DIY Kitchen Chalkboard

I love an easy craft project that makes a big difference :)  And let's be honest, chalkboard paint could not be easier to work with.   Especially the spray paint version!  For quite awhile now I've been meaning to buy a magnet pad of paper to put on my refrigerator so I can jot down those grocery store items I need to buy that I think about in the moment of cooking but ALWAYS forget once I get to the store.  Does that ever happen to you?  

However, I've had this empty wall in my kitchen since we moved in.  I thought I'd get around to finding art or something to fill the hole eventually, but then I came across this old tray that I got at the flea market a hundred years ago.  Boom! Let's make a chalkboard, hang it in the empty space, and now I can add items to buy as I think of them.  Ahhhh I love efficiency.

DIY Kitchen Chalkboard

Old Tray

Rust-oleum Chalkboard Spray Paint

Painters Tape

Chalk

1.) Tape off edges of tray with painters tape.

2.) Spray chalkboard paint on face of tray.  

I sprayed 3 coats, taking about a 2 minute break between coats.

3.) Wait 24 hours. (Hardest part! Ah patience!)

4.) Cure chalkboard by covering the entire area with chalk.  

Wipe off chalk and voila!

5.) List away!

I had to add a small sawtooth picture hanger to the back of my chalkboard.  You can buy these at any hardware store - I happened to have some in my tool box.  They come with tiny screws, you just grab a screw driver and screw them into the back of your tray.  Then I attached some kitchen twine to the back, and hung the tray on the wall.

The Painters tape actually pulled off a little of the old paint from the original tray.  But it ended up making the sign look even better! Unintentional distressing :)

I love how it fills up that empty wall and lets me remember what I actually need from the store!  Win, win.

xo,

Kate

Flea Market Finds

Indian rugs, Moroccan tiles, woven baskets

Last weekend my husband and I were able to get away and head down to Long Beach for the flea market they hold there once a month.  I always want to go, but you now how things get - all of a sudden another month has gone by, and I didn't make it again.  So I was thrilled when we actually got to go!

I could buy a million things there...it's so much fun to root through all the "treasures".  Here is a collection of my favorites from February!

Above photos - clockwise from top right:

1.) Moroccan Tiles - Gorgeous as coasters on coffee table or lined up along a windowsill or wall shelf

2.) Woven baskets - perfect for a picnic or a day at the beach...or flea marketing!

3.) Indian Rug - beautiful colors, good prices.

Clockwise from top left:

1.) Brass lamps - the little children frolicking would look so chic in modern nursery and they must be paired with black lamp shades!

2.) Brass Basket - You can never have too many of these.  Use as a magazine holder, trash bin, toy catchall...

3.) Geodes -  I LOVE rocks! These would make gorgeous paperweights or would look pretty sitting on a stack of coffee table books.

4.) 4 Poster Twin Beds - So fun for a children's room.  These were jet black and tall...they made quite a statement!

Clockwise from top left:

1.) Light up signs - this booth had all sorts of different signs that lit up with mini Edison bulbs.  We saw one that was a cursive LOVE and we almost pulled the trigger for Bean's nursery.

2.) Woven chairs - a set of 4 unique woven chairs.  These would be great on a covered porch, or at a breakfast nook.

3.) Mini woven chair - this chair is tiny.  Child size. I loved it.  Fell head over heels for it! Didn't buy it. What was I thinking?!?!?!

4.) Blush dresser - this dresser was much more muted in person than it looks here!  I took this photo for Kacey - her nursery colors include blush pink...so cute!

Clockwise from top left:

1.) Jewelry Box - Such a precious addition to any dresser top or vanity.  Little drawers that hold your most prized jewels.

2.) Brass candlestick - nuff said.

3.) Ships Wheel - I think this would be super cute in a nautical themed nursery or kids bedroom (or adults room!) Hung on a dark wall....navy or emerald green...would make quite a statement.

4.) Leather bar stools - comfy, stylish, simple.

And finally:
1.) Gold plated flatware set -  Always a fun addition to dinner parties
2.) Rattan side table - this would add a ton of character to any room.

If only my house were big enough :)

xo

Kate

Flea Market Find: Under The Sea!

There is an amazing little antique store down the street from my house.  One of my favorite ways to wile away an afternoon is to walk the few blocks and wind my way through the different booths.  I never know what I'm going to find, but I always find something!  It's a little dream of mine to have a booth there - I'd love to fill it up with all my favorite little trinkets: candlesticks, vintage barware, amazing table lamps, unique jewelry...

One of my last trips through, I found these cute little fish dishes.  They were piled up on a shelf that was completely overflowing with odds, ends, junk, and treasures.  I've probably walked past them a hundred times, but something about this last time made me notice them.  I decided to spruce 'em up with a little spray paint I have laying around the garage...silver, grey, peacock, and cream.  Totally beachy and over the top - but that's why I like them!

They'd make an adorable hostess gift.  And can be used in so many ways! Soap dish, jewelry catcher, candle holder in the guest room...the list goes on.  Whimsical and a little goofy...I love them!

High Tea in Hermosa Beach

A few weeks ago I had a serious yen to head back to London for high tea.  Maybe it's all the royal baby fever, maybe its the bouts of June Gloom we have going on here in LA...either way, I was craving the comfort of remembering a fantastic vacation and the serenity that a little afternoon tea brings to an otherwise typical day.  And a trip all the way back to London feels a little extreme :>)

So instead I decided to "re-create" high tea right here in Hermosa Beach!  Well, its our Southern California-ized version.  

Here's what you need:

**Vintage Tea Cups** 

Collected over the years at various antique stores, flea markets, Gramma and Pop Pop's house!

**Tea spoons**

I absolutely adore these gold plated sets from West Elm..super fun, super fancy, completely unexpected

**Tea and Teapot**

I used the loose leaf Earl Gray tea I purchased from the Tower of London.

Find a similar glass, loose leaf tea pot here.

**Pretty Tray to hold all the goodies**

In London, it's very typical to drink your tea with a little cream and sugar.

The high teas we experienced in London came with all sorts of delicious snacks: Biscuits with jam, scones, little cucumber sandwiches.  For our So Cal version I served this simple Tuscan Salad I shared with y'all a few weeks ago.  See recipe here.

I always find the ritual of making tea to be very soothing and inspiring.  And adding a few easy details (like using vintage teacups and fancy flatware) makes it a fun, festive way to honor a vacation and celebrate summer time.

Cheers to you!

Before/After: Nightstands

I think most people would agree that moving into a new home (and out of an old one!) is one of the most stressful activities around.  The packing and unpacking, purging and storing decision making is a lot to take on.  But the one thing that makes all that backbreaking work worth it?  

Decorating!  

Decorating a new home is so much fun.  I've been loving the process - looking at pieces we've had for awhile, determining how to use them in different ways.  Should we donate to Goodwill? Or paint this a new color? Something bright and risky and fun? Or perhaps we play it safe and leave it as is?  The options are endless, bound only by how creative I can be...or by how inspiring Pinterest is!

As a result, I've been on a spray paint kick for the past few weeks.  And while my hands are temporarily dyed winter gray, hunter green, and primer white...the results have been worth it.  We've been needing nightstands for...oh several years now :>)  I've used mismatched side tables for much too long, so finding 2 matching nightstands has been a priority for me.  Our bed is fairly feminine with it's curvy shape and tufting.  We also recently purchased a new dresser from the flea market.  It's a distressed cream color and has an antique feel to it.  I knew I wanted the nightstands to add a contemporary layer to help balance out the other elements in the room.  

Brand new nightstands are not in the budget at the moment, so I've been searching flea markets and thrift stores high and low, keeping an open mind toward color and finish.  As long as the shape fit my modern parameters, they were in the running!  And the winners are....

Gorgeous, right? Ha! Oh these cuties needed a lot of love, but at $20 a piece at the Salvation Army store, I couldn't leave 'em behind.  And fortunately, they weren't hard to doll up...see below for the step by step process:

1:  Wash completely.  Inside, outside, take the drawers out, and clean clean clean.

2:  Remove hardware.

3:  Sand off unidentified sticky residue (I don't want to know.)

4:  Prime with Zinsser Cover Stain Primer Spray Paint (it's the best.  No need to sand or remove previous stains - it literally covers everything).

5:  Spray with color of your choice - I used Rustoleum's Dark Gray in Gloss Finish.  Buy at Lowes, Home Depot, Amazon.

6:  Seal with Minwax Water Based Polycrylic Protective Finish in Clear Gloss using a foam brush.  

7:  Reattach hardware.

I LOVE how they turned out!

What do we think?!  Have a fabulous and stylish Thursday!

xo,

Kate


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