Chalkboard Clothesline Christmas Card Display

Like many of you, I love receiving Christmas cards. But a few weeks into the holiday season I start to get more and more annoyed as they repeatedly slide down or go flying off of the refrigerator door every time that I open or close it. True, the problem is me and my desire to display them on the fridge, not the cards themselves. So I found a fabulous solution that was easy and inexpensive, a Chalkboard Clothesline Christmas Card Display. :)

This is a bit reminiscent of my craft room clothesline photo display from this summer.

I got this large frame back in the summer at the thrift store, and when I walked up to it I immediately thought to myself, Chalkboard! It's huge (42" by 33") and perfect for such a task. Once I got it home, I realized that it is an old Kirkland's sign. Pretty cool, huh? No wonder the frame was a bit ornate, and it was only $2.50!!! No way I could pass it up. It has been sitting in the garage ever since waiting for me to decide on a final destination for it, and I finally did.

I took the cardboard out of the frame and painted it with a coat of chalkboard paint. Then I hot glued some cotton twine in 2 rows on the back of the cardboard and popped it back into the frame.

I made this little pendant banner for that in-between time, when Christmas season has already started, but there aren't quite enough cards to fill up the frame. I wanted to keep it from looking too sparse in the beginning.

I also stamped some little Christmas symbols on the backs of a few of the flags as a shorter alternative to the Merry Christmas message.

Of course I hung each little flag (and card) with my favorite teeny tiny wooden clothespins, which you can get at any craft store.

And that's it! I love how the frame and the black background look against my walls, and that it makes a perfect and neutral matting for a variety of seasonal pictures and well wishes!

You may want to switch this out for a larger piece of art or something that is normally on your wall, as it has to be on the big side to adequately hold a bunch of cards. I personally decided that this frame needs a permanent presence in my kitchen, and it will have to evolve seasonally as it is the only thing that's big enough to work on this long blank wall beside my table. I may just remove the clotheslines and use the chalkboard.

Which also means that I'm saying goodbye to my Barn Wood Wall Art, and selling in my etsy shop. Check it out here if you're interested.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!!!

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Painted Mirror Makeover

I have wanted to paint a mirror for a while now, and am so excited that I finally got the chance. I got this mirror at the thrift store for $7. The mirror is actual glass (as opposed to the thinner, slightly flexible ones that you can get most places now). I loved the look of the frame but it was really beat up and coming apart on a few sides. Yikes! Not what you want to be holding a heavy piece of glass, that is for sure! I disassembled it and got to work.

First I wiped the frame down really well with Krud Kutter's Gloss Off. Has anyone seen this before? It removes the top layer(s) of poly and stain from the wood, dulling the surface, and prepares the surface to be re-painted. Apparently it has some chemical in it that helps the new paint to stick to the surface. I was all about this, mostly because I didn't want to strip the wood (I hate using chemical paint strippers, they scare me), and I don't have an electric sander and didn't want to buff the whole thing down. It worked pretty well. My rag was covered in brownish orange stain, it cleaned the wood and dulled the surface, so it worked for me. It didn't remove all of the paint like a stripper would have, but I was sticking with it. I re-inforced the corners by gluing them together with some Gorilla Glue, and then turned my attention to the mirror.

I cleaned off the mirror, lined up this stunning Iron Gate Allover Stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils, and started painting.

I used a light coat of spray adhesive since I was working on a flat surface and didn't want it to shift on me. I used a dense foam roller (also from Cutting Edge), got a little paint on it, rolled off the excess onto a paper towel, and then started rolling onto the glass. I did 2 light coats so that no paint would seep under the stencil, and waited for both to dry completely before picking up the stencil and shifting it over to cover the next section of the mirror.

(There's me! Hi guys!!)

I spray painted the frame a similar ivory color to what I used on the mirror, and when it was dry, just popped the mirror back in and nailed the back piece to the frame.

I was left with this perfect mirror makeover.

Isn't it gorgeous?!

As always, I'll be linking this project to some of my favorite link parties including the DIY Club, which you can see here. Have a great week!!

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Thrift-Store Blocks Re-Do

I came across these old blocks at the thrift store a few months ago and I knew exactly what was in store for them.

I popped off the wooden letters, painted the front black, and printed off some letters in various fonts.

I liked the way the black letters on white looked so much that I painted white over the black background. I then traced the backs of the letters in pencil, put each letter on a block, and rubbed the front with a lead-less mechanical pencil to transfer the letter outline onto the block.

I got some Craft Smart paint from Michaels that almost doubled my painting time (on the right). Do not get this stuff if you are trying to do this project, it covers like watercolor, so it makes an already time-consuming project take a lot longer. Luckily I had some of the Liquitex (on the left) leftover from another project, and that filled in the letters easily with only 1 coat.

I then sanded the letters and corners, painted over the whole thing with an antiquing glaze and wiped it off. Ta da!

I realize that glazing flirts with the fine line between making your project look antiqued, and making it look just plain dirty. I'm hoping my technique will continue to improve with time.

The black paint under the white background paint ended up coming in handy, because when I sanded the edges and corners, the black just popped right out. It didn’t even need the glaze.

What do you think? A pretty good thrift store re-do, right?

I'll be linking up to some great parties at these links, so check them out.

Have you entered the Cutting Edge Stencil giveaway yet? If you need some inspiration, check out Patrice's post here, or click and leave a comment here to enter. You don't want to miss it!

See you next Monday!!

Erin

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Tray Centerpiece

To finish off my little trio of tray posts, I give you my tray centerpiece.

I have wanted a table runner for a bit now, but with a grabby 2 year old running around, I've been worried that anything that I put on a table runner would just be begging to be pulled onto the floor. Also, I had several vases of flowers that I wanted to use on my kitchen table, but was looking for a way to pull them together to look more like a display than just a random collection of things.

I had this long painting that I picked up from the thrift store for a few bucks, and I thought the length would make it perfect for the table. I had bought it as a part of a set and used the other for a picture board for my son's room here, and was glad that this one finally had a purpose as well.

I popped out the picture, sprayed it with some tacky adhesive spray, pressed 2 of my favorite place mats on top, and then popped the whole thing into the frame. I also put non-scuff felt stickers on each of the corners to raise the whole thing up a little and protect it from scratching the wood.

Easy and effective, my favorite type of project! It pulls the flowers together, makes a bit of a statement, and protects the wood from being scratched by the vases.

The place mats are probably a temporary solution because I don't really have 2 extra to spare. But they worked in a pinch when I had company coming, because I already knew that they looked nice with our kitchen and dishes, and they saved me a trip to the fabric store. But it all goes so well together that maybe it is a good reason to get some new place mats!

Also, considering that I tire so quickly of my decor, I'm happy to be able to change out the fabric to suit the seasons or my mood. I can't promise that I won't be printing something onto the fabric from the printer, I feel like that is my newest trick! (See it in last week's post here, if you missed it.)

As always, please check out the amazing parties going on this week here.

See you next week!!

 

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The Frame Tray

There is just something about my living room that I can't get "just right." I am constantly adding or subtracting items. Don't get me wrong, I mean in the interest of full disclosure, I absolutely love the colors and feel of the room. It just seems like something is always missing. I've tried to convince my husband that what is really missing is fresh flowers, though he seems to have discovered an "angle" on that ploy. I decided this week that the newest thing we REALLY needed was a good coffee table display, so I went to work and came up with this...

TA DA! The frame tray! I am admittedly a little over excited about this one. I guess maybe because it started like this...

While perusing goodwill searching for a cast off tray, I came up empty handed. I really wanted something that I could jazz up a little to get just the right elegant look. There wasn't one tray to be had. So, I went for an old frame instead.

This is what I did:
I painted the frame white to offset my black coffee table. I was wrestling with whether or not to paint it black, but I liked the contrast the white provided.

Next, I went with some old cast iron drawer handles that I picked up for $2.99 each. (Please don't cringe, I wasn't too pleased with the price either, but they were perfect for what I wanted and I was too anxious to wait around for a sale!)

I attached the handles with shallow screws. Once attached, I painted the screws black to blend with the cast iron handles.

For the picture insert, I batted and covered the original cardboard backing with a cute black gingham fabric that is a theme throughout my house (using hot glue). This gave the insert a raised, cozy look that I was very pleased with. I like the texture the batting provided.

I then simply put the insert in place, attaching with hot glue to make it more sturdy. There were already metal tabs to hold it in, so the hot glue was just extra security. (Not pictured, I covered the unsightly cardboard showing through with extra fabric. I mean, who looks at the bottom of a tray right? But, just in case...)

This was the temporary look, before the glass was added. At this point I was getting really excited!

Now, this is the part that I discovered made the frame the PERFECT bones for a serving/ display tray: The Glass. I decided to mount the glass on top of the frame for a couple of reasons. First, it protected the batted fabric without smashing it. Second, it made the tray a lot sturdier because I don't have to worry about heavy objects pushing the insert out. (Try it and you'll see what I mean!) I simply mounted the glass with a dot of hot glue in each corner. Good thing it is clear so it wasn't too obvious at all.

I never get too excited about my projects until I really see how useful they are to me or others, but I am loving this one. I have decided that even if it proves inconvenient, I will always love it. I am totally going to judge this book by its cover. :)

Now, here is my new problem. This $4.00 frame is now the classiest thing in my funky little living room. Hmmmmm, this could create new decorating obsessions, should I be worried? Well, maybe my husband should be...

Well, I guess we shouldn't worry too much. The two little monkeys in the background I'm sure will bring me back to reality and remind me that I don't live in a magazine. And that is just the way I like it!

Thanks for stopping by once again to see my new favorite thing.

I'll be linking to the CSI Favorite Things Project!

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