Choose Love

"I have decided to stick with love. 

Hate is too great a burden to bear."   

 --Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Sunday Verses

Chalkboards, Why Do We Love Them So?

What is it about chalkboards that we love so much?  Maybe it is that they evoke memories of cherished bygone school days?  Or perhaps it is because we can so easily erase and change them?  Is it the black and white that appeals to us or the fact that they help us organize our lives?  

I am not sure, but chalkboards remain a popular item to sell.  I sold one at the very first Farmer's Market I did 13 years ago, the beginning of my repurposing career, and I have been selling them ever since.  They don't fly off the shelf like they did in the past, but people still are seeking them.  

I have made plenty on cupboard doors, and still do.  But I also like to look for the unexpected item to repurpose into a chalkboard.  When I spied what I think is an artist's clipboard at the thrift store (and hubby said, "What do you need that for?") I knew it was a chalkboard in waiting.

I  used wire to hold open the clips for painting. 

Two coats of paint, and my organization station is born.

I love the added bonus of the clips to hold lists and whatnot.

Here are a few past chalkboards I have made:

A vintage metal child's chair

Chalk Rocks

Headboard and footboard chalkboard

Cake pan chalkboard

Vintage advertising board 

Suitcase chalkboard

Ironing board 

Reclaimed wood chalkboard

Chair seat chalkboard

Typing table

Screen door

Drawer chalkboard

Okay, I think I have made my point. ANYTHING, well almost anything, can be made into a chalkboard. Which of these is your favorite--let me know with a comment. Look for something unexpected and slap some chalkboard paint on that baby!
Linking up at:
Serenity Now
Jennifer Rizzo
Funky Junk
French Country Cottage

Under $100 Link Party

Welcome to the party!  I am a poor hostess in that I changed the start time of the party and didn't tell my guests!  I see you still made it--I am glad.  I am playing around with the start time, seeing what seems to work the best for you and for me.  I will keep you guessing for a few weeks, but it will always start on Wednesday!

I was happy to see that some of my regular linkers from the past made it back, along with some new ones.  PLEASE share so we can grow this little get together.  Thanks!  Now for some links that caught my eye last week:

Fabulous wall coat rack from Ginger and Huth!

Beautiful redo from Unexpected Transformations

LOVE this love note pallet art from Diary of a Crafty Lady!

The power of paint from Revived by Delia--here is that blue I mentioned a few posts ago.

Trekkie Mom shared a terrific tutorial on making a plant stand (or toddler scoot around).

Under $100 Link Guidelines:

1. Please link to the specific post, not your blog!

2. Please only post ideas that cost $100 or less--it would be great if you share the cost of your project, but not necessary.  Only share current projects, i.e. from the last 3 months.

3. Please include a brief description in link up.

4. Grab my blog button on the sidebar and include it in your post or a link to Beyond The Picket Fence so people can find you and more great ideas.

5. Please check and make sure your link works. If it doesn't you can delete it and try again.

6. Please no direct links to sales sites, i.e. ETSY or just a plain ol' commercial site, we are looking for inexpensive ideas we can recreate.

7.  Please do NOT link up the same thing week after week--keep it fresh

Have fun--I am looking forward to your links!

Repurposed Junk Coat Hook

Coat hooks, can you have too many?  I love being able to hang things on hooks, all kinds of things.  Coats of course, but bags and purses, aprons, dog leashes, clothing, shoes tied together--yep, pretty much anything can be hung on a coat hook.

One of my favorite type of coat hooks to make is one with repurposed junk.  I love finding rusty bits and pieces that have otherwise lost their usefulness and use them as hooks.

For this coat hook I used a door lock,

a potato masher,

a pulley thingy (?),

a trowel (which took some serious patience and muscle to drill a hole through),

and a silver plate cake server.

Attached to a painted and waxed reclaimed board 

to create a unique, one of a kind coat hook.

Sunday Verses

"Bowl Me Over" With a Pottery Barn Knock-Off

Remember the Friends episode with the apothecary table?  Phoebe didn't like it because it was mass produced at Pottery Barn.

What about you? How do you feel about Pottery Barn?  

I love it for inspiration.  They seem to put together a great eclectic mix of items--casual and comfortable, never too serious or fussy.  BUT,,,yes, the big but, their prices are a bit steep for this girl.  

Never fret though, I find that as a great challenge.  I love finding items I can replicate or "knock-off" as we say in the blogging business.  I hope to do more knock-off projects this year.

My first was this collection of colorful wooden bowls.

I knew when I spied these from PB that I could easily recreate my own version.

Wooden bowls are thrift store staples I always look for on half price days.  

I used the same paint technique that I usually use--slapping on paint all willy nilly.   For these I used chalk paint, acrylic paint, and latex paint. Find my paint tutorial HERE. A little sanding and dark Annie Sloan wax and I was able to get the look for $7 total.  The Pottery Barn price?  $79 for EACH bowl.  Each bowl!!  

I hung the bowls up above my kitchen French doors using Command adhesive strips.

They add a nice punch of color.  Find more ideas at Funky Junk Interiors!

Under $100 Link Party

Welcome (back if you are a regular)  to the Under $100 Link Party.  After a 6 month hiatus, I am looking forward to your links and sharing.

How did this party get started? It started with my love for the magazine A Hundred Decorating Ideas Under $100.  I realized that most, as in 99%, of my projects were under $100, as were most bloggers.  I knew we could come up with more than 100 ideas and for a A LOT less than $100, so thus the party was born.

Who can link up?  Any bloggers are welcome, as long as your ideas you are sharing are under $100.  I will say I am looking for home decor ideas as this is what my blog is about.  

How can I get featured?  As I stated, I am looking for home decor ideas so that is what I most often feature.  Your post must follow the rules to be featured and I am looking for fresh projects!

So what are the rules you ask?  Check them out below.  Please do read them carefully--I would hate to delete your link because you did not follow the directions--thanks!

Under $100 Link Guidelines:

1. Please link to the specific post, not your blog!

2. Please only post ideas that cost $100 or less--it would be great if you share the cost of your project, but not necessary.  Only share current projects, i.e. from the last 3 months.

3. Please include a brief description in link up.

4. Grab my blog button on the sidebar and include it in your post or a link to Beyond The Picket Fence so people can find you and more great ideas.

5. Please check and make sure your link works. If it doesn't you can delete it and try again.

6. Please no direct links to sales sites, i.e. ETSY or just a plain ol' commercial site, we are looking for inexpensive ideas we can recreate.

7.  Please do NOT link up the same thing week after week--keep it fresh

Have fun--I am looking forward to your links!

Key to My Heart--Reclaimed Wood Heart Art

Who has the key to your heart?  Here is a simple way to let them know wit some reclaimed wood heart art.

Freehand paint a heart a piece of old wood,

sand it a bit and stain,

add a key (oops, need to brush away sawdust from wire holes) with wire--this one a craft store one that I rusted and painted to let your loved ones know they hold the key to your heart ;).