that this is a permanent chalkboard now and you won't be able to erase it.

If you ever want it to say something else you just simply need to add another coat of chalkboard paint over the top and start again!

xoxo

~thrifty thursday~ {an Ikea hack}

Today's project started out with this botanical print from Ikea.
I bought it over a year ago, but never had the wall space for it. I finally decided I needed to do something with it, so I
set out to make a smaller wall hanging.

So I cut it down to around 17" x 27" and then painted it with chalkboard paint.

I was really bad about photographing this project, so bear with me. While the paint was
drying I cut down two strips of wood that I had laying around. Any kind will do, painted,
or not painted. Each piece measures approx. 19" x 2"

Next, using a staple gun, I attached the wood to the backside of the canvas.
Then I added a piece of jute twine with the staple gun to the top wood piece.
You could use ribbon, or whatever you prefer.

Next, "season" your chalkboard, meaning rub chalk all over it, then dry erase.

Then you get to get creative! Add a message, a picture, a menu, a honey do list………

I like that this is so versatile. It can change easily seasonally, for birthdays, etc.
The Ikea chart is also big enough to make 2, maybe 3 of these, so you can give some as gifts too!

xoxo

~how our chore chart calendar is working out~

I first blogged about this chalkboard here. School
had just got out and I was looking for a way to get the kids to do
daily jobs without me nagging at them constantly.

{photo credit:Christine of Trimood Photography}

Now summer is nearing an end, so I thought I'd update you on how well this worked for our kiddos.

First off~they were not thrilled about it. However, they knew that before they did anything fun on any given day, their jobs had to be done,
and I'd say 90% of the time this happened.


For me personally, I have felt a whole lot of weight lifted not having to get on their case all the time about cleaning,
picking up, or what not.


As far as the calendar portion goes. Love, love, love it.
Every activity is right in front of your face, so no asking,
"what are we doing tomorrow?"

Another great thing~ when I get bored of it, a quick coat of paint will bring my wall back to how they looked originally!
Not sure if I will be keeping the "jobs" portion of it up when school starts. Our nights will be filling quickly with sports, dinner, and homework.
But, we will see!


xoxo