chalkboard paint, garland, and a bed! oh, my.

Project #3:  Chalkboard Trays

I loved this idea, found at a local Omaha shop- Paperdoll.  She reinvented old lunch trays into adorable chalkboards.  

Last week, I was walking through another Omaha favorite, Brass Armadillo, and found several trays for $2-$4 each.  I purchased four in hopes of achieving the same results.  (We already had a can of chalkboard paint at home.)  I painted them a couple of hours ago (this took 20 minutes) and I think I will add another coat later.

I'm hoping to sell or give these to friends & family.  Such a cute, simple idea that can be used in every room of the house- menus for the kitchen, notes for the entryway, fun for the playroom, etc.  As you can see, in the first photo, I wrote a favorite quote by Walt Whitman.

Project #4: Paper Flags & Heart Garland

A few weeks ago, I made some paper flags to hang in our living room.  Another simple process that added some cute detail to a space we are still decorating.  I cut scrapbook paper into triangles, poked two holes in the top corners, and strung the yarn through.  You can use various shapes & other materials- fabric, card-stock, felt, etc.  I have also found crafters who sew through the shapes; rather than stringing yarn, twine, or ribbon.  

While stalking through my favorite blogs, I stumbled across the same idea using hearts out of old book pages.  I promptly picked a book off my shelf that I would never open again. (Almost Moon by Alice Sebold.  The plot is slightly demented and my friends pointed out the words "Vomit City" are clearly visible in the photo below.  Oops.)

Project #5: Pallet Bed

My last few years of sleep have existed on an antique bed that my mom had as a child.  I love the frame so much, but the mattress sizes were a bit different back then.  I was constantly worried about my bed falling through the frame (this happened several times,) so I figured a replacement was necessary.  It was a good thing I had a plan, because this happened on moving day:

One leg down. Three to go.  

I loved the idea of a pallet bed and was determined to make it happen.  My original plan included 8 pallets- two levels of four, in the shape of a square.  I imagined a platform surrounding my entire mattress.  My dad found seven pallets at his work and delivered them to my backyard.  Rather than painting all seven, I completed four and quit.  (...which allowed me to watch additional hours of House Hunters.)  I moved the four pallets to my room upstairs and quickly realized my plan required a revision.  My original design, although beautiful in my head, would have forced my entire floor to be made of pallets.  Instead, I made a smaller platform- two levels of two.  Voila!  It's perfect.  (But I'll have to revise again when I move to a larger mattress.)