Chalkboard Labels
Last week, I came across a pin about labeling jars with chalkboard paint. I liked it enough to write down where to get the resources, and then I forgot to pin it. I may have spent waaaay too long this afternoon trying to find it again, but I failed, so here’s something similar:
http://pinterest.com/pin/108860515963541618/
So this morning, when I was trying to figure out which craft to do this week, I decided that I had a flavored olive oil bottle that needed a label. And since I’m obsessed with chalkboard paint right now, I pulled out my paints, my non-sanded grout, and my paintbrushes, and got to work.
I got my little jar of paint at Lowe’s last week - they have small sample jars of lots of pretty colors at most home improvement stores - you don’t even have to wait for them to mix it up for you! This one is called Magnet Dapple - I thought it would be perfect for chalkboards. The non-sanded grout I found at a little hardware store down the street - they have it at Home Depot and Lowe’s, too, but in 5-lb boxes, which was WAY too much for me. It’s also super cheap - the 5-lb boxes were around $5.
The first thing I did was to tape off my bottle. I was too lazy to go find painter’s tape when I was at Lowe’s (that’s pretty lazy, considering I was already in the paint section), and I have no masking tape, so I just used regular old tape. I made sure to fold over little tabs on the end so that I could get it off easily when I was done.
Then I poured some paint into a Dixie cup - I always use something disposable, because if you forget and stick something with leftover paint into the dishwasher, you will get filmy grouty crap all over your dishes. Pete was not super amused by that last week. I use little cups and cute little spoons that I got a while ago with some single-serve ice cream bowls, and I make sure that I wash and dry everything when I’m done. (If you’re painting a large area, use a paper plate for your paint, or something covered with foil or a plastic bag you can just throw away afterwards.)
Next, I measured in some grout. I eyeball everything - that’s about 2 oz (1/4 cup) of paint, and I put in a scoop and a half of grout (probably a teaspoon?). Then I stirred it all up - it will be grainy, not smooth.
After that, you paint! I use sponges - a sponge paintbrush would be perfect, but I don’t have one. I did have a bunch of make-up type sponges that came with my paintbrush set, so I used one of those. Two coats, letting it dry in between.
I got bored while I was waiting, and pulled out a tile for a coaster project I’m going to be working on, and I painted that, too.
When everything is dry, peel off the tape, and rub white chalk over your paint, then wipe it off. Voila! Little chalkboard labels!
When I was done with the olive oil bottle, I started looking around my pantry - I have all sorts of jars I can label - flours, sugars, chocolate chips, granola…