Did you know I’ve had my little heart set on wainscoting in my living room for like ever ?  Have I mentioned this before ?   Perhaps I have. 

So this past weekend was Mother’s Day.  My husband asked the obligatory question, “Dear, love of my life, mother of my children and wife extraordinaire, what is it that you want for Mother’s Day?”  

It took approximately 1.2 seconds for me to shout “Wainscoting!”  

Wish you could have seen him wince. 

I think he was hoping for “Spa Day” or “Chocolate” instead of “Wainscoting” since he had his heart set on a relaxing weekend watching the San Jose Sharks win the playoffs, woot woot !   No, my idea  of relaxation is a home improvement project – call me crazy. 

I started my Saturday morning with some coffee and research.  I learned the following.

Wainscot (paneling on the lower part of a wall) comes in many different styles. 

You’ve got your tongue and groove beadboard, board and batten, inverted panel, flat panel, and raised panel wainscoting.  Researching the ‘how to’ is enough to make your head spin.   This Old House has a great article describing all the different kinds of wainscoting.

I had my little heart set on picture frames sitting on top of smooth panels with a chair rail above, or really something that looks a whole lot like this photo to the left. 

Plenty of websites want to sell you prefabricated kits.   Some online articles recommend hiring a carpenter.  For what I had in mind, I was pretty sure we could do it ourselves in a weekend with some simple supplies. 

And so we did ! 

Sort of.  We’re not finished, but we made great progress.

Here’s the step by step on our version of this picture frame wainscoting. 

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There was a mention in House Beautiful last November about this brand new product by Hudson Paint: colored  chalkboard paint.  I was completely intrigued, but then I forgot all about it until the the other day.  Then I remembered, and I just had to order some for a special project I’m working on.  I’m just so excited so I must share with all of you what came in the mail today: this quart of ‘Deep Ocean’ Hudson chalkboard paint !

Hello gorgeous. 

Be still my heart. 

Where have you been all my life ?

It’s a little expensive compared to latex paint, $25 a quart, plus $7 shipping, but with the 24 colors available, can you imagine the possibilities ?  Entire walls of breakfast nooks, kitchens, dining rooms, kid spaces, playrooms and closet doors covered in these amazing colors.    

And talk about cool DIY crafts too – imagine the message centers and labels you could create !  Of course I’ve read you can DIY your own chalkboard paint with tile grout but some of the reviews are mixed.  You can find several ‘recipes’ online, but something about buying this smooth textured paint ready for instant use makes me so giddy. 

I plan on using my ‘Deep Ocean’ this weekend for a special project I’ve got planned for my boy’s room.  To see the full spectrum of Hudson chalkboard paint colors, look right here.  Another company, Tilano.net has a few colors available, but their chalkboard paints are more expensive.   Also I found out that Crayola has a line of colored chalkboard paint available here, again slightly more expensive. 

Yes, it’s a whole new world of paint.   Let the fun begin !  Have you ever used or made colored chalkboard paint ?  What were your results ? 

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I’m one of those people who likes to surround myself with inspiration, and often it is in the form of favorite quotes or words.  I especially like to see words or quotes as original art framed in a gallery on the wall, together with other family pictures and artwork.  They are an inexpensive way to add personality to a home, and a great conversation starter !

I’ve come across some favorites on Etsy, and I thought I’d share them with you today.  Click on the titles below for the link.  

City of Love by The Love Shop

  When Life Hands You Lemons by Dear Colleen

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I cannot keep track of all of the school calendars, memos, and tiny pieces of paper that bombard me on a daily basis.  I live for memo boards as a place to display all those reminders of things I need to do or people I need to call.  If it’s not staring me in the face, I’ll just forget about it.  Memo boards help to keep me sane organized. 

Back in January, I mentioned the need for more organization in my mud room.  Actually it’s not really a mud room, just a wee hallway and closet back by the garage door.  I like to pretend it’s loftier space than it is and call it a ‘mud room’. 

The easiest way to make a memo board is to find a bulletin board in the size you want and cover it with fabric.  Well I’m a troublesome creature and after a search, I couldn’t find a frame in the exact size I wanted, so I decided to just build a tall narrow memo board to fit the hall space. 

Supplies:

2’ x 4’ thin plywood from Lowes or home improvement store

Fabric and batting to size

Ribbon

Trim molding

Caulk or spackle

‘D’ Ring hooks

Nail heads

Finish nails

Tools:

SkilSaw

Mallet

Staple gun

Pliers

Hammer

Sawhorses (optional)

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