My girlfriends daughter is turning 2 today and we were invited to her birthday party yesterday. So when Saturday came around and I still didn’t have a gift I decided to get my thinking cap on. My girlfriend told me she needed nothing so that didn’t give me a lot to go on. I decided to help bring out this little girls artistic side! I came up with the idea to make a chalkboard easel. I was going to make it from scratch and then I got looking in my attic and found an easel I wasn’t using anymore. I then got thinking I could reuse this easel and attach a framed chalkboard. Once I came up with the gift, I then had to go out and gather a few supplies. I went to the local thrift store and picked up a picture of a lovely framed landscape picture. It was $15 and I liked the shape and size of the frame. I then went to Walmart for some girly decals and the hardware store for some chalkboard paint. When I got home this is what I had:

(My son came along for the ride!)

The first thing I did was take the frame apart and sand the landscape picture down till it was smooth.

Once the board was smooth, I gave it a coat of chalkboard paint with a foam roller.

While the first coat of paint was drying, I took the frame outside and gave it a coat of white with spray paint. I then went inside and started working on the easel. The easel was a little bit wobbly so I tightened all the screws.

I then gave the easel a coat of paint (left over from another project.)

After 2 hours, I gave the board another coat of paint and then allowed it to dry over night. The next morning I brought the frame in and rubbed some dark brown glaze in all the little nook’s and cranny’s. To give the frame an antique finish.

When the frame was dry, I put the chalkboard back in the frame and fastened it with a couple of nails and then some liquid nail. (Actually, my husband helped me with this step!)

When the liquid nail dried, I painted the back of the frame white.

It didn’t take the paint very long to dry, which was good because I was dying to see the frame on the easel! I held the frame and my husband screwed the frame in place from the back of the easel.

The last thing I did was hot glue gunned some cute little flower decals on around the frame.

And here it is, my vision came to life!

I would say this project cost me:

easel – free

paint – free

chalkboard paint – $10 (but I have half a can left for another project!)

picture frame – $15

decal and spray paint – $5

Grand Total – $30

another artistic future blogger – priceless!!!