Painting A Framed Chalkboard

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Hello Friends!
You know when you’ve had a project in mind for a long time and every time you walk by 
it speaks to you? Maybe it’s just me.

This is one of those projects.
I really wanted a framed, distressed white chalkboard ever sine I found a fancy framed mirror on Craigslist, way back when. 
Well, I finally got around to painting it white.

This is how it looked before. I bought it before gold was back in vogue. I've always loved gold, but felt the gold was a little too brassy.
But, I left it. Every time I walked by it or took a photo of it, the words “this would look so much better painted white” would come to mind.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I had Mr. DIY move the chalkboard to the dining room talbe on top of a drop cloth I went outside to get my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and supplies. I thought I had an off white ASCP, but it was bright white. I thought I had painted some candlesticks with the ASCP, but if I had checked my blog, I would have found out that I painted those candlesticks with craft paint. 

Hmmm. I got online to order some chalk paint and found Rustoleum has a chalked paint now and I though I’d try it.  Do It Best had some listed online for $10.99 a quart. I thought it was a typo, since everyone else had it for $16.98 or more. I ordered some and had it delivered to my nearest Ace Hardware to save on shipping. I think Do It Best caught their mistake because it’s now listed for $18.99, which is still a great price!
I ordered white linen, thinking it would be a nice off white, but it was white. I decided to go ahead and paint it anyway.
Taking out the chalkboard panel was too much trouble, so I taped it up with some recycled paper from a shipping box.

  After painting the frame with one coat, I decided to paint a second coat because some of the gold still showed through. 

I didn't have any dark wax, and that wasn't really the look I wanted, so I used some Minwax Provincial stain mixed with Rustoleum's Driftwood stain. I wanted an old, painted and distressed kind of look. If you want a fancy, really beautiful heirloom look- this isn't it. For that look, see the Annie Sloan website for how to achieve different finished.  I wanted an old, I've been painted a few times and worn, imperfect kind of look. The stain was sufficient to achieve what I wanted.

Then, I used a dry brush technique over the stain with the chalk paint.

After that, I sanded some of the edges to expose the gold finishe. I used a flexible sanding block to do this.

Here's how the mirror looks now:

 
A slightly darker wall color (it's on the project list), will make the distressed painted chalkboard really stand out.

And you know every time I walk past the foyer, I’ll be thinking we need to paint it!

The projects never end!

Pam

You can see how we changed our Craigslist find mirror into a chalkboard HERE.

If you'd like to see how I gave the candlestick a paint makeover, you can find it HERE.


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Gustavian Headboard In The Guest Room

Our guest rooms are still in need of a makeover, but since the bed in our larger guest room has been adorned with the Gustavian headboard, it is one step closer to completion.
I can’t tell you how happy I am with how the headboard project turned out.

I added another coat of white wash to the headboard since the last time you saw it because it looked a little too pink.
Not sure how a yellow tone wood and thinned out white paint  makes pink, but it did.

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This guest room was our youngest daughter’s room  before she moved out. It was painted on the day we moved in because our daughter wanted to have the walls painted before our furniture arrived.  

Thank goodness she chose a nice paint color!

I added the twig wreath I made after a big windstorm at our last house. That lovely curve at the top of the headboard was just calling for one.
The Vintage Lace Valentine Heart Pillow I made last week was the perfect addition to the bed.

I hope you like the Gustavian headboard as much as I do!

If you’d like to see the how to build the headboard, you can see it HERE

Pam

Little Vintage Lace Valentine Heart Pillow

Many, many years ago, I had a little, puffy, vintage looking, heart shaped pillow. I can't remember where I bought it,  but I kept it in the master closet at our last house. A few weeks ago, I remembered I hadn't seen it since we moved a year and a half ago.  I looked high and low for it, but haven't been able to find it. With Valentine's Day coming up soon, I was frustrated that I couldn't find it.

Since my craft room is filled with lots of vintage lace my grandmother made and leftover fabric from clothing she made for her granddaughters when my cousins and I were little, plus lots of other little lovelies I've collected over the years, I decided to sit down and make a new little puffy vintage pillow of my own,
Next time I'll show you how I made it, but for now, I'll just show you a few pretty  photos. 

The pearl shank buttons were left over  from when I made my wedding dress 32 years ago. I hand stitched them on some tatted lace my grandmother made, which is sewn on top of a pink embroidered fabric that was a good sized remnant from an Easter dress she made my cousin.

The lace doily and variegated pink thread crochet flower was also made by my grandmother many, many years ago, probably in the 1920s. The ribbon rose on top of the crochet flower is a little flower left over from when I made headbands for our girls when they were toddlers. 

More of my grandmother's tatted lace edging cover up the edges of a strip of fabric that our oldest daughter gave me several years ago. My grandmother and her sisters used to sit on their porches in the evenings and tatt lace edgings to eventually sew onto pillow cases. The pillow cases and other embelished linens would fill their Hope chest for when they would eventually get married. The faux diamond shank button was found in my button collection. 

There you have it.

A new little puffy vintage pillow with a lot of history.

If you'd like to see how to make the Vintage Lace Valentine Heart Pillow, you can find out HERE

Thanks for stopping by

Pam

How To Build A Curvy Cottage Headboard

Gustavian is such a fancy name for a curvy farmhouse style headboard that is so easy to build.It's such an easy project that it only took about 5 hours to build and finish. It can easily be built on a Saturday and finished the same day if you start early and already have your supplies. 

And it's REALLY inexpensive!

We've never had a headboard for the Guest Bedroom Queen sized bed, and I really wanted Mr. DIY to build one after he built a fabulous Farmhouse Bed for our youngest daughter when she moved into her apartment. I saw a Gustavian bed while perusing Pinterest. The bed costs well over $2,000 and I knew Mr. DIY could build a headboard for a LOT less.

Off to Lowes we went.
Supplies purchased:
5 - 1x 6 x 8 (for the center part of the headboard)
2 - 1 x 6 x 6 (for the "posts")
2 - 1 x 4 x 6 (or the braces in the back)
1box 8 x 1 1/4" Exterior wood screws
4 - 1/4" x 20 x 1" long bolts
4 - 1/4" flat washers
4 - 1/4" x 20 tee nuts (bolts, washers and tee nuts will be used to attach the headboard to the metal 
                     bed frame.


COST: $75
UPDATE: let your boards sit for a week. Mr. DIY constructed the headboard the day he purchased the boards and a week later, they shrunk and the width had gone down by 1/2"

He cut 5 of the 1 x 6 x 8 boards in half for the center of the headboard.

Then the boards were laid out like this to accomodate the center to be 65 1/2" and the lowest part of the post is 48 1/2"

He screwed the braces to the back. The top brace width is less to accomodate the curve at the top of the headboard.

Wood boards aren't perfect and are warped a bit. He used a tie down to hold the boards together while he screwed the braces on.

I  made a paper template of the curved top of the headboard. It took me awhile to get the perfect shape.

The template was placed on the headboard and the shape was drawn with a pencil.

Mr. DIY used his jigsaw to cut the shape.

 Then, the whole headboard was sanded.

Next, a 50/50 paint mixture was used to finish the bed. I used Signature Ultra White paint in Satin from Lowe's.
I applied the paint with a brush, then wiped it off for the first coat. For the 2nd coat, I used a dry brush technique. 
This bed also looks great stained!

All finished!

Here's how the headboard is attached to a metal frame. 

I can't wait until Mr. DIY attaches the headboard to the frame, the bed is put back together and the bed is dressed!

Here's how the Gustavian headboard looks in our guest room:

You can see more photos of it HERE

Pam

You can see how we made the Farmhouse Bed HERE

The above post is how we made our Gustavian bed. 
We don't take any responsibility for any errors or results obtained from using this information. Using power tools can result in injury. When using power tools, use safety equipment.

We recommend the below products because we use Dewalt tools and absolutely love the Rockwell 4 1/2" saw. Rockwell has excellent customer service!.
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Disclaimer: The above post is about how we built our headboard. We don't take any responsibility for any errors or results obtained from using this information. Using power tools can result in injury. When using power tools, use safety equipment.

Tasty Gluten Free Applesauce Muffins

These muffins are good. Not good for gluten free. 

They are GOOD.

 Period.

They are "I could eat the whole batch of a dozen muffins at once good."

I have these gluten free applesauce muffins for breakfast. They are especially tasty with tea. Or if you like, coffee.

You have to try them at least once.

I found the recipe on Oven Love, but changed a few things.

Here's how I make them:

I gather all the ingredients and set them on the counter. It's easier than going back and forth from cubbard to counter to pantry....you get the picture.

I set out 2 bowls and fill the first one with the dry ingredients.

1 1/2 cups of almond flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
   1/2 cup of Mama's Best gluten free flour (if use 2 cups of almond flour, they'll be Paleo too)
   3/4 tsp salt 
   1 tbs of cinnamon 
   1 tsp of baking powder 
   1 tsp of baking soda

In the 2nd bowl, add all the  wet ingredients.
Blend 3 eggs together

add:
4 tablespoons honey
1 cup applesauce
Blend together.
Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla

Blend the dry ingredients together then add the two bowls together. 

Fill 12 muffin cups up to  almost full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Let cool and eat!!!

I buy my almond flour from Amazon... Link HERE 

If you'd like to follow me on Pinterest, I've pinned lots of yummy treats. Here's the link to my YUM board

Happy Eating!

Pam 

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