Once upon a time there was a beautiful, gold gilded (esque) picture frame that housed the most incredible rendering of a lovely young lady looking off into the distance. It was much loved and the kingdom oohed and aahed over it on a near constant basis.
That is, until the artwork and frame became horribly dated looking and the whole thing was unceremoniously left on the side of the road like a pile of trash by what I can only assume was a terrible ogre.
Then one day a fair maiden (that’s totally me…just go with it) saw the frame looking forlornly for a new home and someone to love it, so she quickly turned her minivan around and threw it in the back.
Okay, I feel as though that is a pretty fair and accurate account of the events that led up to my possessing this giant frame and debating its many uses.
After much deliberation – read none at all – I decided that a giant chalkboard was just what my entry needed and this frame was the perfect solution.
During a quick supply run I grabbed a can of mint spray paint and two cans of chalkboard spray paint. It was oh so sad to say goodbye to the lovely young lady, but I removed the artwork from the frame and took the glass out as well. I sprayed two coats of mint onto the frame and allowed it to dry thoroughly.
Next up was turning the glass into a chalkboard surface. Luckily with the invention of spray chalkboard paint, it was a super easy process. I sprayed three coats onto the glass, following the directions on the can and once again allowed to dry.
Now that I had this super large chalkboard surface I knew that I needed to “season” it to keep it looking great, use after use. Have you ever wondered why when you make or buy a chalkboard, create your art and then the letters or images that you draw on it never seem to fully come off? If the board is not seasoned, the image will be “burned” onto it, staying on it forever. I don’t know about you, but forever is too long for me to stick with one quote!
Luckily the seasoning process is super easy and requires only white chalk, a clean eraser or soft towel and some elbow grease. Using the side of your chalk and starting at a top corner, “color” the entire surface in vertical lines.
Then go the opposite direction with your chalk and color in horizontal lines so all of your lines criss cross.
Now just wipe it all down with a soft cloth or eraser. Some people like the look of straight, clean lines but I chose to use a circular motion on mine. Feel free to test them both out and see what fits best for you. At the end, you should have a chalkboard that looks something like this:
I put the chalkboard back into the frame and then I really struggled with how and what to draw on it. You see, I am a horrible artist and I cannot stomach free handing anything. I use stencils for just about everything, but I didn’t want to mess with my perfectly seasoned chalkboard.
So I went with it. I freehanded my wreath, my initial and my lettering and I actually loved it!
For a brief moment the slightly off level “welcome” annoyed me, but the more I look at it, the more I love the imperfections.
And even my hubby, who when I brought the frame home told me that there was nothing I could do to it that would make it not be hideous, seems to like it just as much as I do. I’ll call that a win and a happily ever after if I’ve ever heard one!
Click for more on the refinished sideboard or DIY wood sconces.
Sweet! I have a random oval frame that I loved, but have just held on to for that AHH moment, and with this post if I create and let go, it may have just become an amazing teacher’s gift! Thankful I can count on you to think for me 😉
This would be nice for kids to have to play with chalk but I would not want to use the glass. Any idea what I could use to paint a chalkboard surface on instead of using the glass?
Kalinda, plexiglass would work wonderfully. You can find it with the “real” glass at the hardware store. They will cut it for you there, but it is more of a plastic material and is totally kid friendly.