DIY: HOW TO MAKE A CHALKBOARD SIGN

HAHA. So random right!? :) I know. I know.

However, (what feels like a million weeks ago), I got an itch to make something for my kitchen. I didn't know what I wanted to make, but I wanted to make SOMETHING. I literally did this on a whim and don't regret it one bit. I went into my garage, saw that we had blackboard paint and a wooden board that were just filling up the garage. We made eye contact, and they said, "PLEASE DO SOMETHING WITH ME! PAH-LEASE WOMAN!" SO I did. I decided to make a chalkboard. Here is how I made it and I am sure you're thinking, "Well Shay, that's SOOO EASY!"

Yes, my friends. Yes it was. It isn't rocket science. AND it wasn't the first time someone has made one of these. Original much? Heck no.

But, I made one from scratch. AND it was fun. I enjoyed making it and plan on making some for my friends as gifts in the future. SO here you go...just in case you feel like getting crafty in the near future and need some reassurance on how easy this is! :)

First you need the following:

A blank wood board (any size you prefer - got ours from Home Depot)
Blackboard paint (Home Depot)
A roller paint brush
Trim to frame (Measure your board and prepare to add a few inches just in case)
White spray paint
A saw
A nail gun
A sexy husband (boyfriend, neighbor, guy pal, gal pal, whomever you want to hang out with, really. If they are HANDY, I'd pick them first. :))
A smile (not optional)
And a Furpup (optional)

With our house renovations, we had all of this laying around already - SCORE - but if you don't have this at your fingertips, these supplies are very affordable at your local hardware store! ;) Well maybe not the saw, but you know what I mean.

Next:

STEP 1.  Prep your board. Clean it off and make sure there is no dirt on it. Whisper sweet little nothings to it and prepare it for greatness. ;)

STEP 2.  Get your paint ready. I started painting the board with this small paint brush because it was all I could find. Thankfully, Drew found my roller in the garage and it proved to be a MUCH more efficient and smoother process.

 STEP 3: Smile like a weirdo. Paint your board and let it dry. I applied three coats. It took me about an hour to do all three, too! :)

 STEP 4: Make sure your Furpup approves.

STEP 5: Get your trim and spray paint it white. I applied two coats. You can also do this while your board is drying too. Obviously I forgot to take photos of this part. My bad.

STEP 6: Measure your board to see what dimensions you need to cut for your trim. 

STEP 7: Once the trim is cut, lay it on your board and staple. It was a little tricky for us and had a minute where everything wasn't exactly matching up, so make sure you are exact with your measurements! :)

STEP 8: Get your chalk and get creative! I have already changed up my board a few times and it's so fun! :) It adds a fun little touch of love to that kitchen of yours. (Ours is currently sitting above our refrigerator, BUT you can also use this chalkboard in any room of your house, obviously! :) I ordered a chalk pen off of Amazon and hopefully that will look a lot better than what you are about to see below! :)

STEP 9: Write! Wipe! Enjoy! Write! Wipe! Enjoy! Repeat as much as your pretty heart desires. :)

STEP 10: Drink a cup of coffee.

Zee end! :)

DIY: Love Pillow Case

The other week I promised myself that I would start doing things again that fired me up...you know, actually DOING things that make me happy. I've always been a creative person. I love to draw, color, paint, and more or less create. I realize I don't share much of that here on the blog, and it's seriously weird to me that I don't because it's one of my favorite things to do. I was that little girl that fell asleep with crayons in her hand and used coloring books as pillows. I was that girl that carefully colored photos and would start all over if the crayon marks didn't go the same way and if I got out of line? OH, talk about a total meltdown! ;) (jk, kinda). I was in AP Art in High School, and I was always volunteered in school when any art project/signage came about. It's safe to say that Art and Language Arts were my favorite subjects in school. It guess it's just in my blood and I get it from my Mama! Every year for Christmas my Mamaw would give me a sketchpad because she knows my love for doodling, drawing, you name it. I just crave making things and seeing my thoughts and creativity unfold in front of me. What can I say? I like doing things with my hands.

Sadly, I feel that the older I get, and the more I consume myself with chores, work, and just the every day hustle and bustle of life, I forget to allow time for fun activities that make me happy. You know...those things called hobbies? :)

I was sitting at my desk a week or so ago and my lunch break was approaching. Normally, I eat and roam the internet, read blogs, check my phone, respond to comments, etc. and I thought to myself, "I want to make something today." A month ago or so I was roaming the internets and I ran across a pillow that had the word "adore" in gold sequins across it. I saved it on my computer in the list, "To Buy" that literally was doomed to just remain on my Wish List. It was $60.00 and I know if I told Drew that I wanted a $60.00 pillow he'd just laugh in my face and remind me that we were out of paper towels, toilet paper, dish detergent and dryer sheets. #priorities

I then remembered I had an old IKEA pillow case, gold sequin ribbon, and a hot glue gun. I had all the materials just chillin' in my house so I cleared off my desk, gathered my supplies, and I made myself a pillow in one hour for ZERO dollars.



ALL YOU NEED: 

Glue Gun
Glue Sticks
Gold Sequin Ribbon (I got this from Hobby Lobby for $2.99 in the fabric section)
Pencil (with a big eraser; I'll explain in a minute)
White Pillow Case (This one is from IKEA)



This really goes without saying, but make sure your pillow case lays flat and is clean. Most of you might need to buy a new white pillow case, but I've had this one laying around for about two years. I washed it and made sure that there weren't any stains on it. Once you lay out your pillow, measure out your space and find the middle.



I played around with the sequins for a couple of minutes trying to figure out how large I wanted my "LOVE" to be. At first it was too small, and then it was too big. Draw the word really lightly onto your pillow. I made the mistake of using a pencil without an eraser and I messed up a couple of times. It was hard for me to erase the lines later, but that's okay. I'm just warning you now so you don't make my mistake. It might even be easier to just spell out the word love without the pencil. I ended up doing this for the second half of the word once I realized my eraser was non-existent. :)



Make sure the sequins are turned on the correct side, and slowly place the sequins on the pillow. It doesn't have to be be the word LOVE either, but just make sure it will all fit and look centered on your pillow. :)



Once your sequin ribbon is in place, start on one end and carefully lift your ribbon to apply your hot glue. Do it inch by inch, and press down firmly. Do this for the entire word, and don't rush yourself. :)



I took a pillow off of my guest room bed to place into my pillow case and TA DA! :) You have yourself a LOVE pillow! :)





It's super easy and really simple to make! :) This could make a great birthday gift, or even a Valentine's Day present! :)

I'd say it was a lunch break well spent and I had a lot of fun doing it! :)

Have an awesome day y'all! I'll be posting some photo sessions this week so be looking for those too!

OFFICE REVEAL! :)

AHHHHHHHHHH! It's here! It's here! It's here! I'm sorry it's so late in the day too. I wanted to post this earlier this morning, but I'm experiencing flu like symptoms and just feeling sicker than a dog. BUT, as promised, I'm here to reveal my office! :)

It feels SO good to finally show you guyssss! This project has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. When Drew and I first moved into our home almost three years ago, we had BIG plans for it. We bought an older home with plans to go room by room, gut it, upgrade here and there, and make it our own. We watched just a little TOO much HGTV, and I read WAY too many blogs. We basically got in over our heads and didn't realize HOW expensive things were, how fast things added up, and got tired, REAL quick.

At this time, we are on hold with a lot of the renovations in our home, BUT one day this summer I looked at Drew and said, "BABE. If we can't put the floors in our living room yet...and we aren't allowed to touch this room, this room, and this room. Can we maybe do the office? That's the only room we are allowed to touch...technically. PLEASE??"

 We both had the itch and so it was game on!

Y'all. I work a lot and I am one of those people who LOVE being in a creative space. I truly feel that you can do better, more creative, and more inspiring work if your work space reflects that. I have DREAMED of working in an office that reflects me, and makes me happy. I want to vibe off of my surroundings and enjoy a room that I'm in ALL. THE. TIME.

For a little over two years, I was working in a room of off-white walls. We bought me a cheap little desk that sat in the corner of a room and faced the wall. It was accompanied with a black chair.

That's it. Literally. It was the ugliest room in all the land! :)

Nothing on the walls. Berber carpet. Old yellow beige outlets. Tiny white ceiling fan that was lopsided. I'm talking BORING, BLAH, and NOT inspiring whatsoever.

After some saving, and practical talks with Drew, we decided to get to work.

We ripped up the nasty carpet, we bought some paint, and before I knew it...my space came to life. I held off on posting this for awhile because I wanted to buy cool new things to make my office awesome, BUT, the money never allowed for that. I ended up using things around my home and realized that I didn't need NEW "stuff" to make it work.

So, here it is. I hope you like it. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 Ta daaaa! :) It's so much fun getting to work from home, but working from home in the office of my dreams is pretty freaking awesome.

The floors were bought at Discount Floor & More. Drew put them in all by himself.
The Gold Wall: Drew and I handpainted this. It was tedious and crazy, but SO worth it.
Camera Bag: Jo Totes
Chair: Bought at an antique store
Desk: IKEA
Gold Chest: Bought at antique store
Blanket: Marshall's
Pillow: Bed, Bath & Beyond
Picture Frame in Window: Hobby Lobby
For Like Ever: Gift from DDHP; Purchased from OhDierLiving on Etsy.
Chandelier: Lowes
Frames: IKEA
Prints: Stephanie Stervoski Print Shop (She's amazing and just released new prints!)
Flowers on Desk: IKEA
Vase: Was Drew's Mom's that she gave to me. It was gray and I spray painted it gold.
Book Case: Hand me down from my sister-in-law. Painted it white. Added under-lighting from IKEA.
Sticks in Vase: Hobby Lobby
Gold Pillow: Marshall's
Wooden Gold Heart: Marshall's (Spray painted the heart gold)
Gold Frame: Free from neighbors yard. Was brown and spray painted it gold.
Love Letters on Shelf: Hobby Lobby
Cameras on Shelf: Z-Gallerie
iPhone Case: Target

I'm still on the prowl for window decor. I can't decide on what kind of drapes I want! :)

A HUGE and SPECIAL thanks to my husband who put blood, sweat and tears into this office. That wall would not have been possible without him! :) Thank you Elise for pushing me to FINALLY post this and helping me utilize the things in my home! :) XOXO!