DIY Chalkboard Knife Block

Want a knife block you can doodle on?  Here's how you can easily re-paint your knife block, using chalkboard paint.

Our knife block, a cheap-o Winner's purchase from four years ago, was looking a bit worse for wear.  Due to my excessive cleaning, I had managed to scrub most of the varnish off and I wasn't a fan of the light wood in our kitchen.

Before

Before - Sans Varnish

I had a can of chalkboard spray paint lying around because I opted not to paint the magnetic memo board I made.  But that meant I hadn't actually tried super trendy chalkboard paint.  And all the cool kids are doing it.  So I thought the lonely can of paint + an ugly worn-out knife block = fun kitchen accessory, without spending any money!

Supplies:

• Sandpaper
• Old rag or paper towel
• Painter's tape
• Chalkboard spray paint
• Wood knife block 

Steps:

• Lightly sanded the surface of the knife block
• Wipe it down with a damp rag to remove any residue, let dry
• Tape off the feet - especially if they are rubber
• Spray in light, even coast in well ventilated area
• Let dry
• Rub the side of a piece of chalk all over the surface, wipe off with a damp rag

One coat of paint resulted in this: 

Here's what it looked like after I rubbed the whole thing in chalk using the side of a piece of chalk (as per the manufacturer's instructions):

Then I wiped the chalk off using a damp cloth.  Apparently this "conditions" the chalkboard surface.  Can you imagine doing this for an entire chalkboard wall?!?
 

Now I can doodle:

No doodle.

To save you some scrolling . . . the "before" again.

Before

I love the look!  Even as a plain black knife block I think it looks better: crisper, more modern and it fits with the other black accessories in the kitchen.  Check out these other knife block makeovers - I promise you'll be inspired!

After

Troubleshooting tips for using chalkboard spray paint:

• Use a very fine sandpaper because any scrapes or scratches in the wood will be made more visible by the matte paint.
• Don't paint rubber feet - the paint would NOT dry on the rubber feet so I had to spend a few minutes scrubbing them clean with paint remover.
• Be a bit more generous with the "conditioning" process.  The amount of chalk I used was insufficient and sometimes what I draw won't erase easily, but I still love it.

DIY Chain and Coin Pearl Necklace

Today I'm wearing this necklace.  I made it before I left for Hungary.  I actually wanted to take it with me, but at the last minute I jettisoned things from my too-heavy suitcase and this necklace was among the items that were axed (along with a bunch of stuff I actually needed). 

Want to make one?

The technique is really similar to how I made the simple earrings I blogged about last month (I'm a one-trick pony). 

Supplies:

• Eye pins (one for each bead, I needed 18)
• Chain (I used sterling silver - about 20 inches in total)
• Coin pearl beads (I used approx. 18)

Using wire cutters, cut your chain into equal lengths - as many as your require.  I needed 18 equal pieces.

Using needle-nose pliers, open the end of an eye pin.

Loop the open end of the eye pin onto a length of chain.

Close the loop gently.

Thread a coin pearl on to the eye pin.

Trim the excess wire from the eye pin.

Using the same technique outlined here, bend the wire at a 90 degree angle.  Then, working away from the bend, create a loop from the wire.  You want to mimic the other end of the eye pin for a seamless look.

Before you close the loop you made, attach the eye pin to another length of chain.

Keep repeating until you link the last length of chain/coin pearl to the first.  No clasp needed if the necklace is large enough to fit over your head.

Here is my "inspiration" (you can see I pretty much stole this idea!):

Mmmm, high quality camera-phone pic.

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How to Frame Hungarian Embroidery or Doily for a Modern Look

Waaaay back in February we received a special (belated) wedding gift: a hand embroidered Hungarian table cloth (doily?) made by a Hungarian relative who is dear to me.  I gleefully mentioned the embroidery here and pondered where to display it.  After a few months of keeping it displayed on the dining room table, my nerves were shot.  I was petrified of someone spilling something on it, the sun bleaching it, or a cat burglar dropping the television in favor of it. 

To resume a normal life I opted to have it framed so it can be safe(r) from sticky fingers but not relegated to some forgotten drawer.  You might have noted in the updated Home Tour that the newly framed embroidery piece now lives in the hallway (a distance from sunlight and kitchen/fireplace smells):

I brought the embroidery to a local framing store in my hometown (yes, I hauled in 1500kms), because the man who owns that particular framing store is extremely talented and has a modern aesthetic.  I highly recommend avoiding the big boxes (I always pay more there and they always seem to want to steer me toward the really 80s styles) and bring your framing to a locally owned business.  The staff will get to know your style, can make appropriate recommendations and will dedicate the time required to produce a quality product, often for a lower price.  

I submit my newly framed embroidery as an example:

Gorgeous, right?  I can take little credit for the final product.  My mom provided the grey slub silk which was stretched taught at the framing store before the embroidery was attached with the tiniest pins.  A mat was laid over the stretched silk to neatly finish off the corners and then a second mat was installed closer to the glass for an interesting, shallow shadow box effect.  I originally brought in a photo for inspiration but the finished product was much more modern and visually interesting.  I couldn't have imagined it would look this good and I am so pleased with the creative liberties taken.

You know I love a good DIY project, but sometimes it really makes sense to pay a professional to help you create a quality piece that will be enjoyed forever.  However, a framed doily (for lack of a better work) like this has DIY potential.   

The hallways is getting brighter and airier.  Here it is today . . .

Now

. . . and January, 2011.  I swapped the black frames awhile ago and now the large black frame housing our beach photo is re-located too.

January 2011 - subtle changes have a HUGE effect!

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Pillow Talk

You might have noticed on the updated House Tour (or this post) that our sofa has new pillows, courtesy of Mom.  She had sewn one awhile back but recently finished the other two. 

I think the crisp print on a white background does a good job of brightening up our dark brown sofa.  The turquoise and saffron is such a perfect pairing for the room - it really ties in a lot of the other elements, like artwork and accessories.  I am pretty tickled by how perfectly the fabric (from a humble quilting store) works in the room.  And I'm getting bold.  I am mixing four prints: 2 printed cushions + houndstooth throw + apricot coloured tweed-y vintage teak chair = design bravery for me.  I've never been one for mixing prints so although its a baby step, I'm feeling pretty proud.  Someone tell Sarah Richardson.

And if you're curious about the status of our disintegrating sofa, courtesy of The Brick, it has continued falling apart.  We decided to hide it under the throw I bought awhile back and have abandoned plans to buy a new sofa.  We'd rather save up and buy a nice, quality sofa for our next house.  In the meantime, I have come up with a better solution than the throw because it keeps slip-sliding around - I just need to find the time to implement my genius plan.  I will keep you all posted.

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A Clock That Knits with the Passing of Time

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about a clock that is more productive than me and outright refuses to tell me what time it is.  However, the idea of a scarf to represent the passing year is just such a fun idea that I can't help but be excited by the 365 knitting clock. 

In lieu of telling time, it knits one round each day and thereby produces a 2 metre long scarf by the end of a year.  Then the clock can be thread with new yarn to start the process again.  Let's avoid getting all philosophical about the meaning of time.  I just want to enjoy the pretty saffron coloured scarf. 

Would you buy this clock?

Siren Elise Wilhelmsen

New Inventions

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Re-Vamped Townhouse Tour

I hope everyone had a nice, relaxing weekend.

After a month away and a week spent half-heartedly putting the house in order (it was difficult getting used to cleaning again!), the townhouse was finally restored to its tidy glory this weekend.   Not that my husband didn't clean while I was in Hungary. Its just that I run a tighter ship and the spiders & dust bunnies definitely noted my absence. I think I removed two dozen cobwebs this past week, from very bold places too.  Like between the teak chair and footstool in the living room.  That's cheeky.

Because I mixed in a bit of decorating with my cleaning/unpacking/back-to-school de-cluttering I thought it was time to post an updated House Tour page, complete with snazzy new photos.  Scroll down for a sneak peak, but take a look at the full house tour here and tell me what you think.

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Inspiration Imported From Hungary: Gold!

Although my accommodations were scary I saw many beautiful sights in Hungary that really inspired me in surprising ways.  Although I like gold for jewellery, I tend to decorate exclusively with silver.  In fact, we replaced every single doorknob, hinge and cabinet pull with silver.  We totally eradicated any gold from the townhouse.  But after a visit to Gödöllő Palace, an 18th century u-shaped castle with gorgeous gardens, I think I could get on board with a few gold home accessories (especially when paired with pastel colours).  Check out these contraband photos I snapped of the Palace's ballroom:

Was almost booted out for taking this photo!

Excessive, but so gorgeous.  I was obsessed with this room.

 
With gold on the brain, these two rooms really caught my eye:

Canadian House & Home via Pretty Things
A bit much, but I love the wallpaper.

Mochatini
That light fixture!!

Do you have any gold accessories in your home?  Can gold be modern?

P.S. Here is a photo of myself (and new friend Sylwia, from Poland) in behind the Palace and I am totally rocking gold leather sandals.  I match the Palace.

Too bad I wasn't also wearing this DIY bracelet I blogged about last month. 



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New Pottery Show & Tell

You might not remember, but ages ago I blogged about Shane Norrie's pottery.  It was back in my "early" days of blogging (i.e. embarassingly awkward, completely un-read posts), but he spotted the post and even left a comment!

Even though his work is affordable, we saved our pennies and finally, six months later, bought some pieces of our own.  I picked out two pieces (and my mom gifted us the third) at a gallery in our hometown because the selection is great and the gallery owner offered her invaluable assistance.  It was very difficult to whittle down my selection - I could have bought every piece. 

Although yesterday's unpacking and putting-life-back-in-order project was slow going (I have a cold, and jet lag and went 28 days without cleaning - I think I forgot how), I did manage to unpack and photograph the new pottery pieces.  And that little tiny corner of the house is now orderly and tidy . . . because I shoved everything out of the way so I could snap this photo.  Hey, its progress!

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