I’ve been neglecting blogging a bit since we had our fourth baby this past July. I took some much needed time off from the computer and then we settled into our first year of homeschooling in August. Priorities have to be shifted sometimes and we’ve had to bend and flex with life changes.
All of the critters are alive and well, although I worry every day about whether or not the turkeys will actually make it to Thanksgiving. They sure haven’t proven themselves smart enough to stay out of trouble. Nearly every day they forget they can fly and get stuck behind a fence and pace for hours trying to figure out how to get out.
The fall weather has been fantastic around here, though. Today hit about 81 degrees and we’ve been enjoying it.
Fall is the perfect time of year for chalk paint projects. Chalk paint is all the rage, and rightfully so. You can literally paint any type of surface, glass, metal or plastic, and turn it into a fun, vintage style piece. The heat of the summer dries the paint too fast, but the cool fall air allows you to paint outside and not get stuck indoors with paint fumes.
I spent a good amount of time last fall painting pieces and re-selling them, making myself a nice amount of extra cash.
The most economical way to chalk paint is to make it yourself. Purchasing it can run you $40 per quart, which is, quite frankly, completely ridiculous. You can take any type of paint and just add plaster and water. My chalk paint recipe can be found HERE.
Another bonus of using chalk paint is that you can use any old brush you have. I have a couple of old paint brushes that look a little rough, but work perfectly for slapping on the chalk paint. If there are any spots that don’t glide on just so, don’t panic. You can just sand it by hand with a little sandpaper and fix it easy, peasy.
The amount of coats you apply greatly depends on what kind of look you are going for. If you want it really roughed up and have more of a whitewashed effect, you can just slap on one coat. Usually I do about two. Once that is dry, just take fine sand paper and rough up the edges.
Once the edges are nicely roughed up, just apply a coat or two of paste wax. Let dry and then buff. It will become more shiny and smooth as you buff it. Once that is complete you are ready to show it off to your friends!
I truly enjoy watching an old, unwanted piece of furniture turn into something pretty that people actually pay me for. I haven’t visited a furniture store in years. I’d much rather put some sweat into something and make it my own.
Well, I’m off to see what the six year old and four year old are cutting up all over the dining room table, hoping the baby continues to sleep a little longer and find out what that snotty nosed two year old is up to.
What fun, fall projects have you been working on?
