I have been away FAR too long…LIFE got in my way and I HOPE that I will
make time to do the things that I love…I just have TOO many things that I LOVE To
do, so like YOU, I have to make choices…
Today I CHOOSE to share my latest project from last night…A Dry Erase Board
using DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint…
I LOVE the creaminess and LOW odor of this product. I have been playing with different brands and
have even made my own~~I have liked them all, but I am enjoying THIS product
and can’t wait to try it on other surfaces.
I would like to encourage YOU to go visit DecoArt’s website to learn MORE about
this product and to see the AMAZING projects that have been created…
Click HERE to go to the website AND
be sure to sign up for their newsletter WHILE you are there!
I used a large old window that came from the house of an older couple that
was very important to me during my childhood at church…their granddaughter was
my best friend for many years, so just the memories of looking at this project
will always bring a smile to my heart.
The products I used are:
Timeless (this is similar to Desert Storm in Americana Paints)
Serene (this is similar to Soft Blue in Americana Paints)
Treasure (this is similar to Calypso Blue in Americana Paints)
Crème Wax—clear to “SEAL” your project
Oopsy Daisy Stencil
Make-up Sponge
Large Soft Paintbrush
Dry Erase Marker
I cleaned the window really well and let it dry completely. I used FROG TAPE (painter’s tape) to protect
the glass…this step is really not needed, but I didn’t want to get WAX on the
glass as I was sealing it.
I painted the wood with a large soft paintbrush using Treasure…I absolutely
LOVE this color and can see SO many uses for it in a girl’s room...
When this was dry, I sanded off quite a bit of the paint to let the brown
of the frame show through…One of the GREAT ADVANTAGES of chalky finish paint is
how easy it is to sand off to get that Primitive/Cottage Chic look that is so
popular in home décor…REGULAR paints are much more difficult to sand to achieve
this warm, vintage look.
You will notice in the finished picture that I painted over the metal latch on the top…ANOTHER
benefit of chalky finish paint is that this paint ADHERES to metal surfaces…no
need to tape it off or to paint around it…WHAT a time saver!!
I flipped the window over to put a design on the window. I chose LIGHT colors so that the marker could
be been seen easily when it was being used as a dry-erase board. The stencil I choose was a very simple but
busy design, so I wanted to make sure it was a SOFT color. IF you are new to stenciling, I would suggest
that perhaps you choose a simpler design until you get used to stenciling, but
IF you go slowly, this will not be hard to do.
I will warn you that since most of this stencil is cut-away, it tends to
BOUNCE more because you don’t have many places that you can tape it down…I
FOUND that if I put my fingers on the CENTERS of the flowers, it was easier to
control the BOUNCE…
I used a make-up sponge to apply Timeless to the stencil…do not use a lot of
paint and apply it in an up and down motion quickly…the paint will NOT be
smooth, but that is not important…that adds a bit of texture. Another note is when you paint on GLASS, you do
NOT want to continue to over-work the surface or your paint with pull off~~this
is true of ALL paints! The paint will
dry quickly since you are not using much paint…IF you wish, you could use a
sponge roller to do this step. I chose
NOT to because I was afraid the stencil would move since so much is cut away
from my chosen stencil, BUT if you use a simpler design, this would be LOTS
quicker, BUT it will take more paint since rollers take more paint.
When finished with the one section, pick up the stencil and reposition it
to do the next section.
IF you have an area that needs to be painted, but it is smaller than your
stencil, make certain your paint is dry on both the glass and the stencil and
place the edge of the stencil up against the edge of the glass with the excess
stencil being flat over the glass that has already been painted. This is MUCH easier than trying to BEND your
stencil. You can leave a small space if you wish, but it is not necessary because nobody will ever notice...WELL somebody MIGHT cause there is ALWAYS "one of them" lurking... ;)
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| The edge of the stencil is again the edge of the window...I left a space between the design so it would not matter that I did not match the design... |
When this was dry, I used another make-up sponge to pounce Serene all over
the back of the glass. I think this
could have been done with the TREASURE, but I was afraid it would be too dark…IF
you wish to try it without the Serene, I would suggest doing a TEST patch on
another piece of glass from an old picture frame! ALSO, if you wish, you may
ROLL this paint on using a sponge roller that is available in any paint section.
When the Serene was dry I used my large soft paintbrush to paint on a coat
of Treasure on the glass AND on the back of the window so it would look neater…Keep
the paint going in the SAME direction. You
do NOT have to paint the wood on the back because it will be against the wall,
BUT when selling products or giving them as gifts, I prefer the back to look
FINISHED…I think it is one of those SMALL extras that helps to make “quick and
easy” painting look more professional.
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| this is the BACK of the finished piece |
I applied another coat of Treasure, this time painting it in a different
direction to get better coverage. Paint
quickly and with a soft touch…do not continue to repaint over the SAME section
over and over or you will pull off the paint!!
After this had dried, you are ready to WAX…Use either a waxing brush or a
clean cloth to apply the Crème Wax. I
used a clean WHITE cloth…I have the brush, but I preferred the cloth cause it
just seems to go faster…I would suggest waxing the BACK first because silly me
got impatient and started to wax the front while the back was still wet and I
scratched it a couple of times…YES, HASTE does make WASTE…but not to worry, I just
applied some more paint and all was well…THAT is the joy of VINTAGE
painting~~imperfections ADD character (OK…THAT is what I tell myself…LOL)!!!
Let the wax dry and buff it with a clean WHITE cloth…SO EASY…NOW if you
choose, this is when you can add a darker wax on top of the clear wax to give
it more of an antique finish, BUT since I was using Treasure, a Dark color, and
the original frame of my window was brown, I did not see a reason to add the
dark wax, but YOU can make that choice for YOUR project!
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| Charcoal REALLY did like the PAINT also!! |
The WAX sets the paint…ONCE the wax was on the back GLASS, as a TEST, I
took my fingernail and gently scratched the glass to SEE if the paint would
come off…it did NOT!! YES, if you
scratch it deeply, as with ANY KIND of paint, it WOULD scratch off, but with
regular wear and tear, it is fine!
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| I'm not sure this is the surface that DecoArt had in mind...sigh... |
This project is DONE! I did this in
one evening. I would say that ACTUAL
painting time was about 90 minutes, BUT there is quite a bit of down time for
the drying process, so plan accordingly.
I will be adding screw hooks and a chain to hang this…be CAREFUL to use
strong hooks so the window will be secure.
I see GREAT possibilities for this project to be adapted…Small picture
frames would be AMAZING…You could simply choose ONE COLOR to make them and
possibly add a cut-out to the front for an added touch of whimsy!
I plan to put this over my painting table so that I can keep NOTES of what
I am painting or WHEN I need to purchase a NEW DecoArt Product!
I think I will look for a small container to attach to the side to keep my
marker in place…I will paint it with the chalky finish paint…a small spice can
would be PERFECT…hmmmm…I think I shall invade my spice rack! =)
I sit here AGAIN thankful for the ability to CREATE and for the talents
that I am blessed to develop…I HOPE this will inspire you to TRY this WONDERFUL
Product and to ALWAYS GIVE THANKS for all that you have…Blessings to YOU…~charlotte♥
