BrittanyMakes

It’s no secret that I love all things gold, or turning things gold with gold leaf. Remember when I went so far as to gold leaf an entire chair? I think I single-handedly made it possible to be in love with a chair.  My heart skips a beat every time I look at it.  And if you’re wondering, yes the gold leaf has held up wonderfully!

Well, today’s little tutorial is the result of mixing 2 obsessions, gold leaf and chalkboards.  My chalkboard obsession grew from my fascination with Dana Tanamachi’s marvelous hand lettering skills, plus Miss Mustard Seed’s chalkboards she uses in many vignettes (my favorites being this one and this one).

Thus began my hunt for the easiest, cheapest way to make an over-sized chalkboard…

YES! Creating a chalkboard is THAT easy!  I bought an MDF panel from Home Depot.  You can also use plywood, but plywood is more expensive and requires sanding.  MDF has a very smooth and even surface, perfect for a chalkboard.

First step – prime it.  Second – give the board 2 coats of chalkboard spray paint, let the first coat dry fully before applying the second. Third – grab your jig saw and measuring tape to cut the exact size needed to fit into your frame.  If you don’t have a frame, you can always make one using crown molding.

Remember this huge empty frame I bought from Salvation Army a while back? On his own, he wasn’t a very handsome frame, but I had a feeling the detail would be to my favor.  First, I cleaned away cobwebs and pried out the frame’s inlay.  Then sprayed the frame with tacky adhesive, which I let sit for 5 minutes to get super sticky and tacky. Lastly, I applied gold leaf the same way I gilded this chair.

I didn’t obsess too much over any cracks or areas where the gold leaf didn’t take.  I wanted the frame to look old and weathered.

I had just enough leftover MDF to fit into another frame I bought from Salvation Army. I really liked this frame because the gold detail on the inside was already a part of the frame.  I just added the brush strokes to the outer detail. The frame itself was originally a cherry color, so I decided to paint it in white chalk paint, then add the brush strokes with liquid gold leaf.

I think this chalkboard needs a kitchen to call home.  And I just might have the perfect new kitchen to put in!  Hmmmm, did we finally find a loft???? To be continued…