BACKSTORY
A few years back my oldest son, Mr. I, and I were out during city clean-up doing our first jaunt together ever and we came upon a house that had a nice long dresser set out. Obviously, that caught my attention, so we stopped and began to load. While loading the man of the house brought out a few arched frames. I had no idea what they were for, but I wanted them. I was in a stupor and I had to have looked like a linebacker ready to tackle the anyone who tried to get them before me. My son and I grabbed them as soon as he laid them down. I had no idea he had more until he asked, "Do you want the door too?" What?!! Trying not to look too obvious, I said, "Sure." Inside my head I am screaming as if I won the lottery for a million bucks. (living inside my head is quite fun, ya know) Not only did I get these amazing inserts, but also that gorgeous door too? I went home one happy mama.TODAY
I have hung onto these things for over three years now as I have been patiently waiting for our home to be done and use them throughout. This is one of those rare times I am saving these for me. Much like the various things I hoarded for our bedroom and bathroom remodels. While I am patiently waiting (not really...I'm dying!!) for our kitchen to be at the point I can jump in, I have been working on decor. The first part of this set to get its new use is the screen insert part of the door. Since I have always wanted to have a place to write a scripture or verse to encourage my family on a daily basis, I thought this repurposed screen door would make a wonderful chalkboard.DIY TIME
I started by removing the aluminum screen that easily reminded me of redoing an upholstery project with never-ending nails and staples. Ugh.
The break in the center rail was an easy fix by using wood glue, wood filler, and a couple of nails. After that, I scraped and sanded to get a smooth surface. I would have loved to get it down to bare wood, but the 6 layers of paint stopped me. tsk.
PAINT TIME
Since this is going in my kitchen, I decided to use the same color paint as my cabinets, called Slate Green by Glidden.
And just like I did for my faux clock tutorial, I used a hardboard for the backing.
Easy to do by just tracing and then cutting with my jigsaw.
NEXT STEPS
For the chalkboard effect, I always use a simple flat black paint. It works just as well as any expensive chalkboard paint, just like I did with my chalkboard menu from a repurposed mirror backboard. It only takes a couple of coats and we're ready.
Once dry, I simple nail it onto the back of the repurposed screen door using my brad nailer and staples.
THE REVEAL
After adding a little verse for encouragement, my new addition to the kitchen dining area (aka homeschool space) is ready for fun.
After the addition of heavy-duty mounting hardware, I added a few baskets for storage of the chalk and my handmade erasers.
Did you know felted wool sweaters make for wonderful erasers? Just pop them in the wash when dirty, and reuse. I use felted sweaters for most amazing things, including the quilts I make for my boys. TIP: Use a pencil sharpener to sharpen basic school chalk instead of buying expensive chalk pens.
HOME STORY
This serves as a daily reminder to my kids they are loved and encourages the writing of the scripture on their hearts. Each one will get a chance to pick a verse and decorate it each week or so. Fun!
I try to stage my pictures at times when my littlest naps, and when she saw me taking pictures upon waking, she had to have at mama's newest creation. (notice the bed head with major grin)
I'm pleased as punch with not only FINALLY getting to make use of this repurposed screen door, but that it's a functional part of our home now. We all can use a good reminder in our day, right?
I shared what I did with the main door in this post. Meanwhile, the window can be seen HERE. Sign up for my newsletter to get the details! Additionally, I would love it if you would pin and share to inspire others to give DIY a try too. ♥
Up next, I'll be giving this empire chest of drawers a new look. Head HERE TO SEE.
MORE FUN
WAIT!! Don't forget to see what my Trash to Treasure gals have worked on for you today!
Likewise, more of my repurposed projects for you to enjoy:
