Let me just start by disclosing that I am not a crafty person, I just happened to see this idea in a Pottery Barn magazine and didn’t think that the price was reasonable so I decided to make my own, yike (scary). Normally I would scour e-bay or craigslist until I found a lesser version of my original idea but since my awesome husband got a 2 month severance package and I haven’t had to waste all my weekend free time doing laundry and grocery store trips, I was able to complete this project in a relatively short amount of time, one week. Start with a really cool frame; it can be from an old mirror, picture frame or something new. I looked at Ross and craigslist but ended up finding this one at Big Lots which isn’t normally a store I would visit because I already have tons of useless stuff but I found a huge collage picture frame on sale for only $25, DONE!
Don’t be afraid of Craigslist, just use common sense and your intuition and you will be fine, turn off the news while you are at it, that goes against any chance your board has of bringing you your goals. My husband and I love Craigslist, we call it ‘the dream maker’. Over the years we have found amazing renters, Real Estate Brokers, a wakeboard boat several thousand dollars under value, tires, concert tickets and more just by knowing how to navigate it. Try Freecycle too if you are on a tight budget and aren’t too picky about the size.
The first thing you need to know is that it takes about a week or a long weekend if you are in a normal climate, I am in Arizona and it’s summer which means I had to get up really early for the painting part.
Don’t be afraid of Craigslist, just use common sense and your intuition and you will be fine, turn off the news while you are at it, that goes against any chance your board has of bringing you your goals. My husband and I love Craigslist, we call it ‘the dream maker’. Over the years we have found amazing renters, Real Estate Brokers, a wakeboard boat several thousand dollars under value, tires, concert tickets and more just by knowing how to navigate it. Try Freecycle too if you are on a tight budget and aren’t too picky about the size.
The first thing you need to know is that it takes about a week or a long weekend if you are in a normal climate, I am in Arizona and it’s summer which means I had to get up really early for the painting part.
After that I went directly to Home Depot to get the primer, chalkboard paint, galvanized sheet metal and small steel cutter. The primer was only $5 and well worth it (no sanding, I hate sanding stuff) and the spray paint chalkboard paint was about $10, I got black. The galvanized sheet metal was in the manly section of Home Depot, just ask an employee because that is really the only way to find it. And it doesn’t really fit in a cart so pick up this piece last; it was $19 for twice as much as I needed.
Now it was time to cut the metal, make sure to wear some really good gloves, the edges can get sharp and your hand will get tired of cutting. Go slow to get a straight line, after this part is done it’s all downhill. There is nothing special you need to do in order to make it magnetic, the galvanized steel is already magnetic so let’s get that primer on. I hear you can do it without primer but I decided to error on the side of caution. Since I started this one weekend in June, in Arizona, and both paint cans say the ideal temperature is “less than 90 degrees” I had to do it before I got ready for work at 6AM when it is only 85 degrees. I need to figure out a way to spend the summers in So Cal, LOL! Nothing like sniffing paint before my Monday morning sales meetings!
Anyway, I started on Monday morning with the primer. Wear a light pair of kitchen gloves when you spray paint or you will have a grey finger like I did. I let the primer dry for 24 hours just to be sure. Tuesday morning at 6AM I was ready for the first coat of chalkboard paint and Wednesday was the second coat of chalkboard paint.
Once it dried for 24 hours it was time to get in the frame, just make sure to keep the cardboard piece to give it some extra strength for writing and magnets.
I wanted a few really cute magnets for my special board not just the ones from the pizza place and the vet. I went to Joann’s Fabrics (which btw takes Michael’s coupons) and found some blingy buttons on the clearance rack for $.97. I picked up some plain magnets and some E-6000 (it’s like a big tube of super glue) and was out of there for under $10, with my coupon of course. I didn’t really need to glue the buttons on the magnets but I wanted them to be extra secure so I did it anyway. Viola! It was ready to be put on the wall.
Every year usually during the couple days off I get between Christmas and New Years I make a vision board/dream board for the upcoming year. My idea for this magnetic chalkboard is to constantly be changing, updating and adding to my goals/ideas throughout the entire year. After all, life is all about intention; this is just a reminder I can see every day when I lay in bed.
The whole thing cost under $75 and it’s big!
- · New Frame $25
- · Galvanized Sheet Metal $19
- · Primer $10 and Chalkboard Paint $10 = $20
- · Steel Cutters $12 (I don't count these since my husband will use them for other stuff)
- · Buttons, Magnets & Glue $10
