Painting 101

My room is pretty.  It's sky blue, wood floors and white molding.  And then there is a bare wood cheap-o closet door.  THAT DOES NOT GO WITH THE DECOR, dear landlady.

Never fear, we are reimbursed for paint!  Happy days.  This means I'm making that door a chalkboard.  But not with the black chalkboard paint sold in hardware stores, no no, instead I first checked out my girls at A Beautiful Mess, and finally the ultimate craft queen, Martha Stewart, and decided I could make my own chalkboard paint.

Off I went to the local ACE, and started comparing paint colors with my new bff, the ACE Hardware Man.  He doesn't know we are friends yet, but I have faith in him.  I told him my plan for chalkboard paint, made simple by mixing in dry tile grout, to which he gave me a doubtful look and said, "If you say so!"  See?  Friends!

One paint brush, one can of primer, a can of light grey and some tile grout later and I was laying down the start of my very own chalkboard door!  Primer went on no problem, but I don't think I mixed the grout+paint mixture enough, so while the chalk certainly shows up on my door, it's more like writing on a door...with chalk.  Nevertheless I have decorated it with this year's Bucket List, and have distant plans to give it another coat, with maybe a touch darker grey to really make the writing pop.

Next up was touching up my walls, which had somehow been spottily painted by past residents.  Lucky for me the extra paint was in the basement, and after a quick consultation with my dad and the internet I was ready to go.

This actually worked remarkably well, especially after the internet told me it would never match.  But take that internet, you can't even tell!

Finally was the chair that was mysteriously left in my room when I moved in.  Since I owned exactly one pink plastic 3-drawer piece of furniture when I moved in, I took this gift with open arms, but decided to make it my own.  Upon S's suggestion I painted the legs with some deep maroon/red paint I found in the basement, and it actually looks pretty good!  Despite the few spots that I missed.  Plans to touch those up are written down but not yet acted upon.  Also I might paint the seat white.  If that happens I'll let you know!

-N