Frugal Friday - Chalkboard Masterpiece

Another thrift store before and after!

The second I saw this frame in the window at Goodwill, I sucked in my breath "huuhhhhhhhh!" out loud. That is a little dramatic, but I fell in love with this thing as soon as I saw it. Alright, that's over dramatic too. Anyway, I liked it...alot.

First thing I did was to grab it up and asked how much it cost. When the cashier said five dollars, I hugged it for the rest of the way through the store.

And it is huge, about 2.5' x 3.5'.

Don't ask me why I like it so much.

I think it is because it looks like it ought to be wrapped around the wicked Queen's mirror in Snow White and asked, "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" in all of it's golden plastic glory. It also reminds me of some ornate frame that ought to have some masterpiece painting inside it. Thus my title, not a masterpiece just because I made it, but because it looks grand.

I wasn't for sure what to do with it at first, but I settled on a chalkboard.



Me and my little sis went to Home Depot and bought some 1/8" hardboard for about $3.87 a sheet. We bought two, one for the chalkboard and one for the backing. The kind gentleman at Home Depot cut the sheets to our measurements. I also bought a small piece of trim (in the photo) that we were going to use for a chalk ledge, but ended up not using it.



We checked the measurements to make sure that the board fit snuggly before we went any further.



Here is a back view of the frame with the first layer of hardboard (that will be the chalkboard) inserted.



Close up of the frames plastic molding below. The first layer went smoothly into the grooves because my husband measured so well. Then the backing board will go over it and screwed into the holes that are in the molding.



I had some vinyl lettering that I wanted to use, saying "The Canslers" and "EST. 2004". I had ordered it from an Uppercase Living consultant named Rebekah Wade at my friend Gail's party. When I ordered it, I wasn't exactly sure what I would do with it until this project came along. I started out wanting to put the "EST. 2004" letters along the bottom, but end up not using them.





I got some chalkboard paint at Walmart, (much cheaper there than Home Depot) along with some acrylic craft paint in "Country Tan". Also, I had some flat black spray paint that my husband used to spray paint the frame for me outside.



My plan at first was to have the chalkboard part in the center, and a block of tan paint at the top and the bottom. Once I got it taped off and started (below), I thought it looked kind of stripe-y. So I changed my plan to have only one block of tan at the top, with chalkboard the rest of the way to the bottom.



After the paint dried. I applied my custom ordered vinyl lettering. The chalkboard fit into the frame nicely. Then my husband drilled the backing onto the frame to hold everything together, and onto the wall it went! Ta-daaaaa:









I think this one is a keeper! And if I get tired of the chalkboard I can always switch it out with something else - corkboard maybe? Oh the possibilities...

Be sure to check out my VBS Mondays, Slow Cooker Thursdays, and Frugal Fridays!

*+*+*+* Pro 14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.