Guest Post - The Craft Sparrow {DIY Chalkboard Weekly Menu Tutorial}

I am doing a little switcharoo this week.  First we will enjoy another amazing guest post and then we will FINALLY get to our deal of the week.  I have so many cute pictures and projects to show...it will be worth the wait.

Hello Poppy Seed Readers, I'm Rebecca from The Crafted Sparrow ... I hope you'll stop by and say hello sometime.  I'm excited to be sharing a Poppy Seed Project with all of you.  We are huge on menu planning in our house, I feel like it helps me with my grocery budget as well as keeping me accountable for cooking during the week.  I have a tendency to just blow it off and cook whatever is easiest.  Today I'm showing you the Fancy Framed Chalkboard Weekly Menu I made using the Paisley Frame.

Supplies:

-  1 Large Poppy Seed Projects Paisley Frame {fits 6 pictures}

-  DecoArt Americana White Acrylic Paint

-  DecoArt Americana Graphite Acrylic Paint

-  2 Foam Paint Brushes

-  Sandpaper

-  DecoArt Americana Chalkboard Paint

-  Saw Tooth Hangers, or Extra Strong Magnets found HERE {optional}

-  Chalk or Chalk Markers

First thing I gave my entire frame a light coat of my DecoArt Graphite Gray Acrylic Paint.  I wanted my frame to have a distressed look.  After the first coat of gray dried I applied a layer of my DecoArt White Acrylic Paint.  While the white was drying on the frame I grabbed the small board inserts that came with my frame and painted them with my DecoArt Americana Chalkboard Paint.  Follow the instructions on your chalkboard paint, it usually calls for 3 coats of paint.  Season your chalkboards according to directions on the bottle.  I added two more coats of white paint to my frame and let it dry.  Once everything was dry I sanded all the edges around my frame and some spots on the front of the frame.  I wanted the gray to peak through with the wood.  Then I just popped the small board inserts back in the frame and used a chalkboard marker to label my days.  Since there is only 6 spots, Saturday & Sunday are a combined day.  For us that totally works since we usually eat out on Saturdays or just snack.

At this point you can either hammer a couple saw tooth hangers in to the back and hang your fancy framed chalkboard menu on a wall in the kitchen, or you can attach some of the extra strong magnets I gave you the link for and hang it on the side of your fridge.  The magnets will hold a lot of weight, just be sure to read the weight limit of each magnet and order the correct amount this frame is a little heavy.

So what do you think?  You could also use this as a weekly chore chart, calendar, and just a cute memo board.  Thanks again Poppy Seed for letting me be here today!