Chalkboard Chargers (in which I douse nearly everything I own in spray paint)

I’ve been on a bit of a spray paint kick lately, which will become more evident in future posts. Bam. Teaser.

Part of the reason is that I am desperately clinging onto the last vestiges of autumn before it slips through my fingers and winter rears it’s nasty head.

And part of the reason is just because I really like spraying things with paint. Those aerosol cans can help release a lot of stress, you know?

The latest of my possessions to receive a spray paint dousing was a set of 4 gold plastic chargers that I’d purchased from a thrift store about a year ago but had never used. This is probably because I rarely entertain, and when I do, chargers are the last thing I think of. We’re usually lucky if I just remember to put forks on the table.

Of course, to fit in with recent trends, I had to use chalkboard spray paint. (Plus, I had some leftover from the wedding and from this project and from a shall-not-be-named project, to be revealed once Christmas is over). See? I’m a spray paint maniac. And you haven’t even heard the half of it.

Here’s my faux dining set-up. We didn’t actually host thanksgiving (have you seen the size of our apartment?), though I did make this scrumptious pumpkin pull-apart bread with a rum glaze.

If you look more closely, you can see the chalkboard chargers. No in-process pictures of this, because, well, it’s just spray paint.

After I conditioned the chargers by getting chalk everywhere, I did jot down some nice thanksgiving-y words like grateful and blessed. Because they’re true, and I need lots of reminders.

But let’s zoom in on this other table accouterment (that word means accessory, but for some ODD reason, “accouterment” is what popped into my head first. I may have issues.)

This little bird is a napkin holder that my grandpa made. Not joking. DO YOU SEE HOW SMALL THAT EYELID PIECE IS? I come from a rich heritage of craftiness.

So if any of you want to come to our place and risk getting chalk dust in your dinner, you are  most welcome. But you’ll probably have to remind me to use the chargers for your visit, because once they go back in the cupboard, there’s a good chance that I’ll forget they exist.

Now, what else can I cover with this glorious chalky liquid?

I’m sharing this at the Dare to DIY party hosted by Decor and the Dog, Maybe Matilda, Newly Woodwards, and Two Twenty One!

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For the Beauty of the Earth (in which I am thankful)

For the beauty of the earth,

For the glory of the skies;

For the love which from our birth,

Over and around us lies;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

 

For the wonder of each hour,

Of the day and of the night;

Hill and vale and tree and flow’r,

Sun and moon, and stars of light;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

 

For the joy of human love,

Brother, sister, parent, child;

Friends on Earth and friends above,

For all gentle thoughts and mild;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

 

For Thy church that evermore,

Lifteth holy hands above;

Off’ring up on ev’ry shore,

Her pure sacrifice of love;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

 

For Thyself, best Gift Divine,

To the world so freely given,

For that great, great love of Thine,

Peace on earth and joy in heaven.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

—Lyrics from Folliott Pierpoint

Thanksgiving Banner (in which I use geometry to determine the sides of an isosceles triangle)

When I get home from work, I usually am ready for a change of pace. The last thing I want to do is sit down at a computer again.

I also can be pretty chatty after working (for the most part) silently all day,  which can sometimes be a problem for Kenny.

You see, he’s a law student and has lots and lots of homework all the time. ALL THE TIME.

So last night, I had to amuse myself quietly while he studied.

For a while, I drew a picture.

Then when I realized I couldn’t blog about it because it is going to be a Christmas present, I channeled my silent craftiness in a different direction.

Little did I know that it would involve some very tricky geometry calculations. It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t know this project would involve measuring in the first place, or else I would have scrapped it entirely before I even began.

Yes, I am that bad at geometry. Why do you think I work with words? There’s a reason, folks. Math strikes fear into my heart.

First I had to cut out these triangles out of cardstock. The goal was to make it look like a 24-year-old did this project, and not a kindergartener.

To do that, I needed measurements. I couldn’t just eyeball this (if you have good eyeballing skills, I say “go for it”). The equal sides of the triangle were 6 inches long and the other side was about 3. And we all know that the definition of an isosceles triangle is “having two sides of equal length.”

Trust me when I say I had to dig deep for that definition.

Then I moved on to the fun part, the words. I just hand-lettered these, with a font I liked up on the computer in front of me.

Then I used my mad taping skills to attach some jute-like string. It took some thinking to tape the letters on in the right order while only looking at the back of them.

All of this concentration kept me quiet as a mouse. I think Kenny was pleased. Especially when I would take breaks to throw candy corn at him (silently, of course).

Then I hung it up in the spooky darkness that is 9pm in our apartment.

Kenny did make some smart-aleck-y comment about “being thankful for TV” but I still like the location I chose for our Thanksgiving banner.

In fact, I might just leave it up forever. It’s not a bad reminder for everyday, isn’t it? Not to mention that it fills that empty spot on the wall quite nicely.

And that’s how I amused myself while Ken was homeworking. I do not miss those days.

 

I’m sharing this at the Dare to DIY party hosted by Decor and the Dog, Maybe Matilda, Newly Woodwards, and Two Twenty One!