Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Chalkboard Wall

I love the chalkboard wall trend that is all over Pinterest. As soon as we moved in to the house I looked for the best place to put our chalkboard. I knew I wanted it in the kitchen but that was my only request. Luckily we had the perfect place and I LOVE it. 

I chose the wall with the outlet right on the other side of Goose (our photo bombing puppy. It is right in between the fridge and the stove which is a good place to make quick grocery notes and a good place for some rotating art. 


Initially the wall got painted the same color as the rest of the kitchen (Sherwin Williams Hearts of Palm). There was an outlet box for the phone jack. It had been painted over A LOT and we decided to remove it. We have been married for almost 5 years and never had a home phone so no problem there. Plus if we need a phone jack we'll just put it right back in. 

This pictures makes me laugh because it shows how impatient I am. While Brian was at work I didn't want to wait for him to patch the hole so I just painted the first coat around it. Silly of me but I just had to see what it looked like. So far so good. 

In the midst of other projects going on (back splash change and cabinet changes) Brian filled in the hole. He used a piece of drywall and drywall mud/ putty to patch it. Initially we thought it would need two drywall coats but after the first coat it was pretty even. I sanded it down and smoothed it out with some regular Spackle to match the texture to the wall. I followed up with another sanding and it was ready for the next coat of paint.

Oooooohhhh....love it! I decided to paint the outlet cover as well to keep it looking a little more seamless. After curing for 3 days (not easy for an impatient person) it was time to condition it. How do you condition a chalkboard...easy. 

Just use the side of a piece of chalk and rub it all over the wall. No biggie. By the way how crooked is that picture...yikes Tara get it together. After rubbing it with the chalk and then wiping it off with a damp rag it was good to go. I quickly drew something up there to get the idea.

Okay try not to judge my shamrock...I seriously drew that in 3 minutes. Not to mention I'm not even Irish. How cute does it look  though? I love it. I have been keeping my grocery list and menu up there this week. Mostly I love it for the ability to be creative when the mood strikes. 


This is in honor of the biggest loser competition we are doing. It's nice to have a little reminder when I am in the kitchen trolling for some snacks. 

I also drew a little something for our family blog here. 


First project down 525,600 projects to go!(rent...anyone??) 

Sir List A Lot

Well I am jumping on the DIY blog train and I am excited. I have my baby blog and I wanted to have a way to keep family and friends up to date on all the happenings at our home.  I don't like mixing business with pleasure....wait that doesn't apply. I just wanted to keep the blogs separate so that baby lovers and home lovers don't have to mix.  If you just want to see home updates you don't have to hear about how Amelia grew a centimeter today...

I am calling the blog The Golden Peach because...can you guess??? We just moved to the Peach State from the Golden State! Our home is a very southern looking home with plenty of charm but I am finding that our decor is staying a little beachy and Golden if you will. We have been having a great time over the last 4 months trying to make this home our own however our progress has been slow. Maybe if I keep a blog it will keep me motivated and get my booty in gear.  If you read our other blog I posted pictures here a few months back.  We have had a lot of changes and I look forward to catching everyone up with the changes here on The Golden Peach. Below I am gonna show our before pictures again with my list of the basics.  Some we have already completed and the lists do not seem to be getting any shorter. 
Entryway/Hallway
-paint walls
-paint railings
-new carpet
-hang gallery wall in stairway
-new light fixture 
-floor
-scrape ceilings


Dining Room
-paint
-build farmhouse table
-find chairs
-hang picture shelves
-build buffet
-buy large area rug
-new light fixture
-curtains
-floor
-scrape ceilings

Office/Piano Room
-Paint trim/walls
-Build farmhouse style desk
-Built in bookshelves
-Buy over sized chair
-Large area rug
-new lamps/ or update old lamps
-curtains
-scrape ceilings
Living Room
-Paint walls/trim/fireplace
-Build Media console
-storage, storage, storage
-curtains
-scrape ceilings

Hall/Half Bath
-take down wallpaper/ chair rail
-paint
-refinish vanity
-new knobs or paint old ones
-frame mirror
-tile floors
-light fixture
-window treatment
 Kitchen
-paint
-open shelves
-chalkboard wall
-back plash
-new counters
-tile floor
-new appliances
-update knobs
-remove cabinet above sink
-knife strip
-3 new light fixtures
-floating shelves
-window treatment
-scrape ceiling

Basement
-finish laundry room area
-create mudroom nook
-storage shelving
-new carpet/tile
-exercise room?

Georgia Porch
-paint ceiling
-replace screen
-paint floor
-ping pong table
-build outdoor seating
-outdoor rug
-light fixture

Backyard
-Grass
-Level out
-remove some trees

I can't wait for this new adventure and show the progress that we are making. We have a lot of halfway done projects and I look forward to sharing all the dirty details.