Hello, hello! How are all of you fine folks today?

I am finally feeling like I’m getting caught up from the blog move. I still have a bit of a headache from all of the coding. But, I’m spending less time on what I call “back of the house” blog things and refocusing on what would then be “front of the house” blog things. Like projects and post ideas…so many fun things swirling around this little brain of mine to share with you. 🙂

So, let’s start with what I think is a REALLY fun one.

I think chalkboards can be so fun (ummmm, yeah, just said fun for the third time in 3 sentences), and when you can literally paint anything and it is instantly a chalkboard … who doesn’t want to get involved, right?!?

But, the idea of all of those chalkboards being black made me a little slow on the uptake of this here trend. I just wasn’t into it. But, as with all things, I figured ‘how hard can it really be to just make some chalkboard paint?’. Right!?!?

As an aside, I don’t know if you know Kelly at View Along the Way. That chick is funny. Seriously, no holds barred (what does that even mean?), authentically funny. And in a recent post about wanting to be a sewer lady she exclaimed:

“I need to hire someone to follow me around and, whenever I think, “How hard can this be?,” their sole responsibility will be to kick me in the face.” – Kelly

It still makes me laugh. 1 – because I think ‘how hard can that be?’ All. The. Time. and 2 – how fun would that job be? 😉  Not specifically to kick Kelly in the face, but I’m always looking for free rein to be a bad a$$, and then to have it as a job. Fun, I say.

And, I happen to be guest posting over at View Along the Way today about what exactly it is that a gal does when she finds herself transplanted onto a Caribbean island. Head on over and say “hi” if you can. 🙂

Aaaanyway, back to the chalkboard paint. Lucky for me, it wasn’t hard at all. Phew!

There are a bunch of recipes out there, and honestly, as is with my strategy with everything, it doesn’t have to be perfect. 😉 Kinda takes the pressure off, right?!?

Martha Stewart says to use 1 tablespoon of unsanded grout to every 1 cup of paint.

Update:  I read/heard/saw somewhere or other that if you add the unsanded grout to a little bit of hot water first it helps the mixing process and makes the chalkboard paint smoother. I will definitely try this next time.

I say take this much paint:
And add this much unsanded grout:
If I had to guess I’d say I had about a third of a cup of paint and I just used a regular plastic spoon, somewhat heaping, full of unsanded grout. Are those teaspoons or tablespoons? I really don’t know.

My ONE BIG TIP!!! Take your time with the mixing. Mix, and mix and mix some more.

It’s tedious, but unless you get up in there, you’re going to have tiny little blobs of paint covered unsanded group specs. Know what I mean? More mixing to begin with is conducive to less cursing at the end I would imagine. 🙂

And Tip #2!!! Don’t mix too much more than you’re going to want to use, the grout dries up the paint pretty quickly.

Now, after you paint your surface and it dries completely, the next step is to give it a light sanding. No pics here, but let’s picture it together. Chalkboard paint already painted and dried, sand paper in hand, raise hand to chalkboard paint, gently move hand back and forth with sand paper lightly smoothing out the surface of the chalkboard paint. Got it? 😉

Then condition your new chalkboard.
I don’t have any idea why, but Martha said to do it, and what Martha says, we do. Unless, of course, it has something to do with buying or selling stocks of companies owned by friends of hers. I’m staying out of that. 🙂

Essentially to condition your chalkboard you just take a piece of chalk and cover the entire surface. And then wipe it all of with a damp cloth. And Ta Da!
Let the listing fun begin. 🙂

What do you think? Super simple right?!?! And the flexibility of being able to use any color paint … what will become a chalkboard next? 🙂