Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Chalk Board Charger Plates - Fun for the Family!

Pick up a dozen or so of these plain charger plates for under $1 each and turn your dinner table into a fun, festive dinner every night! I applied two light coats of Rust-Oleum's Specialty ChalkBoard Paint in Black and wrote cute notes for the kids! Best part of the Specialty Paint is that it is available to tint in over 10 different colors! Application was quick and easy, dries fast and again, I barely dented the quart can. Be sure to place a cup of chalk on the table for the kids to respond...that's the best part!

Project Materials
* Charger Plates
* Rust-Oleum Specialty ChalkBoard Paint -Black
* Foam Roller or paint brush
* Roller tray
* Chalk
* Rags to wipe off messages

Project Steps
*Cover area where you are going to paint
*Apply one thin coating of the chalkboard paint over charger plate
*Allow to dry one hour
*Apply second coating
*Third coat may be needed
*Be sure to allow one hour in between coats
*Season the painted charger plates by taking the rounded part of the chalk and lightly dust entire dry, painted plate with chalk. Wipe off and now you are ready to write your message.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Chalk Board Wine Glasses - Finished Look




Here they are! Perfect for entertaining as well as having a fun family dinner! This was one of the easiest projects I have ever completed and will be making a few dozen as gifts for birthdays, accompanied with a bottle of wine! I wanted to share a couple of during the process pictures so you can see just how easy it was to literally dip the stems into the paint!

I barely dented the can of Rust-Oleum's Specialty ChalkBoard Paint in Black - but the best part of this product is that it's available in 12 different colors from Raspberry to Kona - talk about specializing that perfect birthday gift for your friend - celebrate Valentine's Day with personalized Wine or Champagne glasses dipped in Rust-Oleum's Specialty ChalkBoard Paint in Fresco Red!



Project Materials
*Wine or Champagne Glasses
*Paper towels
*Acetone
*Chalk

Project Steps

*Wash and fully dry your glasses
*Wipe them with the acetone
*Dry well
*Mix ChalkBoard Paint very well with a stir stick
*Dip each stem of the glass directly into the quart paint
*Gently pull up as you take out the painted stem and swirl the glass - allowing the paint to drip directly back into the can
*Place glass down on a piece of cardboard and every so often go back and lift the glass up so that it does not stick to the cardboard
*Allow to fully dry 24 hours
*Season each painted stem by taking the rounded edge of the chalk and rubbing chalk onto the surface
*Wipe off and now you can customize each wine glass

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Chalk Board Wine Glasses

Thrift Store Score! Silver rimmed wine glasses that I'm going to jazz up with Rust-Oleum Specialty Chalkboard Paint - on the foot of the glass! Spent just under $2 for them and the silver rim adds that bit of bling! You can then personalize each individual glass for your guests. Don't limit yourself to a name...add the brand of wine or use a nickname! Keep it creative & fun! Be sure to jump on tomorrow for my work in progess.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Organize & Recycle Paint

If you live in the colder regions, you should always bring in your paint from your garage or shed. Be sure to label each color by dabbing a spot on top of the paint can or you can label the color with a sharpie marker. Another easy way to keep a record of your paint colors is by dipping a paint stick into each gallon, allowing it to dry and then keeping that paint stick readily available for decorating as well.

My handy tip- I recommend that you wrap the mouth of the paint can with cling wrap - basically sealing in the paint and then tightly secure the lid on. As we repaint and decorate rooms, we should do away with the old paints that are no longer in your home.

If your paint is old and has an odor, you should fill it with kitty litter and allow to get hard then recycle through your local waste management company. If you have various gallons of paint left, here are a few tips on recycling:

*Call your local Good Will or Thrift Store
*Contact your local high school's drama department - they are in need of supplies all the time!
*Call Habitat for Humanity

The new buzz word in the world of recycling is now "Precycle" - which is basically purchasing the correct amount of paint. No need to over buy paint..you can always go back and buy a quart for touch-ups as oppossed to storing a gallon for a few years! A few websites that can help you further recycle your paints:

*PaintCare.org
*Earth911.com
*www.local.com