Chalkin' it Up

So I've been a little busy, sort of.  You see, I got sooo excited about painting and chalk-boarding things that I forgot all about the 'wait for it to dry' part.  Stink!  I was very busy in dribs and drabs as I painted, waited, painted, waited, painted, waited.  Each wait was at least a couple of hours.  So in the mean time I was making up some cute wheat-bags which you can see in my shop, and basically dancing around with my beloved 8 month old son.

Whaaaaa?  8 months?!!  Yes, he is that old now.  Crawling in the last month or so, still only two teeth (since 5 months), still cuter than ever.

Ta-daaa, my first ever chalk board in a frame, available here.  I couldn't resist putting in those crochet stones.  They're just too cool in my eyes.

The bigger 'wobbly edged' one I decided I would keep for our home.  I christened it with a few house rules:

Since these rules were written, I've been given loads more hugs!  Cuddles are the best!

How to make your very own chalk board like the one above (in the blue frame).

You will need:

A wooden frame, preferably unpainted, in it's bare-wood state is the best.  Then there's no surface prep you need to do, like sanding.  It works best if you have the glass and the board that fits in the frame too.

Spray paint 'primer' in a colour that is similar to the 'top coat' colour.

Spray paint 'top coat'.

Spray paint 'chalkboard' paint.

Newspaper

How to:

First lay down heaps of old newspaper on the ground.  The best place is in the garage because there is no wind and free from dusty leaves and things blowing on your drying masterpiece.  Make sure there are no vehicles around that could end up with paint on them.

Second place the frame in the middle of the paper and shake up your primer spray can.  Shake it, shake, shake it, shake it like a polaroid picture...

Make sure you've taken the glass and board out of the frame and put them well away from the overspray or mist of the paints.  Spray a light coat over the entire front of the frame, making sure you've got the inside edges (the part that will sit right next to the chalk board.

Place the inner back wooden board (that goes in the frame) on the paper and spray a light coating of primer on that too.

Now, leave them to dry for a couple of hours.

After they are dry, repeat the same steps again at least twice each with the top coat colour on the frame, and the black board on the back wooden board.

Does all that make sense?  Gah, I think I'm confused.

And when it's all dry, get some chalk and "Bob's your Uncle."