Simple Custom Dry Erase Board

Hello!

Since I'm in summer cleaning/organizing mode at my house right now I thought I'd show you a super simple project that I made a while back to help me keep organized! At our house it SO helps if we have a to-do list of things that need to get done. When I first moved into the house, this is the system that Russ was using:

Yeah... a HUGE metal dry erase board. 

On the floor. 

And while, yes, it was a place to write down our chores, it was big (ugly), on the floor (ugly) so Adelle was constantly drawing over our organizing list and the thing was a constant culprit of stubbed toes.  :(

And I'm not even going to mention that it was ugly.

;)

While shopping around for something to replace the big ugly thing I kept seeing decorative dry erase boards that were made of glass. Most of them were like window boxes with a pinboard behind and glass on top. I thought that was a pretty cool idea, but they were too small and too expensive. Then I started thinking, "Well, it's just glass, right? Can't I do the same thing with any picture frame?"

So that is exactly what I decided to do!

I have this gorgeous matelasse creamy white fabric that I thought would be the perfect backdrop. Not too busy and beautiful without any writing on top. All I did was find a frame that I liked (at Wal-Mart of all places!) It's big enough to fill the wall that it's on and I love the streaky dark finish. I just took out the mat and cut the fabric to size. I backed the fabric with the thick cardboard that came with the frame and made sure everything fit snug inside the frame.

And that's it!

Russ had no idea what I was doing at first but when it was finished he loved it! It looks great on the wall and it works the same as a traditional dry erase board does. It's just pretty!

Adelle got an easel for her birthday so she is free to draw all over her dry erase board :)

I went google searching and found a few other examples of easy peasy boards that are fabulous as well

So have you been searching for a stylish way to keep yourself on track with chores? Try your own customized dry erase board! They can literally be made to match any decor. 

Happy crafting!

Linking to:

End of the Year Teacher Gift- Chalkboard fun!

Hi lovelies!

Adelle just finished preschool! Crazzzzaay! I am extremely excited and sad for her to start kindergarten. We've had a great time at her Montessori school and of course we had to give her teacher an appreciation gift. After wandering through Michaels with Adelle for forever with absolutely no inspiration I spotted a little wooden board on a stand. Near it were the cutest tiny wooden ABC blocks I had ever seen. Immediately a chalkboard idea popped into my head! How much more fitting could you get for a teacher anyway?? After finding a few more school themed wood appliques I headed home and we created this!

Here is a shot of the back side.

So, here's how I did it :)

These are the supplies I started out with, minus the ribbon as I decided to add it later.

I happened to be spray painting for another project so I went ahead and sprayed on a light coat of primer to the chalkboard area just to help the chalkboard paint adhere better. So then I started off by taping the area off for the chalkboard, gave it a coat with a foam roller and painted the entire back. While that dried I rummaged through my acrylic paints and decided to paint the base yellow. This required several coats. I had originally painted the sides green but the sides of the board were very rough, so I ultimately decided to cover them with ribbon. (which turned out so much nicer, btw!)

After a few hours I painted on a second coat of chalkboard paint.

After everything was dry I played around with my little blocks, I wanted to spell out her teachers name. I had first planned to write it on the board in a white paint pen so that her name would always be on there, but I decided on this instead.

I hot glued on her name and then just arranged everything else and hot glued it all on. I made little bows as accents (glued them together so they don't untie) and sealed all of the ribbon edges with a lighter. To hold the chalk I just tied it to a long ribbon that was tied and glued to the leg. I glued the red ribbon with white stitching along the sides of the board and the rainbow on the base. I LOVE how it turned out. I was scared for a bit but the ribbon really finished everything off nicely!

Adelle wrote her name on the chalkboard and signed it with a little note on the bottom in sharpie.

I am pleased to say that her teacher loved it! I even spied her showing it off to the other teachers. :) I think it turned out SO cute and we might just have to do this every year! 

Of course Adelle does have several teachers, so we baked cookies and put them in cute little boxes with the recipe on them. I felt a little bad just giving the head teacher a gift when there are so many wonderful teachers there that Adelle loves. Here's a shot of Adelle with her head and asst teacher after their performance. 

So cute! We'll miss that school. Welp, I just wanted to share our little project with you! It's super easy and didn't take too long at all to make. And what a great and useful gift for the teacher to keep in the classroom with her for years to come! Happy crafting!

Linking up to:

Sweet Summer Style

Hi! I just came back from my first little trip of the summer. We went camping in Pinecrest and in Mendocino, CA. Both places are wonderful and we ate fabulous abalone and had a blast. So it's got me thinking about summer style. I am a HUGE fan of coastal decorating, so I thought I'd do a little post of some fun summer and coastal spaces! If you are looking for inspiration, or just something to get you into the summer spirit, these photos just might have you booking a trip to the coast :)

Coastal Living

Ahhhh, how refreshing and rustic at the same time!

Coastal Living

Having lunch by the sea with the beautiful white furniture and rustic farm table looks just divine.

Coastal Living

Two of my favorite summer things. Scrabble and hydrangeas, SO fun!

Country Living

The cute little starfish add just the right amount of playfulness in this gorgeous monochromatic bath.

Country Living

I absolutely adore everything about this room! The fun coastal touches and the pretty white furniture just remind me of the clean colors on the beach! I love bright and white for summer.

Country Living

I have a big thing for silver serving trays and bowls. Adding some seashells is a great way to easily infuse some summer beachyness into your decor for cheap!

If you aren't near the ocean, it's still easy to add some gorgeous coastal style to your house for the summer and feel closer! Enjoy this wonderful warm weather!