Sunday, September 19, 2010

PB Knockoff -- Chalk Board Rocks

I love Pottery Barn!  But I don't love hearing my total when I shop there...and I REALLY don't love having to tell my husband my total when I get home.  But I do get a lot of ideas from Pottery Barn.  I was looking on their website for some fall decorating inspiration when I came across these...Chalkboard Rocks.

Chalkboard Rock Vase Filler, Set of 4

They're different, but I thought they'd look amazing in my new bathroom.  My mom and sister offered some ideas of what to write on them, none of which should be shared or even seriously considered.  Unfortunatly, Pottery Barn's Chalkboard Rocks are $16 for a set of 4...a little pricey, especially considering I had rocks that look similar in my garage.


My mother in law put a bunch of large, smooth rocks in the bottom of  a bowl as filler for a centerpeice she made for our wedding rehearsal, and they've been sitting in the garage since the flowers quit blooming.  I plan to replant the bulbs this fall.  After I washed the rocks, I gave them a coat of white primer.



After the primer, I used Krylon Chalkboard spray paint to give the rocks a coat.  It takes two, and giving them the second coat was a process that took about a week.  I had the first coat done and the second on one side, and the wind kicked up and knocked the plywood down so I had no idea what side of the rocks had 2 coats.  Finally yesterday I got both sides painted.



You're supposed to let the paint dry 24 hours, but I only did it overnight, and it's worked fine so far.  Once it's dry, you cover the surface with chaulk and wipe it off with a cotton cloth.  I just used a dish towel.



Once I had the rocks cleaned off (I only did 5 of them) I wrote my words on them. 



I found my container on clearance at Bed, Bath & Beyond while I was killing time last week.  Plus I had a 20% off coupon which made it even better.  It turned out to be the perfect size for the number of rocks I had.



Finally, I put the rocks in the vase and it went to it's new home in the bathroom.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, and it was a lot cheaper than ordering the real thing!





I think Abby likes them too!



I'm posting to the following parties:

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Make It 4 Monday @ Cottage Instincts
Lucky Linky Tuesday @ Lucky Star Lane
Talented Tuesday @ My Frugal Family
Toot Your Own Horn Tuesday @ Silly Little Sparrow
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
Make It Yours Day @ My Backyard Eden
Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies and Jellybeans
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
A Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday on Tuesday
Passion for Paint @ Mural Maker & More

7 comments:

  1. LOVE IT!! I just purchased some chalkboard paint and have been DYING to use it! Now I know what I'll do! TFS!

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  2. Those turned out oh so cute and cost a wayyyyy lot less than PB's I'm sure Ü

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  3. chalkboard paint is awesome...I like the fact that either Michaels or Joanns has it in different colors too to match different decor. Great project for way less...PB has great ideas:)

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  4. This is just one of the cleverest uses of chalkboard paint I've seen - PB inspired or not! What a great project!

    I'd love for you to drop by Sunday and link them up to Passion for Paint!

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  5. this rocks (sorry for the pun) would love for you to link up to a crafty soiree party tomorrow
    www.yesterdayontuesday.com

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  6. Thanks so much for linking up to Passion for Paint. I'm laughing because I can just see people gathering up rocks all over the place!

    Hope you'll drop by again soon!

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  7. Wow I can't believe the price of the Potterbarn ones! What a great idea to make your own plus now you can make a lot more. Thank you for joining us at A Crafty Soiree! I hope you'll come back next week and link up again!

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