First Project of the New Year

I actually managed one project on day one of 2014! A chalkboard picture frame. Lookie:

Haley is my precious niece. I think I'm going to give this to her on her first birthday….it's in April…I got excited…..

Here's how I did it. First, gather the raw materials:

Chunky frames work especially nice. I found this antiquing in downtown Newnan. Someone had already painted it black.

Next, prime it with a coat of spray paint:

While that's drying, go ahead and paint your board with its first coat of chalkboard paint.

                                         

I put two coats of primer on my frame. Then I put two coats of white spray paint over top. I think this was the first coat:

I especially like that you could see a little of the black peeking through the white. Made it look a little more shabby chic.

                                        

Then, voila! Put the two pieces together (I'm going to attach them using a little silicone caulking). Don't forget to mark up the chalkboard with a layer of chalk and erase it before it's ready for use.

A Carpenter

Jesus was a carpenter.

My daddy is a carpenter (by choice — or maybe at first out of necessity — rather than by trade).

Obviously I hold carpenters in high regard. As we toast today to 2014 and new beginnings, I am excited to announce a new beginning of sorts for my blog. Maybe more like a resurrection ;-)

There was a time before Nora when you saw home renovation projects and overall craftiness. You'll recall my father's helpful home improvements, like our Pottery Barn-inspired mirror:

Our foyer coat rack:

Our pantry:

And the raised bed for my garden:

You'll recall that my father-in-law and husband redid our back porch, including repainting, rescreening and recarpeting:

We all pitched in to lay stones for a patio in our backyard for a grill and picnic area:

There were also a lot of landscape projects, a kitchen redo (one month before Nora's arrival) and lots of home staging!

These projects were backbreaking. Everything took at least twice as long as we anticipated — and probably ended up costing about that, too. And we love it!!!!! I love getting my hands dirty for a cause. In 2014, there will be more of that (Nora & God willing!). I'm going to start small and build my way up to bigger projects (remember, there's an entire upstairs of my house that is blue and is beckoning me….). I hope to build my wood-working skills a bit at a time. Hopefully the carpenters in my life will step up and help when I get in over my head. And I will get in over my head.

So, for now, consider me a weekend, nap time warrior.

Consider this blog Simply Melville-lous, redefined.

I have a guy now who is supplying me raw materials for some of the projects I've dreamed up. Like I said, I plan to start simple. Here is a preview of the materials for one of the first projects I'm planning:

Happy New Year everyone! Make this the year that you do what you love.