Thrifty Thursday: Picture Re-purposed Chalkboard & Gold Liquid Leaf!

Thrifty Thursday with a Twist of a Makeover...
I am back with the full story oh how I re-purposed the frame I mentioned last week that cost me 25 cents at the Goodwill Distribution in Gorham.  Here is the before and after...

Before anyone asks why I would do away with such a classic amazing picture, it's because it was in really bad shape and the front of it was peeling, discolored and had water marks all over it.  I opted to remove it and put a new piece of wood in the frame, but I decided it was a solid base to work with and it would have been more work to do that instead.  So I ended up spraying right over the picture itself since its on an mdf type board (no glass with my picture, but I have heard of people spraying the glass with chalkboard paint and it working.  Never have done it personally however).  I love chalkboards because of their personalization.  I especially love one in the kitchen to write messages for events, quotes, scriptures or even the dinner menu for guests.   I have a small one that I made a while back, but I had been on the hunt for a larger one.  I still could go with a bigger one than this, but for 25 cents I had nothing to lose :)  Here is how my chalkboard transformation took place...

1. Covered the outside with a plastic trash bag and taped it down on the back so that I could spray the chalkboard base first.  I was a little impatient and wanted to get the ball rolling immediately when I bought the frame.  That didn't happen because you need the weather to be fairly nice so that it will dry properly and not blow all over the place when spraying.  I would love a garage someday where I can open the doors and do projects during the colder months.  Spray paint is finicky so conditions have to right.

2.  Removed the trash bag and the frame now looks like this. I did about 4 coats of chalkboard spray paint.  The backing that I sprayed wasn't completely even and was a little rough.  I sanded it a little before spraying it.  If you look at it up close you can see the unevenness but nothing that bothers me.  That's the beauty of liking an aged/vintage look because imperfections to me just bring added character to the piece :)

3.  I didn't care if the chalkboard paint got on the wood a little because I was going to spray the frame next.  I used a metallic gold spray paint from our local Ace hardware store and the Krylon chalkboard spray paint. I covered the front of the chalkboard with white paper while I sprayed the frame with the gold.

4.  I spray painted the frame with 1-2 coats of the Metallic Gold.  I was going for a vintage aged look and wanted it to have a layered effect so I didn't want the gold spray paint to be one saturated color.  I bought a gold leafing paint (similiar to gilding) that I used on top of the spray paint.  Here is the metallic gold by itself first.

5.  Next I applied the Gold Liquid Leaf with a small soft bristled paint brush.  This didn't need to be even strokes since I was going for a layered aged effect.  This product will last FOREVER (a little went a long way).  It was $5 and well worth the little "extra touch."

6.  You are supposed to wait 1 hour in between the liquid leaf coats.  I applied one coat and may do some touch ups once I have it on the wall.  I am going to wait and see what it looks like once its up in the kitchen.  I did take the brush and lightly went over the edge of the chalkboard along the frame to give it an old look.  I I had made a little boo boo and touched the chalkboard by accident with the gold liquid.  I thought I was going to have to go back with the chalkboard spray paint, but instead I decided to roll with it and make it look like it was part of the plan.  I love how the liquid leaf looks over the spray paint.  It shines/shimmers and gives it the look I was envisioning.  It compliments the mirror in our living room above the mantle very well.  They look like they could be siblings :)  Here is the finished product...

Total cost for this project:
*Frame: 25 cents
*Chalkboard spray paint: Already owned it from previous project.
*Metallic Gold Spray Paint: $4
*Gold Liquid Leaf (optional for the look I wanted): $5

Under $10.00 for this project!

This could become an obsession for me.  They are fun to make and would make great gifts!  Anyone make one recently or been wanting to?  I say GO FOR IT....its easy and simple!  Such a fun way to display notes or a message to someone in your family :)

Winter Treasures...A Few of My Favorite Finds!

Once New Years day comes and goes, I am itching to get my Christmas decor down and do a good thorough cleaning before the next season of items emerge.  After having a lot of color around for the holidays, I'm in a winter white color pallet mood to change things up a bit.  White is often dismissed as being "blah" but I find that layering different tones of white and cream can actually be a beautiful thing!  I decided to leave out my white trees and mercury glass since it goes well with the "winter white" theme.  I once heard Nate Berkus (love that guy) say that mercury glass is a timeless decor that will never go "out" and it blends beautifully with so many different styles.  You can actually make your own, and I'll do a tutorial date on that soon as well.   

It's funny how I stumble across good thrifty finds while out and about.  I rarely go out with the intention of finding treasures but somehow in the midst of shopping for something else, treasures somehow find me.  My family often laughs at me when I go shopping because I have to tangibly touch everything I see.  I have a hard time buying anything online because I have to use my sense of touch before being confident with my purchase.  When I go into a store, I get a thrill out of pawing through things to find a deal.  It gets me excited when the challenge arises.   What would take someone 10 minutes to scan a store, takes me a good hour at the least.  I love going to Target just to walk around.  It's like a field trip for an adult :)  I NEVER like to buy anything full price because I know it will at some point go on sale or I can find something similiar elsewhere for a better price.  I think that's what being "thrifty" is all about.  It's not being cheap and stingy but being able to search for a quality gem for a fraction of the price.  You get more for your money that way and it makes this stay at home mom very happy! 

Recently, I came across some great finds and thought I'd share so you too can be on the look out as you are out and about.  Some of my favorite places to visit are Goodwill Distribution (huge warehouse about a mile from our home), Target (clearance home section), local Goodwill store in town, Michael's, Christmas Tree, Homegoods, and Dollar Tree. 

Here are a few of my favorite finds this season...
 

Snowflake pillow-  Target Clearance on end cap.  Bought 2 for $5 each.  

Gold Lamp Base- Goodwill for $1.99. 
It has some rust spots on bottom so I'm either going to try to find a product to take those away or spray it a color. It has good bones.  Will keep you posted.  Burlap Lampshade is from Target, $12 which makes the lamp $14 which isn't bad for the size of it.  

White Lanterns-  Goodwill Distribution, $1.50 each. 

I didn't even realize this place existed until a friend of mine told me about it (Thanks Star :).  It's my new favorite place.  You have to be in the mood to dig through bins, but when you do, you can find some great stuff.   All furniture is 99 cents and everything else is by the pound.  These lanterns were heavy so the price per pound goes down.  They bring new inventory out every 30 minutes.  The lanterns are about a foot and a half tall.  Can be hung on the wall separately or I have put them together as one large lantern in the picture above.  I use it on my make shift side table with candles in it.  They are white with a distressed/vintage finish.

Wooden Letter Sign- Michael's for $1.00.  

It's a blackish/gray tweed fabric over the wood.  I found it in the dollar section.  I replaced my "Merry" sign from Christmas with the "Let It Snow".  I used a white/cream scrapbook paper for back and hot glued the lettering to the paper.  Great winter art!

Round Gold/gray/white Tablecloth-  Target Christmas Clearance $4. 
I rarely use table cloths but I love this fabric and thought if I ended up not liking it as a tablecloth I could make a curtain or pillows out of it. 

Large Pinecone-  Homegoods $2 Christmas Clearance.  

I plan to use it as part of my decor on front door.  It looks like a long enlarged pine cone with snow on it.  Has an old/vintage flare to it.

Placemat- Target $1.00 in Christmas clearance.  

I love the color combo....white, tan, teal green, dark gray and metallic silver strips. Looks like an old rag rug.  Instead of using them as place mats to eat on I decided to use it as part of the centerpiece on my table.  I refinished the crate above with cream paint and brown stain this past summer and I have canning jars in them with epsom salt for snow and tea lights which give a pretty glow at night

 Card "Be the Change You Wish to See in the World."-  Trader Joes for $1.00.  

While looking for cards I saw this one and immediately knew I wanted it to frame for in the kitchen.  It looks like cross stitch even up close, not to mention the saying that has such powerful meaning behind it.  They have beautiful cards that are all frame worthy.  Inexpensive piece of art that looks amazing when framed!

Have you found any great finds lately?  I love hearing and seeing what other people come across in their hunting.  Have a great weekend all!

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