Pinterest Day: You are an obsession (chalkboard paint!)

Pinterest Day: You are an Obsession (Chalkboard Paint)

Recently, my dear friend Erin and I got together to do a Pinterest inspired craft and lunch with a Pinterest recipe.  It was a blast.  We decided to chalkboard board books.  Basically, you chalkboard paint old board book and then kids or adults can have their own chalkboard book.  Project below.  Our recipe was jalapeno popper grilled cheese sandwiches, recipe below.

The Project: Chalkboard Board Books

Erin sanding (tough work!)

The concept behind creating chalkboard board books is pretty simple.  You sand the books, prime them (or gesso, whichever you happen to have on hand is fine).  You can see Erin sanding away there while I started gessoing.  Then, after the paint is all dry, you use chalkboard spray paint and do a coat or two on each page.  Then, fini!  Simple enough right?  Yes, simple in theory, but very time consuming.  The thing to take note of is each page needs to be sanded, gessoed, dried, spray painted and dried again.  It's a very lengthy process and the fumes for the spray paint are noteworthy.  The other issue is not all board books are created equal.  So, you have some that really stand up to the paint and others that warp.  Below, you can see some differences in two books.  Honestly, both looked the same before painting them.  All warp to some extent, we'll see how they weather.

Book on the left has warped pages, on the right more straight.

On a whole, although it was a day I'd never trade, this particular project I don't think is worth the time for either the at home crafter or for someone who might be doing these for a project to sell.  On the other hand I did a few other objects that were totally worth it.  They were very quick and you got a lot of bang for your buck.

Tins, Clementine boxes, puzzle bases, tray

1. Pirouline Tins:  Any tins would do.  I have no idea what I'll do with them, but I love them.  They'd be great in the pantry, art room, or as a fun gift of art supplies or cooking items.

2. Clementine boxes: I didn't sand my boxes enough, but I still love them.  I'm planning on painting the interior different colors so they can store art supplies.

3. Wooden puzzle base: this is probably my favorite.  We have tons of wooden puzzles that pieces are lost from.  I've been using the back as project bases and thought it might be neat to chalk one up. The front of this one might be as fun as the back!

4. Tray: Who knows really when I'll use the tray, but covered in chalkboard paint, it will be fun no matter what.  A sweet message for someone that is getting breakfast in bed.  A description of something at a party.  Whatever, it's fun.

The above items took no time at all and for most you could use your own recipe of chalkboard paint or regular chalkboard paint.  There is a secret graffiti artist in me, so the excuse to use spray paint is always fun.  Although, it's important to note that the spray paint is not water-based.

The finished project!

The recipe: Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

Jalapeno Grilled Cheese as our reward for a job well done!  Saratoga Chips on the side with  our homage to motherhood, the carrot stick.

We choose jalapeno popper grilled cheese sandwiches from the blog Closet Cooking.  They are delicious!  Our modified recipe didn't use the tortilla chips in the sandwich and out of laziness, I used canned jalapenos.  Still amazing.  I've never added cream cheese to a grilled cheese before and I have to confess it was quite a nice addition.  I think if it's possible to skinny up a grilled cheese, you could do this with low fat cream cheese without noticing much of a difference.  Or, you could count this for your big treat for the week and indulge!

The Recipe (for two!)

• 4 slices of fresh baked bread: I used a Tuscan loaf from my local supermarket
• Butter: My method on this is to butter one side of bread, put it on the griddle, add the cheddar cheese, jalapenos, then spread the cream cheese on the other bread, put it on top of the sandwich and butter the up-side in situ.  Clearly, soft butter is ideal for this.
• Cheddar cheese: enough to cover the bread, with the two cheeses and spice of the peppers, you don't need a huge amount of either.
• Jalapenos: I just popped open the jar and put a full layer of them on the grilled cheese.  You could substitute the jalapenos for banana peppers if you like it more mild, or for a hotter pepper if you like it hotter.  
• Cream Cheese: enough to do a think layer on the bread
• Cook on either side over medium high heat until golden brown.
• Sit and enjoy with a dear friend!

What a great day!  There is nothing better than creating and eating good food with a dear friend.  Looking forward to our next Pinterest day!