I made my blackboard (chalkboard) calendar for the kitchen quite a while ago now but thought I'd share it with you.
I have always struggled with kitchen calendars. With the invention of modern technology, such as iCal, I was finding that I was pretty much ignoring the kitchen calendar. I still wanted a 'traditional', i.e. non-digital, calendar but wanted one that was more interactive and not just a piece of paper that I forgot to turn over until halfway through the new month.
As I was searching on the internet, some interesting blackboard calendars caught my eye. Most were in traditional paint form but some were blackboard wall stickers, which I thought were quite cool.
I looked at lots of websites which showed you how to make chalkboard paint in any colour under the sun, which also appealed to me.
Here are some of the blackboard calendars that inspired me:
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| Blackboard wall sticker decal - available from here on Etsy. |
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| From the Our Fifth House blog - full instructions on how to diy |
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| From Martha Stewart's website |
In the end, I bought some ready-made blackboard paint. I bought the conventional type, not the magnetic one but mainly because they had sold out and I had project startitis. The tin was dented so I got it reduced as well - bargainous! I started with a white wall in my kitchen. I didn't prime it or anything (although I probably should have!).
The next part was the most fiddly and time-consuming. To cut a rather long story short, I carefully measured out the design for my calendar and laid down masking tape where I didn't want the chalkboard paint. I bought a top-end brand of painting masking tape as I didn't want to deal with too much paint bleeding.
Seriously, I can't begin to tell you how long that part took. It's harder than it looks to get all those straight lines you know! Anyway, next was the fun part - painting the blackboard paint.
I let it dry for a couple of hours, then removed the masking tape. And...ta-da!
I did have to do some minor touching up with a white paintbrush where the black paint had bled slightly. I waited a good 24 hours before using chalk on the board. I did buy some chalkboard markers but they were really tough to get off so I have stuck to good old-fashioned chart. it's a nice big calendar, so there's room to write a few notes on each day and it's easy to see what's coming up at a glance. I use the bit on the right for shopping lists, memos, important dates coming up next month etc.
I also made a mini blackboard by my front door for important memos. I'm really pleased with how they turned out. Although I made them back in August last year, they're still going strong. Some of the pigment from the chalk has got onto the white paint when I've been careless with wiping. It's not too bad yet but I might need to touch it up with some white emulsion later in the year.
I still have lots of blackboard paint leftover, so I'll have to keep an eye out for more projects!
Thistle Girl x
