Project Menu Blackboard

Ok...finally!  I got this finished last night.  I got this from Pinterest, of course, as my creative soul is asleep most of the time.  I used to keep a weekly menu on the refrigerator and Bill loved it!  He liked knowing what he was eating for supper each day..why?  I have no idea but when I quit doing it or, heaven forbid, changed a day, he had a fit. So, when I saw this on Pinterest, I decided right then and there, that it was a project I was going to tackle.

I put the blackboard menu on the inside of my pantry door.  I used Valspar Chalkboard paint that I bought from Lowes.  I gave the inside of the door a good sanding to take off the glossy finish and then painted 2 coats of Kilz , a latex stain blocker and primer/sealer.  I gave each coat 24 hours to dry and then started the chalkboard paint application.  The can said 2 coats but I wanted this to last, really last, so I gave it 5 coats with 24 hour dry time between applications.  Was it over kill?  I don't think so. I wanted to use Chalk Ink and after researching the ink, it stated that it wouldn't work good on chalkboard paint because it would leave marks when it was washed off.  Bill wrote a small message to me on the board while I was gone to mom's and on first cleaning, I noticed it left a ghost image of the message.  I then got out my wonderful Awesome cleaner and cleaned it some more...ghost image gone.  I think it is because of the 5 layers of paint...maybe not, but it worked and I'm happy!   As you can see from the image, I taped off the raised edge and painted inside..gave it a nice, framed appearance when completed.

Then I cut my wording on the Silhouette.  Trust me, I learned LOTS of patience with this process....I chose to use the font At Last Greeting and its pretty delicate.  I wasted 5 inches of vinyl before I got the settings right to cut it out.  I was following the information in the software and it was cutting the vinyl but tearing the letters at the same time.  I then lowered my blade to 1, my speed to 2 and my thickness to 9.  Then my patience really had to kick in...it was a B to separate from the backing.  My font size for the days of the week was only 72, that made for some very tiny pieces.  It took me almost 2 hours to go from cut to placement and I came close to throwing in the towel many, many times.  But, it sure looks nice now, don't you think?  Even through I didn't get my spacing good....I was frustrated with the lettering and didn't adjust for spacing very well.  I should have marked it all off but this will work for now...someday, I can always do it again.  I figure my pieces are so tiny that with weekly cleaning of the board, the vinyl will start to come off and need to be replaced anyway.  I'll adjust the spacing then...lol.

My next project is to have some sheet metal cut to fit the other door...I know they make magnet paint but I want it to hold better then the paint does.  So...I'm going to have a piece cut and then paint it with chalkboard paint too.  That way, I can write on it or hang my grocery list with the magnets. 
I am having a BLAST! 
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