Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Thrifty Project Challenge: Mirror Frame Upcycle

About 2-3 times per month I find myself at the local thrift store, perusing the aisles for a thrifty project. A while back I found this old mirror frame - snagged it for a whopping $3.50.
The old mirror frame was MDF and the black backing was the standard backing board that helps keep the mirror in place. It was really big - 4 feet tall by 2 1/2 feet wide.

I had a few ideas that I bounced around with on Pinterest - would it be a command center, a calendar, a menu board, an epic picture frame? I finally decided on a menu board. I cook all of our meals at home but almost daily I find myself at a loss for what to cook tonight. Planning ahead for the week keeps me on task and I've been able to reduce our grocery store visits to about once a week; sometimes only once every two weeks!

I hadn't played around with chalk paint before so after giving this dusty old frame a good wipe down I gave it a layer of Walmart brand Chalk paint in Parisian Gray. I know, Annie Sloan is the typical favorite when it comes to chalk paint but I decided that I was up for the challenge of keeping this a low budget project and seeing how the less expensive stuff turns out.

My local Wal-Mart carries an inexpensive chalk paint so I picked up a bottle of Parisian Gray and clear wax to seal it. I gave the frame a couple lights coats of the gray, allowed it to dry (chalk paint dries very quickly) and I decided on a whim to give it a quick brushing of standard black latex paint that I had laying around from a previous project. I focused on antiquing the edges and design on the top and I quickly wiped most of the excess black paint off. This gave the frame a really aged stonelike look. Because of the incredibly low investment that I had in the mirror frame I decided to use what I had on hand, albeit unconventional for chalk paint projects. I was actually really pleased with the outcome!


To create the chalk board I used Valspar chalk board paint, which I purchased at Lowe's. They have it available in spray paint or liquid paint form and I chose the liquid paint because I can think of a few more projects that I could use it for. This took about 6 layers to create a thick, smooth layer that is perfect for writing with chalk.

For a super thrifty find and about $20 in paint supplies - I don't think it turned out half bad!

29 comments:

  1. This chalkboard is so pretty! You did an awesome job. Wish I was that crafty. :)

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  2. What a wonderful idea and suggestion! I can never have enough frames, and I love variety.

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  3. I love how you used the black to create an antique-y look. Definitely brings out the detail on the the frame!

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  4. This is adorable! It'd make a great piece for the front hall, to add notes, reminders, and phone numbers to. And it's so chic, it'd fit right in!

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  5. I love the chalk board! I want to try to! I may make a second one with magnetic paint as well.

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  6. I really Love finding article's on how to DIY :-) I mean who doesn't want to create something absolutely gorgeous for their household without needing to spend a arm and a leg or two :-)

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  7. This is a really cute idea. Chalkboards are really in right now, and this would be a great way to epicycle an old mirror!

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  8. What an awesome idea! Had to share that one pretty sure there are a couple of mirrors at my mothers house stuffed away no one wanted!

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  9. Looooove it!! Turned out fabulous!! Im pretty good at started project and spending millions to finish it lol!! You did great on this one!

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  10. This is awesome!!! I would love to try this because I love chalk boards, they look so cute =]]

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  11. This is sucvh a great way to refurbish a mirror! :) I love chalk board paint, it's perfect for my homeschool classroom (I painted a whole wall!)! :)

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  12. I'm so gonna try this! thanks for sharing :)

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  13. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

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  14. So cute! I have an old mirror sitting in storage I found for $2 at a thrift store, every once in a while I think about how I should really turn it into a chalkboard…maybe one day!

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  15. That is so cute! I have a mirror that has a broken frame. I know I can fix it, but the mirror won't be going back it- I think this would be a great thing to do with mine!

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  16. Lexy Overstreet BroomeApril 20, 2016 at 6:15 PM

    So cool! Great job!

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  17. With a frame like that, the possibilities are endless! I'd probably never get around to doing anything with one but you on the other hand did a great job!

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  18. This is brilliant! I think it's not to hard for me to mess up either! 😝

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  19. I love chalk paint and this is a great idea. That frame is epic though don't see those very much in my parts.

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  20. This is awesome! Beautiful too. Artsy and cute!

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  21. Your chalkboard frame turned out beautifully!

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  22. That looks great. I am great at buying pieces to refinish, not so great at finishing them ;) .

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  23. I love this! You did a great job on the frame! Definitely a good idea with yard sale season here...

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  24. This is a really great idea, and I'd like to hang something like this in my dining room!

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  25. I'm going to be looking at garage sales for something like this now!

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  26. This is such a cute craft and super useful too!

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