2015 went out with a bang. In the course of one month, Anne and I proposed to each other on our 7-year anniversary, drove from Philly to Chicago and back to spend time with Anne’s family for her birthday and Christmas, hosted my family in Philly for a post-Christmas/engagement/New Year’s party, and made delicious fried pork dumplings as a last hurrah of the year. Phew!
January is all about recalibrating and figuring out what is and isn’t working. What wasn’t working toward the end of last year was working long hours six days a week, not feeling focused on one task at a time, eating too quickly, being absorbed by social media, and generally feeling the holiday frenzy.
This year I’ve decided to focus more on uni-tasking (read an amazing article on it here), as well as taking time to cook, bake, knit, and continue teaching myself to sew. I’ve rearranged my work schedule back into five days a week (for now) so that Anne and I can fill our time off together with home projects and celebrating our engagement!
Our latest home project was revamping the inside of our front door. It was feeling pretty sad and overlooked, and I thought that chalkboard paint would be both practical and really fun. We didn’t need many supplies for this project, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to spice up a little piece of their home. Below is the tutorial!
Chalkboard Paint Door
Materials:
- 180-grit sand paper
- TSP spray
- Rag or paper towel
- Washi tape or painter’s tape
- 1 quart chalkboard paint in any color
- Wooden paint stirrers
- 2-4 foam brushes
- Chalk
- Eraser
Step 1: Take the door off of the hinges, and place it on a tall, sturdy table. Use 180-grit sand paper to thoroughly sand the side of the door to paint. Insure that the surface of the door is smooth and free of any large bumps.
Step 2: Use a rag or paper towel to spray TSP onto the door. This spray will remove all dust and debris from the door, creating a clean surface for painting. Cover door edges and metal hardware with washi tape or blue painter’s tape.
Step 3: Open the can of paint and mix it with a paint stirrer. (It is beneficial to keep the paint stirrer nearby to stir occasionally as you work.)
Step 4: Apply paint to a foam brush. Create even strokes of paint that go with the grain of the wood. Cover the door with one full coat of paint, and let it dry for 4 hours. (If the foam brush begins to disintegrate, discard and use a new brush.)
Step 5: After drying for 4 hours, apply a second coat of paint and let dry again. The door is now ready to be put back on its hinges!
Step 6: Wait three days before continuing this tutorial, as the paint needs to set. Then, prime the chalkboard paint by using the long edge of a piece of chalk to cover the entire door with chalk. Take the eraser and erase over the whole thing. This is a critical step for chalkboard paint so that the first thing you write doesn’t imprint. Your door is ready to be used! Leave important messages, write down a favorite quote, or lay out your week of meals. Having this board in our kitchen (where our door opens into) is going to be so much fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
SCISSORS & SAGE 
Last week I bought the Rustoleum Magnetic paint to do a wall. Partially motivated by a gift (from someone you know) of my first set of Sticky 9 tiles! Hope I am as successful as you were. I think the magnetic paint is challenging, and requires frequent stirring and careful application…I’ll let you know how it goes.
That sounds wonderful, Meg! I heard that you were going to be getting Sticky9 prints for Christmas 🙂 Please keep me posted on your project!
Amazing!! How fun. You can have inspirational messages and quotes every week, maybe!
Great idea, Em! Working on my calligraphy skills. Note: they don’t exist yet haha
Such a cool idea! Chalk and a board. Let it fly!
And I love your link to that fabulous article on slowing things down. There is a kind of rush (false in many ways) when you multitask, but it isn’t really worth it in the long run. Sometimes I find myself literally working on 10 things at a time…here’s a small sample (making my bed, putting together a wash, cooking, texting, emailing, putting away breakfast dishes, doing a task from the January Cure, making a phone call, bringing out the trash, researching a museum, reading from my new Downton Abbey book of quotes…. but none get completely done, properly at least!!!
OK…I must quote the Dowager Countess of Grantham in which she is referring to the telephone…a new invention…”Is this an instrument of communication or torture?” Well said, Dowager! I think she was seeing the future! xo
Mel, the Dowager did say it best! That is a great quote from a great episode. It’s true how technology is a double-edged sword. I hope that the January Cure went well for you. Here’s to new beginnings! xoxoxo
Your tutorials are so thorough, Victoria. I am thinking about redoing a closet door with chalkboard paint. The process seems rather easy, just a matter of waiting for the paint to dry, along with any necessary sanding. I know I’ve already told you, but congratulations on your engagement to Anne! I know you have a lot of planning to do, with a wedding and all, but I know you’ll do it in style.
I have to say that I eerily echo your sentiments on making 2016 a better year by detaching (in a healthy fashion) from social media, being more efficient with time spent at work, slowing down to eat and savor, and focusing on one task at a time. I’m trying my best to do these things, as well.
Thank you for the helpful link (multi-tasking is such a MYTH!!!), and I can’t wait to hear more and see more about your upcoming wedding. All my best to you both this year.
XO, Jayme
It’s so great to hear from you, Jayme! Thank you for your kind words, it means so much. Please let me know if you work on that project, I’d love to hear how it goes. And thank you for your best wishes on our engagement! It has been such a great feeling to celebrate many years of love with our friends and family. We’re going to be getting married at Anne’s family farmhouse in Wisconsin in 2017–a dream come true! Happy New Year to you. Let’s keep in touch! xo
I’m sure your wedding will be gorgeous – what a beautiful setting. I will definitely let you know when we work on this project. There are so many seemingly unending projects at the house, so some don’t happen until months down the road. Definitely keeping in touch! XO to you!!