All in a quart! by DirtyHands-Beautifullife

The Nester asked us about our chalkboards, so here's my bit on it...

We are living in our third home that we've owned...it is the smallest of three. They have gotten progressively smaller even though our family hasn't...hmmm...something appears to be wrong with this picture...

I am grateful for our 1600 sq ft home because God has used it to teach me about what is really important in a home.

One of the ugliest places in the house was this awkward skinny hall about 3' long and 3' wide between the living/dining space and the kitchen. It also has the door to the basement and no light! Very dark...so I decided to lighten it up by painting one wall black - chalkboard black! He thought I was crazy (still does, really)

It made that ugly old hallway one of everyone's favorite features in our home. Not just because they love to write on the chalkboard, but even when it's all black and not in use it looks very clean, trendy- and creates the transition from working space to living space.

In honor of my new found attitude...I also have this favorite quote posted in the middle of the chalkboard. In the beginning it was a reminder of the proper attitude to have. Now it is a reflection of my philosophy.

One night after our bathroom was freshly painted, the vanity was driving me bonkers...it looked similar to this

(this is actually the one from my upstairs bathroom-yikes!)

The chalkboard paint was calling out my name. I had no idea if it would work so I tried it on the inside door first. Not only did it work, but it dried so fast...the whole project was done in 2 hours! That's my kind of D.I.Y.

There's still a bit of paint left in that quart so the next project...

I plan to ditch the curtains and hopefully make roman blinds like these from Delightful Dwelling. I also want to take down the little knick-knack (or knick-not) shelves and trim. Then I will chalkboard paint the side of the cabinets and maybe put a Scripture verse above the sink...

Then I could keep my prayer requests on one side and praises on the other...maybe it would be even easier to forget about the dirty dishes in between!!

All this...in a quart!!

A few VERY RANDOM tips on chalkboard paint...

- It needs boundaries...a frame, a door, or in my case molding...when it's on a wall with a 'free edge' it doesn't give the same affect

- Place it strategically so that you will use it!!

- Cool on flower pots, desk tops, and lots of other dirty-beautiful places!

- I made my nieces travel kits by painting old metal trays with chalkboard paint and including a little bag with alphabet magnets and chalk

- Erasers don't do a lot for it...I use a wet cloth

- About once a year...I roll over mine with a quick coat to freshen the look

- SHARE!!! Let anyone write on it --- it's FUN!!!

Thanks to The Nester for inviting us to tell the world about our chalkboards:)