Becky's Chalkboard

Hello everybody!

It was my good friend, Becky's birthday last week.  Happy Birthday, lovely lady!  Here she is:

Becky and I have become closer this past year, so it should come as no surprise to her that I was cheap and made her present instead of buying her one (insert endearing, "ain't I a stinker?" emoticon here).

I know that I mistakenly think I am the bee's knees when it comes to home decor, but not everybody has the same style, so I try to avoid giving people things for their home that would match MY home, but I thought about what Becky would like, and remembered that she has complimented my kitchen's chalkboard and has also expressed to me her desire to make her kitchen with the turquoise/red color theme I blogged about on my "Treasure Hunting" post.  So, I took these two ideas and thought she might enjoy this red frame chalkboard.

I started with a frame I had lying around:

I picked up this picture specifically for the frame at a yard sale for $1.50.  I didn't have any idea at the time what I could use it for, but the price was right and I will always pick up a frame I like if the price is right, knowing that there is always a use for a great frame. 

I started by pulling the staples out of the back and removing the picture and glass.  I took the outdated picture made of cardboard and painted the chalkboard paint onto the back of this cardboard picture.  It saves time from having to cut out a board, and  I've done this before, so I knew it would work.

Looks like someone killed the Phantom of the Opera up in here!  Right?  RIGHT?

Okay, so on to the frame.  This is the process I used on the frame:

 
1. Sanded the frame so the paint would stick and not peel over time
2. Painted the frame a color called, "Grenadine" from Home Depot. You can get these small samples
of paint at Home Depot for $3, and I recommend it for a home decor project. The paint seems to
have a better sheen and glides on easier and smoother than craft paint.
3. Painted scrolls and inner molding with Martha Stewart's vintage gold paint. I wiped a little of it
off as I went, and this just gave it a hint of gold without all this gold overwhelming the overall
look.
4. I did the same thing with a second gold color. It just adds some depth.
5. I applied the watery black to add some age, and rubbed off the excess as I went.

Now, it's hard to get pictures of reflective surfaces, and the gold paint is a little reflective, but here is a little bit of what it looked like afterwards:
 

And here's the result:

I hope you like it, Becky.  But if you don't, now you know it only cost $1.50, so you don't have to feel guilty about giving it to Salvation Army.  :)

One more thing, though.  If chalkboards aren't your thing, here's another idea of something you can do with that old thrift frame - keep the glass and use a dry erase marker to write on it:  (Except you can't do this, Becky.  I threw out your glass. Everyone else but you can do this.)

Thanks for coming by the blog!