temporary creations
- At June 1, 2009
- By Linnea
- In inspiration+wonder
4
Of the many projects we (well mostly the other half of we) have added to our house, this wall is probably my favorite. Some projects may have been more necessary (pipes in the basement, drywall, windows) but this wall was certainly the most fun. It is a deep red wall that serves as a spot to write thoughts that inspire us, draw diagrams and doodles, make lists, and the likes. When the girls are older, I could see such a wall providing backdrops to vignettes, spots to play ongoing games, etc. etc. etc.
We made chalk board paint by mixing our color of choice with tile grout, using this recipe. (Note: now that our dear wall of temporary inspiration has been around for a couple of years, it is starting to want a new coat of paint, but I wonder if this mix, which includes glaze might last longer.) The key step seemed to be taking the time to lightly sand the wall for smoothness.
While there is plenty being designed and dreamed up in notebooks and on paper, sometimes it is nice to have this big wall to write ourselves the mantras and reminders that get us through the day. Current mantra: say yes! as often as possible. What is your mantra today?
kate
Oh! I love this! I’ve been wanting to do a chalkboard wall in my eldest’s room for some time now– is the chalk horrific in the air when you go to erase it? I have these nightmares of a chalk dust cloud forever hanging in the middle of his room that keep holding me back…
and I love your current mantra. Ours is: choose joy.
admin
It is so important to notice the things around that can bring joy. Good mantra! With regards to dust, it is not too bad. In the directions, it suggests to season the chalk wall before using it (by rubbing chalk over the entire thing, erasing, and washing). That time was dusty so I’d do it in a season when windows can be open. Otherwise, I just rub it slowly with a slightly damp rag (a rag that won’t leave cloth bits on the wall) and then again with a more damp rag.
Ruth
I am glad to know that this actually works.
Emily
We already have a wall that we were going to make into a chalkboard – but we are planning to mix some metallic something-or-other into it so that we can also use magnets for notes and whatnot. Thank you for reminding me to get on that project! Now all I need is a mantra… I think at the moment, it would be: stop. sit down. open your eyes and look around.