Writer's block...

Any frame can become a chalkboard, with plywood painted and cut to fit.

Yeah, like the chalkboard says, I'm writing a book.  Not so much today.  Today, I tested the guestroom rug in the office, and then realized this meant the perfect curtains for the office were hanging in the music room turned dance/exercise studio, and the cabinets from that room would work great in the art studio if the extra studio table came up to the office to be used for spreading out book chapters in progress.  It's amazing when writing a book about decorating this house how hard it is to tell the difference between procrastination and designing for the book.

If you don't have a frame, paint one on the wall!
btw:  As for the quote, if you've tried and this still  isn't working for you, think of it this way:  try "yes, thank you!", instead of "pretty please can I?"

Both of these chalkboards are mine.  The one painted directly on the wall is in the kitchen, and used to hold the menu for the week, back when I cooked.  These days it holds inspirational quotes and reminders to buy peanut butter.  I used the other one (from the dining room) at an event recently, and was surprised by how many people still don't know that you can make your own chalkboards, or have heard of it, but think it requires special mystery paint.

Here's the scoop:  You can turn just about anything into a chalkboard.  If you use a bonding primer, just about any slick surface, including glass can be covered, but because there is going to be constant chalk abrasion, I prefer to replace mirror or glass in a frame with thin, smooth plywood (like birch) or Masonite.  As for the surface paint, any paint will work, but for best results, use an exterior grade paint in an eggshell or satin finish.  The new indoor/outdoor enamels are great.  Use a foam mini roller, and apply at least three coats.  Remember, this will be written on and wiped off a lot, so more than two coats is a good idea.
 
Don't have a frame?  You can always paint it straight on the wall, like my kitchen.  I painted a border to look like dimensional sculpted plaster, but you can paint on any style of border you like, or frame it in wall paper border strips, or skip the frame entirely and paint the whole wall.  Of course, by now, your creative juices are flowing, and it's occurred to you that you aren't limited to classic black or green, right?  Just choose a color dark enough to contrast with the chalk.

So then, today I've written morning pages (read The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, if you aren't familiar with these), written a to-do list, written a fix-it list for my computer guy, written two quotes for jobs, written on my kitchen wall, and written this blog.  If my book is really going to debut in about eighteen months, I suppose I better go write something for it! 

I'd put it off til tomorrow, but  I'm off to Northfield to get photos of the woodland mural from a few weeks back, to show on Monday's blog. Sadly, tomorrow also happens to be the annual St. Patrick's Day March of the Clans in Belle Plaine, so I'll be missing out on two of my favorite things:  bagpipes and men in kilts.  Sigh.  If you're in the area, kiss a leprechaun for me!