Christy's Thrifty Decorating

What is Shabby Chic decorating exactly? According to Wikipedia, Shabby chic is a form of interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their age and signs of wear and tear or new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique. Accessible, affordable, comfortable and eclectic, this popular style features white painted furniture, painted motifs, colors, slipcovers and vintage fabrics.

And, yes I do love the look of Shabby Chic.

I've also noticed that other people love it as well. Let's face it, the vintage, eclectic look is back. Granny's furniture is now looking very, very good. We no longer look to match everything exactly. It's a free for all with decorating these days, and that bodes well for all of us! Thrifty finds, garage sale treasures and furniture that can be converted into WHAT WE WANT, not what some furniture company wants us to buy. Lucky for us, right?
Here are some great examples. These pieces of furniture probably looked a lot different at one time.

courtesy of: midwestcottage.blogspot.com

courtesy of:a1egyp.egptgiftshops.com

courtesy of: chippycharm.com

I've decided to make myself some Shabby Chic style, framed chalkboards. There was some trial and error involved....as usual, but I finally got a finished product that I liked.

Supplies Needed:
*1 (any size you like) wood frame. I got mine at the Goodwill for $2.00.
*Spray paint. Color is your choice. White, cream and robin's egg blue work nice with this style.
*wood cut-outs or embellishments. Found mine at Michael's Craft store. 2 for $2.00
*black glaze. Got mine at Lowes. Valspar black glaze-$18.00. Not cheap, but lasts a long time.
*large piece of chalkboard found at Home Depot. Measures 2' X 4' for $9.95. Much more cost effective than buying the chalkboard paint! I got four chalkboards out of mine.

Directions:

1. Remove pictures and or glass from your frame. lightly sand your wood frame. Don't worry about dings and scratches-it's suppose to look old.

2. Glue on your wood cut outs. Use a clamp to hold them. Let dry.

3. Spray paint your frame with the color you wanted. Let it dry over night. Here is one of the frames (the picture is sideways....ugh), but it has the wood cut outs added to the corners and it's spray painted blue.

Below is a closer view of the wood cut out.

4. Brush on the black glaze liberally. Immediately wipe off with a rag.

Above is the frame with the addition of the glaze before it's wiped off.

5. Cut your chalkboard to the dimensions you need. I used a jigsaw to cut mine. The chalkboard cuts very easily. Sand the sides and then place into your frame. You can use staples or small nails to hold the chalkboard in place. I my case, the stable were already in the frame.

Hopefully you already have a hook on the back, if not, just add one.

Your done!
Finished product shown below.
This one has the blue undercoat.