Tutorial Tuesday #3 – Menu Board

I loved all of the tutorials linked up last week, and I can’t wait to see what you have this week.
Here’s some favorites from last week’s linky:

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Please Take the Tutorial Tuesday Button and put it somewhere on your blog (located in the sidebar)

I will feature one, or a few, of my favorite linked up tutorials next week!

I’ve had this frame sitting around my house for years. I’ve randomly painted it different colors with a small idea of what to do with it, but never actually completed a project with it. It had been brown, red, black, yellow, and now…back to black!

This tutorial is going to start with a FEW warning. Don’t be as stupid as I was!  If you follow me on Instagram you’ve probably seen this picture. My “I was completely not thinking when I decided to spray paint” picture. Warning #1 – Do not spray paid while grilling…there is an open flame and spray paint doesn’t go well with open flames! Luckily I didn’t catch on fire (or anything else for that matter), but I sure would have had a heck of a time telling that story if I had!

Warning #2 – If you are painting a frame black and a sheet of metal with chalk board paint, at the same time, make extra sure not to mix up the cans of paint! What started as 3 coats of chalk board paint, turned into 5 coats of paint!

My metal is a 12×12, and my frame has fun little pegs on it. I got the frame at the thrift store for a whole $3, and the sheet of metal was in it already! But if you need to buy metal, you can get some at craft/hobby stores for around $3-$5 (then use a 40% off coupon that most stores send out) and it will most likely already be cut to a 12×12.

Spray the metal with chalk board paint. Give it at least 2 coats, but I was planning on 3 to be safe. Apparently I was a little distracted and on the 2nd coat, I grabbed the regular black spray paint and used that instead.  So I ended up putting 3 more coats after that.

Let the paint dry completely and then prep the chalk board. To do this, take the side of your chalk and cover the entire thing with chalk. Then erase it all and you are ready to go!

Put your chalkboard into the frame and hang it in your kitchen for a fun menu board. I also use mine as the grocery list by hanging a sheet of paper by a magnet. That way when I plan out the next week’s menu, I can see what ingredients we need, and have everything in one place.

I found these fun blue jars on clearance last fall. I think I paid $1.25 per jar. But I love the look of them hanging from the frame. One holds my pens and pencils, and the other holds my chalk. The center peg holds my apron!

After putting up the board, I realized it needed a little something, so I made a quick and easy banner for it. I used my cricut cutter to make the small triangles. Then I hot glued a piece of bakers twine to the back of them, and draped it across the top of the board!