Frame Wall with Chalk Paint

This is my first post on my DIY instruction blog! I decided to start with this project because unlike many other projects I've done this month, I actually photographed each step, so the instructions should be easy. I'm a 22 year old soon to be mom, still attending college, and I just moved. I have to do all my decorating on a budget. I like to think I have a taste for the finer things, but I don't like to pay the price, so naturally copy catting and DIY is my forte.

Let's get down to the crafty biz! My daughter, Boston, is due April 14th. I began working on her nursery about two weeks ago when I moved into my new home. I painted her walls last weekend with two BEHR colors from Home Depot; Charcoal Grey and Ballet Slipper Pink. All of her furniture is white, and this was my first wall hanging project. I started today and I finished today, so this is one of the more simple projects I plan on completing this month.

Let's start with the paint. Chalk paint is all the rage these days, especially Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint. The first time I ever used chalk paint, I was naive and bought Annie Sloan's, I paid 12.50 for 4oz of paint. DO NOT EVER BUY CHALK PAINT AGAIN! Thanks to my dear crafty queen Lynda, I learned how to make my own chalk paint for considerably lower in cost.

What you'll need:

- Whatever color paint you desire

- Mason Jar

- Plaster of Paris

- Paint Stir Stick

It really depends on what size object you're painting, but it's better to make less than more, it's so easy to whip up. For my picture frames I used less than a pint of light grey paint my friend had sitting around in her closet. The ratio is 3 parts paint to one part plaster. Ace Hardware near my house sells these awesome multipurpose plastic measuring jars that are .99 cents, and I've seen them at Lowes and Home Depot, but using an old bowl will work just as well. First you pour the one part plaster of paris in a jar, add water, but just enough water to make a thick paste. DO NOT use watery plaster of paris. Second add the 3 parts of whatever paint color you desire and stir with your paint stick. I recommend storing your chalk paint in a tightly sealed mason jar or the paint will turn solid into plaster. SHAKE before using every time! 

TIP: One bag of Plaster of Paris will last you multiple paint batches so you can make as many colors or chalk paint as you like! 

Making your own chalk paint will literally save you SO much money! 

I laid all my frames out on a cardboard palette, they were already painted white. These frames were given to me, but I've done a similar frame wall project and I found all my frames at thrift stores and spent less than 15$ on all the frames. 

I simply put one coat of the homemade chalk paint on all the frames, it took about 20 minutes. The paint literally dried in less than 15 minutes because of the plaster base, but to be on the safe side I left them outside for about an hour. I recommend buying the 1.99$ brushes at the hardware store, because cleaning chalk paint off a brush is just a terrible task I wouldn't wish upon anyone. I also heard that buying really cheap makeup brushes gets the job done perfectly. 

After the frames had dried I sanded them to make them look more shabby chic with a sandblock I picked up at Michael's Craft Store for 3.99$. Regular sandpaper works just as well, but I find this tool really useful when doing smaller objects. The best part about this project is you can sand as much or as little as you want and you will still get a fabulous result! 

BEFORE

AFTER

This is the before and after! I must say I was so pleased with the results and it did not take me long at all to complete the frames, this is definitely a one day project! Here's the finished wall below! 

For other ways to complete this framed wall look, click here!