A Chalkboard (Cork Board) Of My VERY OWN!

I've seen them on Pinterest. I've seen them on blogs. I've envied them from afar, and now, finally, I

decided to make one of MY VERY OWN! Here is the epic saga of how a girl, injured and alone, managed to turn a thrift store cork board into a dazzling, amazing chalkboard!

Let's begin at the beginning. First, my wrist is injured. I've whined about this before, but I'm hoping it might explain later failures, so pity me, reader. PITY. ME.

With injured wrist, I managed to do the easiest part of this whole fiasco, which was to paint the cork board. I painted the actual cork with two coats of chalk board paint. I have never used it before and it is as fantastic as you've dreamed! However, I believe it was meant for FLAT surfaces. But more on that later.

Then I painted the outside frame white. After it all dried, I decided to "season" it, based on one blog's recommendation. This is where you color with the flat side of the chalk over the entire board, then erase it. This makes it so your mistakes aren't as glaringly obvious, which is a good thing because it was at this point that I began to get CREATIVE--AKA the part where things started going a bit wonky.

A lot of chalkboard how-to's tell us to freehand it. I don't know if they are the descendents of Rembrandt and DaVinci or what, but we mere mortals cannot freehand! So (clever, clever me) I

decided to print out a template and trace it onto the chalkboard using my trusty old willow charcoal technique (in which our heroine colors on the back of her print-out with willow charcoal and then traces the design onto the desired surface, in this case, a cork/chalk board).

This did not go quite so smoothly. Likely because charcoal is black much like, oh I don't know, a chalkboard, perhaps? Still, in the right light I managed to see about two-thirds of my design and decided to take advice from the experts and "freehand" the parts I couldn't see.

This is the part where I was VERY thankful for my ultra-skinny chalk PENCIL. I picked this baby up in the fabric section of a craft store. It's perfect for eentsy beentsy lines. So, I traced over the dark design with a light white. Then I filled it all in. This required much smudging.

The "experts" often said to wet the chalk to make the design stick better and look brighter. I tried this, but only ended up with goopy chunks of chalk stuck to my board. Then my chalk broke. ALOT. So, plan B was to just fill it in with good, old dry chalk and smudge. But my big clumsy fingers were not suitable to the thin lines of my font, so for that part I used a pencil eraser. Smudge-a-rific!

When it was nearly done, I decided to blow away the crumbly chalk pieces and accidentally spit on the board. Yes, spittle. From my mouth. Thankfully, it didn't do too much damage and I was able to keep going, careful to make all my future work spittle-free.

At the end, my design looked like something a really artistic 12 year-old might do. I decided it needed something more... so I added thin highlight lines to the words (again thankful for my ultra-thin chalk pencil).

I guess it wasn't too bad for the first attempt, but I'm still envious of those fancy-schmancy artists out

there who make words into ART. Maybe I'll try again, but probably on a flatter surface (AKA no cork bumpies). In the meanwhile, I'm proud of what I accomplished with my (sob story) injured wrist and broken chalk pieces!  

Painting Old Books: Yes, It's OKAY!

Today I am working with only one arm. Well, mostly. I somehow managed to injure my right wrist about a week ago, but I thought I could get away with using it lightly. After shoveling snow, lifting a dresser and numerous painting, prying, scraping, sanding, mixing, etc., I realize I have no concept of what it means to use it "lightly." And I'm in throbbing pain if I so much as use a computer mouse. So, today I am blogging (mostly left-handed)! 

Here is a project that did further injury to my wrist yesterday (but thankfully not too much).

I bought these vintage books at a secondhand store. They are not exactly classics of literature, so I didn't feel guilty about painting them. I've seen other bloggers paint books and wanted to give it a try. After all, most of my "vintage" (AKA old) books are not the kind I read. They are for decorating. They make pretty shelf displays or bases for candles and other knick-knacks.These were adorable in red and green, but not really the look I wanted. I felt a tiny twinge of guilt about painting them, but since there were about a dozen other colored books at the store, I didn't feel all that bad.

So, I began with a coat of country white satin latex paint on the outside cover, followed by another. I found I could paint the whole thing at once, front and back, if I set the book upright to dry, using the inside pages as a kind of handle to hold while I painted. Afterwards, I realized I could still see the red and green covers that folded around to the inside of the books. So, I painted just a little inside the covers, too.

When they were dry, I added a teensy bit of black to make a dove-gray paint shade. I dipped in my sponge brush, dried most of the paint off by wiping it on a paper towel, then lightly brushed the gray over the white to bring out the linen texture on the cover and embellish the edges.

I think they turned out beautiful! The perfect gray-white base for my little ceramic bird. Very shabby chic!

Clock Shelf Makeover

So, technically for a makeover, I like to show "before" photos. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take any.

Suffice to say this awesome clock/shelf was plain brown wood. And the photo frames on the sides were empty. You can picture it... I KNOW you can!

I just added a few coats of satin country white paint, then sanded/chipped it to give it that old, worn, vintage, chippy paint look. I also painted the hooks. I've just recently discovered the awesomeness of painted metal hardware and am now officially addicted.

Next, I mixed black acrylic paint with water and brushed it on, then wiped it off so the paint wasn't so bright and shiny, but rather had a vintage, worn feel and voila!

For the photo frames, I cut out a muslin fabric, using the cardboard frame-backs as a template. Then I used my favorite transfer method (Citra Solv!) to transfer the French labels to the fabric and voila again!

The only real trouble I had was trying not to get paint on the glass clock face. It is rounded, convex glass and is glued inside, so I couldn't remove it. I got a little paint on it, but it wiped off easily. Also, I realized after I'd completely finished painting, glazing and chipping that I forgot to paint the clock piece (with the two little triangles on it). Oopsadaisy. Luckily, I was able to get those painted without too much fuss.

I LOVE how this turned out!

A Sensual Valentine

Guys are really hard to shop for when it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts. A lot of girls don’t know this, but most guys don’t seem to like flowers or balloons or stuffed animals holding fuzzy hearts that say, “I Love You.” On the flip side, you can’t really get a guy beef jerky or boots for Valentine’s Day, either. Well… you could, but somehow it just doesn’t seem very romantic.


What’s a girl to do? Well, this year I was inspired to explore the five senses: see, hear, touch, taste and smell. I decided to buy a gift that goes with each, but that my hubby would love (or at least laugh at). Here’s what I came up with.


For the gifts: I bought cologne (Drakkar Noir, my favorite scent), Jelly Bellies (his favorite flavor – juicy pear), a massage bug, an i-tunes gift card and yes, some slinky lingerie. Hey, I’m married, so it’s okay.

You could adjust these to your particular man… maybe he likes Dairy Queen Blizzards (gift certificate) or seeing a movie (instead of undies). Or maybe he likes listening to a mix CD or the feel of a certain massage oil. Get creative.

Get A Massager Here

MORE SENSUAL GIFT IDEAS

Hear: headphones, CD, audio book/Audible account, toy instrument (kazoo, harmonica), drumsticks, a recorded message from you

See: lingerie, book, video game, photograph, movie tickets, blindfold

Smell: cologne, flowers, scented candle, car freshener, plug-in freshener, beard oil

Touch: massage oil, lotion, gloves, massage feather

Taste: candy, chocolates, cookies, coffee, brownies, favorite drink, tea, gift certificate for restaurant

Next, I found some empty tea boxes. This was easy for me because 1. I drink WAY too much tea. We’re talking Mad Hatter craziness and 2. I hoard boxes, among other things. If you don’t have tea boxes, again, get creative. You could buy gift bags or ready-made boxes or use some other food box, like cereal bars (which I also hoard).

Or you could buy pre-made boxes such as these:

Next step was to spray paint them. Otherwise, hubby might think I just stocked up on a tea for his V-day gift. The spray paint didn’t completely cover the caution-yellow, so I went ahead and sponge-brushed a coat of matte acrylic black paint over it. I also decided to open the boxes and paint the yellow parts that weren’t showing. Good thing, too, because apparently the boxes are not all the same, and I also already recycled these as Christmas gift boxes at some point, and there was Santa paper still inside.

Finally, I printed out each “sense” and pasted it to the back of each box. Then I stacked them up and tied them with hemp rope and a sweet handmade card. See? I get to be all creative and cutesy, and he gets some stuff he can actually use. Mostly. I hope he loves it as much as I love him!

UPDATE: People have asked if I could include a printable version of the heart-shaped labels. So, here goes!

Just click the picture you want (red or white). And then right click on it and choose "save picture as" or "print".

Also, here are a few versions of the card for you to choose from.

 *Another Update: The font is Showcard Gothic for anyone who wants to use it.

Looking for more perfect gifts for your Valentine? Check out my Etsy shop!

More Valentine Gift Ideas Here:

  



Transferring Images with Citra Solv

 

Transferring Images with Citra Solv

I know. I know. I've said it before... but I am in LOVE with transferring computer images to fabric using Citra Solv. Here is a map I transferred to a canvas drop cloth. I'll walk you through how it was done.

 

 

 

I used these supplies, including a canvas drop cloth that had been WASHED and dried. This ensures it will accept the ink, although as you can see, the image was still slightly blurred/faded on transfer. Since drop cloths are made to repel paint, you might have better luck using a simple cotton fabric.  

 

I also used an 11x17 cork board, removing the outer frame. You can find it here:

 

And of course, you'll need Citra Solv, available here:

 

 And now, we begin!

 

 1. First, cut your cloth and gather your supplies (pictured).

 

 

2. Next, print your picture/words or in this case map backwards. (Map available from Mr. Printables here.) Only certain types of printers work with this method. My first attempt was a fail because the printer was the wrong kind. This works best with toner or laser printers, NOT inkjet. The ink will simply not transfer.

 

 

3. Place the image upside down on your fabric and secure with tape. Make sure to do this on a work surface. Pour the Citra Solv into a glass jar or similar container and LIGHTLY dip the TIP of your paintbrush into the Citra Solv. Then lightly brush it across the back of the image. You don't want too much Citra Solv or things get messy. As you brush it, the image will appear through the paper.

 

 4. Now, working from the corner of your image, hold it in place with one hand and use the back of your spoon to transfer the image, scraping in one direction to "push" the image onto the fabric. Push relatively hard. And be meticulous, going over a spot a few times before moving on to the next. You only get one shot at this. Once you pull the paper away, it's nearly impossible to line the image up again.

 

 5. Once the image is transferred, secure the fabric to your corkboard using a staple gun. And that's it! You have a cool vintage-looking map!

 

 

 

You can see how to use Citra Solv and other transfer methods HERE.

Here are some other projects I've done using transfers. As you can see, the images are more crisp, depending on the type of fabric.