Project of the Hour

Tonight, I was in the mood for a project. At this moment, there are many projects to be done around my home (including painting my living room for the 4th time since I moved here. Why can't I get the color right?) 

We got home from work/school tonight and La started coloring in her princess coloring book and I started taping off a rectangle on the kitchen wall. 

Let's backup. I've been wanting to buy a chalkboard that's about 13 x 10 inches to hang horizontally underneath my kitchen windows. I could use this chalkboard for oh so many things. It could function as space for grocery lists or reminder notes or as a tic-tac-toe playing board. Plus, then La could color on the "wall" without sending me into cardiac arrest.

Yeah, a chalkboard would be nice.

But, I searched everywhere and I couldn't find a chalkboard that fit my rigid specifications and also looked halfway decent. So I bought some Krylon chalkboard paint and a "distressed" empty white picture frame at Michael's ... So I could make MY OWN DANG CHALKBOARD.

But, before I started spraying, I took some precautionary measures (DUH).

I am what you would call a UFSN (Unofficial Fire Safety Nerd). This is a learned trait that has been passed on to me by the OFSN (OFFICIAL Fire Safety Nerd) Himself; my father. Ever since my childhood, I have been absolutely sure that my home was going to catch fire. My phobia may have been perpetuated by my father's occupation/obsession. He's a fire safety specialist. His job is to make sure that large paint storage facilities do not catch fire. And if they do perchance catch fire, his job is to make sure that the extinguishing systems in the facilities actually extinguish the fires.  

Talk about stress.

When I was a kid, our family would routinely conduct "fire drills." These drills would take place in the middle of the night, without warning. My dad would set off the smoke alarm while we were sleeping, and we would have to file out of the house and rendezvous in the tree-lawn near the maple sapling.

Oh, and my 8th grade science fair project? Funny you should ask. It was titled, "The Use of Aqueous Film in Fire Prevention."

Yeah.

Total nerd.

So, to prepare for my trained use of a combustible solvent this evening, I got out the fan. I also opened every single window in my house. I then opened the back door, being sure to open the storm door as well. Why would I open the storm door even though it has a screen? Because I know from my years of living with the Fire Patrol that the hazardous flammable vapors contained in spray paint are actually heavier than air itself. They sink. Thus, they may not make it through the screen of the storm door. 

I aimed the fan toward the floor and begun to spray.

Oh goodness. 

It seemed so ... well ... BLACK coming out of the can! And on my beautiful Sherwin Williams "Sea Salt" kitchen walls!

Scary.

It still looked a bit daunting when I removed the tape. But then I pounded the frame into the wall using finishing nails.

Magnifique!

The only bad thing is that I have to wait 24 hours before I can color on it. It's taken all the power within me to resist running into the kitchen and scribbling "K Wuz Here" on my new chalkboard. In bubble letters. With peace signs and butterflies all around it.

I have a feeling it will be a while before La gets a chance to use it.