A Project

My little kitchen gets a lot of lovin’.  It’s where I spend 65 percent of my day---you know, brewing the morning coffee, unloading the dishwasher, fixing Sam and Scott’s lunch, sweeping, preparing supper, yada, yada.  You stay-at-home-mommas can probably relate.

There’s a small spot in our kitchen, a blank wall, above the stove-top that has needed a little something for quite a while now.  I wouldn’t go so far as to call it an eye sore, but the poor wall was crying for some love.  It needed some...personality.

I was reminded over the weekend of my adoration for message boards in kitchens.  We’ve all seen Darby’s, right?  It’s quite adorable but not exactly in the cards for our little fam right now.  November and December are tight months according to my financial advisor husband.

So, after a quick trip to Lowe’s, here’s what evolved.  It was easy.  And cheap.  And perfect for the space.

Upon walking into Lowe’s, I asked the first vulnerable face for help in choosing a piece of sanded plywood and cutting it into the dimensions I needed: 35.5 x 17.5.  Then, I somehow found the crown-molding section and picked a “frame” for my plywood. 

By the way, if you ever need help in the lumber department of Lowe’s, look for a gentleman by the name of Kareem.  He was so nice.

Now for the fun part.  I bought a quart of chalkboard paint with which to paint the plywood.  And it’s official---chalkboard paint is the bomb.  Who knew?

After gathering all the materials, I headed over my dad’s shop to request he work some magic with the crown-molding.  And he did.

He cut the molding to fit the plywood and then stapled it to form a frame.  Sweet daddy.

All that was left was a few coats of the chalkboard paint and a coat of light blue on the frame.  Easy smeasy.

For all of you practical thinkers out there, don’t worry.  If something is being cooked that might involve grease popping, the chalkboard can be removed.  We mounted it with velcro Command Strips.  The back burners hardly ever get used anyway, but it’s nice to know it can come right down if need be.

There ya have it.  A little personal touch to a well-loved kitchen.  And, hey, it may even help me remember truths that I so often forget, too!