You all know my newest obsession for chalkboard sign making. :)
love.
However, I'm definitely not an expert nor do I claim to be. I'm just a huge font nerd and a perfectionist which both come to my advantage when doing chalkboard signs.
Most recently I was doing another sign for a friend (you may have seen a while ago on my Instagram page) and discovered a set back. The set back turned out to be a great learning moment so I wanted to share in case anyone else out there had the same set back.
The board my friend purchased was a dry erase board (in the chalkboard section...easily mistaken). Before I started writing with chalkboard markers, I wanted to do a few test runs to make sure after I finished doing the entire board it would not easily wipe off and be lost.
Sure enough, the chalkboard markers came right off the dry erase board. I researched numerous ways to preserve the chalkboard markers onto the board but was having very little luck finding any info. Most of what I found was for preserving actual chalk. It was time to do my own testing.
I took a dry erase calendar board I had hanging in my office (which had good intentions when purchased but then officially just became my magnetic board). I was going to chalkboard spray my friend's dry erase board but changed my mind at the last minute. Instead, I did a little doodling with markers on the calendar board. Then, I grabbed a cheap can of hairspray and lightly sprayed over the marker doodles to see what would happen.
The result...awesomeness! I was able to "seal" the markers onto the board without having to chalkboard paint it first.
Before I could move on to the actual board for my friend, I needed to fix my half hairsprayed and doodled on board. Using a can of chalkboard paint, I covered the whole calendar and it dried within minutes. Voila.
Then, it was onto my friend's graduation board for her daughter. Since my only experience officially had been with first birthday boards, I had been brainstorming a collection of ideas (in my head) over the past couple months. (By the way, much better idea to write ideas down somewhere rather than trusting my old lady brain!)
Either way...this was the finished product. I love it!
After I finished doing all the writing, I held my breath in fear and lightly hairsprayed over the entire top. Ever so gently I touched and made sure nothing would come off unless scraped or rubbed with a little elbow grease. In luck. Thank goodness.
I was so grateful to do this board because I learned an effective and useful way to preserve chalkboard art...#hairspray. Gotta love me some hairspray!
Was so thankful to create that one for my friend's daughter but.......
then there was one more. Much more intimidating.
It was actually almost double in size and I was putting it off til last because well, truth be told, I was terrified of messing up my friend's board. She had given me the quote she had seen and thought perfect for the occasion...highschool graduation.
Honestly, once I rewrote the quote on a piece of paper and organized how I would "attack" it on the board, I was overly excited to create. Within the first two lines, I suddenly realized the size actually felt more like writing on my easel at school. With that I lost all fear and just went for it.
I loved the other ones, but this one has my heart. Maybe it is because of how intimidated I was by it at first but oh. my. goodness. #favorite
And then there was this...
I felt like I needed a change. I will say the look on the left is definitely the I-did-nothing-with-my-hair-because-I'm-going-to-get-it-done-anyway look. No judgement. But lordie was it long! My stylist almost wouldn't cut it but I told her I had a really fun year of trying all sorts of styles and needed a change. Chop it all off. And so she did. Thankful. And Light. Yes.
#hairalwaysgrowsback
Changes.....Summer projects...
We are relatively new to our house and love the backyard and outdoor area A LOT. However, since winter consumed most of our months here, patio furniture has taken a back seat to many of the indoor projects and updating.
And then this showed up one day from my mom.
She knew it wasn't "my style" but was determined that we have something out there to sit on. My daughter was told, "Mom's crafty enough. She could do something with this." Hmmm...
So we did.
Used 11 cans a lot of Rust-oleum Universal paint and primer and covered two sets of tables and chairs. The perfectionistic side of me wanted to make sure every square inch was covered. (That would explain the second trip back to Home Depot for more paint.) I was limited on the number of dry days needed for painting and then drying so I completed this task in one morning/early afternoon. I have used Rust-oleum for numerous projects but never on wrought iron. I was very pleased with it's coverage and color.
Still searching for the perfect cushions and umbrellas to compliment it all and fit "our style" but liking it so far. Hard to tell from the pictures but it's a dark brown/bronze type color which changes with the level of sun and it's intensity. Keeps it interesting I suppose.
Just in time for some July celebrations!
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