My $1 DIY

When I think of decorating and DIYing, I think of all the money everything costs. Even if they are inexpensive projects, every little thing adds up and pretty soon, you’ve spent $50 (or way more) on one collage wall. I don’t have the money to decorate and redecorate my house till my heart’s content, but I can create a beautiful home with what I already have around the house - leftover decorations from my wedding, gifts from family, very inexpensive second hand finds, and things collected from my sibling give-away piles.

A few months ago, my brother-in-law gave us a box of used cans of spray paint, asking if we could dispose of them (toxic waste is easier to get rid of in the smallish town where we live as opposed to Portland). I found a can of chalkboard paint and decided to try and salvage that. I had a picture frame (I can’t remember where it was from...maybe my brother? It was free, I know that) that I didn’t have a use for.

So, in a moment of inspiration, I took the two outside and sprayed the last of the chalkboard paint on the glass. It wasn’t perfect. The spray paint can was sputtering, so the paint came out in blotches. But it covered the glass and looked like a chalkboard. I gave the piece of glass as many coats as I could (it was about 1 ½), then let it cure overnight. I picked up a $1 pack of white chalk from the Dollar Tree and quickly prepared the chalkboard by rubbing a piece of chalk all over it, then wiping it clean. I wrote out a quote that is special to Kris and me, and hung it in our living room.

Many times, I put off simple projects like this, waiting until I have a lot of time to dedicate to making it just right. But then, it never gets done. This just took a few minutes of my time and I’m very happy with the results! No, it’s not perfect, but it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.