Chalkboard paint, you're my hero!

Perhaps you're already familiar with chalkboard paint, but until 5 days ago I had no idea that it existed. So when I accidentally ruined our brand new and beauteous household chalkboard by using art chalk instead of regular chalk to draw on it, I was completely panicked. 

The chalkboard was a wedding gift and one that I was beyond excited to get my mitts on {hence the extreme impatience involved in wanting to draw on it immediately}. Truth be told, I had no idea that art chalk was any different than chalkboard chalk, so when I got the itch to christen the chalkboard I thought nothing of it when all I had on hand was a box of art chalk - I thought, "How convenient! I don't even need to go to the store!" Well, apparently art chalk, despite it feeling almost exactly like regular chalk, contains a slight amount of oil and thus does not belong on anything that you might want to wipe it off of. Whoops! 

After lots of dish soap, Fantastic, and various Clorox wipes I pretty much realized that this stuff was never going to wipe off completely. With stomach in knots and heart pounding I Googled and in one click my fears melted away and my curiosity was peaked. Chalkboard paint?! Incredible! Did you know that you can paint this stuff on any surface {walls, cabinets, mirrors, etc.} and once it dries the surface has instantly become a chalkboard??? AMAZING!

Not only did it completely rescue me and my lovely chalkboard in our time of need, but I found the images above to be seriously inspiring when it comes to household decor. Whether it's an entire wall, an entire room, a framed accent piece, or a kitschy way of labeling your kitchen, chalkboard paint without a doubt instantly gives tremendous character to something that would otherwise be ordinary. I love it!

{Side Note: Make sure you use the shortest nap roller brush you can find when painting with chalkboard paint - It will make a huge difference in the texture of the painted surface. If it's still not quite as smooth as you'd like it to be, sand the surface using sandpaper as fine as or finer than 180.}