Homemade Chalk Painting Some Chairs

Painting is therapeutic to me and I enjoy the process.  I love changing up a piece of furniture in moments with a new paint color.  Painting has worked for me, but when I first discovered chalk paint I wanted to paint everything in sight.  Chalk paint is so easy to use and it gave me quick results.  I'm not the most patient person in the world.  I admit I have little patience and I also have to admit I love a good deal. Some might call me frugal :)

When I learned how much chalk paint cost, I didn't want to fork over the dough for it.  Then I discovered a great "recipe" for homemade chalk paint.  Homemade chalk paint is simple and cheap.

Plaster of paris (or p.a.p as I call it, plaster-a-paris) is sold right in the hardware store and comes in a milk carton type box.  Make sure to cover it well when you are done or it will get moisture in it and not work anymore.   I bought a plastic measuring cup that I use just for chalk paint projects and I can measure, stir, and paint right from it.  All of this was under $20 and I am still using the plaster of Paris and wax 2 years later. 

I found the perfect set of chairs at a local consignment store (frugal, remember)  and got right to work painting them with my homemade chalk paint.

 I loved the shape of the chairs but the brown finish wasn't doing anything for me.  I added two coats of homemade chalk paint, let dry for about an hour, sanded the edges, and applied a light coat of minwax with a rag.

 

What a difference!  I love the color and how fresh and bright they look now.  

 

I didn't distress them too much, just enough to give them some texture.  Then into the living room they went.

 

I found the pillows at Target and they pulled in all the colors of my room.  I didn't even care they cost $25 each.  Not very frugal at all, but I love them!!  The paint on these chairs is going on year 2 and I haven't had ANY issues with chipping.  And with 5 kids that passes the durability test, for sure!! 

Rethinking The Moss R

 A few  years ago I put together a moss covered R (for my last name) and hung it on my front door.  I feel I must warn you all.....birds LOVE moss and will have no qualms in stealing moss off of your front door! I even hot glued more moss onto the sparse areas and the birds were thanking me for their comfy moss nests.  After a year of fighting with the birds, I decided a change was in order.

 I had started peeling off the moss in the picture, but you can see the patches of missing moss.  I have a flock of very brave birds in my neighborhood.  I decided to put an end to the fight with the birds and go with an easier finish on my R.

Chalkboard paint to the rescue!  I am pretty sure birds don't like paint.  After painfully pulling and scraping off the moss, not easy to do, I put on a coat of chalkboard paint.  It dries really quickly but you need to let it cure for a few days before you can write on it with chalk.

I added a ribbon to hang it from and then hung it up to cure.

 I think I am going to hang it by my fireplace, but I'm not positive yet.  I like the black finish against the stone of the fireplace.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to write on it or not but doodled on it to see.

I wrote all of our names and doodled some chalk art but I'm not totally sold on the look of it.  

Then I added a dot border but I think I might go back to the all black R.  I see so many chalk artists on Pinterest and think, "How hard can it be?", yeah, harder than I thought.  I used a chalk pen that wasn't very consistent in the amount of ink coming out.  I would get blobs of white ink and have to wipe off and start over.  Maybe I should practice or find some stencils. But I'll live with it for awhile before switching it up.  It was a fun, quick project and I love that!

Rethunk Junk Painting Project

Project to-do lists.....are your lists as long as mine?  I have good intentions but a lot of my projects get put on the back burner because life takes over.  Sound familiar? For example, I bought a wooden high chair for my fifth child around 6 years ago, with the intention of painting it.  

I had a pretty good excuse in my last home not to paint it.  My floors were travertine and my cabinets were distressed off-white.  The chair stood out against those colors.  But in my new home there is a whole lotta brown going on.  This chair might as well be on a secret military mission for how well it is camouflaged in its surroundings.  After a year of living with it I had to paint it. 

It's a brand new, fabulous chair!!  And it was beyond simple to change the color.  I have found so much success in painting by using chalk paint.  I found a recipe on pinterest and it has worked so well for me. It covers well and lasts with 5 kids in the house.  But I was having issues with the waxing step.  I use Minwax wax and it was covering well, but turning my lighter colored projects yellow.  I was getting frustrated.  But.....there is a store in Midway, Utah called All That Stuff In The Barn.  They carry country type accents, clocks, picture frames....all my favorite kinds of things!!  (It's really quite hard not to shop knowing this store is just around the corner!)  And they also carry a type of paint made by Rethunk Junk that is similar to chalk paint, but I feel that it goes on smoother and doesn't have a texture like the chalk paint.  

There are three steps in the Rethunk Junk paint system.  The Prep cleans off all of the gunk and whatever finish was on the surface, the paint (comes in several colors), and then the sealer.  I love the sealer!!  It is so much easier to apply than wax.  It dries quickly and leaves a colorless, smooth texture.  

I sprayed the Prep solution on, waited 30 seconds and then wiped it clean with a towel.  I then applied two coats of Seaside paint to my chair.  I let it sit about an hour and then sanded the edges to give it a vintage feel. Then I applied the sealer with a brush. 

 I LOVE the way it turned out!!  I love the color, the texture, and the sheen it has to it.  It's not too shiny, but not quite flat either.

 It's not camouflaged with the floor anymore.  Yay!!!!! I can see it!

 

 I love the color and it adds so much to my kitchen when it is next to my brown table and brown floors.  My kitchen table has the same problem that this chair did...it's brown and so is the floor.  There is no contrast.  My next project is to paint the table and chairs, not blue, but a color other then brown.  I can't wait to share that with you!!