works in progress

i have two days off this week, so instead of being lazy and unproductive, as is the usual case, i decided to get started on some projects i've been wanting to work on.


ever since rosemary created her chalkboard closet, i've been thinking about doing something similar in my kitchen. i've looked around for a giant bulletin board or dry erase board to put on the wall in my kitchen, but haven't had much luck finding anything i liked for a reasonable price. i wanted something so i could put a calendar with my schedule on it for easy access. a painted "chalkboard" was a good solution.


i picked up supplies from the true value hardware store down the street from my apartment this afternoon and got to work. while this is not a labor intensive project, it is time consuming in that the directions on the paint tell you to wait 4 hours between each coat (applying 2-3 coats). the directions also suggest waiting 3 days before you write on the chalkboard.

supplies

outline

first coat

i will post a finished product in a couple of days when i'm "allowed" to start writing on it!

another project i've had in my mind for awhile now is a wall of frames, inspired by one of my favorite blogs. i have a small bare wall in between my kitchen and bedroom door that i've been wanting to hang framed notecards on. i decided using a wall to hang framed cards, pictures, etc. would allow me to display more frames than my limited amount of table and shelf space. i already had in mind some pictures, cards and other items i wanted to frame, so i went to michael's in search of different sized and colored frames. lucky for me, almost all frames were 40% off today! i got started while waiting for the first coat of chalkboard paint to dry. keep in mind, i am horrible at hanging anything straight, and it didn't help that many of the frames didn't want to hang on the nails.

bare wall

supplies

laying everything out

                                    

                                   not great spacing/not so straight! 

close up

a note from mom :)

close up

                                    

                                   a work in progress!

and finally, i'm still trying to get my holiday decorating in order. it's a little hard since all mom's stuff is packed away in boxes in grandma's basement, and i haven't attempted to dig and search for all the fall decorations. fortunately, last year i packed the halloween decorations in a purple and an orange bin, so those were easy to find. i'll need to spend a day searching for the rest of the fall decorations when i have another day off next week.

happy halloween!