Lucky for YOU I've been saving all of my rants or raves for my personal blog, just to dish it out and vent a little. So this blog is getting the sweet stuff - the cream of the crop!

I was sitting on our steps during lunch one day (it was Spring Break, so with adequate parking I was able to go home for lunch for the week - it was just wonderful), and I noticed how beautiful our yard is. It's huge and green and lovely, and I started daydreaming about having a garden party. The whole nine yards: a canopy in the trees, bunting flags, candles, glass cokes, floral table cloths.. and it hit me: my mom's BIRTHDAY!
We don't usually make a huge deal out of birthdays in our family unless the birthday boy or girl requests it (let's be honest, I'm the only one who does this), so I thought it'd be fun to make a soiree out of my dear mother's April birthday. So I am, and it's this Saturday! It's really just a family thing, and I was a little late (a week late - oops!) on the invitations, but I am still planning on making it just perfect in honor of the most perfect mom.
In other news, I've been crafting a lot recently, and since I promised a chalkboard post - you're getting it! Now I'm sure you've made one of these before, they're super easy and really popular right now but it really is a great way to brighten up a space and leave sweet notes, verses, or thoughts for each other.
I made tiny chalkboards out of frames for my wedding, so I thought that this would be a breeze. I didn't anticipate the trial and error I was about to encounter, but hey, that's what makes DIY projects fun, right?
I had bought a frame at a thrift store for $2 because it was a lot bigger than the wedding ones, and I anticipated making a big chalkboard for our kitchen (because c'mon, you can't have dinner without a menu!). Well I thought that I had matte board for the frame, but it turned out I didn't have the right size, so I got hasty and a little desperate and used a cardboard box. I painted the chalkboard paint on, let it dry, second coated it, and "primed" it by coloring chalk all over it. The result? CARDBOARD TEXTURE. It was awful - there were lines all across it and it was completely obvious that I had used cardboard instead of something better like matte board. I hung it up, but just couldn't bear to have other people come in and think "oh hey that looks like a framed piece of black cardboard.." so I got back to thinking.
Square one. I had a mirror I borrowed for a project my last semester of college, but I had promised 1,000 times to return it to the owner. Thinking it would be a great chalkboard (and a huge one!) I texted her to see if I could pay her for it. She insisted I just keep it because she never missed it in the first place - and I had my second go at making a chalkboard!
So we have learned cardboard doesn't work, well let me put this out there, too: if you're using a smooth surface such as a mirror, SAND IT! I didn't because, well I was hasty and desperate once again, and it caused the paint to crack in a lot of places. It's okay because it does the job and it kind of just looks super old... but I definitely would add a sanding step next time. Also, USE MASKING TAPE. Again: hasty and desperate. I figured "oh hey I'll free hand it" and I got chalkboard paint all over the rim of the frame. It's fine, but I would never do that if I were giving it as a gift or doing it again.
So, without further adieu, a simple chalkboard tutorial - in case you haven't ever made one. :)
So here is the first one I made. Not only did I use cardboard, but I also didn't take the time to do a proper spray paint job (this frame was gold) so really it was just a lesson in patience for me all-around. But it looks lovely in our bedroom, where we don't mind the cardboard-iness of it! :) (I'm crossing my fingers I'll wake up to a sweet love note one morning... we'll see!)

This is the original frame. These pictures are actually from the project I used the mirror for, but I had painted it white for the project so it was already set to go in our kitchen! A beautiful mirror, no? :)

Okay. So first SAND your surface if it's smooth! Basically, if it isn't porous like paper or wood you should definitely sand it to give the paint something to hold on to. After TAPING if you need to, paint on a layer of Chalkboard Paint (which you can get at your local craft store). I like the paint-on kind because it's much thicker, but I used the spray paint kind for my wedding and it worked fine, too. Once that coat dries, paint another coat and let it dry. When it isn't tacky anymore, take a piece of chalk and color the entire surface. Wipe it off - and voila! You have a chalkboard! Oh, and don't forget to ask your husband if he likes it. :)
So like I said, I'm pretty excited about this garden party I'm throwing for my mom. I'm a little nervous - even if it is just family - because I'm not exactly sure what we're going to do in terms of games or mingling... I just don't want anyone to get bored! So stay tuned for a fun update next week on that. I just love being a hostess!
And, just to keep you interested, here's a few sneak peeks for the party (and a birdhouse DIY post to come) below!

Loving life,
Jill!
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