Memo Demo!

My kitchen was sorely lacking any kind of message or memo board, and with sticky notes piling up covered with to-dos I decided a chalk board was the way to go. I saw this one form Ballard Design, but at over $150 it was NOT in the bugdet.

So I kept an eye out at the local thrift shops and I found this beauty for a whopping $8. It was just the right size to cover a not-so-strategically-placed electrical box that was an eye sore in the middle of my kitchen.

I had a scrap piece of really thin (1/4") plywood that would be a good backing for the chalk board. I just traced the opening of the frame on to the plywood and measured 1/4" beyond that line so that it would snuggly fit in to the back lip of the frame. The plywood is so thin that I could cut it by scoring it with a utility knife a few times. (Always a good idea to score something directly on top of your wood floors- NOT! Poor decisions...lesson learned) 

Next came the chalk board paint- two coats later and this sucker was ready to go.

I thought it needed a little detail action so I broke out the tape and my fave gold leaf paint.

With a quick coat of the gold leaf (that I am obsessed with as I mentioned here), I painted between the two pieces of tape. One tip is to remove the tape right after you have finished painting the boarder- that will help you get those clean, crisp lines.

I left it to dry for an hour and the just set it into the frame.

Not bad for an $8 frame and stuff I had around the house. This would look great in an office or a mudroom for those last minute reminders and grocery lists. If only I had a mud room...I can dream:)

Always keep an eye out in thrift stores or at garage sales- there are always hidden gems and with an open mind you can recreate things you see online or in a a magzine for a fraction of the cost:)

Have a great weekend!

XOXO Katie

You can see this post and tons more at Monograms&Martinis!

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