Final reveal: Chalkboard paint coffee table

I finally finished the chalkboard coffee table!!! {Well actually, my dad finished painting it for me, mostly because he was sick of it taking up space in his pole barn. Though he'll say he was just trying to be helpful!!}

It turned out great! Better than I expected actually. Here are pictures of the finished project:

I think it will look great in my living room area, when that happens to come together eventually!
I put my feet on it the other day and it is the perfect height for me. I'm thrilled, as you can probably tell!

I also heard a tip that before writing on the chalkboard paint you should cover the entire area with chalk and wipe it off, that way whatever you write isn't ghosted on the paint forever! So I did that as well. Here is a picture of what I mean in case you can't get a visual:

I would love to see some pictures of any projects that you are doing with chalkboard paint! It is so popular right now, and for good reason!

Another t-shirt upcycle: The next project

I am generally in a constant state of planning and dreaming about what project I will tackle next. Because of this I sometimes have a hard time finishing projects because I can't wait to get to the next project! I just get too excited about DIY!! Here is the next thing I want to try.

It's a t-shirt scarf. I have a ton of old t-shirts hanging around that need a new life. Many of them I will never wear again, but they have such good memories attached to them. I have one particular teal shirt that may very well be the first victim in this project! I am also thinking about painting a pattern onto the shirt before I cut it up to make a fun patterned scarf.

I found this on Pinterest and thought it was a great idea:

Use an empty toilet paper roll and fabric paint to create a pattern.

Chalkboard painted coffee table

Knowing my love of DIY projects, a coworker gave me an old coffee table that she didn't want anymore. I was pretty sure it could be fabulous with the right touch! I wanted something neutral that could go with my olive/hunter green couch and beige walls in my basement living room. I also wanted something kind of fun that the kids could enjoy as well.
I found myself standing in the spray paint aisle at Home Depot for a long time staring at the wall of colors in front of me. There weren't any "OMG! I have to have that color" moments. I ended up giving up and going with white. But the chalkboard paint caught my eye and then it was a magical moment!

I started out my sanding it down a bit. The top was pretty scratched up, so that got the most attention, but after that I just did a light scuffing to make the spray paint adhere better. Here are a few pictures to help you visualize what I'm talking about:

The top was pretty scratched up

My dad insisted I wear a mask, even though 2 huge garage doors were open to ventilate the barn. he didn't want me getting high. Always a good idea to be safe!

I love the lines of this coffee table!

Not too sure why my dad had this contraption in his barn, but it came in handy for this project!

The square on top that is still wood will be chalkboard paint next. Just waiting for the white to dry.

Bedroom renovation is almost complete!

It has been fun getting to share my hard work with you! It has been more work than I have done myself in the past and it has been worth it. Let me just say that I love to paint! It is relaxing and I can clear my mind and just paint without thinking about the other things that usually fill my mind. That being said, I am so sick of painting!! The walls weren't the problem, but the chocolate brown doors were. They are a pain the butt to paint back to white! They have taken at least 3, sometimes 4 coats to cover it and it's still not 100% covered! All the creases and corners are the hardest part. A word to the wise: DON'T PAINT DOORS DARK COLORS!! The next person to paint them will really appreciate it!

So I wanted to give you a complete update on what my bedroom used to look like and what it now looks like! You can look back through my past blogs and find all of these pictures too, but I wanted to lay out the before and afters for you all together right here:

Original paint... I hated it from the moment I walked in! I'm not a fan of brown!

Blue and light gray have been painted. The wall has paneling so that is why the stripes stayed. But those ridges were tricky to paint and keep all the colors from running into the other colors. I didn't use any paint on the stripes, that is all free handed very carefully!

And the final result! I love it!! The colors are bold but not overwhelming!!

I hope you can see the drastic difference that happened! It went from brown tones and a country blue color, to gray tones and a bold navy/cobalt blue! The only color that stayed the same in the whole room was the white stripes! I can't wait to get furniture moved in and decorate!! I will continue to update you when there is furniture in the room!