Here's a sweet little valentine gift that can be given out to little kids or big kids alike. I first spotted it on pinterest here. All you need are matches, chalkboard paint, a paintbrush, and some redhots.   

 

 

 

Buy a pack of matches {these were sold in a set of 10}

 

 

Empty out the matches. Using a small paintbrush, paint the box with chalkboard paint. Let it cure for at least a day. Using the side of a piece of chalk, cover all the paint on the box with the chalk and wipe it off with your finger. Write your love message and fill with red hots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

It's so refreshing to see a company that sells great products {ie great buyers} up their game by pulling out innovative new marketing. I feel like Land of Nod has done a little 'reinvention' this year. I have always been a big fan of the company. Jack still has LON furniture in his bedroom {I promise Jack that we are redoing your room this year} that is 10 years old...but, it's so well made that it's been hard to part with.

 

 

 

Last months catalog came and I knew it looked different...but then I opened it and I was like 'this is goooood!!!' It felt more like a magazine than a catalog. They have started a new monthly feature called Real Families/ Real Kids where they visit bloggers {!!} homes and shoot their catalog photos from here. Great. Great. Great. idea.

 

     

 

We get to watch as Rachel Myers of the sweet blog, Finding My Feet, transform her daughters room with the help of  accessories and textiles {and stylists!} from the Land of Nod.

 

 

 

 

February's catalog arrived over the weekend and I got just as excited. This month they visit the home of Trina McNeilly of LaLaLovely. 

 

 

 

 

It hasn't made it to their website yet, so you will need to get on your bifocals and check out my photos :)

 

 

And they even got the talented chalkboard artist, Dana Tanamachi {remember this post} to personalize the space.

 

 

Trina also helped to redecorate the home of her friends, the Lyons family, with some LON love.

 

 

 

 

Not only is the catalog full of LON products but, they are combined with the homeowners lovely existing items which make it so much more personal and believable. There are also links to learn tips and how-to's to create the accessories made by the bloggers. Did you know LON had their own blog???

    Very, very impressive Land of Nod. I hope this will be a series that they plan on continuing with each catalog this year.  

 

{I am in no way connected to or endorsed by LON--just giving kudos to a well deserved creative company. BUT, if they want to work with me...}

 

 

 

I never tire of beautiful chalkboard art. And I think it is awesome that there are now 'chalkboard artists'. What a fantastic way to make a living! Twin sisters, Amber and Emily recently rebranded as Karson Butler Events and moved to a new studio in DC.

   

 

They held an open house last month and the highlight of the new space is a chalkboard wall that was created by Anchor B. The girls wanted this wall to showcase their backgrounds and then meets in the middle with a collaborative inspiration board full of completed projects, paint samples and photos.  

 

 

 

'Hang you hat and your worries too!' Chalkboard wall plus marquee lights--YES!

 

 

Look at that vintage green compote bowl tucked in the corner that lucky Kobe gets to call his water bowl.

 

 

And what could make a chalkboard wall even better??? plant a Chiang Mai Dragon covered pink chair smack in front of her...    

I can only imagine the events that are created by this duo in this fun studio! To see more of this space, visit them here.

 

{all images via Jodi Miller Photography via Karson Butler Events} 

 

 

The chalkboard sign that Robert and I made for the Prom was a fairly simple project that can be used for other events.

We used a 4' x 8' piece of 1/2" plywood. It needs to be fairly smooth {finish grade}.

Because we wanted to light it, we created a framed edge out of 1"x 4" pieces of pine that we attached to the sides and top {not the bottom} with a pneumatic nailer.    

 We knew it would be propped up a bit so we wanted it to lean back slightly. We cut the bottom of the 1" x 4" boards on a slight angle. We could have created an easel back so that it stood by itself, but we went the easy route.

 We layed it down and lightly sanded it.

I applied primer, sanded lightly, and then 3 coats of chalkboard paint using a 4" foam roller.  

We bought 2 sets of patio lights {these are from Target}.  

I spaced the holes 6" apart and using a 7/8" drill bit, drilled the holes. 

 

The cord was placed behind the frame, and starting at the bottom, we stapled the cord as we went.  

 We used an electric stapler with the highest setting {so that it wouldn't go through the cord} to hold the cord in place.   

 We screwed each bulb in as we went.

I made the chandelier 2 christmases ago to use a a tree topper. I covered it in silver glitter for this project {I love to recycle!}. I wanted it to light up, so we drilled a hole and fed the end of the light cord through the hole. I cut 2 small pieces of quarter round molding, painted black with chalkboard paint, and attached it to the board. Then the chandelier was attached to the trim with the pneumatic nailer.   

 

To create the lettering, I used a box of colored chalk {Dollar Store} and a yard stick to create my straight lines. I smeared the chalk a bit with my finger to create a softer look.

If you mess up, it easily erases with a damp paper towel!

 

 

 

 

I didn't take a picture of applying the glitter. I used frog tape to create a 1" {ish} border. Using a foam brush, I painted on elmers glue and then sprinkled the glitter on. I didn't have enough of one color of glitter to do the entire border, so I used 8 colors {2 on each edge}. I had lots of glitter, just small bottles of each.