Wooden Chalkboard Labels

I came across these adorable Chalkboard Labels while searching on Pinterest from Simply Organized. I was so excited I had to make them.

So a quick run to Home Depot and I picked up two pieces of Poplar hobby board which cost me about $5 after tax.

Got out MY measuring tape (yes I have my very own measuring tape...no sharing), a pencil and a speed square. (nice straight lines make me happy.)

My boards were 24 inches so I decided to make each chalkboard 3 inches.

All measured out and ready to cut with the miter saw. (if you don't have a saw the guys at Home Depot or Lowes can cut it for you.)

It's been really cold outside lately so I set up in the garage with a space heater.

16 chalkboard labels ready for the next step.

I pre-marked all my holes to drill.

Then I picked a drill bit slightly thicker than my twine for the holes.

I got to paint outside since we actually had a somewhat warm and sunny day instead of being stuck in the garage. 

 For a project like this I would prefer to use spray paint for a quick even coat but I found this can of chalkboard paint returned and marked down for $3 a few months ago. Since I already had it on hand I decided to go ahead and use it. 

I'm in love! What do you think of the gray?

If you happen to count you'll only see 15 boards. My 2 year old stole one when I wasn't looking and was using it to dig up mulch.

I was painting downwind of a shedding dog...I can't even tell you how many times I had to pull fur out of the paint....maybe I should have stayed in the garage. 

 Personally I love getting a little messy when painting.

 Final coats are done now time to let them dry and clean up. 

 After I let the boards dry overnight I brought them in to start labeling and adding them to bins.

 My supplies. Some twine and pastels (I like to use pastels for my chalkboards since I tend to change them rather often and these are leftover from my days of doing chalkboard art in local restaurants...bonus!) Once I've finalized I like the way things are then I'll get a chalkboard pen.

Threaded the twine through the first hole and secured it with a knot then I'll feed it through the handle of the bin and tie to the front of the board and repeat on the other side. If you have a bin with a sturdy handle you can just tie it off on the other side. 

(This is a bookshelf in our linen closet that I am converting to all things crafting since I do not have a designated room in the house. 
But that will have to be another post.)

Did you notice that these are the bins I got at Target on clearance! You can see that post here.



Chalkboard Labels

2 Poplar boards: $5
Chalkboard paint: already owned
Twine: already owned
Pastels: already owned

Total: $5 for 16 labels. (15 actually my son won't give me back #16)

How do you like to organize and label your home?

Wall Mounted Beer Bottle Opener

My husband and I love to try new beers. Whenever we have a party everyone ends up bringing over bottled beer. We're constantly trying to remember to bring a bottle opener out to the patio and to find all the bottle caps that fall off tables so the dog and kids don't step on them. 

So when I saw this wall mounted bottle opener on Pinterest I knew I HAD to make one for our patio. 

Luckily I had done several other small wood working projects so I already had several scraps of wood to choose from.  I ordered both the Bottle Opener and the Cap Collector from Amazon. Thanks to my Prime Membership shipping was free with two day delivery! 

So I gathered my supplies and headed outside to get working.

I started by cutting the wood using a circular saw. I cut it to 14 inches in length. The box for the bottle opener said there needed to be 7 inches from the bottom of the opener to the top of the cap collector. 

(photo props to the hubs...thanks for not telling me my hair looked Medusa's on that windy day.)

Then I had my trusty 2 year old rough up the wood a bit with a hammer. 

Then I sanded down the rough edges with a handheld sander.

Our patio accent color is blue so I decided to use Cerulean blue acrylic paint. Again I enlisted my 2 year old assistant for help. (Which resulted in paint on my craft table.)

Once the pain was dry I chose a font I liked on my computer to use for the lettering. I decided on Brush Script and enlarged the font size to 144. 

I then taped on the paper onto the piece of wood and traced the letters and drew in some diagonal lines as well using a ball point pen. This will leave a small indent in the wood so I know where to paint.

I raided my supply of acrylic paints for the white I used for the lettering as well as black for the shadowing.

Sorry for the blurry images. I could have sworn I took a few more pictures.

Eek! Another blurry one...

Once that was dry I went outside with my can of Minwax PolyShades in Bombay Mahogany Gloss (I already owned) to stain the piece of wood over the acrylic paint. I used one of the old t-shirts in our rag bin and just blotted the stain all over.

After I let it sit for about 5 minutes then I used a dry clean rag to wipe off an excess stain. 

Once it was dry I used my handy sander again to sand a few spots back down to the wood around the edges. Then I marked my holes to drill the opener and cap collector onto the wood. And that was all it took to make this beautiful bottle opener for the patio. 

Unfortunately it's too cold outside to sit and enjoy a few beers with our friends but until it is warm enough this baby will be sitting on the kitchen counter.

The total cost of this project:

Bottle Opener: $5.49

Cap Collector: $5.85

Wood: already owned

Paints: already owned

Stain: already owned

Total: $11.34