Chalkboard Menu with Food Coloring Frame

I don't know about you, but I have this problem where I make a dinner menu for two weeks, with a matching grocery list, then halfway through the meals, I just lose control of my dinner plan. My solution was to make a chalkboard for my kitchen that would stare at me when I hadn't filled it in, thus making me feel guilty. The guilt part totally works. 

Here is my chalkboard menu, complete with a frame I painted with craft paint and food coloring.  And if you'd like the recipe for the cornbread taco casserole, I've got you covered! Because that, my friends, is amazing. 

Basically, I wanted a big enough frame so I could write anything I needed to jot down - renegade groceries, nightly dinner or a week's worth of meals. So, I hit the local Goodwill and found a mirror in a frame for $2.99. Sold! Add some craft paint and chalkboard paint, and you're off to the races.



Supplies:

• chalkboard paint (you can also make your own, which I still have yet to try, but totally want to)
• small paint roller
• hard surface with a frame (I've seen windows, glass, metal trays, tins... literally, almost anything works)
• craft paint 
• small paint brush
• food coloring
• painters tape 

My mirror started out looking a mess. 

My hands, basement wall and ceiling. Amazing photography, I know. 

I took the mirror out of the frame, and flipped it over to get ready to paint the back. I figure, if I ever need a mirror, I've got one in tact. I used Plaid's FolkArt chalkboard paint, which was $7 at my local craft shop, and I used one of those amazing 40% off coupons. This does come in a few colors, so you've got options! I steal colored chalk from Lillian have colored chalk so I wanted a darker surface so the colors would show up nicely.

I poured it on and used a brush at first, because it was literally a foot from my spot on the floor. Since I'm pregnant, the idea of moving wasn't on my list because I just managed to get to the floor in the first place.

Fail.

Definitely use a roller for both coats. If not, you run the risk of line marks. Perhaps it was because our paintbrush isn't the greatest quality? I'm not sure, but the roller method looked much better.

This is painted with the brush. The lines. The lines!

Once you smooth it out, it looks much nicer. Follow the manufacturers directions for the paint, and I think most of them are similar: paint one coat, let dry 24 hours, then follow with a second coat.

Meanwhile...

While my second coat was almost finished drying, I wanted to paint the frame. All I had on hand was ivory paint leftover from another project, and food coloring.

I wanted a minty greenish blue color, so I just used 1 drop of blue and 2 drops green, right in the ivory paint.

Mix!

I was thrilled with the color I got, so I went ahead and slapped the paint on the frame. My frame was a little shiny, but I didn't bother sanding it down at all because I planned on changing it out eventually with a chunkier frame, and I was hoping it'd come out a little shabby-streaky looking. Which it did in the corners, and I rather like how it looks. If you frame your chalkboard before painting the frame, be sure to tape it off.

Once my frame was dry, I used a piece of chalk to prime the chalkboard by putting a piece of chalk down flat on the board, then rubbing it all over the surface. Once you wipe it off with a damp rag, you're ready to inform your family of what they're making you for dinner. See what I did there?
   

I got all artsy with mine because in my mind, my kitchen is a cafe where they have gorgeous writing all over their menu on the sidewalk. 

And this Cornbread Taco Casserole dinner... here's the recipe from Blissfully Content. It's delicious, and it's just ground beef (or turkey), Jiffy cornbread mix, diced tomatoes and taco seasoning. I also add cheddar cheese to the top of the cornbread 5 minutes before taking it out of the oven, and serve with a dollop of sour cream. Seriously? Easy, delicious, and the leftovers are ten times better!  

The chalkboard paint was so easy to work with, I can't wait to put it on everything, from my herbs this spring, to anything else I can get my hands on. What else do you paint with chalkboard paint?