Chalkboard from a Mirror Frame

A curbed dresser mirror frame caught my eye.
Actually, I nearly got a whiplash as I drove passed it.
 "Oh, what was that?!"
So I turned around and quickly snagged it up.

Then I got home and inspected it. It's laminate. Yuck.
But, it would make a great chalkboard, regardless of the quality.

Deciding to change it into an antique was a challenging thought, being "pressed paper fibers" and all. I lightly sanded the clear finish a bit to take on the paint anyway.

 It went well, but I had these staples in the board, right where the intended chalkboard area is.

Hoping it didn't deter the chalkboard... I removed them.

Then, sanded the roughed up spots and taped the framework for painting.

The chalkboard paint soaked in...a lot!!! That manufactured board absorbed an entire bottle of brush on chalkboard paint AND two cans of chalkboard spray paint.

When it dried, I removed the tape and considered going with the wood (fake wood) as it was.

Nah... it looked cheap.  I decided to continue on with the painted antique look.

Using red chalk paint, just on the frame itself, I thinned it with water so the wood grain showed slightly.

For the top and the bottom of the frame, I chose Liquorice; also thinned with water for the same affect.

Worried that the laminate would warp or ripple, I watched it carefully in case I needed to save it.
But, the paint was perfect.

It covered the appliques nicely too.

Once dried, I softly sanded the entire mirror frame from top to bottom.

And accented the appliques by highlighting them with a foam sanding pad.

The manufactured paint/stain job was applied lightly, so when I sanded, it went to raw wood. (Oops.)

So I touched up the raw areas with gel stain and wiped it off.

For the Liquorice painted areas, I rubbed in clear wax to seal the paint.

 And used dark antiquing wax on the red paint.

Being a chalkboard, I felt it needed a tray of some sort. I had this scrap piece of a wooden fruit dish in my stash. (A leftover from the tool caddy tote I made at Christmas time.) I thought cutting it to attach it to the chalkboard was a great idea.

Cutting it in half would create one cubby for business cards and the other to hold chalk.
The cuts had to be done at an angle to mount them flush on the chalkboard.

Doing just that, cutting from outside corner straight over to the other outside corner made it fit as a floating cubby.

Sanding them slightly and applying dark wax before attaching them prevented any messes or mistakes on the board.

I cheated...
using hot glue to apply them before screwing them onto the chalkboard was like having a a helping hand.

When the wax dried enough to handle, I "broke in" the chalkboard paint.

Simply running the side of a chalk stick all over the chalkboard, then erasing a couple of times, made the surface ready for use. I wrote examples for many uses of this huge framed chalkboard.

Here is how it turned out:

A little chalk dust here and there...it's ok, I'll give it a good dusting after the wax cures.

I like how the paint turned out on this project. All of the painted areas blend. Not bad for laminate!

The size and style makes this board perfect for wedding parties, restaurant specials, booth sales, yard sales, store specials and more!

I'm glad I found the piece of junk. It turned out way better than I thought it would.

Now I'm hungry. I'll have the chicken; with lemon water to sip on.
 :)

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My RePurposed Life- Catch as Catch Can

Painted Red Chair

The best kind of makeover.
Solid.
No repairs needed.
This old carved seat chair is a thrift store find.

Someone previously gave it this black and gold paint job. Revived Early American Colonial; 1970's style. 

So Bicentennial.

I remember that phase. Over stuffed sofas and chairs had upholstery of carved signs of 1776 printed on them. Curvy wood and lathe spindled accents on all furniture pieces. 

Now, back to the future:

I really wanted to paint this chair red and put it in the flower garden for a little country charm.

There's something about red accents outdoors... it's so attractive. Weathered wood and touches of red... flowers or shutters... a tractor...it doesn't matter what the calling card is because red just goes totally eye candy. It's catchy. Ask anyone caught speeding with a red vehicle.

With that, I chose to use the color Devotion, by Country Chic Paint.

Sanding the chair lightly to smooth out the old rough paint was just enough. In case any of the old paint showed through, it would go well with the red and keep it rustic.

Those tree rings are way too cool! Can't get more wood authentic than that!

Anyway, one coat and a little while later, the bright red paint was breath of fresh air.

To tone it down and age the paint, I used dark antiquing wax. Getting the dark accent into the grooves just to make them stand out. Brush on, then rub in and wipe. 

The wax sealed the paint nicely and defined the lathed lines in the spindles. See the magic of dark wax? I love it. 

That cute little bugger looks pretty among the plants. 

I love red accent pieces. Wouldn't it be nice if an old barn and a vintage tractor was posing behind it?

Well, it's my backyard. Bummer.

Vintage and rustic enough to make a garden debut. 

Can I say that I just love this color?!?! It made this chair so cute while giving the pond garden a punch of color.

Oh happy summer days!

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