DIY: Ski Pole Upgrade

As we've discussed before, making the switch from snowboarding to skiing this season has been a great one. I love the easy mobility and speed that comes with skiing and feel good about the progression I've made. I'm also fairly certain I look badass in my ski gear (I'm talking sweet skis and excellent boots). The one part of my ski bunny outfit that isn't quite up to par with the rest of my outfit though is my poles. The bf gave me a pair of old, rental poles when I made the skiing switch, and although they aren't the prettiest on the eyes, they were the best kind of price (free), so a girl's not gonna complain.

This past weekend though, I finally got around to upgrading my sad, little poles into something spectacular. I found neon pink duct tape on sale for only $1 and knew it was fate. The DIY was simple. I started by ripping the duct tape in half on the role. Then I wrapped it diagonally down the pole, making sure the width was the same in between throughout. It only took about 10 minutes and totally transformed my poles into something new, fresh and fun. If you have tired poles too, I highly recommend this DIY. Go grab some duct tape in the color of your choice and have fun!

DIY: Chalkboard Frame {Part II}

Thanks for joining me for my DIY: Chalkboard Frame, Part II. You are so loyal.

If you joined me for Part I, bravo! Wasn't it fun and easy. In Part I, we DIY'd a framed mirror that my roommate Danielle rescued from the recycle center. It was heroic and made for one sexylicious chalkboard.

Part II shall be a little different. For this DIY chalkboard frame, the recycled frame was not a mirror, but a one-of-a-kind illustration of a very regal-looking pup. I found it in my dumpster and knew it could be saved with a little paint of the chalkboard variety. So grabbed it, said bye bye doggy and began.

Meet the Before. One person's garbaj is another person's treasure?

The materials for this DIY Chalkboard frame are almost the same as Part I. I starred the additional materials for this DIY. You will need:

-frame

*measuring tape
*wood board- to use as the chalkboard, I bought the thinnest plywood at Lowe's for $6
*(optional) primer

*sandpaper- I used fine grit, 180, for the bare wood

*screen door clips- to hold the chalkboard to the frame

*screws- to hold the chalkboard to the frame

-screwdriver
-spray paint- whatever color you want to paint your frame
-chalkboard paint
-paint roller
-steel wool

1. Take the framed doggy picture and flip it over. If your framed picture has screws holding it in place, remove them and save them for later. If your frame doesn't have screws holding the pic in place, remove the picture, whatever means possible, without damaging the frame. The dog picture in my frame was held in place with glue (quality, right?), so I used a ripping method. I didn't photograph this step. Sowwy. Imagine it like in Part I.

2. Measure the size of your frame. (Note, this means the size of the picture that the frame will hold, not the size of the actual frame). You will need to know the dimensions in order to cut your wood to size. The dog picture inside my frame was 28"x24." Once you know your dimensions, go to your local hardware store and find the thinnest piece of wood that they have. It usually comes in a big sheet, but they will usually cut it down to size for you for free. I bought my wood at Lowe's for $6 and they cut it down to size for me for free.

3. When you get home, make sure your wood fits in the frame. This will become the chalkboard. If it fits, you now need to sand the wood down. Use a fine grit piece of sandpaper (I used 180) and sand the entire board lighty. You just want to smooth the surface and get rid of any bumps. Once you have sanded the entire board, wipe it clean with a barely damp cloth.

4. Prime your wood with one coat of primer (or be like me and use the spray paint that you bought to paint your frame). A coat of primer is important because wood usually absorbs the first layer of paint. Using primer first makes sure you won't waste any of the expensive chalkboard paint you bought. You could use actual primer, but I am cheap thrifty, so I used a light coat of the spray paint I bought for painting my frame. It worked perfectly.

5. Once you have primed your wood (and it has dried), it is time to chalkboard paint the wood. Open your chalkboard paint, just like we did it Part I. (Note: you can buy spray chalkboard paint, but several people advised me against it because the regular paint is a better "bang for your buck." Painting the mirror would have taken 2-3 cans of spray chalkboard paint, and only took one bucket of regular chalkboard paint).

Use a flat head screwdriver to open it. Piece of cake.

6. Paint your primed wood using a roller. Use at least 3 coats or the paint will chip (I found this out the hard way, as I initially only painted 2 coats and it chipped. 3 coats has stayed put). Allow at least an hour of dry time in between coats. Once you have applied 3 coats, let it dry completely overnight.

7. In between coats, while your chalkboard dries, paint your frame! Yes this is just like Part I. This time I used a light and lovely shade of aqua. It matches my room, where I will be hanging my chalkboard frame. You should use whatever color your heart desires. Allow 10 minutes between coats. Allow to dry fully over night.

8. The next morning, after all the paint is dry, it's time to put your chalkboard frame together! Grab the screen door clips, screws and screwdriver. Take out the clips from the Screen&Storm package and line them up around your frame. Then take the screws and screw the clips into place using a screwdriver. It's easy. You can do it!

9. Once the chalkboard is secured to the frame with the screen door clips and screws, you are ready to hang! Choose somewhere with love and care and make sure to write beautiful messages on it daily. 

Before. Although I am a dog lover, this dog had to go.

After! So fresh and so clean clean

Where my DIY Chalkboard Frame: Part II rests, as my new headboard art!

DIY: Chalkboard Frame {Part I}

Chalkboard paint is cool. Have you noticed? It's all over Pinterest, probably because it's so quick and easy to use. There are so many cool things you can do with it, like this, this, this and this. Today though, I am showing you perhaps the easiest and most common of the chalkboard DIYs. I'm showing the Chalkboard Frame.

This DIY is a two-parter because I made two different chalkboard frames. Since it's Monday, and we haven't DIY'd in a while, I'm starting you off with the easier one. The process was straightforward and easy, but took some time to allow for drying. I would recommend setting aside a whole afternoon for this project (or perhaps two, like me).

To begin, you must first gather your materials. You will need:

-a frame- preferably rescued from a dumpster somewhere (like this one was)
-screwdriver
-spray paint- if you want to change the color of your frames
-chalkboard paint- the lady helping me recommended the actual chalkboard paint, not the spray kind
-paint roller
-steel wool

1. Take the framed mirror that my roommate you rescued from the dumpster and flip it over.

2. Remove the screws from the frame using a screwdriver. Save them in a ziplock bag, we will need later when we reassemble the frame. 

3. Open your chalkboard paint (Note: you can buy spray chalkboard paint, but several people advised me against it because the regular paint is a better "bang for your buck." Painting the mirror would have taken 2-3 cans of spray chalkboard paint, and only took one bucket of regular chalkboard paint).

Use a flat head screwdriver to open it. Piece of cake.

3. Paint the mirror using a roller. Use at least 3 coats or the paint will chip (I found this out the hard way, as I initially only painted 2 coats and it chipped. 3 coats has stayed put). Allow at least an hour of dry time in between coats. Once you have applied 3 coats, let it dry completely overnight.

4. Now spray paint your frame! I used a beauuutiful tangerine color. You can use whatever color you want. Spray 2-3 coats. Allow 10 minutes in between each coat (spray paint dries wayyy quicker than regular paint). Allow to fully dry over night.

5. The next morning (or 5 days later like me) it is time to reassemble your frame. Grab the bag of screws you saved when we took the frame apart and screw them back in. Now comes the secret of the chalkboard frame. Are you ready? Use the steel wool to "rough" up the perfect and beautiful chalkboard paint you just applied. I know, it hurts a little, but it will make the chalk stick when you start writing on it. (I didn't photograph the "roughing" of the paint. Please imagine it and accept my apologies.)

6. VOILA! You are finished. You did it! A big pat on the back to you.

Before = ugly, mirrored and poopy brown. Thumbs down.

After = cheery, bright and inspirational. Thumbs wayyy up!

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

As a kid, it was a yearly tradition for me and my mom to make all my class Valentine's Day cards. We would use pink and red construction paper, tissue paper and glitter to create unique cards for each and every student in my class. To be honest, at the time, I was pretty bummed not to be able to give out the store-bought Scooby Doo Valentine's like all the other kids; however, as I've grown older, I realize how special the tradition was and how much more meaningful it is to make Valentine's rather than buy them. My attitude now is to never buy what you can make yourself because the making is what makes it special (thanks mom...life lesson learned).

That being said, with the day of love just around the corner, I would like to share with you some ideas for homemade Valentine's Day cards and gifts. I made these all last year and they were super fun and easy to make. Check them out:

1. DIY Valentine's Day Stationary (inspired by Cupcakes and Cashmere): Like we discussed earlier, homemade cards are the best and I loved making these last year. I think the gold ink and glitter are what makes these so fun and whimsical. Write sweet messages on the back of favorite memories together and things you love about that person.

 

2. Valentine Cookie-Grams (adopted from Freutcake): This Snickerdoodle recipe is incredible. When I made them, I ate almost the entire batch just to myself! However, you could make any type of cookie and wrap it with twine and hearts and the results would look just as cute! You could also write love notes on the hearts as an extra touch!

3. Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Adopted form Real Simple): To this day, chocolate covered strawberries are still a favorite treat of mine. They are insanely easy to make and your loved one/ones will love them! Try sprinkling chopped pistachios or coconut for something different!

I hope these ideas are helpful to you. This year, I want to make these and these. I'll keep you posted if it actually happens...