Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Tonight's Specials: A DIY Chalkboard

Last New Year's I resolved to make a weekly dinner menu every Sunday in an effort to stock the fridge with healthy foods and put an end to the age old question of "What's for dinner?"  And guess what... I actually stuck to it all year.  It's a freaking New Year's miracle!  To keep me motivated and continue with that resolution into 2014 I decided what our kitchen needed was a Dinner Specials chalkboard.  I certainly didn't break the mold with a DIY chalkboard... they have been all the rage for quite some time.  Finally, I have one of my own.  It was super easy to make and cost about $15.


For a cohesive look I wanted the shape of the chalkboard frame to mimic the shape of the window frames in our house.  


We used a Kreg Jig and wood glue to secure all the frame pieces together.


I wanted a rustic aged wood look for the frame.  Andy read somewhere that you can rapidly oxidize wood to get a weathered look by applying a steel wool and vinegar mixture.  Who knew!  Here's the step by step process.  The longer you let the mixture steep the darker the stain will be.  We painted on two coats for this project.


And a jig saw to cut the MDF board down to size and Rust-Olem Chalkboard Paint for the board.


I secured a basic Sawtooth Hanger to the back of the chalkboard frame to mount it to the wall.  Just like hanging a picture frame.


On tap this week for dinner...


I love the little ledge.  Perfect to hold a piece of chalk.  FYI the "Go Pat's" dinner on Sunday will consist of football snacks and beer.  GO PATS!



What are you having for dinner tonight?  It's Turkey Taco Tuesday in our house! Tune in tomorrow to see how I got those cool fonts on the chalkboard.



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17 comments

  1. Victoria January 14, 2014 at 5:57 PM

    I did a chalkboard paint on my garage door. It comes into my kitchen and at first I was going to buy a cheap full lenght mirror and paint it then hang it, then I was going to make something like you've got here - more permanent on the door, then I figured, 'HEY just paint the entire door!' So I did! I love mine and yours is great as well, except that GO PATS on Sunday.... nope Denver is gonna win! :-) Victoria - from Colorado...

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    1. Lo @ a LO and behold lifeJanuary 14, 2014 at 6:48 PM

      LOL!! Let's agree to disagree on the game ;) Great idea to just paint the whole door!

      Delete
    2. Victoria January 15, 2014 at 4:09 PM

      Love your blog.... you have great ideas! whomever wins this game I'll root for in the superbowl! Victoria

      Delete
  2. Simply LKJJanuary 14, 2014 at 6:00 PM

    I love how it turned out. I have two in my kitchen, one framed for fun sayings and the other is the side of my frig cabinet painted-we use that for menus, grocery lists, etc. Having Hot Asian soup tonight...as the saying goes, "feed a cold". Love how you styled your sideboard.

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    1. Lo @ a LO and behold lifeJanuary 14, 2014 at 6:51 PM

      Thanks! I bought that plant on the sideboard this morning because I realized I did not have one single living plant in the house to style photo with!! Secrets of a blogger ;)

      Delete
  3. UnknownJanuary 14, 2014 at 8:10 PM

    It's beef bulgogi night in my house! I love the chalkboard and I can't wait to hear about the fonts!

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  4. Jennifer@The Chronicles of HomeJanuary 14, 2014 at 8:52 PM

    I love a chalkboard - great idea with the ledge!

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  5. Deb HrabikJanuary 14, 2014 at 9:19 PM

    Great project! It caught my eye on the Inspiration Exchange. Love it.
    Deb@LakeGirlPaints

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  6. StaceyJanuary 14, 2014 at 9:51 PM

    You are so smart to have your menu up on a cute chalkboard. I've been writing mine down but I forget during the day. That's silly, isn't it? Your red door is awesome! Came over from The Inspiration Exchange.

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  7. ColleenJanuary 15, 2014 at 9:43 AM

    love it! you make it look so simple. I need one of these in my kitchen.

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  8. ColleenJanuary 15, 2014 at 9:44 AM

    hmm, I commented and I don't see it. Anyway, I love how this came out. You make it look so simple to make.

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  9. MauraJanuary 15, 2014 at 2:30 PM

    Question, what did you use for the days of the week? It looks much darker than the other chalk and harder to wipe off.

    Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Lo @ a LO and behold lifeJanuary 17, 2014 at 11:58 AM

      Hi Maura. I just published a post on the fonts today. Chalk marker!

      Delete
  10. OneKriegerChickJanuary 18, 2014 at 7:59 AM

    This is such a fun idea...Just wish I had enough wall space in my kitchen! Thank you for linking up to the Hit Me With Your Best Shot Link Party...I'm featuring you this morning on OneKriegerChick!

    Happy Weekend!
    ~Ariean http://onekriegerchick.com/

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  11. UnknownJanuary 20, 2014 at 4:08 PM

    I just LOVE this!! I totally want to do one for our family command center! It's also got me thinking that maybe I would love to do a whole wall like this (smaller wall) for my kiddos☺ You have an amazing home, thanks for sharing!--♥Angie

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  12. UnknownJanuary 20, 2014 at 4:16 PM

    I had no idea that you could do something like this! Thanks so much for the tutorial! Love your home!--♥Angie

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  13. Abby LawsonJanuary 21, 2014 at 12:45 PM

    LOVE this! It turned out so cute! Thanks so much for linking up at Hit Me with Your Best Shot! Hope to see you back tonight!

    ~Abby =)

    ReplyDelete

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