Thanks to True Value, we’ve added giving our 1980’s kitchen a much needed makeover to our DIY list, or at least up a few notches from where it was (near the bottom). SO exciting! Our dream kitchen knocks out walls/etc. so we haven’t done much in there since moving in three years ago but I’m ready to make a change.  Because the dirty-looking-even-when-clean 20 yr old white linoleum floor (duct taped in places by previous owners) and blue laminate countertops are my biggest embarrassment.  Our kitchen is functional but it’s butt ugly!  We’re still saving for the dream kitchen but in the meantime, a tight budget mini makeover is just what it needs.  Our first trip to True Value = “wow!  Where do we start?”  We came home with a few things to get us started and this

and our plans evolved from there.

Here’s the wall before (new kitchen paint color coming soon)!  It’s the skinny wall between the two doorways.

Nothing useful going on there. (you get a peak into the dining room – another  mini makeover in progress) There was a Pottery Barn phone hanging on this wall, however we don’t have a phone line to the house any longer and there isn’t one even there behind the phone.  Probably the reason it never rang, huh? Purely decorative and now it resides in the basement junk pile awaiting an ebay debut or yard sale.  Oh man.  More work!

Then using a paintbrush and chalkboard paint, I cut in around all of the trim and used a foam roller on the larger middle section. 

Sanding with the Dremel Multi Max makes the job easy and quick!  It fits perfectly in my hand too. I love that it’s not awkward.  More on that guy in another post.

With the side of a piece of chalk, I rubbed all over the chalkboard area then erased with a chalkboard eraser. I’ve skipped this step in the past and the writing was difficult to completely erase.  This works!

Love how it turned out.  Perfect place for writing down the day’s events, shopping list or even the menu du jour when Mr. DIY cooks. 

It’s little projects like this that get my DIY mojo refueled, spark my creativity and motivate me to want to move forward with the kitchen, tiny budget and all.  I love the little chalkboard wall but it looks out of place with it’s surroundings.   Every time I walk in there, I feel my big 80s poof growing back!  Plans to do something about that!  Stay tuned!  Oh –  I conquered my fear of the miter saw monster so there’s no stopping me now!